Photofocus

If you noticed my post last week on holding off on buying a new camera, you see another reason why. Nikon has announced the new D7000. It’s a $1200 DSLR with a ton of features at an attractive price.

Here are the highlights

_16.2 Megapixels. (CMOS sensor, DX format, 6fps)
_1080p full HD video. (24fps)
_ISO up to 6400 (pushable to 25,600)
_Magnesium alloy construction (read “pro quality”)
_Twin SD card slots

There is also a 39-point AF system and revamped Matrix Metering System.

Normally, this is the point at which I’d say something like – “Well it looks great on paper but as usual, we have to get our hands on one to test before we know if it’s the real deal.” But in this case I am in a slightly different position.

My pal Chase Jarvis has had this camera for a few months. (The cool kids get the toys early – not that I’m jealous or anything :)) and Chase has proven the D7000 is no toy. In fact, it seems to be a shockingly capable camera in this price range. His sample images and video are stunning.

For a year I’ve believed the Canon 7D to be the best camera you could buy, pound-for-pound, feature-for-feature, mostly because of its improved video performance and rock-solid AF and image quality at a low price point. But this new Nikon offers all those features at a price that is hundreds of dollars less.

On the video side, 1080p HD movies with full-time autofocus and external stereo microphone jack sound very interesting. I will have to test the autofocus for myself, but on paper this is a cool feature.

The D7000 ships in October and I will be testing this camera as soon as I am able. Based on initial reports, it has the potential to be one of the most significant cameras from Nikon since they introduced the D3.

Nikon also announced a new flash, the SB700 ($329) and two new lenses. In mid-November the AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f1.4G lens will be available for an MSRP of $1,799.95. In early October, the AF-S NIKKOR 200mm F2G ED VRII lens will be available with an MSRP of $5,999.95.

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This post sponsored by X-Rite Color and the ColorChecker Passport