I was pretty satisfied with my current camera configuration until Nikon announced the 16 mp D7000 this week. I currently have a D3X, which I use for landscapes and portraits, a D700 that I love for it's high ISO and all-around versatility, and a D300 for telephoto work (I love the 1.5 multiplier that you get with the DX sensor). But the D7000 now has me seriously considering putting the D300 on eBay.
Of the 3 camera bodies, I use the D300 the least. The D7000 though offers me expanded opportunities for shooting. One can argue about whether we truly need video in an SLR, but the D7000 delivers 1080p vid with continuous focussing. You are in a fairly sophisticated camcorder realm there. I have been wanting to do some combo-photo video documentaries after seeing such work on the New York Times website, and this camera would make that so much easier to do.
The D7000 is also smaller and a tad bit lighter than the D300, which makes it a good travel camera. You get all of the benefits of the DX sensor format, plus a higher resolution and a slightly higher ISO than the D300. The D300 still has a better focussing system, but not by much - 51 AF points vs 39 for the D7000. Going over the specs listed on dpreview it sure looks, on paper, like a much more feature-packed camera. The only thing that causes me to pause is wondering what Nikon will deliver in the successor to the D300s. If we get this kind of stuff at the lower end, what can we expect in the higher performace models?
When I bought my D3X, I told myself that's it, I won't have to buy another camera body. I have got all photo scenarios covered. Well this just blew the lid on that one. Helloooo eBay!
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