New! Nikon D7100 Review , available for pre-order

NIKON D7100 Announced...
NIKON'S ANSWER AND UPGRADE FROM THE D7000.
Photo's seen below are the last photos taken June 2011 on my D7000 before upgrading to my D3s. Model: Tina Bertelli

D7000, 70-200mm f2.8 VRII @ 70mm ISO 100, f7.1 1/500

There wasn't much to dislike about the D7000. It was a quality solid reliable breakthrough into the DX sensor size field. I had mine for over a year before I switched everything to full frame FX and still have fond memories of the camera. Perfect for the hobbiest, amateur, pro or new mother looking for quality pictures of her kids.  With digital technology improving each and every day, so does the cameras sensors. In fact, comparing image quality from sensor to sensor is minimal. Rather what varies is the glass / lens you put in front of it. That said the camera does still play a significant role in the handling and how the picture is taken.

The D7000 boasted a ground breaking 18mp sensor at 6fps which most DSLR's had about 12mp.  I saw nothing wrong with this but in Nikon's never ending pursuit of more megapixels they've upgraded the new D7100 to 24 megapixels still at 6 frames per second on continuous. That just means you better be buying some more hard drive space. The extra 6mp won't be making a huge difference to existing D7000 users as 18mp is way more than enough for most people and applications. Take for instance, if your main purpose is to share with others and friends on facebook. Those images are being viewed on a computer or handheld device that displays at 1920 x 1080 pixels. Approximately 2mp, 3-4mp at best!!! Never the less, I've printed many shots taken with the D7000 larger than 2 feet by 3 feet no problem and zero pixelation.

The D7000 had much going for it but still had its drawbacks. Autofocus was the main one. It was inaccurate at times and slightly unreliable. It's 39 point AF would often backfocus on many occasions and on different modes. So bad at times you'd completely miss shots and be left scratching your head. When I say backfocus, I don't mean slightly miss focus by a centimetre or two, which it also did, but rather focus on the background 20ft behind the subject. This was a major issue and complaint of D7000 users. Nikon claims to have fixed this with the new 51 point autofocus system in the D7100. If its anything like or is the same as the autofocus in the D800,  D4 or even the D3s then they will have succeeded. Just for the improvement in autofocus alone makes this camera desirable.

Video capabilities have also been upgraded on the D7100. You will now be able to film 1080p @30fps and 1080i @60fps for a little slow-motion or higher frame rate compared to the D7000 which maxed out at 1080p @24fps.

Most every other specification on the D7100 is identical to the D7000. Aside from minor upgrades such as HDR and time-lapse shooting modes, they've upgraded, or allowed bracketing to shoot up to 5 shots. The previous D7000 only allowed for 3 shots which is the bare minimum needed to create a proper HDR image (I find 5 shot HDR ideal for most situations). The ISO remains a respectable 100-6400 expandable to Hi2 25600 with a maximum shutter speed of 1/8000. Dual SD slots for back-up or overflow and ergonomics remain nearly mirrored.

If your waiting for a D300 replacement, this is it. This is and will be a great choice for a wide variety of people. The full auto and scene modes make it suitable for the average person not into photography just looking for nice photos.  As well as the season photographers perhaps looking for a smaller package for travel or just to gain some range on there lenses by using a DX format. The Nikon D7100 has the power and capabilities to keep up with most any situation.

Recently announced, Nikon's D7100 is available for pre-order with an expected delivery of March 31, 2013. At a cost of $1200 for body only or $1600 with kit lens 18-105mm (which I don't recommend, the extra $400 could be much better spent on a better lens) , expect to wait on your copy unless you pre-order soon as I expect a long list of excited customers.

D7000, 24-70mm f2.8 @ISO 400, f6.3, 1/60