Nikon D7000 Design

Nikon D7000 Design

(Illustration courtesy Nikon USA)

The Nikon D7000 has a new body design that sits somewhere in between those of the previous D90 and D300s models, in terms of both control layout and features. The D7000's body is nearly identical to that of the D90 in terms of size, and around half an inch less wide and tall than the D300s. Body-only, it weighs some 2.3 ounces (70g) more than the D90, but is still a significant 5.9 ounces (150g) lighter than the D300s. The D7000's design combines both magnesium alloy and polycarbonate panels over a polycarbonate chassis, and includes an array of environmental seals for dust and water resistance. The top and rear body panels of the camera itself are magnesium alloy, while the front, side, and base panels are all polycarbonate. Nikon doesn't specifically state how many seals the D7000 contains, but its marketing materials state that all joints and "various points" on the camera body have been sealed, and that the sealing has been "severely tested against moisture and dust". The optionally available MB-D11 portrait / battery grip has magnesium alloy panels front and rear, and also includes a variety of environmental seals. Of particular note in this view, the Focus Mode selector now includes an AF-mode button at its center, a design which differs from both those of the D90 and D300s.

(Illustration courtesy Nikon USA)

As can be seen in the previous two views, front panel control placement on the D7000 is near-identical to that of the D90. A couple of notable differences between the two cameras can be found on the D7000's base, however. The D90's optional portrait / battery grip interfaced with the camera courtesy of a large dummy battery projection, where the D7000 does so via a proprietary connector that's hidden under a soft rubber flap adjacent to the battery compartment door. This change also means that where the D90's battery compartment door was removable, and could be stored in the grip when not in use, the D7000 has a fixed compartment door. The different approach means that if you want to swap both batteries in the D7000 you'll first need to remove the grip, but it also makes the grip itself rather less bulky, and perhaps makes it a little quicker to attach and remove.

(Illustration courtesy Nikon USA)

Several significant differences between the D7000 and its siblings can be seen from the camera's rear. The D7000 features a traditional Mode dial as in the D90, but places this above a lockable release mode dial similar to that in the D300s. Also like the D300s, the D7000 places its Playback and Delete buttons side by side, just to the left of the viewfinder eyepiece. The column of buttons adjacent to the left of the LCD display are all dual-purpose, as in the D90, but with the playback button now relocated, there are only four buttons in the column. Unlike both the D90 and D300s, the D7000 features Nikon's latest user interface design for live view and movie recording, which relies on a dedicated, spring-loaded switch to enable and disable live view, while a small button at the center of this switch conveniently starts and stops movie recording with a press of the thumb. It's an intuitive design that provides quick access to live view and movie capture no matter what the camera's current operating mode, and makes it relatively easy to avoid shaking the camera at the start and end of movie clips. It does, however, bring the potential for some confusion, given that the Mode dial position doesn't necessarily correlate to the exposure variables one can adjust before or during movie capture.

(Illustration courtesy Nikon USA)

From the top, the D7000's top panel layout is closest to that of the D300s, although as previously noted, it relies on a traditional Mode dial as in the D90. Hence, it replaces the Exposure Mode button from the D300s with a Metering Mode button as in the D90. Unlike the D90's Mode dial, that in the D7000 combines all the camera's Scene modes into a single Scene position, freeing up space for two User mode positions, and reducing Mode dial clutter significantly.