My Nikon D7000 Has Arrived! Thank you very much everyone for your input!!

[Turborama]

Hi everyone.

5 weeks ago I posted an http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=280x83688#83738">OP asking for help on making a really tough decision between the Nikon D7000 and the Canon EOS 7D. I received some very helpful advice and comments/observations and would like to express my sincere gratitude for all of them.

What finally pushed me over the edge was looking at the future and what would be my dream camera if money were no object. So, after doing further research, I concluded that the http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond3s/">Nikon D3s is my dream camera.

Also, my brother has a D80 and we can share our lenses when we go on a photography expedition together.

So, Nikon it is. I'm super excited and I LOVE IT!

The only problem is, the manual is in Indonesian so I'm having to try and learn it by trial and error and by reading the English PDF (not printable) version of it which is available from Nikon USA's site. I will probably end up buying one or two of http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=nikon+d7000+&x=14&y=20">the books about D7000s available on Amazon.

These are a few of the 1st shots I took with it, they're on auto so please forgive some of the glare (I'm learning Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Nikon's Capture NX2 which will help me work out how to fix that, too).







I would really like to get involved in this group, if that's ok with you guys.

Regarding the monthly competitions, is there a set of rules/guidelines a newbie like myself can check out?

Thank you again for all your input which assisted me with making this life changing decision!

T

[juxtaposed]

1. nice nikon makes killer cameras

[Turborama]

11. Hi, juxtaposed

It sure is an amazing camera.

I really like your Flicker album. I'm a vinyl junkie so I know exactly where you're coming from.

:hi:

[ManiacJoe]

2. Congrats on the Nikon!

The monthly contests usually contain a brief set of rules. For example:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=280&topic_id=84770&mesg_id=84770

A while back we had a series of polls about the rules for sizes, frames, and post-processing limits.
Those posts are now dated May 10 and 18. Not sure if the official rules ever got updated (or where to find them).

[Turborama]

6. Thanks a lot, ManiacJoe. I'll book mark that OP for reference. n/t

:hi:

[Blue_In_AK]

3. Awesome, Turbo

Great shots of your pets. I'm a Canon girl, but probably just because that's what I started with. It looks like the Nikon does an okay job, too. :P

Yes, there are some rules somewhere. I'll see if I can dig them up, or maybe someone else has them right at hand. Mostly they just involve the size of the photos being posted, no virtual "frames," and things like that. We are always happy to welcome new members to the group.

[Turborama]

7. Thanks a lot for the compliments, Blue_In_AK

I'd really appreciate that if you do manage to find them, thanks a lot in advance. I would like to start off on the right foot, as it were.

BTW Thanks to the link to your wonderful albums in your sig line, I've had a look at "SmugMug" and really like the look of what they have on offer in the Pro package. If the Chief Financial Officer (my better half) agrees that it will be a wise business investment, I I'll be going for the yearly option.

If it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't have found out about them for ages, if ever, so thanks a lot for that!

And thank you for the welcome. :hi:

[Blue_In_AK]

13. If you go into the DU search function

and type in "rules" as the word you're looking for and Photography Group as the area to search, you'll find that there was quite a bit of discussion in April and May of last year. You could read over those threads and kind of get an idea of the consensus of the group. I don't believe anything was ever carved in granite, but it should give you an idea of how people were thinking.

For me, I've always found that PhotoBucket size works pretty good, I don't use frames, and I try to keep processing under control -- and I haven't gotten in trouble with anyone yet, so I assume that those minimal rules are fine.

I love SmugMug, and I thank the late, great F. Gordon (no, he's not dead, just departed) for turning me on to them. I've kept my site pretty simple (since I'm not very creative when it comes to computer stuff), but I've seen other people's sites there that are totally customized. With your background, you could probably put together an awesome site there.


Good luck, and congrats again on the camera. You're going to have a lot of fun. Prepare to spend a lot of money on "accessories." You WILL develop lens envy.

[tabatha]

4. Very good.

The last picture is very good. Just a few blown-out areas - but the sharpness, detail and color are good.

[Turborama]

8. Thank you, tabatha.

Those blown out areas really frustrate me, actually. I really can't wait to learn how to use the camera properly so I can compensate manually at times like that.

[Blue_In_AK]

10. Turbo, what I do in high-contrast situations

is underexpose a bit and then bring up the brightness/contrast if necessary in post-processing.

[tabatha]

14. Yep, I also underexpose whenever I shoot.

As mentioned before, I am very allergic to blow-outs.

On my Canon, I usually stop down by 2/3rds. I do this whether I shoot Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority. But obviously, the stopping down depends on lighting conditions - but in full sun, I always stop down. It seems to help with orange objects, too, which can sometimes have yellow highlights, as in poppies.

Stopping down often means that the background is darker than it should be (as in the flying egret), but I would rather have detail in the whites/highlights. It is a known problem with digital cameras. When approaching white, film generally curves gracefully to solid white - digital goes full blast linear.

[Turborama]

27. I totally relate to your allergy, tabatha

And one of my first priorities is to learn how to avoid it. Thanks a lot for your tips!

[Turborama]

20. Thanks for the advice, Blue_In AK. I'm learning how to do that now.

I am also using RAW & learning what it is how to use the software.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

5. Welcome and

we're glad you are here. I'm kinda new myself to photography too and this is a great place to learn. :toast:

[Turborama]

9. Thank you for the welcome, Dyedinthewoolliberal

I'm really glad to be here. I'm focusing on learning photography and digital design as a career now so I'll probably be spending most of my DU time here from now on. :hi:

[CC]

12. Congrats on the new camera

and welcome to the photo-group. We love having new members. The more there are here the more we all get to learn. It is a pretty laid back group and sometimes is slow but every one that add their photos is appreciated.


I am giving you a link with a great overview to your camera. It is not as involved as a manual would be but it great for getting starts. I rarely read the manuals anyway. Here you go, http://www.steves-digicams.com/camera-reviews/nikon/d7000-dslr/nikon-d7000-review.html I hope it helps you get to know your camera.

[Turborama]

21. Thanks a lot CC

For the welcome and the link. That is a really good overview. :hi:

[Callalily]

15. Looks like you are

(ahem ;-)) adjusting nicely to your new camera! Your top photo is just precious!

[Turborama]

22. They are like sister and brother.

Josh (the female dog, I'll explain why she has a boy's name later - it's a long story) & Henry the tom-cat are very close and sometimes even play fight quite roughly.

Henry wins a lot, actually.

[NV Whino]

16. Wonderful first shots

Blowing out highlights is a consistent digital problem. Underexpose as has been mentioned. Bracket and shoot RAW. Did I mention shoot RAW? It captures so much more information and will save you many times over.

On the PDF manual, try saving it to your computer. Once it is downloaded, you should be able to print anything you want. Also look for a quick start version so you can carry it with you. I like NX Capture, but I haven't used it since I got CS4, which has a reasonably good RAW feature.

Lovely camera and lovely shots. Have fun!

[Turborama]

23. I am using NEF RAW + JPEG fine on every single shot now.

These RAW versions are enormous! Looks like I have to buy another 1TB external hard drive, too! I've got Capture NX2, Lightroom and CS5, I'm having a lot of fun learning all about NEF (Nikon's RAW - that's why there's been such a delay responding, sorry).

What's bracket, BTW?

The PDF is downloadable but it cannot be printed unless you add your serial number and basically prove to them you bought it in America. Which I didn't, I bought it in Indonesia - hence why I got the Indonesian manual with it. It's like they think only non-English speakers will buy a Nikon outside of the US. how dumb is that?

- English version - Serial number required - File Size ~ 22.4 MB
Download the D7000 User's Manual - Non-printable version - File Size: ~ 22.4 MB

http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17008/~/user's-manual---d7000---guide-to-digital-photography

I've downloaded the non-printable version but I need to buy a Kindle or something so it can be transportable. Those books on Amazon have good reviews, so they might be worth a purchase anyway.

:hi:

[Solly Mack]

17. I love the second one.

The first one makes me giggle.

Welcome to the group and happy shooting!!!

[Turborama]

24. I rescued them both from death, literally, & they are an absolute joy to have around.

I posted the full story with photos of when they were younger here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8274742&mesg_id=8277159

We feel truly blessed that they literally found us.

My other (compact) camera died just after taking the shots in that OP and one of the reasons I couldn't wait to get a new camera was to catch moments like the one in the OP, which happen quite often.

Thank you for the welcome, I'm extremely happy and can't seem to stop shooting now! :hi:

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

18. d7000 user's guide free

and printable herehttp://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d7000/users-guide/

[Turborama]

25. Thank you very much!

Very useful link and a great site!

:hi:

[alfredo]

19. Welcome to our group. Lovely images.

Love the light in the first image.

[Turborama]

26. Thank you for the welcome and the compliments, alfredo

I have to admit the light in the 1st one was a fortunate case of serendipity.

:hi:

[alfredo]

28. Recognizing what makes a good image is what makes

one a good photographer.