Features of the D7000

Intervalometer:  One of the coolest new features on the D7000 is the Intervalometer. This feature allows you to set the camera to take photos at specified intervals for a specified amount of time. So you can set the camera on a tripod, then program it to take an image every 10 seconds for a specified number of shots. This is great for photographing things like birds in trees, kids playing, stop motion sequences, and endless other opportunities where you don't want your presence to disturb a natural flow of events.
To use the Interval Timer, be sure that the self-timer is not on and the remote release mode is off. In the Shooting Menu (When you press the Menu button on the back of your camera, the current menu is displayed at the top of the screen) select Interval timner shooting. Once in the Interval timer shooting menu, you will see an option to select the time to start (be sure your camera's clock is set correctly). You can choose to start now, meaning about 3 seconds after you press the shutter release button, or choose a specific time. Be sure to consider the likely shutter speed for the shots you will take and be sure that your shooting intervals are not shorter than the exposure time. You can also set the camera to take more than one shot per interval.
It's probably a good idea to cover the viewfinder to prevent light from getting into the camera if you are using a tripod. This goes for shooting with the remote as well.
The camera can take interval shots with bracketing activated, so you can increase your chances of getting the correct exposure if lighting conditions are changing. This might be a good opportunity to bracket for making HDR photos as well.

Release-Mode Dial: The Release-Mode Dial is located underneath the Mode Dial which is the dial containing the shooting modes - Aperature Priority, Manual, Auto, etc... The Releas-Mode Dial gives the photographer quick access to the following shooting options:

• Single Frame
• Continous low Speed
• Continous high speed
• Quiet shutter release (another nice new feature on the D7000)
• Self-timer
• Remote Control
• MUP - Mirror up

Before I bought the D7000, I saw a few reviews complaining that this dial is awkward, but after getting accustomed to it I have found it to be quite convenient and having it sure beats not having it so kudos to Nikon for adding it.

User Settings: U1 / U2: The D7000 provides the ability to save settings such as shutter speed, aperature, flash compensation, bracketing and others as custom settings. As U1 and U2 suggest, you are limited to two custom settings. Once you have adjusted your settings go to the Setup Menu and choose Save User Settings. Pretty easy.

Dual SD Card Slots: The D7000 has 2 slots for SD cards. You can configure how the camera uses the 2nd slot by going to the Shooting Menu and selecting Role played by card in slot 2. Once there you can choose Overflow, Backup, or Raw slot 1, JPEG slot 2. You can go to the Movie settings menu also in the Shooting Menu and choose Destination to have the videos you shoot save in Slot 1 or Slot 2. I like to keep the images seperate from the videos so I send the video to slot 2 and save images to slot 1. I always shoot my images in Raw mode. I choose this method because there is always a possibility that a really great opportunity will pop up and shooting in RAW mode increases the possibility of getting a shot. If for any reason, the image is slightly over or under exposed, RAW gives you the best chance of beiung able to adjust the image. You can always convert RAW to jpg, tiff, psd, or other formats if you want to and discard the RAW image, but you can't really do much with jpg images, so why not put the odds in your favor? The D7000 shoots 14 bit, 16mp images. Take advantage of that. If you are only taking images of the family and the pets and that is your motive for shooting jpg images, I have to ask you why you bought a D7000.

Construction: 

More coming later.....