... after over a month of research, analysis, self-debate, all of it balanced, of course, by a well-developed photographer's ability to perfectly rationalize the purchase of any new camera, my nikon d7000 arrived this afternoon ... inspection process is mostly complete, it appears i managed a real "ebay deal" ... going rate for clean d7000 bodies, usually with 20-30,000 shutter actuations, is about $550-650 ... i got this one for $500, and that includes a virtually brand-new 50mm f/1.8 nikon lens ... best part, the camera has only taken 3,223 pictures ...
... already i'm appreciating this machine ... its image sensor and processing cpu are three generations more advanced than those in my d200s, and the improvements in technology are clearly evident in the few pictures i've snapped ... best analogy, i think, is that it's as if i'd been using 1945 film for the past sixty years, then suddenly switched to modern emulsions ...
... my first snapshot with the camera, as i went back upstairs to my apartment ...
... a quick shot, to investigate the improved dynamic range of the d7000's sensor ... no fill-flash, room lights off, my d200s would not have been able to capture the full range of this scene ...
... two of the cameras in my collection, taken under lighting the equivalent of a couple of candles, as well as some of my little knickknacks ...
... shot with the 50mm lens, wide open at f/1.8, with the lights off another very, very dark corner in my apartment ...
... and, the final picture before the little battery symbol started angrily blinking, a close up of my cutlery pile ... for those with interest, other than the first picture these were taken at i.s.o. 1,200, hand-held at 1/4-second ... jpeg'd from the original .nef files, they have been 65% compressed and reduced to only 25% the original pixel count ...
... preliminary opinion: mechanically, i got a great deal ... photographically, this camera is clearly going to be incentive for me to improve my skills, especially in black & white shooting ...
... merry christmas and happy birthday, patrick ...
... p.s. ... a last shot, then the battery died ...
