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This is an update to the prices of the newly announced Nikon D7000, the 2 lenses and the SB-700. Here is the original post.
D7000 body only: $1,700
D7000 with AFS 18-105 kit lens: $2,200
AFS 35mm f/1.4: $2,500
AFS 200mm f/2: $9,000
SB-700: $500
These prices are revised due to adjustments from retailers. Please note that these are not confirmed figures, just an estimation based on some sources to provide users with a rough idea of what to expect.
The price tag of $1,700 for the D7000 body only brings it closer to the expectations of many users. Further price adjustments are expected as the release date draws nearer.
The expected prices for the newly announced Nikon goodies are out. Please take note that these figures are only an estimation and are in Singapore dollars (SGD).
D7000 body only: $1,900
D7000 with AFS 18-105 kit lens: $2,400
AFS 35mm f/1.4: $2,900
AFS 200mm f/2: $9,000
SB-700: $500
I am rather surprised to see that the SB-700 will be selling at a much higher price than the SB-600 which it is supposed to replace. This price tag brings it quite close to the SB-900.
A month after announcing the new entry model D3100, Nikon made another announcement again with a few new products.
First comes the D7000 DX body, which is said to be positioned between the D90 and the D300s.
Some main specifications of the D7000 are:
-16.2MP CMOS DX sensor (D90 and D300s has 12MP)
-ISO range of 100-25600 including “Hi” settings (D90 and D300s has ISO100-6400)
-Continuous shooting of 6 frames/second
-39 autofocus points (D90 has only 11 and D300s has 51)
-100% frame coverage viewfinder (D300s has 100%)
-2,016 pixel RGB 3D Matrix Metering System (D90 has 420 pixel and D300s has 1,005 pixel)
-Dual SD card slots (D90 has single slot, and D300s has one SD and one Compact Flash slots)
-1080 HD video recording (Neither the D90 nor D300s has full HD video)
The 2 FX lenses are the AFS 35mm f/1.4 and the AFS 200mm f/2 VRII. Both comes with nano coating.
The new speedlight is the SB-700 which has a more sophisticated user interface and extra switches to facilitate the changing of settings. It also has a zoom rage of 24-120mm which should benefit users with longer zoom lenses.
As we can see from the specifications of the D7000, most if not all of its features are a big jump up from the D90, and quite a few are also better than the D300s, which makes me wonder what Nikon will be offering for the D300s replacement.
Personally, the biggest surprise from the D7000 is the much improved ISO range. Taking account that the it is supposed to sit between the D90 (possibly the replacement) and the D300s, this new ISO range seems to be much better than the D300s, which has a native ISO range of only 200-3200. Including the “Lo” and “Hi” settings will bring it to 100-6400. However, with the D7000, it is 2 stops higher than the D300s (ISO12800 and 25600). This range is similar to the widely acclaimed D700, but I doubt that it will have the same noise control performance as the D700 since having more megapixels and having a smaller sensor (DX) means increasing the pixel density as well as produces more noise.
The increase in megapixels isn’t such a big deal though. There have been many discussions on how Nikon should increase the number of megapixels more than 12MP in order to compete with the other brands, but seriously speaking, 12MP is more than enough for A2 and even larger sized prints. Moreover, 16 megapixels of the D7000 sound significant when in fact the percentage increase from 12MP isn’t that much after all if you compare the image sizes. For a significant number, 18MP or 24MP would show a greater difference in the image size.
Personally, I would trade higher megapixels with greater dynamic range, and it is the greater dynamic range which gives you better image quality.
Would the much improved features of the D7000 affect the sales of the D300s? Probably it will, if the performance is as great as the figures show, but only for a short period of time until Nikon brings out a D300s/D700 replacement. Things should get exciting as rumours for the D300s/D700 replacement start pouring in.
For more official specifications of the D7000 refer to Dpreview and Nikon USA.
Some sample images of wedding shots are available at http://cliffmautner.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/08/the-new-nikkor-85mm-14g-wnano-crystal-coat-first-weddings-shot-with-this-lens.html
Hi-resolution are available below some images.
Cliff Mautner mentions on his blog that the new 85mm performs much better than the old version, and wins hands down. Based on these samples alone, the new lens does look promising.
Even Bjorn (here and here) commented that it’s one of the best lenses that he has tested, giving it a maximum rating of 5 on FX as well as DX.
