Questions for D7 users

Hi all, first post so go easy on me...

I am very interested in the D7 and I would like some feedback from users.

I am currently using an Oly 2100 that I have had for about 10 months. I noticed that some users on this forum had graduated from 2100s and 2500s. This camera has helped me grow leaps and bounds in my photography hobby. I have been very satisified in most respects and the D7 (and lesser so the Sony F707) is the first to come along that made me seriously consider upgrading.

I would like to list my issues w/ the 2100 and get user feedback about the D7 in these areas. It would be especially helpful for those familiar w/ the Oly.

Things I would like to improve:

1. CCD size - the Oly never was at the head of the pack with respect to CCD size and this is now being amplified by 4+ mp cameras. I do like to print many of my photos and bigger is usually better.

2. Chromatic abberation? The dreaded purple-fringe. I read reviews that stated the D7 was much improved over other DCs in this area. True?

3. Saturation. I notice that I remember the colors in many scenes I photograph being much more saturated. The D7s saturation/contrast management options seem to be a cure for this. Does it really work as well as the samples without producing any artifacts (like bumping up saturation in photoshop obviously would?)

4. Manual focus. The up/down arrow buttons on the Oly are not intuitive and definately too slow when you really need manual focus.

5. Depth of field. I can never seem to get enough contrast when I want to highlight near/far objects. i.e.: unless using the telephoto, it is nearly impossible to get background significantly out-of-focus.

Things I am not sure about losing / like about the Oly:

1. Wide focal range. 38-380mm (35mm equiv.) is a lot to play with. I do also take a lot of architectural photos, and the Oly works beautifully w/ a Sony .7x converter that gets me down to around 27mm with just a hint of barrel. The 28mm native equivilent of the D7 is welcome if there is low distortion and if there are good 1.5x - 2x teleconverters to use. Once you are used to it, it is very difficult to lose!

2. IR remote. I know, it does not sound like a big deal, but I use it often to reduce any chance of jitter or if someone wants me in the picture as well. (I will not ask a guy on the street to snap an important picture with my $800 camera!)

3. AF assist lamp. Not something I ever specifically looked for, but it has proven invaluable if I take pictures in dance clubs, restaurants, etc. In these situations, it speeds up the AF considerably.

I am not overly concerned with low battery life (batteries are cheap), lightweight (any metal is better than my all-plastic Oly - which does not feel cheap), or high price (am going to Japan soon and street prices in Tokyo are $900).

Well, if anyone is still reading after all that rambling, I appreciate any input.

Thanks again.

Sorry, I forgot one more:

I am always disappointed by lots of noise in my clear, blue skies. Although, from the samples in the reviews, this seems to affect many DCs. How does the D7 compare in real-life?

Hi,

I can only try to answer your questions the best I can as a C2500 and D7 owner, and I have no experience in the C2100.

The CCD size of the D7 is definitely worth the money. CA is a LOT better with the D7. D7 still has CA but may be 10-20% as of the C2500's. I believe that the CA of the 2100 is worse than the 2500's. Saturation is quite flexible with the D7 but I have no problem with my C2500's saturation either. Manual focus with the C2500 is almost like an after thought. I use it occasionally only with my C2500 but really enjoy the MF of the D7, especially with the magnifying feature. I cannot really comment on the DOF (or limited DOF) as I almost always shoot with the greatest DOF for my landscape images. You may miss the 380 mm tele if you use the extreme tele a lot on your C2100. Also, you will have to adjust your shooting as the D7 doesn't have the IS as the C2100. I have been using the D7 with the Olympus B300 (1.7X) quite successfully. The only concern is the extra weight of the B300 on the full extended D7 lens, and the B300 weights a lot with its big lens. I have only used the IR remote once or twice while I first bought my C2500. If I really have the need for remote, I use the timer instead. When it comes to AF (I think the C2500 & C2100 use the same IR assisted AF), the D7 wins hand down. A lot of situation that the C2500 has problem focusing, D7 has no problem. At low light siutation, the D7 AF really shines. I beleive that the D7 is faster too in AF, except when it is working near the 200 mm area. The noise is better with the D7 for sure as the noise of the D7 is more 'refine'. It is there but not as noticeable as of my C2500's.

In addiont to your questions, I would like to add a few more features that I am very impressed with the D7. The ADI flash is the best auto flash I have ever used, and I have used a lot of flashs before. The EVF is excellent for focusing and exposure adjustment. I haven't used the LCD even once for focusing and exposure. The ability of setting the contrast is very important for me and it saves quite a few otherwise impossible shots.

Don't get me wrong, as I still own and love my C2500, which is still very good at what it does. I will continue to shoot with my C2500 but the D7 is my preference for more critical shots. Good luck in your decision.

BAB said:

Hi all, first post so go easy on me...

I am very interested in the D7 and I would like some feedback from
users.
I am currently using an Oly 2100 that I have had for about 10
months. I noticed that some users on this forum had graduated from
2100s and 2500s. This camera has helped me grow leaps and bounds in
my photography hobby. I have been very satisified in most respects
and the D7 (and lesser so the Sony F707) is the first to come along
that made me seriously consider upgrading.

I would like to list my issues w/ the 2100 and get user feedback
about the D7 in these areas. It would be especially helpful for
those familiar w/ the Oly.

Things I would like to improve:

1. CCD size - the Oly never was at the head of the pack with
respect to CCD size and this is now being amplified by 4+ mp
cameras. I do like to print many of my photos and bigger is usually
better.

2. Chromatic abberation? The dreaded purple-fringe. I read reviews
that stated the D7 was much improved over other DCs in this area.
True?

3. Saturation. I notice that I remember the colors in many scenes I
photograph being much more saturated. The D7s saturation/contrast
management options seem to be a cure for this. Does it really work
as well as the samples without producing any artifacts (like
bumping up saturation in photoshop obviously would?)

4. Manual focus. The up/down arrow buttons on the Oly are not
intuitive and definately too slow when you really need manual focus.

5. Depth of field. I can never seem to get enough contrast when I
want to highlight near/far objects. i.e.: unless using the
telephoto, it is nearly impossible to get background significantly
out-of-focus.

Things I am not sure about losing / like about the Oly:

1. Wide focal range. 38-380mm (35mm equiv.) is a lot to play with.
I do also take a lot of architectural photos, and the Oly works
beautifully w/ a Sony .7x converter that gets me down to around
27mm with just a hint of barrel. The 28mm native equivilent of the
D7 is welcome if there is low distortion and if there are good 1.5x

• 2x teleconverters to use. Once you are used to it, it is very

difficult to lose!

2. IR remote. I know, it does not sound like a big deal, but I use
it often to reduce any chance of jitter or if someone wants me in
the picture as well. (I will not ask a guy on the street to snap an
important picture with my $800 camera!)

3. AF assist lamp. Not something I ever specifically looked for,
but it has proven invaluable if I take pictures in dance clubs,
restaurants, etc. In these situations, it speeds up the AF
considerably.

I am not overly concerned with low battery life (batteries are
cheap), lightweight (any metal is better than my all-plastic Oly -
which does not feel cheap), or high price (am going to Japan soon
and street prices in Tokyo are $900).

Well, if anyone is still reading after all that rambling, I
appreciate any input.

Thanks again.

Click to expand...

Stephen,

Thanks for all your input. It is very useful information.
I am still interested in the D7, but the $$ situation changed just before I
left for Japan. Also, because of the recent economy, the dollar was down

quite a bit when I was there, making the price difference from the US negligible.

(btw, I took over 450 pics w/ my 2100 while in Japan...still a great camera!)

Stephen Lau said:

Hi,
I can only try to answer your questions the best I can as a C2500
and D7 owner, and I have no experience in the C2100.

The CCD size of the D7 is definitely worth the money. CA is a LOT
better with the D7. D7 still has CA but may be 10-20% as of the
C2500's. I believe that the CA of the 2100 is worse than the
2500's. Saturation is quite flexible with the D7 but I have no
problem with my C2500's saturation either. Manual focus with the
C2500 is almost like an after thought. I use it occasionally only
with my C2500 but really enjoy the MF of the D7, especially with
the magnifying feature. I cannot really comment on the DOF (or
limited DOF) as I almost always shoot with the greatest DOF for my
landscape images. You may miss the 380 mm tele if you use the
extreme tele a lot on your C2100. Also, you will have to adjust
your shooting as the D7 doesn't have the IS as the C2100. I have
been using the D7 with the Olympus B300 (1.7X) quite successfully.
The only concern is the extra weight of the B300 on the full
extended D7 lens, and the B300 weights a lot with its big lens. I
have only used the IR remote once or twice while I first bought my
C2500. If I really have the need for remote, I use the timer
instead. When it comes to AF (I think the C2500 & C2100 use the
same IR assisted AF), the D7 wins hand down. A lot of situation
that the C2500 has problem focusing, D7 has no problem. At low
light siutation, the D7 AF really shines. I beleive that the D7 is
faster too in AF, except when it is working near the 200 mm area.
The noise is better with the D7 for sure as the noise of the D7 is
more 'refine'. It is there but not as noticeable as of my C2500's.

In addiont to your questions, I would like to add a few more
features that I am very impressed with the D7. The ADI flash is the
best auto flash I have ever used, and I have used a lot of flashs
before. The EVF is excellent for focusing and exposure adjustment.
I haven't used the LCD even once for focusing and exposure. The
ability of setting the contrast is very important for me and it
saves quite a few otherwise impossible shots.

Don't get me wrong, as I still own and love my C2500, which is
still very good at what it does. I will continue to shoot with my
C2500 but the D7 is my preference for more critical shots. Good
luck in your decision.

Click to expand...