On the top of the right hand grip you will see the shutter release button with the main power switch mounted around it. Turning the switch to the light bulb icon will activate the data LCD backlight (shown below). The EV button to the bottom right will set the exposure compensation and the metering button to the left is used to select the desired metering mode. To change either setting simply hold the button of choice and rotate the back control dial. The LCD below will display any changes and show what mode is being selected. Another feature that can be accessed here is the quick format. By pressing the metering key along with the delete key, "for" will flash on the data LCD (below) and pressing both again will start to format the SD card. Card slot 1 will always be selected first, and to select card slot 2 just rotate the main command dial (back control dial). You can also see the sub-command dial (front control dial) below the shutter release key located on the front of the grip.

The control panel data LCD displays all of the most important camera settings at a glance. This is a quick way to view and change any settings necessary while photographing. These include, but are not limited to: Image Quality, White Balance, Metering, AF mode, Aperture, and memory card slot one and two.

Pressing the info button will bring up the Shooting Information Display on the rear 3.0-inch LCD screen. This acts much like the small data LCD, displaying values for shooting mode, focus area, AF-area mode, shutter speed, aperture, EV compensation, Flash compensation, shooting mode, ISO sensitivity, White balance, metering mode, etc. Here you are also able to access the shortcut menu and change some of the settings displayed by pressing the info button again.

The Mode dial has the usual positions for AUTO, AUTO No Flash, "P"rogram AE, "S"hutter speed priority, "A"perture priority, "M"anual, and user 1 and 2 (custom modes you create). There are also Advanced Scene modes for Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close-up, Night Portrait, Night Landscape, Party/indoor, Beach/snow, Sunset, Dusk/dawn, Pet Portrait, Candlelight, Blossom, Autumn Colors, Food, Silhouette, and High/Low key photographs. These Advanced Scene modes automatically optimize a variety of the settings for optimal results according to the type of Scene Mode selected, either by the camera or manually. For example, select Portrait mode and the camera will automatically enhance the image with soft, natural looking skin tones as well as soften the background; depending on distance from the subject.

On the back of the Nikon D7000 is a large 3.0-inch diagonal, super density TFT LCD screen with 921k pixels of resolution. The large display offers a larger typeface for easy navigation. Nikon includes a nice screen protector to ensure no harm comes to the LCD.

Controls on the back: Starting at the top left moving down; the Play button enters review or playback mode, right of that is the delete key, Menu calls up the onscreen menu system, and the WB, ISO, and QUAL buttons allow you to choose settings for each option. Simply press the desired key and using the main control dial will scroll through your setting options. These keys are also used in playback mode; the WB is the image locking key so your image cannot be deleted, the ISO button seconds as the index key, and the QUAL key is used for zooming in on an image.

On the right hand side of the viewfinder you will find the AF-L/AE-L button, the speaker, and main command/control dial. Underneath those is the Live View switch to use the LCD to frame pictures or record movies. In the middle of this is the red record button to set the camera into movie record mode. The 4-pad is next and is used to scroll through menu options, select images, and the OK button in the middle will accept any selections. Next in line is the focus selector locking switch that allows you to choose a focus mode and lock in your settings for multiple snaps with the same focus area. Last is the info button that brings up the shooting information display allows access to the shortcut menu. When using Live View, the info button controls the amount of information on the LCD screen, along with the grid lines.

Secure Digital Storage

The D7000 comes with the unique feature of a double card slot and is compatible with any capacity SD/SDHC or SDXC memory card. This doubles the memory available, and allows the user to move files from one card to another.

Approx. Storage Capacities

I/O Interfaces

There are many I/O ports located on the left hand side of the D7000. Starting at the top is the A/V connector, to the right of that is the high speed USB connector, to connect to a computer or printer, and below that is the HDMI mini-pin connector. The bottom two ports starting with the left is the external microphone connector, and the bottom right I/O is the GPS/Remote release port for connecting the optional GP-1 GPS Unit, which allows you to Geotag your images, or a wired remote control.

Power Source

The D7000 uses the Nikon EN-EL15 7.0V 1900mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery pack. This is recharged with the supplied MH-25 Quick Charger. The CIPA standards for this battery on a full charge claim it can take approximately 1050 shots. However, Nikon claims the battery life is sufficient for capturing around 4500 shots using their testing methods. What this means is depending on how the camera is set up and used, the battery life may vary.