Nikon Coolpix P7000 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 7.1x Wide Zoom-Nikkor ED Lens and 3-Inch LCD
- 10.1-megapixel resolution, large 1/1.7-inch CCD sensor
- 7.1x Wide-Angle Nikkor ED Optical Zoom Glass Lens; 3-inch Ultra-High Resolution (921,000-dot) Clear Color Display
- HD (720p) movie with stereo, mic input jack and HDMI output
- Dial controls for key functions including ISO, white balance, bracketing, exposure compensation and more
- Capture images and video to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included), battery charger is included.
Nikon Coolpix P7000 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 7.1x Wide Zoom-Nikkor ED Lens and 3-Inch LCD (26233)
List Price: $ 499.00
Price: $ 499.00
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Nikon P7000 really a joy to use!,
This is a great camera if you’re looking for an extremely customizable compact camera.
Size and Handling — This really just depends on what you are looking for. If you want a pocket camera that can fit into shirt pockets, jean pockets, etc then this is not the camera for you and you really should look elsewhere. For me, it’s the perfect size, not too big and not too small. The camera is solid but not too heavy.
Picture quality — I shoot mainly in RAW and the quality so far is excellent. Little noise up to ISO400 and usable to ISO800. Can go to 1600 in a pinch.
Autofocus — Focus is fast and accurate. There are options for Autofocus, Macro Focus, Infinity, and Manual Focus. Be sure to read the manual and spend time understanding the focus options. Some people are reporting focus issues and I believe many are related to users not learning enough about the focus system.
Write speed — This is where I would have given a 4 1/2 instead of a 5 if I could. JPG write speeds are good but RAW is fairly slow and doesn’t appear to buffer. It doesn’t affect me much based on the way I take pictures but there are times that it would be nice if it were faster. Of course if you shoot JPG then this is a non-issue.
Pros
Customization
Battery life
Viewfinder (I don’t use it too often but nice when you need it)
Image quality
Zoom range
Menus (intuitive, easy to use. Even better if you’re familiar with Nikon DSLR menus.)
Works with Nikon remote and Nikon flash
Preset zoom
Cons
Have to select Playback button to scroll through images (I like the ability to scroll after taking a photo like the D90)
No articulating screen (If I have to choose, I’ll take the higher res LCD but every once in a while the articulating screen would come in handy).
RAW write speed (will be a bigger con for some than it is for me)
In summary this is a great camera and I highly recommend it as long as you aren’t confusing it for something it’s not like a pocket P&S with limited controls or a full sized DSLR!!
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|P7000: DSLR quality in a P&S package,
Let’s get the facts out first. I’ve been a Nikon shooter for several decades, currently with a D300 (haven’t made the leap yet to full frame, but that’s next). I’m an amateur, but shoot at a pro level. My focus is on music and sports photography, and I like to have a good camera with me when I travel (my last ride-along P&S has been a Lumix DMC-TZ5). I shoot in a variety of conditions, but what I need must a) provides high quality images, b) be really portable (fits in my purse, can get into concerts that ban DSLRs unless you’re shooting on assignment) c) have a longer lens option (200mm is ‘table stakes’) and d) provide the flexibility to twiddle the dials to find the best combo of ISO-aperture-shutter speed for a particular situation. Having HD capability is a nice-to-have.
I’ve been shopping for a new P&S easily for a year. Got interested and then uninterested in the Canon G11/G12/S95 because the lens is too short (even the extenders don’t push it out far enough). Similar higher-end P&S cameras don’t have the length I was looking for, or didn’t fit the size criteria (ruled out the ‘super zooms’ largely because of this).
Nikon got my attention first with the P100 – but I read about image quality issues. When I learned about the P7000, I was intrigued. Could Nikon overcome its perceived issues and produce a P&S that makes picky photo people happy?
I made the plunge and bought the P7000. After reading a few more reviews and having a burst of post-purchase cognitive dissonance, the best plan was to just take the new acquisition out and A:B it against my D300 and the Lumix in a variety of conditions.
I’m glad I did. First impression: lots of dials to set and menus to learn, so to make it easy I just left it on the ‘green’ setting and let the camera make the decisions. Immediately it was clear that the Lumix’s photo quality wasn’t even in the same class as the P7000 (it looked good until you held it up against the others). The P7000’s quality should be compared against the DSLR class.
After carrying a DSLR rig around, the P7000 seemed like a featherweight around the neck. Great build quality – solid metal feel. I don’t like the AE-L and AF-L button being next to where you thumb is, but my fingers will learn. (Wish there was a wriststrap option that shipped with the camera too.) LOVE the display, and the ability to see the histogram data. Feels like my D300 in many ways.
Now to the images. Shot with the D300 and the P7000 looking up a tree trunk. Depth of field, image clarity and WB were surprisingly similar. Wow. Tried it again in both indoor and outdoor conditions, and saw little to no difference. In fact I preferred the P7000 images several times to the D300 – they looked better (Note 1 below). After several hours of shooting both cameras, my post-purchase cognitive dissonance was gone and I am eager to learn more about my new traveling ‘friend’.
I do agree with the reviewers who note that the dials and settings aren’t particularly intuitive. The instruction manual is about on the scale of a DSLR. It also – for now – lacks the really long lens capability I’m looking for (I believe that Nikon will be introducing accessories soon, including a telephoto extender). I wish that the lens were faster in the lower end, and I wish that Nikon did a better job of removing high ISO noise (this is a criticism for non-full frame Nikon bodies in general; I’m hoping that RAW and post-processing will clean this up). But the advantages of the camera – DSLR-like photo quality, Nikon fit/finish and build, and a longer lens than comparable high-end P&S – make me believe that Nikon is going in the right direction and that this is a break from its previous P&S cameras.
If you don’t have size constraints (as I do), buy a DSLR – you will get more in the long run. If you want DSLR-like performance in a P&S, definitely take a look at the P7000.
(Note 1: A good DSLR rig with good glass will take better photos than a point-and-shoot in virtually all situations – that’s simple physics. I’ve not given up my DSLRs, but am recognizing the fact that the P7000 has the ability to shoot photos at the same level of quality in the outdoor/daylight conditions – low ISO – in which I ran my comparison. Higher ISOs for low light conditions do introduce more noise, and this is an expected function of the sensor in this class of camera. When I’m shooting ‘serious’, I still take the DSLRs. Use this camera on the path to a DSLR, since it has many of the same control features, or as a supplement for times when you don’t want to carry the ‘big rig’ or can’t because of constraints where you will be shooting.)
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UPDATE: I’ve put about 1,000 shots into the camera over the past week, including one day of a music festival where I shot all but maybe 3 shots with the P7000 (see the photos…
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