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D7000 Metal Body Benefit?
- Thread starter EatonNJ
- Start date
Skunkworks
Well-known member
Sure, you can equip the camera with larger/heavier lenses and use the arrangement in a manner that might flex or crack a plastic bodied frame.
Sorry, but from what i´ve seen so far, only top and back are made from magnesium alloy http://www2.nikon.de/imgdown.php?hauptordner=digital_slr&produktordner=D7000&object=D7000_MB_Mgbody_1_rgb.jpg
Scott Beattie
Active member
Metal body soudns far better than plastic body when it comes to marketing. I'm sure there where several people that went oooohhh aaaaaah when they read about it.
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Nikon D40, Sigma 18-50 2.8, Sigma 10-20, Nikon 70-300VR
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Nikon D40, Sigma 18-50 2.8, Sigma 10-20, Nikon 70-300VR
theflyingscotsman
Member
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I must admit I would prefer to have a magnesium body over a plastic one, however a point that I'm not so sure of is that people are seeing this as a move in the right direction for robustness - and it is - but if the camera is dropped or whatever then the most likely thing to be damaged is the shutter mechanism or similar, and unless the issue of enhanced shock-proofing of the internals has been addressed above say the D90 then I'm not so sure of its value, but it is a nice feature.
Skunkworks
Well-known member
Most interesting. It doesn't really appear to provide any practical value to the frame's rigidity at all.
drifit
Leading Member
i saw with my own eyes....
a sports photographer. 400mm f/2.8 + body on monopod shooting motobike racing. one of the bike crash and he needs 70-200mm f/2.8 lens which is attached to another body hanging on his shoulder. now, what will you do to the 400mm f/2.8 + body on monopod? slowly lay it down to the ground and change body(attached with 70-200)?
these guys just drop it down. monopod height around 2-3 foot, kneel position. of course the ground is not solid concrete floor. even normal grass ground, will you do that?
most news/magazine/sports photographers have from bodies attached with lenses. easier for them to swap focal lengths. bodies and lenses banging each other.
also, i have headache looking into their bags, what is divider?
a sports photographer. 400mm f/2.8 + body on monopod shooting motobike racing. one of the bike crash and he needs 70-200mm f/2.8 lens which is attached to another body hanging on his shoulder. now, what will you do to the 400mm f/2.8 + body on monopod? slowly lay it down to the ground and change body(attached with 70-200)?
these guys just drop it down. monopod height around 2-3 foot, kneel position. of course the ground is not solid concrete floor. even normal grass ground, will you do that?
most news/magazine/sports photographers have from bodies attached with lenses. easier for them to swap focal lengths. bodies and lenses banging each other.
also, i have headache looking into their bags, what is divider?
Stumblingfalk
Senior Member
I don't expect much difference in feel, except a slightly stiffer body. On for instance a D90, with the battery grip mounted, you can feel a very slight flex in the horizontal part of the grip, since its all plastic and the part of the battery grip that goes into the camera doesn't fit as snuggly as a battery.
Modern plastic is a amazing material, durable and solid. There's a reason why all DSLRs today, even if they got a metal frame, are dressed in plastic. It's more comfortable to touch, survives a lot more wear than paint or chrome and molds into whatever desirable shape.
Mac
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I love the way the D7000 feels. Not sure of the actual benefit of the Mag back end, but it feels a lot better. I had a D700 and a D90 at the same time. The plastic body and grip of the D90 made it feel very cheap in comparison. The D7000 on the other hand has the feel of a real pro camera.
IeraseU
Senior Member
The benefit is that it feels better, just like a metal firearm might feel better in the hand then a plastic one. Feel is pretty important to a lot of photographers. They want that feeling of holding a precision instrument in their hands, and that 'feeling' is enough to encourage them to shoot more pictures or carry the camera more often.
Believe it or not, it's not just about image quality. The image quality on all new DSLR cameras are pretty similar after all, so a person could very well choose between them based solely on how good they feel in his hand.
Basically I would say the more often that you shoot, the more important feel is. If you just shoot on weekends any camera will do. If you shoot every single day, then you want a camera that feels good in your hand and gives you pleasure to hold and shoot.
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http://www.southfloridapics.com
Believe it or not, it's not just about image quality. The image quality on all new DSLR cameras are pretty similar after all, so a person could very well choose between them based solely on how good they feel in his hand.
Basically I would say the more often that you shoot, the more important feel is. If you just shoot on weekends any camera will do. If you shoot every single day, then you want a camera that feels good in your hand and gives you pleasure to hold and shoot.
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http://www.southfloridapics.com
Red G8R
Senior Member
It works for me.....I hate plastic bodies, they just feel cheap. Even P&S with metal bodies gives that sense of solidness. I still won't abuse them but the feel of a camera is important to me.
I know it's snobbish but I like quality both actual and perceived.
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Peter
Ontario, Canada
I know it's snobbish but I like quality both actual and perceived.
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Peter
Ontario, Canada
stephen davis
Well-known member
Im looking forward to the seeing some Carbon fibre cameras
jhinkey
Senior Member
There are other things to think about:
I would trust that Nikon knows the advantages of using metal in the body and would not use it unless necessary.
I for one am not concerned that the D7K has less metal than my D300 since I don't plan on abusing it the way a pro might.
PS - Note that Polycarbonate plastic has approx. twice to three times the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) as cast Magnesium alloy according to the data that I could find. I assume Nikon would like to have as thermally stable a material as it can be. Carbon fiber would fit this bill very nicely as it has an even lower CTE than magnesium alloy (and it has other very nice properties).
John
- Weight
- Durability
- Long term dimensional stability
- Thermal stability (how much does the material grow/shrink with Temps.)
- Stiffness - how much does that lens mount flex under load?
- etc.
I would trust that Nikon knows the advantages of using metal in the body and would not use it unless necessary.
I for one am not concerned that the D7K has less metal than my D300 since I don't plan on abusing it the way a pro might.
PS - Note that Polycarbonate plastic has approx. twice to three times the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) as cast Magnesium alloy according to the data that I could find. I assume Nikon would like to have as thermally stable a material as it can be. Carbon fiber would fit this bill very nicely as it has an even lower CTE than magnesium alloy (and it has other very nice properties).
John
stuntmonkey
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The bottom of the camea is one area thast is likely to be bumped, and if it's reiforced with metal, I suppose there is less stress to be be trasmitted into the weaker polycarbonate bits. (The frame is not just top and bottom, it also runs up the back of the camera)
With a polycarbonate only body, the issue is not if the plastic breaks at the site of impact (if you mange this, you're too rough on your camera...), but with the integrety of where the various plastic componets joint together.
My main concern is still with the mirror box/lens mount... looking at the shape of it, it does look fiddly to fabricate, but clearly they used plastic here to save money.
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http://1000wordpics.blogspot.com
With a polycarbonate only body, the issue is not if the plastic breaks at the site of impact (if you mange this, you're too rough on your camera...), but with the integrety of where the various plastic componets joint together.
My main concern is still with the mirror box/lens mount... looking at the shape of it, it does look fiddly to fabricate, but clearly they used plastic here to save money.
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http://1000wordpics.blogspot.com
Jared Huntr
Senior Member
...plus most are too OCD in protecting their cameras with bags and cases preserve resale value etc.
Jared Huntr
Senior Member
binary_eye
Senior Member
When using large and/or heavy lenses, one generally holds or mounts the combo at the lens, not the body. I can assure you those using D3s with 70-200s, etc., aren't holding the combo by the body (unless they have very strong wrists).
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