Nikon D7000 at a glance:
- 16.2-million-pixel CMOS sensor
- New Expeed 2 processing engine
- Maximum ISO 25,600 sensitivity
- New 2016-pixel metering sensor
- New 39-point AF system
- Full 1080p HD video capture
- Double SD card sockets
- Street price around £1,100 (body only)
It is now more than three years since Nikon introduced its 12.3-million-pixel D300 and 12.1-million-pixel D3 cameras. With the exception of the 24.5-million-pixel D3X, every enthusiast and professional Nikon DSLR has featured a variation on one of these two 12-million-pixel sensors. While no one can deny that these cameras produce excellent images, in terms of resolution they are currently lagging well behind the pixel counts of nearly every other DSLR camera manufacturer and, as a consequence, are beginning to seem somewhat dated.
Thankfully, Nikon announced the new enthusiast-level Nikon D7000 DSLR in September, a couple of weeks prior to the photokina trade show. The new camera is pitched at the same level as the D90 and it has a host of new features that should make it more than just a mere modification ofthe existing camera.
The big news is that the 12.3-million-pixel sensor of the D90 has been replaced with a 16.2-million-pixel chip. Judging by Nikon’s past practice, it is likely that the new sensor will also find itself in the camera that will eventually replace the Nikon D300S, so there will be more than a few photographers interested in seeing exactly how this new technology performs.
However, the Nikon D7000 is about more than just its sensor. Like its main competitor, the new Canon EOS 60D, the Nikon D7000 features a number of new features that affect everything from its handling to its white balance.
