D7000 Please help!

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Sky Blue Snapper

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David
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I hate my D7000 - or do I just hate my inability to know what I am doing wrong with it?
My first problem was with the auto focus - I tend to photograph a lot of parties. Some relatively low light, but certainly not dark. Using single point focus, it would be OK at first, but as time goes on the camera would just start hunting for focus and I would stand there like a muppet looking stupid, with people stood in front on me trying to hold a cheesy grin, whilst the focus refuses to lock. Eventually this was so bad, that I ended up returning the camera. However having now tried the replacement it is no better! In the end I had to give up and use my old D90 - which focused no problem in the same light. Incidentally, this is with using a SB600.
Can I really be so unlucky as to have had two duff cameras or am I doing something wrong?
My second problem is the ISO. I set my D90 on auto ISO, and just worried about shutter speed / aperture. Try doing that with the D7000 and I get terrible results. Even with the SB600 it seems to default to a very high ISO and therefore I get very ugly noisy pictures. I have read that this is a design issue with the D7000. If so how do I get round it? I have a school prom to photograph this week and I'm feeling less then confident that I will be able to pull it off! If I ignore the auto ISO, what would be a good setting for such an event - I know I sound amateurish, but ISO was something I didn’t have to worry about with my D90.
Finally, I had issues with over exposure - again using the SB600. I was trying to backfill some pictures in bright sunshine, using Aperture priority, but the camera would not increase the shutter speed greater than 250? Making my pictures over exposed.
I’m guessing that all three problems are just down the settings I'm using and me being an incompetent fool! But if anyone can help it would be appreciated, because regardless of the above, when the D7000 does take decent pictures they are great. Given the choice, I would much rather master the D7000 than go back to the D90.
 
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i don't have any problems with mine hunting or any problems with auto iso i would go through your menu and have another look at what it is set to.

can't see why you need auto iso when you are using flash, i would just set it to iso 100, AP mode for 5.6 or F8 allowing the Aperture mode to power the flash if need be increase the ISO for more exposure or use Exposure compensation. i would also be bouncing the flash off the ceiling.

Thats my personal preference im sure someone will tell you diffrent

As for hunting i am guessing it is low light that is giving you problems, do you have the focus light turned on?
 
What lens are you using?

Slow lenses will make AF harder in low light since less light is reaching the AF sensors, a fast prime should improve this.

Like MindofMel said, 1/250 will be the maximum sync speed on the D7000. This is the maximum shutter speed at which the whole sensor will be exposed at one time allowing the very short duration of flash light to light the whole frame. Some flashes have a high speed sync mode where they increase the duration of the flash light to allow use of faster shutter speeds (with a penalty of some power).
 
Sky Blue Snapper said:
I hate my D7000 - or do I just hate my inability to know what I am doing wrong with it?
My first problem was with the auto focus - I tend to photograph a lot of parties. Some relatively low light, but certainly not dark. Using single point focus, it would be OK at first, but as time goes on the camera would just start hunting for focus and I would stand there like a muppet looking stupid, with people stood in front on me trying to hold a cheesy grin, whilst the focus refuses to lock. Eventually this was so bad, that I ended up returning the camera. However having now tried the replacement it is no better! In the end I had to give up and use my old D90 - which focused no problem in the same light. Incidentally, this is with using a SB600.
Can I really be so unlucky as to have had two duff cameras or am I doing something wrong?
My second problem is the ISO. I set my D90 on auto ISO, and just worried about shutter speed / aperture. Try doing that with the D7000 and I get terrible results. Even with the SB600 it seems to default to a very high ISO and therefore I get very ugly noisy pictures. I have read that this is a design issue with the D7000. If so how do I get round it? I have a school prom to photograph this week and I'm feeling less then confident that I will be able to pull it off! If I ignore the auto ISO, what would be a good setting for such an event - I know I sound amateurish, but ISO was something I didn’t have to worry about with my D90.
Finally, I had issues with over exposure - again using the SB600. I was trying to backfill some pictures in bright sunshine, using Aperture priority, but the camera would not increase the shutter speed greater than 250? Making my pictures over exposed.
I’m guessing that all three problems are just down the settings I'm using and me being an incompetent fool! But if anyone can help it would be appreciated, because regardless of the above, when the D7000 does take decent pictures they are great. Given the choice, I would much rather master the D7000 than go back to the D90.
Click to expand...

Don't want to sound like I'm being condescending but you are using autofocus through viewfinder? Because live view AF is pretty crap in anything but perfect light

Jake
 
Sky Blue Snapper said:
My second problem is the ISO. I set my D90 on auto ISO, and just worried about shutter speed / aperture. Try doing that with the D7000 and I get terrible results. Even with the SB600 it seems to default to a very high ISO and therefore I get very ugly noisy pictures.
Click to expand...

Might be worth checking the min shutter speed on auto ISO, if its set to high for the situation then it will boost the ISO unnecessarily.
 
terryt said:
Might be worth checking the min shutter speed on auto ISO, if its set to high for the situation then it will boost the ISO unnecessarily.
Click to expand...

I haven't got camera with me, but sure min shutter speed is 30 - it would appear that this ISO problem is a new design for the D7000 to apparently keep some of the ambient light. The fact that the pictures are awlful must be lost on someone at Nikon. The question is,does anyone know a work around?
 
squishy said:
What lens are you using?

Slow lenses will make AF harder in low light since less light is reaching the AF sensors, a fast prime should improve this.

I predominantly use a Tamron 28-70 2.8, but it is also the same with the NIkon 18-105 kit lens.
Click to expand...
 
Sorry I don't own a d7000 (sigh) just a d300.

First up, you are doing portraits/groups in low light? Can you arrange a friend/family member and do some practice shots with various settings (plus, of course, blinding them with multiple flash shots lol)...?

Just thinking you can experiment to see which settings work well. On the d300 there are banks for tweaking settings to situations/lenses. Not sure if that would help you but it might if one lot is set up for low light and another for general.

ISO - for now, leave on 200. If you are using flash 200 would probably give you the best results. You'd probably only need to crank it up if you weren't using flash and in semi/low light - which you may need a tripod or something sturdy anyway :)

Stick the top setting on to A (Aperture - for now) dial in the lowest f# you can and try a few shots with that. Then change it to f4 or f8. Shutter speed should slow down a lot, but focus/Dof should be ok.

I'd also try some shots in good light (sun outside?) just to make sure.

Flashes confuse me too ;) so might be that the settings overide the camera. You should be able to reduce the flash power (if it is still over exposing)

Do you happen to know any other people with similar camera that you could meet up with and get hints and tips on usage?


Please note this is just advice, you don't have to do the settings or anything, but a bit of practice before you really need the camera helps... and I've been left looking a 'nana too with focus problems. In the end you can always go manual :/ bit difficult but shouold work.


As an after thought, on the d300 there were some settings that required you had to have focus, and one where it just took the pic... Think its under a sub menu for release?

Try a few more pics out and see if anyone is near you that can assist. Good luck :)

Edit:
One last thought - is it the focus or the taking of hte picture? If its the taking, check you haven't set red eye. I made this mistake, it puts on a light to adjust subjects eyes before the flash, but, being behind the camera I didn't see that and thought it wouldn't fire properly...
 
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I think you are right that I need someone already using the D7000 in these circumstances. However, your advice is all good - thank you.
I will certainly look at the redeye setting, if you think that can affect autofocus. There are settings on the D7000 that require focus or just let you take pic - I have mine set to focus, since it would not make sense to take if out of focus.
The D7000 has a U1 and U2 which may help, but I haven't sussed out how they work yet.
 
Sky Blue Snapper said:
I haven't got camera with me, but sure min shutter speed is 30 - it would appear that this ISO problem is a new design for the D7000 to apparently keep some of the ambient light. The fact that the pictures are awlful must be lost on someone at Nikon. The question is,does anyone know a work around?
Click to expand...

Turn auto iso off when using flash, you just dont need it
 
U1 U2 are you custom settings which you can save in menu - setup menu - save user settings

It will save whatever setting you have on the camera good if you take the same shots time and time again, i have my U1 setup for indoor portraits of the kids
 
Sky Blue Snapper said:
The D7000 has a U1 and U2 which may help, but I haven't sussed out how they work yet.
Click to expand...

These are just custom modes.

They let you store all the camera settings to that mode, so you can swap to it again quickly. (for example, you could have one set up with the ISO defaulting to high, continuous auto focus and continuous shooting for photographing fast moving stuff, and you could have the other set up with a low default ISO and mirror lock up etc, for shooting stationary stuff on a tripod, and you would be able to switch between them simply by turning the mode dial)
 
DannyDMR said:
Turn auto iso off when using flash, you just dont need it
Click to expand...

Would you set iso to 100 for most occassions and change stop up or down via shutter speed / appiture to change exposure? Sorry but ISO is relatively foreign to me!
 
DannyDMR said:
U1 U2 are you custom settings which you can save in menu - setup menu - save user settings

It will save whatever setting you have on the camera good if you take the same shots time and time again, i have my U1 setup for indoor portraits of the kids
Click to expand...

Does U1 / U2 default the priority (aperture/shutter) to however you set it.
I assume you can still change the F-stop as you go along?

By the way Danny - thanks so far for your advice.
You will be pleased to know that I'm booked on a course - unfortunately not until July.
 
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i would say most people see iso diffrantly i have read things on here that are right but it's not how i see it, so it's trial and error and what i say should be taken with a pinch of salt.

How i shoot flash, or indoor portraits.

Flash on the hotshoe,

Shutter speed, the less ambient light you get, so the slower the shutter the more light you will get behind the subject, i tend to have mine around 1/125 or slower. depends how much of the background i want in the shot.

Aperture will set the flash power output, the lower the F number the lower the flash output. i tend to set mine between f5.6 and f8 for portraits

ISO, for me if i have the above 2 settings how i want them but am finding the flash is a little under powered i'll up the ISO to 200, then 250 etc untill i have the exposure i want.

I'll have auto WB as i shoot raw
matrix metering
single point focus

like i have said alot of people will disagree, im no pro by a long way, try it and experiment
 
DannyDMR said:
menu - custom settings menu - autofocus - a7 (Built-in AF-assist illuminator

although it is very bright, mine has stopped working for some reason just doesn't come on
Click to expand...

Had this... only comes on in the center focal point (found in a manual or someone told me) and occassionally turns itself off.




You will be pleased to know that I'm booked on a course - unfortunately not until July.
Click to expand...
Only two weeks or so away :D

ISO is the sensitivity - higher ISO the more sensitive - but the more noisy. Think when you view things in low light, you get moving doats, green and red sometimes moving infront of your eyes. Same thing for ISO.

If you are on A mode - you can change the aperture on one of the dials (back one?) and the shutter speed counters depending on light.

On S mode you control the shutter, and the camera decides the aperture to use. Useful if the A mode is not giving you quite what you want, or you need a specific speed.

On M you control both, although the camera will probably let you know via metering and bars whether the shot is likely to come out :D I'd ignore this mode for now.

Note that the shutter speed is restricted with the flash. Think there may be a way around it, might be manual? You'd need to play or have it as a question when on the course.

Danny said:
Why would you need a faster shutter speed than 1/250 when using flash?
Click to expand...
I've had this with a 50mm f1.4
Camera is getting confused somehow with exposure and flash and sunlight. Always over exposes leaving a very white picture. Figured it was the shutter speed dropping to 60 when the sunlight on the background/subject wasn't quite strong enough without flash. Ended up dropping the flash power to -1 or -2 to counter.

Subject was a cakle on a white plate. ambient (but not strong) sunlight - indoors, but for some reason was too dark for normal shot. With Flash blew (probably the white plate reflecting). Just incase - I'm even less of a pro lol :)
 
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also remember you don't need high shutter speeds as a flash will freeze the action, so if shooting portraits just look at it as how much background light do i want, i tend to stay above 1/60 with a 300mm lens
 
ecniv said:
Had this... only comes on in the center focal point (found in a manual or someone told me) and occassionally turns itself off.





Only two weeks or so away :D

ISO is the sensitivity - higher ISO the more sensitive - but the more noisy. Think when you view things in low light, you get moving doats, green and red sometimes moving infront of your eyes. Same thing for ISO.

If you are on A mode - you can change the aperture on one of the dials (back one?) and the shutter speed counters depending on light.

On S mode you control the shutter, and the camera decides the aperture to use. Useful if the A mode is not giving you quite what you want, or you need a specific speed.

On M you control both, although the camera will probably let you know via metering and bars whether the shot is likely to come out :D I'd ignore this mode for now.

Note that the shutter speed is restricted with the flash. Think there may be a way around it, might be manual? You'd need to play or have it as a question when on the course.


I've had this with a 50mm f1.4
Camera is getting confused somehow with exposure and flash and sunlight. Always over exposes leaving a very white picture. Figured it was the shutter speed dropping to 60 when the sunlight on the background/subject wasn't quite strong enough without flash. Ended up dropping the flash power to -1 or -2 to counter.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the focus light, i just tried it and it works only in center point. How stupid is that!

My flash isn't a nikon one so not sure if it's the same but i can increase shutter in menu (e1) to 1/320's although i just use exposure compensation
 
quick example of iso effects for you.

both images shot in raw (No post processing at all)

Aperture priority mode
F5.6
shutter was 1/60
iso 100

100.jpg


this one was shot with
F5.6
1/60
iso 640

640.jpg


you can tell the difference instantly with the second image being well over exposed

Both shot with Hotshoe mounted flash pointing straight at the lamp, bouning the light would work much better
 
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Sky Blue Snapper said:
I haven't got camera with me, but sure min shutter speed is 30 - it would appear that this ISO problem is a new design for the D7000 to apparently keep some of the ambient light. The fact that the pictures are awlful must be lost on someone at Nikon. The question is,does anyone know a work around?
Click to expand...

You can change it to whatever you want between 1s and 1/4000s, just as you can change the maximum ISO it will reach. Mine is set to 1/800 (because the only time I ever used auto ISO was for sports, and even then it made no appreciable difference to me. If you want quick access to it, set it as top option on "mymenu".

To the OP, you need to make sure your selected AF point has some contrast to lock on to. Even a D3s will fail in bright daylight if all it has to focus on is a smooth uniform surface. Skin will not be contrasty in evening/night light, you need to focus on eyes or a clothing/skin boundary or patterns on clothing. I know I can get my D7k to lock focus at 1/10, f2, ISO 5000 levels of light (with a 1.8 lens) without the AF assist lamp.
 
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Thank you to all who gave their advice.
I thought I'd give you an update;
Auto focus - I'll come back to this.
ISO - Well I think I've had a eureka moment on this. Someone mentioned 'Easy' ISO, which I didn't know existed. With the auto ISO off and the easy ISO on, it all now makes perfect sense. In aperture priority - set to the aperture size you want - if the shutter speed the camera selects is too slow/fast, rotate the command dial and the DSO will change until you have the required exposure. Alternatively move the aperture up a couple of stops to come up to the desired ISO. Likewise with S priority but use the sub-command dial to change the ISO. This all makes perfect sense, with no need to access any menu's. I haven't had chance to test out, but seems to be the answer I was looking for.
Max shutter speed - If change flash sync speed to 1/320s (Auto FP) seems to allow flash to be fired whatever the shutter speed.
Back to the autofocus - I have a feeling that this problem was related to the ISO sensitivity settings - if I was outside the max / min settings, would this cause the autofocus not to lock? Seems a possibility - if anyone knows the answer?
Anyway, I'm now feeling a lot more confident about shooting the school prom this weekend.
Thanks for your help - and maybe I won't hate my D7000 afterall!
 
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practice m8 thats all i do, i have hundreds of photos of the living room speakers lol going through all the different settings
 
Sky Blue Snapper said:
Thank you to all who gave their advice.
I thought I'd give you an update;
Auto focus - I'll come back to this.
ISO - Well I think I've had a eureka moment on this. Someone mentioned 'Easy' ISO, which I didn't know existed. With the auto ISO off and the easy ISO on, it all now makes perfect sense. In aperture priority - set to the aperture size you want - if the shutter speed the camera selects is too slow/fast, rotate the command dial and the DSO will change until you have the required exposure. Alternatively move the aperture up a couple of stops to come up to the desired ISO. Likewise with S priority but use the sub-command dial to change the ISO. This all makes perfect sense, with no need to access any menu's. I haven't had chance to test out, but seems to be the answer I was looking for.
Max shutter speed - If change flash sync speed to 1/320s (Auto FP) seems to allow flash to be fired whatever the shutter speed.
Back to the autofocus - I have a feeling that this problem was related to the ISO sensitivity settings - if I was outside the max / min settings, would this cause the autofocus not to lock? Seems a possibility - if anyone knows the answer?
Anyway, I'm now feeling a lot more confident about shooting the school prom this weekend.
Thanks for your help - and maybe I won't hate my D7000 afterall!
Click to expand...


Back to hating my D7000!

Just when I thought I'd cracked it, I find that despite setting a minimum shutter speed on the DSO sensitivity, when using the SB600 it gets totally ignored, therefore I get very slow shutter speeds. Even using the ISO auto and setting a minimum shutter speed, I find that this gets ignored using the SB600.

Given that I know my flash will give me ample lighting why can I not have a relatively low ISO 100 - 400 at a shutter speed of 50 - 100 and aperture of around 5.6.
This would surely give me light / sharp pictures, that I can make slight exposure adjustment to if necessary.

Instead, whatever settings I try seem to give me dark, blurry or noisy pictures. Why have Nikon made this so ridiculously complicated. My D90 would just keep the ISO low until the flash power was exhausted.

I am seriously considering dumping my D7000 and going back to my D90.

I have a school prom to photograph tomorrow night and I'm starting to panic.
 
Sky Blue Snapper said:
Back to hating my D7000!

Just when I thought I'd cracked it, I find that despite setting a minimum shutter speed on the DSO sensitivity, when using the SB600 it gets totally ignored, therefore I get very slow shutter speeds. Even using the ISO auto and setting a minimum shutter speed, I find that this gets ignored using the SB600.

Given that I know my flash will give me ample lighting why can I not have a relatively low ISO 100 - 400 at a shutter speed of 50 - 100 and aperture of around 5.6.
This would surely give me light / sharp pictures, that I can make slight exposure adjustment to if necessary.

Instead, whatever settings I try seem to give me dark, blurry or noisy pictures. Why have Nikon made this so ridiculously complicated. My D90 would just keep the ISO low until the flash power was exhausted.

I am seriously considering dumping my D7000 and going back to my D90.

I have a school prom to photograph tomorrow night and I'm starting to panic.
Click to expand...

If your shooting with flash why not shoot full manual, much easier in my opinion... Set your shutter speed at 1/250th, keep your ISO at 100 and adjust aperture to taste. Is there any particular reason why you are wanting to use the auto ISO with flash?
 
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