I want a Nikon D7000

[dime21]

Why is it every place that sells the body only, is sold out of them? They only sell it bundled with the 18-105mm lens? I don't want that lens. How annoying.

Aside from that, any issues using this camera with OSX? This will be my first DSLR.

 

[Razeus]

Why is it every place that sells the body only, is sold out of them? They only sell it bundled with the 18-105mm lens? I don't want that lens. How annoying.

Aside from that, any issues using this camera with OSX? This will be my first DSLR.

That's my camera of choice and the best camera on the market right now. The shortage is due to the fact that Nikon has not running at full capacity do to a recent earthquake and tsunami. You may have heard of it.

 

[dime21]

That's my camera of choice and the best camera on the market right now. The shortage is due to the fact that Nikon has not running at full capacity do to a recent earthquake and tsunami. You may have heard of it.

An online review I read said the D7000 was made in Thailand... not Japan. Was the reviewer wrong? I'll try to find it again...

edit:
http://nikon-d7000.net/tips/nikon-d7000-made-in-thailand.html
Nikon invested an incredible amount of money the past few years for a factory in Thailand. All DSLR’s are manufactured there, except the Top of the line. D2, D3 series and F6 are manufactured in the Sendai plant in Japan."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_D7000
"Made in Thailand"

http://www.flickr.com/groups/nikond7000cafe/discuss/72157625213559906/
"D7000 is made in Thailand, as all amateur bodies from Nikon. "

 

[Razeus]

http://nikonrumors.com/2011/03/22/s...on-the-impact-of-the-earthquake-in-japan.aspx

2. Damage to the manufacturing equipment and outlook on the future production
One of our own plants and seven of our manufacturing subsidiaries are located in Miyagi Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture in the disastrous region*. Operation has been suspended at all of them after the earthquake.
At Tochigi Nikon Corporation, operation has started from Friday, March 18.
At Sendai Nikon Corporation and Miyagi Nikon Precision Co., both of which have been severely damaged, operation is expected to resume by the end of this March. Operation at the remaining facilities will start tomorrow on March 23.

Read more on NikonRumors.com: http://nikonrumors.com/2011/03/22/s...of-the-earthquake-in-japan.aspx#ixzz1HScj3QPx

Buy, hey, why get ALL the info before posting right? Sure the D7000 is ASSEMBLED in Taiwan, but the CPU and Sensor (in which the sensor is actually made by Sony) are made in Japan chief.

 

[dime21]

http://nikonrumors.com/2011/03/22/s...on-the-impact-of-the-earthquake-in-japan.aspx

All of those places are in Japan....

 

[Razeus]

All of those places are in Japan....

Yep. Where the PARTS of the camera are made, then sent to Thailand to be assembled. Good luck in getting your camera.

 

[dime21]

Yep. Where the PARTS of the camera are made, then sent to Thailand to be assembled. Good luck in getting your camera.

Ok, well that makes sense then. Nothing I have read indicated that. Thanks for clearing it up.

 

[Razeus]

for example:

http://nikonrumors.com/2011/03/19/n..._campaign=Feed:+NikonRumors+(NikonRumors.com)

After the initial news that Nikon is planning to move part of its production outside Japan, Notion VTEC announced yesterday that they will start manufacturing Nikon camera mounts immediately. The raw materials will be supplied by Nikon, the finished mounts will then be transported to Thailand for assembly.

Read more on NikonRumors.com: http://nikonrumors.com/2011/03/19/n...-production-to-notion-vtec.aspx#ixzz1HShIhp83

 

[dime21]

Ok, thanks for the info, I am a photography and camera newbie.

 

[Designer Dale]

There is one body on Amazon. Hurry up or wait...

Dale

 

[Eaton Photos]

Whatever you do, do not Impulse Buy. Buying on Impulse usually has negative consequences on your check book.

If you do some research, you will find the Body Only version of the D7000 "In Stock", at several retailers: http://robertscamera.com/d7000-body-only.html?___store=default&___store=default, http://murphyscamera.com/spec-sheet...uids][0]=9a20192b-6812-4bc8-92c4-4790d845ae41

FYI, Roberts & Murphy's are both extremely reputable retailer's. Price & Value wise, Robert's is comparable to B&H, Adorama, Beach Camera, Samy's, and a few other Major camera retailers. Robert's is based in "Indianapolis, IN", and has Awesome Customer Service. I have spent quite a few $$$ with Roberts, and have had nothing but positive experiences each time I buy gear/ equipment. Murphy's is based in "Louisville, KY", and has very good Customer Service also. However, Robert's is more willing to price-match & does whatever they can, to build a long-term relationship with its customers.

 

[Ryan1524]

As a first DSLR, this will serve you well for many years into the future. I have a D70s, which is a predescessor to the D90, which is a predescessor to the D7000. And this 7-yr old camera is still producing great images. The only problem with it is the person behind the viewfinder.

 

[dime21]

If you do some research, you will find the Body Only version of the D7000 "In Stock", at several retailers:

Thanks for the recommendations, much appreciated! I like buying from the personable little guy over the mega-retailer.

 

[Ruahrc]

The current shortage of D7000 likely has little to do with the Japan earthquake. It has been a very popular camera since it's release, and has always been in short supply. Also, as an enthusiast-level camera, it attracts a lot of upgraders who probably don't need the kit lens either, making the body-only units even more popular.

In the future, supply may be limited due to the earthquake constraining quantities of parts.

Ruahrc

 

[(eciv)]

Rockbrook Camera out of Omaha, NE is a great place to get equipment from. I bought the d7000 body only there just last week. I also wanted to pick up the 35mm 1.8 because everyone was raving about it so much. However, at the time I went they were completely sold out. They ended up loaning me the display model until they got their next shipment in.

http://www.rockbrookcamera.com/browse.cfm/4,2249.html

 

[dlegend]

Costco has them with the 18-200mm lens. I know you said you're not looking for the 18-105, not sure if you'd be interested in the 18-200 though

 

[Ryan1524]

The 18-200 isn't a very good lens. It's not rubbish, but I'd recommend getting a 35mm f2 accompanied by either a fast wide angle or tele.

 

[Eaton Photos]

Thanks for the recommendations, much appreciated! I like buying from the personable little guy over the mega-retailer.

Your Welcome. Robert's is a 2 store operation that is run by a very nice gentleman. I have met him several times. He is a part of the day to day operations, and works with customers on the floor, on a daily basis. The people he has hired, are quite knowledgeable and very friendly. Though they are not B&H or Best Buy, they do all that they can to be competitive with Calumet (Chicago) & B&H/ Adorama/ Best Buy.

BTW, if you decided to give Roberts' a call, ask for either Nick or Jody. They handle a majority of the online side of the business, but they are also great people to have a long conversation with.

 

[John.B]

Thanks for the recommendations, much appreciated! I like buying from the personable little guy over the mega-retailer.

As far as the small camera shops vs. the big guys, it seems like Nikon has recently gone out of their way to favor the smaller brick-and-mortar shops with access to at least smallish quantities of the high-demand products (D7000, 85mm f/1.4G, etc.).

Also, if you are buying in the next day or so, you'd do well to check rebates for lenses bought on the same invoice as the cameras. Nikon had been extending these rebates every month for an additional 30 days, but the earthquake/tsunami may have changed things.

Rockbrook Camera out of Omaha, NE is a great place to get equipment from. I bought the d7000 body only there just last week. I also wanted to pick up the 35mm 1.8 because everyone was raving about it so much. However, at the time I went they were completely sold out. They ended up loaning me the display model until they got their next shipment in.

The guys at Rockbrook seem to be good people. The only problem with that deal is they charge for shipping (or have sales tax for local pickup) where most online dealers will ship for free.

Costco has them with the 18-200mm lens. I know you said you're not looking for the 18-105, not sure if you'd be interested in the 18-200 though

I'd rather have the 16-85mm DX (like a 24-120 on a full frame) than either the 18-200mm DX or the 18-105mm DX kit lens, but that's just me, YMMV. Of course, there aren't any rebates on the 16-85mm, where the 18-200 has a $250 rebate (until the 26th) if it's bought with a D7000.

 

[Dan--]

The 18-200 isn't a very good lens. It's not rubbish, but I'd recommend getting a 35mm f2 accompanied by either a fast wide angle or tele.

The 18-200mm is a VERY good lens, depending on what you want to use it for.

Is it perfect for all people in all situations? Of course not!

You are recommending lenses, when the OP hasn't stated what sort of photography he/she wants to do, or situations they want to shoot in, nor have you asked.

To the OP re use with OS X - I would not recommend installing Nikon's software (this is based on reviews I've read, not 1st hand experience). Just import direct from the camera, or preferably using an SD card reader into iPhoto, Light Room, or Aperture, and you should be good to go.

 

[Ryan1524]

True enough.

I'd say the 18-200 is a very good lens for travel, for obvious reasons.

But I'm more of the camp that will sacrifice flexibility for increased quality in a specific area. Which is why I recommended a normal with either a tele or a wide, depending on his uses.

The 35mm is very small, and highly versatile with great image quality for the price. Especially since this is OP's first DSLR, I thought it'd be a good start lens. It forces you to think of composition and placement instead of relying on zoom. Forcing people to walk around allows them to see different angles and perspectives.

The wide or tele can be as entry or pro and as wide/long as OP likes for his purposes. I'm sure there are enough reviews out there that can cover it.

 

[wilhelmreems]

The 18-200mm is a VERY good lens, depending on what you want to use it for.

Is it perfect for all people in all situations? Of course not!

You are recommending lenses, when the OP hasn't stated what sort of photography he/she wants to do, or situations they want to shoot in, nor have you asked.

To the OP re use with OS X - I would not recommend installing Nikon's software (this is based on reviews I've read, not 1st hand experience). Just import direct from the camera, or preferably using an SD card reader into iPhoto, Light Room, or Aperture, and you should be good to go.

i second everything posted here, especially regarding the lens and the installation of Nikon SW on the OS X. I've had nothing but problems with Nikon SW on OS X, especially trying to import NEF/RAW from my d300s. I personally love Lightroom.

As for the lens, it's great for walking around, and once you learn how to shoot, a lens with such a great zoom capability, great picture quality and with decent f/ stops will get you the images you want.

 

[dime21]

The 18-200 isn't a very good lens. It's not rubbish, but I'd recommend getting a 35mm f2 accompanied by either a fast wide angle or tele.

The 18-200mm is a VERY good lens, depending on what you want to use it for.

Ok, now I'm really confused. Keeping in mind that I'm a complete camera and photography newbie, yes, I was actually looking at this 18-200 lens because it seemed so flexible.

As for what I want to shoot, maybe it's a lame answer, but well, everything. I want to do close-ups, far distances, stills, things in motion, day shots, and night shots. Is that vague enough? Oh and I really want to take some cool DOF pics, that's high on my list.

Is the 18-200 is a good newbie lens that will deliver reasonably good performance in most scenarios? My thinking was to get this one to start, and then once I've gained enough experience to appreciate the difference, to go and get some more special purpose lenses. Good idea, or no?

Ryan- why do you like the 35mm f2 so much?

Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Dan--]

But I'm more of the camp that will sacrifice flexibility for increased quality in a specific area. Which is why I recommended a normal with either a tele or a wide, depending on his uses.

The 35mm is very small, and highly versatile with great image quality for the price. Especially since this is OP's first DSLR, I thought it'd be a good start lens. It forces you to think of composition and placement instead of relying on zoom. Forcing people to walk around allows them to see different angles and perspectives.

Right, so that was some very useful information.

I happen to like the 18-200mm when I'm in a situation that needs versatility. For example, as a parent, I can stand on the sidelines of a soccer game, and get distant shots zoomed in, and get a decent wide angle when the play comes close. Same kind of thing at the dog park. No carrying 2 cameras, no swapping lenses. I get many more shots this way, and as a learning technique, the more the merrier.

Is it as sharp at 200mm as a dedicated tele? No. But unless you're printing at 8x10" or above, you may not see the difference. (Maybe not even at 8x10.) Nor will it do really well to capture sports in low light - at 200mm, it's only f/5.6 (maybe the high iso on the D7000 is better than I'm aware, however). But in good light, it's pretty capable.

What's nice about the 18-200 is that is pretty darn good at a LOT of things. As a first lens, it can give you decent capability in a wide variety of situations, while you figure out what you want to have great capability in.

What you've said regarding thinking about composition shouldn't be belittled however. Content, light, perspective and angles. To take good shots, you must think about all of them.

Dan

 

[Dan--]

Is the 18-200 is a good newbie lens that will deliver reasonably good performance in most scenarios?

Funny I was writing about exactly that when you posted.

I do like the 18-200 for just that purpose, and I would also recommend adding a good lens with a wide aperture (low f/number). I have the 50mm f/1.8, and like it a lot. Ryan likes the 35mm f/2, and I'd also add that you should consider the 35mm f/1.8 which has excellent reviews.

As for me, my next lens is likely to be either the Nikon 10.5mm fish-eye, (probably used with the Image Trends Fisheye-Hemi SW plug-in), the Tokina 11-16mm, or the Nikon 75-300mm). But I've been very happy with the 18-200 to date.

Dan