Thom Hogan's review got posted.
http://bythom.com/nikond7000review.htm

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Nikon_D7000/

Cameralabs' full review

liberatortoo said:
ISO setting - would like to be able to change ISO without having to take my eye from the viewfinder a la aperture and shutter speed. If I could do the same with bracketing and WB, would be perfection

Try the Show ISO/Easy ISO setting in custom setting d3. This not only replaces the shots remaining counter in the viewfinder with the ISO value, but you can also adjust ISO with the unused command dial in A or S mode. I'm usually in M, but it's a nice feature when I'm not.

Here's my long list of first impressions. Sorry there's no real order to it. I came from the D300 and D90, just for reference.
-Mirror blackout (the time when the mirror flips up to allow for exposure) is incredibly short. My estimate is about 1/30s (that's the shutter speed where I can tell the blackout is longer). From the little I've tested the 3D AF tracking, having the image there almost the whole time is very useful for panning.

-The shutter sound is quiet in normal mode, sounds like a dof preview sound in quiet mode, where I half expected it to be a gimmick. When I'm around a D90 and D200 over Christmas I'll try to remember to record them for reference.

-Movie ergonomics are improved over the D90. It's now easy to start one.

-The HDMI interface is more polished and shows just the video in movie playback (I can't remember if D90 had overlaid info or not, but it seems like it did).

-Mirror up mode is back (from the D300, I mean). I missed that for tripod shooting.

-I like the new AF button. Logical placement, though it takes a while to get used to because my left thumb isn't used to doing anything.

-I love the idea of the user modes and will have one for action (3D tracking, auto-ISO, aperture priority with a minimum shutter speed of around 1/500s or so and max ISO of 3200 or so). The other I'm not sure what to do. I'll come up with something.

-The assignable DOF preview button is nice, but I find myself hitting it accidentally quite a bit. I've got it assigned to virtual horizon and the Fn assigned to the top My Menu item (on-camera flash settings).

-I'm not too happy that I had to replace my batteries, but I don't have enough experience to know if it's noticeably better. The charger is better (optional wire).

-The AF system is noticeably better: faster and more accurate, and the rangefinder icons are always active in the viewfinder when the meter is, which is great for manual focus (I had thought it would take the place of the exposure display like the virtual horizon indicator does). I can already tell the 3D tracking is better than I'll need, but I'm not a birder or anything (just a father of active kids) so take that with a grain of salt.

-The viewfinder is really accurate if you care about that. I've never cared about cropping a bit to tweak composition.

-The dual card slots are very well-implemented. This is actually the reason I upgraded from the D90. The peace of mind of having a backup copy of pictures on paid shoots will be worth the upgrade price. The rest of the features are icing on the cake.

-Oh, yeah, I can't believe I almost forgot to give a stuck pixels report. ;-) I see one blue pixel in high-ISO video in the center left of the frame. This isn't what I'll use for video usually, so I'm not worried. I didn't check for and was never worried about stuck pixels in stills because I use Lightroom.

Michael DeRose said:
...The only bad thing I can think of, is that it is just a bit too small for my hands. I must have freak hands, because everyone else i have talked to, said it was big or just right. This "issue" will be fixed when i get a battery grip...

I don't know if this is slightly bigger than the D90, but my right little finger doesn't slip off the grip anymore. It could also be a difference in materials. I think the D7000 is more rubbery and grippy. I'll still consider the grip, though.

I'm a big fan of my d7000. It does everything i could want,for the time being : ). The only bad thing I can think of, is that it is just a bit too small for my hands. I must have freak hands, because everyone else i have talked to, said it was big or just right. This "issue" will be fixed when i get a battery grip.
If you want to see some pics, go to the pics of the month (dec). It will link you to my flickr page.

I got my D7000 yesterday (finally!) and well... I kinda love it. Bought it with a 50mm 1.8 Nikkor and I'm very happy. Going from a compact (Panasonic ZF5) to that kind of dlsr is a huge jump.

Ironically, I get more blurred and out of focus photos now, at least till I'm totally familiar with the controls and the settings. Have to use the Fn button for ISO setting, much more comforatble with that position.

Here are some photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/designingreen/

Yes, the Ford is mine. Yes, it is lovely and beautiful. Yes, it still drives very well. ;-)

I rather like the weight of the D7000. Feels substantial, like - not cheep. Would have been advisable before purchasing to use the internet to compare the weight (in grams) of all DSLRs in the range of capabilities as the D7000. I do know that the 18-200VR lens does add a bit of extra weight as I have tried that lens. Attaching something like the 35mm f/1.8 or perhaps the 18-105VR (kit) would make it lighter although not quite what you might be looking for if you're desiring the 18-200 range.

I'm glad to hear you mostly like it, liberatortoo. Maybe the button placement will grow on you. I know I never liked Canon's button layout. Some people actually like the extra weight; you could look into getting a D3100 if you don't need the compatibility with older lenses.

I fail to understand why anyone would buy a camera then complain that it was too heavy and bulky and that they didn't like the hand grip.

Didn't you try holding the camera before buying it? If not, why not? It is madness to buy something as personal as a camera without trying it in your hands first.

Why criticise the D7000 for having features that you don't need when you should have known exactly what its features were before you bought it?

If you are such a fan of Pentax, why on earth didn't you buy the Pentax K-5 which has exactly the same 16 MP sensor and gets rave reviews?

I guess Nikon must have taken my advice and moulded the camera in accordance with my hand, as I'm not having any of the problems with it that you are :)

The only thing was the calibration of one lens and one red pixel at high iso video (that they will hopefully fix with the firmware update).

NikoDoby said:
Hmm... I think I'll start a "D70: First Impressions" thread next :^)

lol I could do that .. I have a D70.. :-)

Such wit. Yes, should be D7000. Now edited to reflect this.

Hmm... I think I'll start a "D70: First Impressions" thread next :^)

d700 or d7000?

Have just been to Egypt with my new D7000. A few thoughts:

Low light capability superb - excellent for using in tombs
Metering - spot on
Autofocus - excellent
18-200VR lens seems excellent across the range but yet to do meaningful comparison tests

However, a few slight niggles:

Weight - very heavy paricularly with lens. Used to own Pentax - frankly no comparison, Pentax much lighter. Also suspect this down to 'extra' features to differentiate in product line - why for instance do we need in camera manipulation? Surely this can be done, and done better, in Photoshop. By cutting back on stuff like this, would this need less processing power and hence, perhaps, less weight required to do it?

Hand grip - needs to be deeper and taller. My hand just didn't fit naturally to it (and I've got small hands) so ended up holding it by fingertips instead of sitting comfortably in the full palm of my hand. Grip could also doing with being moulded to fit fingers around it

Distance between front sub-command wheel and on/off switch/shutter button needs to be greater. Too often I was fumbling and missing switching between the two

Shooting mode dial - Trying to set shooting mode while holding down button and twisitng ring is far too fiddly and cramped. This needs a rethink.

Playback - impossible to see pictures in direct sunlight

ISO setting - would like to be able to change ISO without having to take my eye from the viewfinder a la aperture and shutter speed. If I could do the same with bracketing and WB, would be perfection

A friend has a Canon 50D and although bigger, ergonomically the Canon just feels and sits right in the hand. Everything is perfectly spaced and the moulded thumb space on the back makes it easy to handle and a joy to use. Perhaps Nikon has something to learn form Canon?