Cold, hard reality sets in...

I'm an Olymus E10 user and have used a variety of SLR's and digitals over the years. I don't tend to sit in any one manufacturers camp but tend to pick and choose my cameras cos I like the way they take pictures (OK I know I take the pictures but colour reproduction and so on is the cameras thing - and I know it can be corrected in Photoshop but I like shots straight out of the camera - I only fiddle on occasion).

I've been using DC's since they hit 2mp and I must admit I've chucked away my film cameras (well sold em anyway).

I would take issue with the fact that you appear to be ignoring camera comfort and certain basic physical design features. Ever since I got my first digital I realised that DC's are power monsters. When I go out my camera bag typically has 4-5 sets of 1600Mah NIMh batterires and I also carry 2 of Olympus's special non rechargeables. TheE10 is by no means bad when it comes to batteries but when you're stuck in the middle of nowhere and you wanted to get a shot and that power warning/lack of response from the camera occurs you will get a really bad sinking feeling. OK so you should change batteries when you get the chance not when you're forced to but wen the batteries are dissapearing at the rate of a set every 125 shots you're going to be doing it all the time and you're more likely to miss a shot.

As for the shape/comfort of holding the thing well consider this. If its uncomfortable its going to be irritating. While its new and the novelty factor is still in evidence the camera will be used but as the novelty factor wears off the camera will beused less. If it make you want topick it up then you will continue to want to pick it up. Whilst I like my E10 I must confess I find it heavy. After a day carrying it around my neck or holding it by the handgrip and having to heft it in front of my face mywrist gives twinges. Its not enough tto put me off but sometimes I really wish it weighed a bit less (a pro would put up with it but I'm a prosumer camera user - why should I. I do this for pleasure not for a living).

As for tripod mount positioning etc. Well I think again when its new these things you will put up with but after days/weeks.months wanting to do things with the camera and hitting the design flaws which good could easily of been ironed out I think that the camera user will be thoroughly frustrated and swearing about the %^& tripod mount/camera strap ring position .....

As for the heat thang well. On a hot day when you've been tramping around clutching said device in your hot sticky little paw and grilling your fingers and your hands are wet with sweat. You're more likely to drop the camera. The heat will irritate you.

Please understand I'm not rubbsihing the D7. It seems to take lovely shots. The lense seems very nice. Its good bits are very good but the bad ones are a tad offputting. For me the battery issue is a killer. Fine compare your DC to a film camera. For me one of the best points about DC's isthat they should be able to take many more shots than a film camera before needing attention for film changes. Now the DC's like the E10 can take 250-300 shots on a set of batteries they fulfill this criteria for me.

For the most part prosumers buy a camera as a package. So they look for something that look good. Feels good and offers them as many of the facilities of the pro cameras as they can get at the price point. Furthermore of course it must me capable of taking good pictures. I don't beleive that the D7 does all of these things. It does some of them but will it be enough - not for me! Then again look at how. Minoltas SLR's changed design from the days of their original Minolta 7000 to their latest in the range. They seem to go from boxy to standard camera shape - big curvy handgrip/textured finsih etc.

If you guys should go ahead with the D7 enjoy it. It certainly seems to be capable of producing great shots in the right hands. For the moment though I'll stick with my E10 and look enviously at anything which weighs less.

Note all the comments above constitute my own opinions and mine alone.

Wayne wrote:

No this camera won't cure your bad breath, get you a date on Friday
night, or stop your balding spot from expanding (or your waistline
for that matter). It's a camera people - get over it! It still has
the best combination of features and performance for the price
(actually still the only game in town). It even has features that
weren't announced that make it more attractive - increased color
space for one.
O.K. it eats batteries - ONLY 100 shots per set. Guess you people
have never used sheet or roll film! There may be a good reason why
it takes so few shots - to save your poor relatives and any other
audience from having to see more of your photos. When was the last
time any of you took 100 keepers at a sitting (don't answer because
this is directly related to your taste, or lack thereof, and I
don't want to know). You CAN change the batteries you know! I have
4 more sets on the way. If it gets bad I'll just build my D-cell
pack - 38 watts of POWER!
It gets hot! Great! For those of you who are unaware of physics
when heat is generated it is either stored or transferred to
surrounding materials. The fact that the body gets warm indicates
that the metal body is conducting the heat AWAY from the interior
of the camera. Wear an oven mitt if it bothers you.
The shutter button locks up! Great! When I take a photo I want it
to be taken when I decide (plus normal delay which I can compensate
for), not two, three, or four seconds later when the camera is
ready. If I miss a shot I'm going to miss it either way - this way
I'm aware of it. Ever hear of "The decisive moment"?
The camera is heavy on the left! HUH? The grip is on the right, the
body is on the left, what do you expect? Physics again guys. How
can you even tell WITH A ONE POUND CAMERA? Try to hold a Mamiya
RB67 with a prism and a 250mm lens attached to an L-grip and you'll
get the idea (maybe not). Cameras were made to be held with two
hands.
Tripod socket offset! Once again refer to the weight distribution.
If the camera is heavier on the left I would expect the tripod
socket to be on the left. I won't know the balace point until I get
it, but it's not a big point with a 1 pound electronic camera.
Panoramas more difficult to perform! Got news for you - unless you
know the nodal point of your lens, and have a mounting plate that
is adjusted properly, you're not doing it right anyway! BTW my
Gitzo 1227CF arrived from Robert White's today (good old UPS),
YAAY! I needed an excuse to get a smaller model.
Good news for me, the Microdrive doesn't have an appreciable effect
on battery consumption, and actually writes large files faster! My
1GB also arrived today, YAAY (good old FEDEX)!
As for the resolution, it's as good as any other consumercam out
there with a 7:1 zoom - LOL! And as for the difference in
resolution between one site and another - EVER HEARD OF SAMPLE
VARIATION? Who knows how well they were focused to begin with (no
shot intended)? There are mechanical tolerances throughout the
camera, could be any number of reasons. If it had tested to 1600 on
this site would you have bought it? It's not at all unusual for
individual lenses to vary by 30% when talking resolution numbers.
Still, considering that 90% of you were never really considering
buying the camera in the first place, there haven't been that many
dumb posts yet (guess we'll have to wait for the Americans to get
home from work). I'm American, and living in the good old US of A.
Before visiting this forum I had thought that Americans had
cornered the market on whining and bitching, I was wrong. They do
still lead the pack though. Any of you ladies (homeboys) out there
who are going to cancel your orders now, if you have a preorder in
at Eppersons please do it quickly - I want to make sure that I'm
one of the ones who gets his camera from the first shipment.
Do any of you actually take photographs??? I'll be out taking them
while the majority of you are still here (or somewhere else)
whining. Hey, I heard that Pentax is about to release their new
camera! Why don't you all stampede over there and set-up shop?
ROFLMAO!