Minor fix for nikon D7000

[Grandpaw]

I have owned the Nikon D80, D90, and the D7000 and have one minor problem with all three. First of all I would like to say that I rate this camera very high and would highly recommend it to everyone. I had to think quite a bit to come up with something that I think needs changed about all three of these cameras and that is the the mode dial turns too easily. Several times when I have used my camera in the portrait position I have bumped the mode dial with the heel of my left hand and changed settings. If they would make this a little harder to turn or put a button in the middle of the dial to unlock the mode dial for changing modes I think it would eliminate the only problem I seem to have. Again I would highly recommend this camera, it does everything very well, Jeff

[n8]

I've gotta call user error on that one Jeff ;) It seems to me that in order to cause this bump, your hand has to be above the strap mount. I have fairly small hands, so maybe that helps me, but I think as long as you keep your hand below the strap you should be fine.

[Grandpaw]

I've gotta call user error on that one Jeff ;) It seems to me that in order to cause this bump, your hand has to be above the strap mount. I have fairly small hands, so maybe that helps me, but I think as long as you keep your hand below the strap you should be fine.

Note that I said that this only happens when I shoot in portrait position and the camera is near or resting on the heel of my left hand or base of my thumb and I am using my thumb and index finger of my left hand to adjust the lens. It doesn't happen when I shoot in a regular position. The person I sold my D80 to had the same problem with the mode being changed when she would put the camera in her bag and it would rub up against the side and make it change modes on her D80. It has happened with my D80, D90 and D7000. The dial is too easily turned and seems like it would be very easy to fix. I can't believe others are not having this problem also. Remember it only happens in the portrait position, Jeff

[Dylan8i]

When i shoot portrait I hold the camera with my right hand down, I'm beginning to think I'm the only one. also i think that is only a problem on the "lower end" ( i know d7000 isn't really) as my d200 has only4 modes and you press a button then turn the right finger dial to change them.

[Grandpaw]

When i shoot portrait I hold the camera with my right hand down, I'm beginning to think I'm the only one. also i think that is only a problem on the "lower end" ( i know d7000 isn't really) as my d200 has only4 modes and you press a button then turn the right finger dial to change them.

You may be right, but it seems to me to be a very easy thing to fix and would help a lot of people out. I shoot with a battery grip so I have a shutter release on the top right hand side of the camera in either position so my grip is the same either way, Jeff

[n8]

Note that I said that this only happens when I shoot in portrait position and the camera is near or resting on the heel of my left hand or base of my thumb and I am using my thumb and index finger of my left hand to adjust the lens. It doesn't happen when I shoot in a regular position. The person I sold my D80 to had the same problem with the mode being changed when she would put the camera in her bag and it would rub up against the side and make it change modes on her D80. It has happened with my D80, D90 and D7000. The dial is too easily turned and seems like it would be very easy to fix. I can't believe others are not having this problem also. Remember it only happens in the portrait position, Jeff

Yeah...still don't see how you're bumping so easily in portrait. As long as I keep the base of my thumb under the strap mount, it's a non-issue for me (just giving you a hard time here). I can see how some more tension, or a release like the added for the drive modes would be nice, as I'm sure I have bumped it other ways.

[Grandpaw]

This is a quick picture taken by my wife to show you what I am talking about. This is with my 70-200 F2.8 VR lens but with any of the lenses I would use for portraits I hold my camera this way and can work the zoom with my thumb and fingers,
. Shooting like this places the mode dial on the side of the camera and the strap connection on the bottom, Jeff

I think this is the first picture that my wife has taken

[Franglais]

Your left hand should be holding the lens, not the camera. Your palm should be under the center of gravity just in front of the body with your fingers on the zoom ring ready to follow the subject. Hold it that way and your palm won't come in contact with the mode dial.

[SmartWombat]

Same on Canon, the pro models have different design mode controls so you can´t accidentally change them.

[Grandpaw]

This is a picture with a more appropriate sized length of lens for shooting a portrait. I hold my camera in the palm of my left hand and my fingers are right where they are needed for operating the zoom on the lens. How I am holding the camera really isn't the point of this post. The fact that the mode dial can easily be bumped and change positions is the problem. The dial can be changed sliding the camera into a bag, when it is being just picked up, when using a sling strap and it is against my side and I grab it to take a picture or in numerous ways. The point of the post is that the dial is just too easily turned. This is something that could be fixed and make the camera even better than it is. In the picture I showed you already I just happened to have my longer lens on when my wife took the picture so I took another one with a different lens so you can see that if I hold the camera so that I can use the zoom it puts my mode dial where the base of my thumb is. But remember this post is about how easy the mode dial can be turned in many different circumstances not how the camera is being held, Jeff

[SmartWombat]

Apart from you're holding it keck-handed ;)
I agree on the bag thing, I constantly get that on any camera with a non-locking dial, or even on lens switches.

[Franglais]

OK maybe the mode dial should be locking. But I still have a few comments:

1. The zoom ring on your (Tamron) lens is too close to the body. On most recent Nikon lenses (example 18-200, 16-85) the zoom ring is much further away
2. I don't get the problem on my bodies because no mode dial
3. I hold the camera differently anyway with it firmly on my palm and my little finger up the side and my left elbow tucked tightly against my chest to brace the camera. You seem to have your arms off to the side. I know the D7000 is smaller that the D300 but I don't think it makes that much difference

BTW how to hold the camera is not something we've discussed for a long time. Good subject. Lots of folks nowadays are used to holding their compact at arms length (or even one-handed) and looking in the LCD screen

[Grandpaw]

Franglais, I figured out the problem, I use two hands to hold my camera and you only use one!!!!

I tried to hold my camera like you are doing and it just doesn't work for me but it could be because my shoulders are about twice as wide as yours are. My method must be effective because I regularly handhold very slow shutter speeds with one that I recently posted at one full second shot handheld without any support. The size of my camera makes no difference at all but with my battery pack on my D7000 it is probably bigger than the D300. Below is a copy of that one second shot taken with my method of holding a camera, Jeff

The picture of the boats was taken at a shutter speed of one full second and the picture of the photographer by the water was taken at 1/2 second and both were handheld without any support. Yes, you can go right ahead and verify these settings in the EXIF files. So as far as my method of holding a camera goes, I am going on the theory if it ain't broke don't fix it. I do agree that how you hold a camera is a good topic to discuss.

[Franglais]

Yes it did occur to me when looking at the picture of your hands covering the D7000 that we might be built differently. I certainly couldn't do a 1 second exposure with a 38mm hand-held and get it as sharp as yours, even with a heavy camera (the D300+16-85 in my picture)

It looks like Nikon will just have to modify the mode dial on their cameras.

[lezeuddocke]

HAHA wow. On second thought, I guess I see the purpose of that lock on the mode dial. I have a friend with a Canon EOS 60D and I always thought it was such a hassle to have to press that button to turn the mode dial.

But the thing I love about the d90 is that the mode dial goes round and round as opposed to my friends' that just turns one way and to go back to the first mode setting, you have to turn it the opposite way.

In my opinion, Idk, I have never seen any problems with the no lock on the mode dial with my d90, other than maybe accidentally turning, but I always check the dial first or I notice right away after my first shot that it has moved. and I guess I'm not that serious in the business enough to be picky yet.
But i really like the fact that you can switch the modes in a jiffy without having to worry about pressing any unlock buttons..

As for the d90 and the d7000 still being the semi-pro cameras, I also don't see the point of having that lock button. But also I see the point of it since it's as pro a camera as you get with a budget. Either way, it works out for me.

In the end, i recon that a stiffer dial would probably be the best option