kyoshinikon said:
In fact the 7D is probably the most overhyped camera out there. Out of the 7 that I used 3 crapped out on me, none autofocused that good, all of them produced soft results at higher ISO's, the ergonomics are still crap (what's up with the on off switch in a sony spot).

A friend of mine bought two 7D's last month for concert shooting and complained about what you just stated. He thought he may of gotten bad cameras and is planning to send them back for repair. I'll let him know what you said. Thanks for the info!

smithri said:
I have been a Nikon shooter since 1969, when I bought my first used Nikon F. Since then I have had every generation of Nikons including several Fs, F2, F3, N8008, N90s, and then D100, D200, and currently D300.

My D300 has served me well, but since I have had it for more than three years I am interested in upgrade possiblities. The D7000 was tempting, but it was weak in a couple of areas such as bracketing. And I would dearly love an articulated screen and a built-in GPS.

I was also very interested in the Nikon entry into the mirrorless race. As I get along in years I would love to find a really lightweight system that is still capable of serious images. The "System 1" does not make it from what I have seen so far.

But as much as I respect the D300, it seems that other manufacturers have really passed Nikon by, whether it's the latest Canon 18MP cameras or the spectacularly spec'd Sony A77. And with all of this, Nikon has given no hint of how or when they will step up to compete.

Although I can envision a "D400" that could be a really amazing upgrade from the D300, my patience is running a bit thin. I'm looking forward to some serious tests of the Sony A77, and I am, for the first time in a long time, wondering if I would do well to switch brands in spite of my significant investment in Nikon glass.

Since Nikon Rumors presumably has a lot of peope like me who are looking for any news - even rumors - of what Nikon will do next, I am wondering how many of NR readers are starting to lose patience with Nikon's slow response to developments from other manufacturers.

Hello,

While I feel your pain, I have a few things to offer you. The Sony A77 does have some interesting features, but as we all thought, it scored lower than the D7000 in DxO Mark. The pixel pitch is just too insane for the APS-C sensor and diffraction becomes an issues at f/5.6. I don't think it's a camera worth selling all of your great Nikon glass for.

I own 2 D7000s and often hire other FX cameras when need be(until my D4 finally gets released). For APS-C image quality, it does not get better than the D7000. What bracket options do you really need? Being that the D7000 is the Dynamic Range king at base ISO(14 stops), 3 bracket shots is plenty if you're just bracketing exposure. The only place the D7000 could be better is the buffer, but that's a non-issue if you're using a really fast card. I've never hit my buffer and I shoot in big bursts all the time.

As for build quality, the D7000 is very robust, especially with the magnesium alloy MB-D11 grip. Everything is weather sealed, just like your D300.

For my money, it just doesn't get any better than the D7000 in the APS-C catagory.

You haven used the other cameras have you? Other than the megapixels and some video Nikon is in the lead in every other category (which there are a whole lot of them). In fact the 7D is probably the most overhyped camera out there. Out of the 7 that I used 3 crapped out on me, none autofocused that good, all of them produced soft results at higher ISO's, the ergonomics are still crap (what's up with the on off switch in a sony spot).

My point is that the grass isnt greener on the other side.

While the Sony clearly has outspecd the D300 in many key categories, the 7D only can play the megapixel and video card as it is clearly not better than the Nikon counterpart (Megapixels isn't a major argument anyway as you can print a nice 6mpx image large). In fact the D7000 outspecs the 7D in many categories than the 7D does the d300.
I do feel your pain however as I am waiting for the D800 to come out and it seems like Nikon is just waiting for canon to play a card...

Nikon would clearly have own the pro market if they just bothered to listen to their customers.

I have been a Nikon shooter since 1969, when I bought my first used Nikon F. Since then I have had every generation of Nikons including several Fs, F2, F3, N8008, N90s, and then D100, D200, and currently D300.

My D300 has served me well, but since I have had it for more than three years I am interested in upgrade possiblities. The D7000 was tempting, but it was weak in a couple of areas such as bracketing. And I would dearly love an articulated screen and a built-in GPS.

I was also very interested in the Nikon entry into the mirrorless race. As I get along in years I would love to find a really lightweight system that is still capable of serious images. The "System 1" does not make it from what I have seen so far.

But as much as I respect the D300, it seems that other manufacturers have really passed Nikon by, whether it's the latest Canon 18MP cameras or the spectacularly spec'd Sony A77. And with all of this, Nikon has given no hint of how or when they will step up to compete.

Although I can envision a "D400" that could be a really amazing upgrade from the D300, my patience is running a bit thin. I'm looking forward to some serious tests of the Sony A77, and I am, for the first time in a long time, wondering if I would do well to switch brands in spite of my significant investment in Nikon glass.

Since Nikon Rumors presumably has a lot of peope like me who are looking for any news - even rumors - of what Nikon will do next, I am wondering how many of NR readers are starting to lose patience with Nikon's slow response to developments from other manufacturers.