Nikon D7000 Digital Camera Review

Speed and Timing

The D7000 offers two burst modes: CH and CL. CH (for continuous high) takes about 6 fps, while the CL (continuous low) mode can be set to take between 1 and 5fps. The number of shots taken in a single burst is dependent on the memory card, but can be set to a maximum of between 1 and 100 frames with a custom setting.

We measured the speed of the D7000 in the CH mode at just under 6 frames per second (5.97 to be precise), which is pretty much spot on with the specs. This speed was also very consistent: the time between frames did not vary much in our tests.

The standard 2 and 10 second self timer delays are offered, as well as a very flexible interval timing mode. The latter mode can be set to start shooting at a specified time (or after a certain interval), with a specified interval between frames (between 1 second and 24 hours) and to take a specified number of frames per interval (up to 99).

Nikon also offers an optional remote (the ML-L3) which can be used instead of a self timer, and which allows for a “mirror up” mode, where the camera flips up the mirror, but does not take the image until the remote shutter is pressed. This can help prevent camera shake on long lenses caused by the mirror flipping up and shaking the camera and lens.

Focus Speed

The D7000 offers an impressive 39 focus points, all of which are arranged in a grid pattern around the center of the frame. The 9 points closest to the center of the frame are the cross type, which are more sensitive when shooting in low light. If 39 points is too many (especially if you are choosing an individual focus point manually), a menu option allows you to cut that down to 11 points. You can also use a dynamic focus mode, where you select an initial point, but the camera switches to another focus point if the camera moves. This is designed to track a moving object such as a bird or a football player, and options are offered to use 9, 21 or all 39 focus points. A similar 3D focus mode is also offered, which tries to track and object moving towards or away from the camera.

One interesting feature on offer here is the AF fine tuning feature, which allows you to, as the name suggests, fine rune the focus system to adapt for different lenses. Different lenses can have very slight differences in their response to the auto focus signals the camera body sends, so this feature allows you to tweak the signal for maximum sharpness. Most users won’t need to use this feature, but a pro who is looking for maximum performance might want to spend the time tweaking their lenses.