Nikon D7000: Is this Nikon D90 replacement camera worthy of the crown?

Is this Nikon D90 replacement camera worthy of the crown?

As it has 16.2 million pixels on its CMOS sensor the Nikon D7000 has a higher resolution than all other Nikon APS-C (DX) format DSLRs. In fact it is only trumped in this respect by the top-end Nikon D3X, which has 24.5 million pixels on its full-frame (FX) sensor. However, the D7000 is aimed at enthusiast photographers and sits between the 12.3-million-pixel Nikon D300S and D90 in the DSLR line-up, with a list price of £1099.99.

Though it has quite a bit in common with the Nikon D90, the control layout is very similar, the D7000's construction is closer to the Nikon D300S's as both cameras have a magnesium alloy body shell rather than the polycarbonate version of the D90.

In some ways the Nikon D7000's specification surpasses that of the D300S, not least in pixel count. In addition, the Nikon D7000 is only the second Nikon DSLR to feature Full HD video technology, the D31000 was the first, and it has a more advanced metering system than any other Nikon DSLR as it uses a 2,016 pixel sensor.

There's also a new 39-point AF system that sits comfortably between the 11-point and 51-point systems found in the Nikon D90 and D300S respectively.

Nikon has also taken a look at how some of the features we now expect from a DSLR are integrated into the camera and there are a few control changes that are designed to make the Nikon D7000 more straightforward to use.

It all adds up to a pretty interesting offering for enthusiasts, but has Nikon taken a step too far out of its comfort zone with a 16.2 million pixel sensor?

Build Quality and Handling

Although the D90 isn't a flimsy camera, the D7000 feels a little tougher in the hand, perhaps courtesy of its magnesium alloy body shell and the heftier textured rubber at its key grip points.

With the index finger on the shutter release button, the main grip is just tall enough to accommodate the remaining three right-hand fingers of those with fairly small hands. Photographers with more shovel-like mitts will find that their little finger slips naturally under the camera body.

While the control arrangement on the D7000 is at first glance very similar to the D90's, there are a few subtle changes that make quite a difference to the handling. One of the most significant is the change in the way that the AF and AF point selection modes are selected.

This has been brought about by the introduction of the AF mode button at the centre of the focus mode selector switch, which sits at approximately the 4 o'clock point by the lens mount (as you look at the front of the camera).

Instead of using a switch like on the D300S to set the AF mode (Single point, Dynamic are or Auto Area) and dipping into the menu to set the number of AF points to use in continuous AF mode or to choose 3D-tracking mode, these options can now be selected by pressing the AF mode button while rotating the sub-command dial beneath the shutter release button on the front of the camera.

Though this is a two-handed operation, it can be carried out with the camera held to the eye as the various options are displayed in the viewfinder as well as the top LCD screen. It's a much slicker integration of the AF modes than with other Nikon DSLRs and we expect to it appear in future models.

Like the D3100, the D7000 has a dedicated live view switch around a video activation button to the left of the natural thumb resting place. The live view control is especially useful as it speeds up the process of composing images on screen and is more intuitive to use than the drive mode dial option found on earlier Nikon D-SLRs.

Photographers upgrading from a D3100 or a D90 will find the handling changes of the D7000 a fairly logical progression. Those considering buying a D7000 as a second body to accompany their D300 or D300S, however, may find that it takes a little bit more getting used to with the loss of the AF and metering mode switches.

While we like the new AF system operation, we prefer having a switch to set the metering mode rather than top-plate mounted button that must be used in conjunction with the main command dial.

Ease of Use

The new Nikon D7000 slots in between the existing D90 and D300s models, not only in terms of feature set and functionality, but also in terms of size and weight. It isn't as compact and lightweight as the D90 but neither is it quite as bulky and heavy as the D300s. The right-hand grip bears more resemblance to that of the D300s, with a chunkier rubberised coating than on the D90. There's also a rubberised thumb rest on the back of the body.

The 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR kit lens that ships with the D7000 feels well-balanced on the Nikon D7000 and despite only having a plastic mount it fits into place with a reassuring mechanical click. It also adds the very important advantage of Vibration Reduction. Nikon bodies don't offer any form of in-camera image stabilisation, unlike similar models from Sony, Pentax and Olympus, so the relatively affordable and versatile 18-105mm VR lens is a good starting point if you don't already have any Nikon lenses.

The shutter release action on the Nikon D7000 is surprisingly quiet, with an exemplarily dampened mirror slap that makes this DSLR actually quieter than some rangefinder cameras, and it's tested for 150,000 cycles. Furthermore, there is also a Quiet mode, in which the mirror is raised fairly slowly to further reduce the sound it makes. This, however, introduces some shutter lag, which usually isn't worth the few decibels of difference versus what is already an impressively quiet shutter (Nikon actually recommends using the Quiet mode for taking pictures of sleeping babies, a situation in which a bit of shutter delay obviously isn't a problem).

The overall control layout and 'philosophy' of the Nikon D7000 is very similar to the D90, with two control wheels and dedicated buttons for controlling ISO sensitivity, white balance, metering and AF mode. Only the combined Live View switch and Movie Mode button and lockable drive mode dial are completely new, with the former being an improvement on the D90 but the latter being somewhat awkward, requiring the use of both fore- and middle fingers. In addition the Playback button has moved to the left of the viewfinder in line with models higher up the range. This all means that upgrading from the D90 to the D7000 is a near seamless experience from a handling point of view.


Front	Rear

The D7000 uses a new EN-EL15 battery, MH-25 recharger and MB-D11 battery grip, which improves the handling but doesn't speed up the camera in any way. The D7000 records images on SD/SDHC/SDHC cards via not one but two slots housed in the large right-hand compartment. This allows you to use two cards in tandem, with the ability to overflow images onto the second card, backup images from the first to the second, or save RAW to slot 1 and JPEG to slot 2. It also obviously greatly expands the overall memory capacity, useful if you shoot a lot of images in a short space of time.

The Nikon D7000 follows conventional DSLR design in having a shooting mode dial on the top of the camera, which allows you to select either one of the advanced modes like Manual, Aperture- or Shutter-priority, or 19 different scene modes. The Exposure Compensation button is thoughtfully positioned next to the shutter release. Hold down this button with your right forefinger and spin the control wheel on the top-rear of the camera with your thumb to adjust its settings - simple and intuitive. The other button sitting next to the shutter release is for setting the metering. The D7000 has a similar monochromatic status LCD to the D90, a pro-level feature that indicates who this camera is primarily targeted at. On cheaper cameras, the LCD on the rear usually has to do both jobs, but on this model most of the key settings are visible from above on the smaller panel. This can make the Nikon D7000 quicker to use and it may also extend the battery life, depending on how extensively you use the rear LCD screen.

The D90's 12 megapixel CMOS sensor has been superseded by a 16.2 megapixel CMOS chip (the same sensor as used in the Sony A55), capable of providing a Live View feed, recording Full HD video and capturing full-resolution stills at 6 frames per second for up to JPEG 100 images, up from 4.5fps in the D90. There's also a a Continuous Lo shooting option (1-5fps). The sensor can clean itself by way of high-frequency vibrations that will, at least in theory, shake off any non-adhesive dust particles that may have settled on the low-pass filter during a lens change. You can specify, via an option in the Setup menu, whether you want sensor cleaning to take place at shutdown, startup, both or neither, with the default being 'both'. The cleaning process pleasingly has no practical impact on startup times, which were near instant. The new image sensor is complemented by the more powerful EXPEED 2 processing engine and a larger buffer as well.

The D7000 inherits the same excellent three-inch, 920,000-dot monitor as the D90. The screen is used not only to navigate menus and to review pictures, but can also act as a secondary status display, facilitating the transition for upgraders from entry-level DSLR owners who are not used to having a top-mounted status LCD on their cameras. It's also the rear screen that provides live view for capturing both stills and movies. For this reason, we were a little disappointed that the monitor was fixed, lacking articulation of any kind, something that one of the D7000's key rivals, the Canon EOS 60D, does offer.


Front	Side

You still get a true optical TTL finder as well though, and it's an excellent to boot. The key difference between the D90's and the D7000's finders is the frame coverage, with the former at 96% and the latter at an impressive 100%. The auto-focus system has also been significantly upgraded, with the centre point permanently marked on the focusing screen the other 38 points lighting up as red boxes, and compositional grid lines that can be called up via a menu option. Three warning signs – reminding you that you are in black-and-white capture mode, the battery is running low or you have forgotten to insert a memory card – may also appear in the form of overlaid icons when appropriate. Below the finder is a traditional monochromatic status bar that is the same as the one seen in the D90.

As stated above, the D7000 has 39 auto-focus sensors, out of which 9 are a cross type. The other 30 are of the line variety, consequently being only sensitive to either vertical or horizontal detail, but not both. In practice, this did not turn out to be a problem, with the camera typically locking focus on the subject easily, no matter which AF point was selected. Be aware though that the default AF area mode is 'auto-area' in most of the scene and exposure modes, including P, A, S and M as well. In auto-area mode it is the camera, rather than the photographer, that chooses which AF point(s) to use, which is usually not desirable. You can change this to single-point, dynamic-area or 3D-tracking AF. Single-point AF is what you will want to use most of the time, as it gives you the opportunity to specify which of the 39 auto-focus sensors should be engaged. In the viewfinder, the active AF point appears as a red square, which is easy to see. Selecting the active AF point is done by holding down the Af mode button and using the four-way pad, unless the focus selector lock is in the L (=Locked) position.

If you select dynamic-area AF, you can also specify an AF point, but the camera 'will focus based on information from surrounding focus points if subject briefly leaves selected point', as the user guide puts it. This is the default AF area mode in the Sports scene mode. More interesting is the 3D focus tracking feature. Basically this lets you specify the focus point that is right on your subject, then the camera will attempt to track this subject as it moves across the frame, using whichever AF point it deems appropriate in any given moment. Apparently, the camera does this using colour information from the new 2,016-segment RGB metering sensor to identify the subject. In the field, it was quite astounding to see 3D focus tracking in action.

The modus operandi of the auto-focus system can also be specified by the photographer. There is nothing new here: AF-S is for stationary subjects – an AF assist lamp is available for use at close range in low light – AF-C is for moving ones, while AF-A is the best of both worlds. Cycling through these modes is done by holding down the dedicated AF button on the left-side of the camera, and turning a control wheel. Note that some of the AF area modes, namely dynamic area and 3D focus tracking, will only work the way described above if you are either in AF-A or AF-C. The camera also allows you to focus on your subject manually. To do this, turn the AF/MF switch, found below the lens release button, to the position marked with an 'M', and use the MF ring on the lens to focus.


Pop-up Flash	Top

One area of photography that the D7000 is particularly well suited to is flash photography. The camera has a built-in speedlight with a guide number of 12 (in metres) at ISO 100. In auto mode, this flash will pop-up automatically if the camera thinks it's necessary, but in most other exposure modes, it is left to the photographer to decide whether to use it or not. This little flash can not only be used as an emergency light source or a fill light, but also as a commander for up to two groups of wireless flash units. In such a setup, you can specify if you want the on-board flash to give only a signal to fire off the wireless slaves or also to provide some fill light. It is also possible to chose the mode of operation (TTL, Auto or Manual) for one or both of the slaved flash groups, and even to regulate their output from the camera. Compatible flashguns include the SB-900, SB-800, SB-700, SB-600, and SB-400 flash units.

As with most recent DSLR cameras from both Nikon and the other manufacturers, the D7000 offers Live View off the main sensor. Live View has its own dedicated spring-loaded switch on the rear of the camera. Move it to the left and the mirror flips up, the shutter opens and the rear screen displays the scene as seen through the lens. Live View is either delivered on the high-resolution rear monitor or on any LCD panel or plasma screen connected to the camera via an HDMI cable. There is a red rectangle in the middle for focusing , which you can move practically anywhere in the frame. When in manual focus mode, you can magnify into this rectangle in five steps simply by repeatedly pressing the button marked with a loupe icon, but this magnification seems to be interpolated rather than real. This means that you cannot see detail down to the pixel level, unlike with many competing cameras, which was a disappointment given the excellent LCD screen.

Manual Focus is not the only focusing option in Live View when taking still images. The D7000 has two AF modes in Live View, AF-A and AF-F. Both employ a contrast-detect method of focusing, with AF-A locking onto the subject when you half-press the shutter button, and AF-F (full-time-servo AF) automatically tracking the subject continuously even if it moves. The D7000's Live View auto-focusing isn't very fast, typically taking between 1 and 2 seconds to lock focus on a subject in good light, and eben longer in low-light conditions. There are selectable AF-area modes according to the subject; face-priority AF, wide-area AF, normal-area AF and subject-tracking AF. 'Face-Priority AF' had no problem finding and keeping track of human faces as long as they were facing the camera, and the system can detect up to 35 faces and will attempt to focus on the one closest to the camera.

The amount of overlaid information is user selectable, and can include a shooting grid similar to what you can see in the optical viewfinder and also the new virtual horizon which helps to keep your images straight. This feature can also be turned on and off via the reprogrammable Fn button, which can be assigned to a range of different functions, and also appears in the optical viewfinder status bar via the exposure compensation scale. But there's still no live histogram, as on the D90, which is a glaring omission that makes Live View much less usable than it could be, and again puts Nikon behind the competition in this area. Photographers who intend to use Live View mainly for tripod work will, on the other hand, be delighted to learn that the camera offers true mirror lock up


Top	Bottom

Live View is also employed by the Nikon D7000's movie mode. After moving the Lv switch to the left and optionally presetting the aperture, shutter speed and focus, you can start recording video by pressing the Movie button with the red dot sitting within the Lv switch. The camera records full high-definition, wide-screen video in 1920x1280 pixel resolution, at a frame rate of 24fps, in AVI format using the motion JPEG codec. As with Live View, contrast-detect AF is possible whilst shooting movies, although as with still images there's an audible whine as the camera refocuses and it's still too slow to focus on any fast-moving subject, so much so that we suspect most serious users will use manual focusing instead. Although the D7000 can automatically focus during video recording, the first DSLR to do so, it's just not fast enough to warrant regular use or to rival cameras like the Panasonic Lumix GH1/2.

You can set both the aperture and the shutter speed from the camera in movie mode, although the slowest shutter speed is limited to 1/30th second, plus exposure compensation and AE-Lock can also be set. Out of the box the D7000 can only record monaural sound via its built-in microphone with three different levels of sensitivity on offer, but stereo recording can be recorded using an optional external microphone. The maximum size of a single video clip is 2 gigabytes which, given that movies occupy about 100 megabytes of storage space per minute, would theoretically translate into about 20 minutes of continuous recording, but – apparently because of certain legal regulations in the EU –, Nikon decided to limit the clip length to 5 minutes for high-definition movies.

For the images already captured, the Nikon D7000 offers a broad range of retouching tools, including post-capture D-lighting (useful if you forgot to turn on Active D-lighting before capture), red-eye correction, trimming, monochrome conversion, different filter effects, colour adjustments, image resizing, image overlay, in-camera raw processing, quick auto retouching, straightening of crooked pictures, lens distortion correction, perspective control (reduction of keystoning), and new fisheye, miniature, colour outline and colour sketch effects. Many of these functions make it unnecessary to buy specialised computer programs or plug-ins and spend hours in front of a computer to achieve a desired/popular effect. Interval timer shooting is a powerful feature and something that isn't offered by the D90. Check out our article on time-lapse photography in our Techniques section to get an idea of what you can use this feature for.

As far as connectivity goes, there are USB / VideoOut and Mini HDMI ports as well as an accessory terminals for the connection of an external microphone and either wired remote or a GPS unit, all sheltered behind two rubberised doors on the left side of the camera, when viewed from the back.

Nikon D7000 Key Features

16.2MP CMOS sensor
1080p HD video recording with mic jack for external microphone
ISO 100-6400 (plus H1 and H2 equivalent to ISO 12,800/25,600)
39-point AF system with 3D tracking
New 2016 pixel metering sensor
Scene Recognition System (see 2016 pixel sensor, above) aids WB/metering + focus accuracy
Twin SD card slots
3.0 inch 921k dot LCD screen
New Live View/movie shooting switch
Full-time AF in Live View/movie modes
Up to 6fps continuous shooting
Lockable drive mode dial
Built-in intervalometer
Electronic virtual horizon
Shutter tested to 150K actuations

Positioned alongside the D90 and D300S, the D7000 is clearly a lot closer to the former than the latter in terms of its size and control layout. The similarities between the D90 and D7000 don't run much deeper than the surface level though - where specifications are concerned, on paper, the D7000 at least matches and frequently surpasses the abilities of the D300S in several key areas.

Nikon D7000 and Nikon D90: Key differences

The D7000 sits above the D90 in Nikon's current lineup, and as befits its new position in the range, the D7000 combines elements of the D90 with elements of the D300S - Nikon's current APS-C flagship. The most obvious physical clue to its new position is a magnesium alloy body shell, which up to now has been reserved for Nikon's top-end APS-C and full frame cameras.
'Under the hood' though the differences are legion - a new 16.2MP CMOS sensor, dual card slots, a new 39-point AF array, 'true' HD movie mode with full-time AF and more customization options, some of which are inherited from Nikon's professional DSLRs. Like the D90, the D7000 supports AF with Nikon's older AF and AF-D lenses (lower-end models are limited to compatibility with AF-S and AF-I optics only) but additionally, because the D7000 has an Ai indexing tab on its lens mount, up to 9 'non-CPU' lenses can also be registered with the camera.
This allows the use of virtually any Ai specification or later lens to be used in aperture priority or manual mode with the D7000, with almost no loss of functionality (apart from AF). Novice DSLR users might never look beyond the horizons offered by their kit lenses, but for the enthusiast, legacy support like this could well be a deal-clincher.

The overall dimensions of the D7000 are very similar to the older D90, but the heavier, magnesium alloy body shell and thicker rubber on the hand grip lend it a noticeably more 'serious' feel.

Higher resolution sensor (16.2MP vs. 12.3MP)
Choice of 12-bit or 14-bit NEF (RAW)
1080p HD movie mode
Limited movie editing functionality
AF possible during video shooting
Live View switch (basically the same as D3100)
Faster AF in live view mode.
Twin SD card slots
Non-CPU lens data function (allows registration of up to 9 non-G lenses with manual apertures)
Magnesium alloy body shell
Wider ISO span (100-25,600 including 'H1' and 'H2')
Newly developed 39-point AF system
'Quiet' single frame advance mode
'Proper' mirror lock-up (as distinct from 'exposure delay mode')
Lockable drive mode dial
Higher maximum frame rate (6fps) with a Continuous Lo shooting option (1-5fps)
100% viewfinder
Choice of 12-bit or 14-bit NEF (RAW) recording in compressed or lossless compressed formats
Up to 9 'non-CPU' lenses can be registered (same as D300s/D3s/D3X)
New EN-EL15 lithium-ion battery

New MB-D11 battery pack (magnesium alloy construction)

Ergonomically, the D7000 and D90 are quite similar, and as you can see from this view of the back of the two cameras, in terms of its control layout, the D7000 is very close to the D90. Some controls have changed slightly (the D90's 'Lv' button becomes a spring-loaded switch for example) but the number of control points is the same and everything is basically in the same place.

Operation and Controls

The D7000 might be a new model, but in terms of its operation and controls it is very similar in many respects to the D90. A summary of the main design differences between the D90 and D7000 follows below:

Live View 'switch' (rather than button) and dedicated movie record button
Playback button moved to left of viewfinder (like D300S/D3S/D3X)
Slightly larger buttons on left of LCD
Thicker rubber on hand grip
Smaller rubber area on rear (limited to thumbrest area)
AF and Drive buttons deleted from top plate
AF mode button now situated at hub of AF/M switch near lens mount
New lockable drive mode dial on left of top plate
Raised white dot on front of body to aid lens alignment when mounting/removing lenses
Twin SD card slots under 'full height' card door

Rear controls

Viewed from the rear, the D7000's control layout is all but identical to that of the D90. Some of the controls have changed shape (live view, for example, which has gone from a simple button to a sprung switch surrounding the new movie record button, a la D3100) and the playback button has leapt up to join delete, on the top-left, but otherwise, we're looking at the same controls in pretty much the same position.

Like the D90, the D7000 has a rear control dial and a customizable AE-L/AF-L button to the right of where your thumb naturally rests when the camera is held. The LCD screen is the same too - 3 inches and 921k dots, and like the D90 the D7000 comes with a clip-in screen protector as standard (the BM 11 - not pictured). Unfortunately, the D7000 also inherits the D90's ISO button, which is inconveniently-positioned for use with the camera to your eye.

Top right controls

On the top right of the D7000 are the shutter release with on/off/LCD illumination collar switch, the top status LCD and dedicated metering and exposure compensation buttons. When pressed and held simultaneously, the metering and delete buttons (on the rear of the camera) act as a shortcut to format either/both memory cards. From this position you can also clearly see the rear control dial, and the six small holes to its left cover a built-in speaker for playing back sound on movie footage. On the D90, drive and AF mode buttons were positioned to the right of the status LCD - in the D7000 these functions are taken care of via the shooting mode dial on the right of the top plate (see below) and the new AF mode button on the AF switch, adjacent to the lens throat.

Top left controls

The biggest changes compared to the D7000's stablemates are on the top-left of the camera. As well as a conventional exposure mode dial, the D7000 also features a second drive-mode dial which resembles those on higher-end Nikons. It deals with frame advance modes, timers, and the like, adding 'Quiet' mode plus true mirror lock-up to the selection available on the D90. Like the similar dial on the D300S, D700 and D3-series, this is lockable, and is released by depressing the small button on the lower left.

The dial is knurled on its front edge, which aids grip, but we still find it rather narrow and as a consequence, quite fiddly to manipulate. It is a little disappointing, too, that whilst this dial is impossible to shift accidentally, the more exposed exposure mode dial above it is all too easy to inadvertently knock when taking the camera in or out of a bag, or if it brushes against your hip when the D7000 is held over one shoulder.

The D7000's large number of external buttons and dials, added to the versatility of the interactive Info screen means that after the initial setup of your camera, you shouldn't need to dive into the menus too often. As an enthusiast-oriented model the D7000 lacks the innovative 'GUIDE' mode found on the entry-level D3100, but it remains relatively uncomplicated, assuming that you're coming from a reasonable knowledge base. Beginners beware though - the D7000 is a complicated camera with a lot of functionality, and some aspects of its operation, especially the plethora of information in the 'info' screen, might be overwhelming at first.

Interactive Info screen

A press of the INFO button on the back of the camera brings the INFO screen up on the rear LCD. It gives you an overview of a large number of shooting parameters. A second press of the same button takes you into 'interactive' mode where you can change the settings in the two rows at the bottom of the screen. These are mostly settings that don't have their own dedicated hard button.

Record review and play displays

In the play menu you can choose the review screens and information you want to be available in image review.	In image review mode, this is the basic metadata view - file name, and date and time when the shot was taken.


In this full shooting data view you get to see all essential shooting parameters and a histogram along a thumbnail version of the image.	The focus point can be added to the standard view.

There is also a full metadata view stretching over three screens of EXIF information.	Blinking highlights can be activated in the play menu.

Last but not least an RGB histogram option is available for those who prefer to see a separate histogram for each color channel.

Play thumbnail index and magnification

Thumbnail and magnification views can be entered using the magnifying glass buttons to the left of the rear LCD. The D7000 offers four thumbnail display screens, the final one, shown here on the right, being a calendar view that groups images according to the date on which they were taken. Caution is called for here though, because pressing the delete button in this mode deletes all of the images taken on whichever day is highlighted.


The D7000 offers eight steps of magnification up to 100%. You use the zoom button to select the zoom amount the multi-selector to move around the magnified image. Unfortunately, unlike the D300S and higher-end models, it is not possible to customize the 'OK' button to provide one-touch magnification.

Live view/Movie displays

This is the standard live view screen, showing a selection of key shooting information.	An electronic spirit level is on hand to make sure that your horizons are straight.


A 16-segment grid can be overlaid on the live view screen to aid composition.	If you prefer a less cluttered display, you can turn off all of the on-screen furniture. Annoyingly though, there is no live histogram option in either live view or video shooting modes...

A video preview screen with grayed out top and bottom areas is also available. When you press the red video button on the back of the camera movie shooting is initiated. Unfortunately, it is not possible to directly adjust aperture in either live view or movie shooting modes - aperture must be set prior to live view being initiated.

Other screens

The D7000's movie mode offers a number of options. Apart from choosing from various resolutions and frame rates you can activate manual controls while recording, save movies on a separate memory card to stills and adjust the sensitivity of the microphone.


When the mode dial is set to 'Scene' you can browse through the available modes using the rear dial.	In-camera RAW processing with a number of essential image parameters is available.

The function of a number of buttons and dials can be customized. Here you can see the functions that are available on the Fn-button.	Pressing the '?' button while you're in the menus gives you a short description of each setting.

Resolution Chart Comparison (JPEG and RAW)

Images on this page are of our standard resolution chart which provides for measurement of resolution up to 4000 LPH (Lines Per Picture Height). A value of 20 equates to 2000 lines per picture height. For each camera we use the relevant prime lens (the same one we use for all the other tests in a particular review). The chart is shot at a full range of apertures and the sharpest image selected. Studio light, cameras set to aperture priority (optimum aperture selected), image parameters default. Exposure compensation set to deliver approximately 80% luminance in the white areas.
What we want to show here is how well the camera is able to resolve the detail in our standard test chart compared to the theoretical maximum resolution of the sensor, which for the charts we shoot is easy to work out - it's simply the number of vertical pixels (the chart shows the number of single lines per picture height, the theoretical limit is 1 line per pixel). Beyond this limit (when talking about line pairs usually referred to as the Nyquist frequency) the sensor cannot faithfully record image detail and aliasing occurs.

This limit is rarely attained, because the majority of sensors are fitted with anti-aliasing filters. Anti-aliasing filters are designed to reduce unpleasant moiré effects, but in doing so, they also reduce resolution (the relative strength and quality of these filters varies from camera to camera). In theory though, a sensor without an AA filter, when coupled with a 'perfect' lens, will deliver resolution equal to its Nyquist limit. Therefore, even though it may be effectively unattainable with normal equipment in normal shooting situations, an understanding of a sensor's theoretical limit provides a useful benchmark for best possible performance. Nyquist is indicated in these crops with a red line.
On this page we're looking at both JPEG and Raw resolution. For a (more) level playing field we convert the latter using Adobe Camera Raw. Because Adobe Camera Raw applies different levels of sharpening to different cameras (this confirmed) we use the following workflow for these conversions:

Load RAW file into Adobe Camera RAW (Auto mode disabled)
Set Sharpness to 0 (all other settings default)
Open file to Photoshop
Apply a Unsharp mask tuned to the camera, in this case 100%, Radius 0.6, Threshold 0
Save as a TIFF (for cropping) and as a JPEG quality 11 for download

JPEG (3648 x 2736) 2.9MB	RAW (3648 x 2736) 3.2MB

Vertical resolution

JPEG


RAW

Horizontal resolution

JPEG	RAW

There is a clear difference in detail resolution between the D7000's JPEG and RAW output. Whereas in the JPEG files, the D7000 cannot accurately describe the 9 lines on our test chart much beyond 2600LPH (roughly), the RAW file still shows all nine lines distinctly at 2600LPH, and they only begin to merge at around 2800LPH. This is still some way off the Nyquist limit (equal to the number of vertical pixels in the D7000's output - i.e. 3264LPH) but impressive nonetheless.

Also worthy of note is the fact that even beyond Nyquist, some line detail is still visible in the D7000's RAW file. Of course this isn't 'accurate', (and represents merely how good the camera's demosaicing algorithms are at 'guessing' what lies beyond Nyquist) but it enhances the impression of fine detail. At the same point on our chart the JPEG file shows only a monotone gray mush. Comparing results from the D7000 against those from the Canon EOS 550D (which also boasts an 18MP sensor), there isn't a great deal between them in terms of absolute resolution. The Canon's JPEG files are slightly higher in contrast, which makes detail (at default settings) look slightly sharper, but this is the only significant difference.

Raw and Software

Supplied software

The D7000's software suite is fairly limited, although at its core is ViewNX 2 - a capable raw conversion platform, slightly improved over the previous generation View NX and vastly superior to Nikon's Picture Project, which shipped with earlier generation Nikon DSLRs. View NX 2 is not as sophisticated as Nikon's Capture NX 2 (available separately for �160/$180), but it offers most of the key functionality that a beginner will require when starting out on the DSLR road, including the ability to edit white balance and exposure in NEF files, and highlight/shadow recovery sliders as well as basic video editing functionality. In a nice touch, many of these parameters can be built into presets using the Picture Control Utility, meaning that presets you find yourself regularly applying can be uploaded to the camera. There's even an option to reduce axial chromatic aberration. Inexplicably absent, however, is any control over noise reduction.
As well as being free, ViewNX 2 has another advantage over Capture NX 2 in that it is a small program that does not require a huge amount of computing power to run. It's far from being as slick as Adobe's Camera Raw plug in for Photoshop, but much more forgiving of older, slower computers than NX2. As well as raw conversion, ViewNX 2 also allows you to geotag photographs using Google Maps, and to rate and label images with stars or colors for ease of organization. You can even modify the names of the color tags so that they show up as 'Work,' 'Holiday,' 'Portraits' or whatever best suits your needs.

Although it doesn't give anything like the flexibility or functionality offered by Nikon's Capture NX 2, the bundled ViewNX 2 software is a huge improvement over the earlier generation Picture Project, and it easy to make basic adjustments to both raw and JPEG files from the D7000.	A thumbnail view does exactly what it sounds like it should - it arranges all of the images in a particular folder as thumbnails, for easy navigation.


When adjusting raw files, you can either apply an existing Picture Control preset (Standard, Vivid, etc.) or create and modify your own, which can be uploaded onto the camera for JPEG shots.	ViewNX 2 allows you to geotag your images by using Google Maps to find and record where you took your your photos. If you use Nikon's GP-1 GPS unit with the D7000, geotagging is automatic.

Creating video projects is a simple matter of opening the new video editor program, and importing clips into a playlist. From here you can add transitions between clips, and audio files.	When you're ready to export your video project you can name it and specify the precise type of output that you want.

RAW conversion

As is normal in our digital SLR reviews we like to compare the supplied RAW conversion software, any optional manufacturer RAW conversion software and some third party RAW converter. In the case of the D7000 we used the supplied View NX as well as Adobe Camera RAW 6.3 (release candidate).

JPEG - Large/Fine, Default settings
VNX - View NX 2.0.3
ACR - Adobe Camera RAW6.3 (at default 'Adobe Standard' setting)

Color reproduction

Place your mouse over the label below the image to see the color from a GretagMacbeth ColorChecker chart produced using each RAW converter. There are subtle differences between the color response of the camera's JPEG engine and View NX, even though they're theoretically using the same Picture Control Styles. Adobe Camera RAW's default settings take a slightly more vivid approach to color response and has a more contrasty tone curve.

CameraName	Compare to:

Sharpness and Detail

As expected more detail can be brought out of raw files from the Nikon D7000 compared to its JPEG output, but difference isn't enormous. Of the two raw conversion engines that we've used (support for the D7000's NEF files is currently very limited), Adobe's Camera RAW does a better job of resolving very fine detail,and gives slightly higher contrast results at its default parameters. In contrast, View NX 2 delivers a slightly softer, less contrasty image that stands up very well to further sharpening. As we'd expect, View NX 2 gives almost identical color and contrast rendering to the D7000's JPEG engine.

Adobe ACR 6.3 RAW -> TIFF (Default output settings) ISO 100 studio scene 100% crops


Nikon View NX 2 RAW -> TIFF (Default output settings) ISO 100 studio scene 100% crops

JPEG out of camera, High quality setting, manual WB (all other settings default) ISO 100 studio scene 100% crop

Resolution

The differences between ACR and Nikon's View NX 2 are minimal when resolution shots are compared, as you can see. We'd stick our necks out and say that ACR gives fractionally better detail rendition than View NX 2 as the lines on our chart approach Nyquist, but there's very little in it. Both raw conversion engines have produced slightly better resolution than is possible from in-camera JPEGs, and both describe some lines up to and after Nyquist (although this is not 'genuine' detail).