My Photography Gear 6 - NIKON D7000 | NIKON D3100

During the past ‘My Photography Gear’ series, featured on this blog, I have introduced you to my gear, mainly lenses.  I guess, now it is the time to let you all know which are the machines that I use to match the formerly featured lenses.  

First of all, I am a Nikon shooter.  Personally, I have nothing against other brands.  Some time ago I was simply introduced to the Nikon brand and it was fantastic.  Being a very conservative guy, I tend to stick by what makes me feel comfortable and by what is absolutely practical.  Nikon meets such criteria.

I own two DSLR camera bodies.  In fact my main body is the Nikon D7000 whereas my backup body is the Nikon D3100.  They are both fantastic camera bodies which are up to optimal performance.

Nikon D7000

The Nikon D7000’s feel is awesome.  It is considerably formidable, thanks to a magnesium alloy body shell and slightly thicker rubber coating on the hand grip and rear of the camera. At 16.2Mp the D7000 boasts of the second highest resolution of any Nikon DSLR. All of these pixels are packed onto a newly developed CMOS sensor. As well as extra resolution, the new sensor offers a great variety of ISO, ranging from 100-6400, expandable up to the equivalent of ISO 25,600.

The D7000's AF and metering systems are also new, and feature a significant upgrade to earlier Nikon camera bodies. The new camera boasts a 39-point AF array with 9 cross-type AF points. It also has an upgraded movie specification, up to 'full HD' - 1920x1080 resolution at 24fps. The D7000 can also maintain AF during live view and movie shooting.

Here are some key features:

• 16.2MP CMOS sensor
• 1080p HD video recording with mic jack for external microphone
• ISO 100-6400 (plus H1 and H2 equivalent to ISO 12,800/25,600)
• 39-point AF system with 3D tracking
• New 2016 pixel metering sensor
• Scene Recognition System (see 2016 pixel sensor, above) aids WB/metering + focus accuracy
• Twin SD card slots
• 3.0 inch 921k dot LCD screen
• New Live View/movie shooting switch
• Full-time AF in Live View/movie modes
• Up to 6fps continuous shooting
• Lockable drive mode dial
• Built-in intervalometer
• Electronic virtual horizon
• Shutter tested to 150K actuations

Nikon D3100

My backup and travelling camera body is the Nikon D3100.  It is considered to be Nikon's entry-level model. It is also the first Nikon DSLR to offer 1920x1080 movie recording in its range. 

The Nikon D3100 offers very good image quality together with straightforward handling. Overall, the D3100 is an excellent DSLR.  It has some limitations but one has to keep in mind that this body is aimed to instil the passion of photography and not to amuse the professionals.

Here are some key features:

• 14.2 megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor
• 3.0" LCD monitor (230,000 dots)
• Image sensor cleaning (sensor shake)
• 11 AF points (with 3D tracking)
• IS0 100-3200 range (12,800 expanded)
• HD movies (1080p, 720p or WVGA)