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Just bought a second hand Nikon D7000. It came with a dim viewfinder and the adjustment near it won't help. I removed the lens and placed it back, it became clear, however, it gets dimmer and dimmer after each shot.

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    \$\begingroup\$ What do you mean by "... adjustment near it won't help?" \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Dec 19, 2016 at 21:18
  • \$\begingroup\$ Are the images produced by the camera darker than expected? Does taking multiple images of the same scene with the same settings (ISO, aperture, and shutter time) result in progressively dimmer images or in images of the same brightness? \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Dec 19, 2016 at 21:20
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    \$\begingroup\$ The lens aperture is supposed to be fully open when you're using the viewfinder. If the aperture gets stuck, the viewfinder will be dim. \$\endgroup\$
    – Mark Ransom
    Dec 19, 2016 at 21:31
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    \$\begingroup\$ Similar to the above, the viewfinder screen is powered by the battery and is hazy and dim if the battery is removed (try it). Thus if the viewfinder is malfunctioning, it can also get that way. \$\endgroup\$
    – Linwood
    Dec 20, 2016 at 0:45

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The viewfinder in the D7000 has an LCD overlay. If the LCD isn't receiving any (or enough) power, the LCD will not be fully transparent and the viewfinder will be dark. You will want to check that the battery in the camera is good and fully charged. Given how you say it gets dimmer as time goes on, it could simply be that you're using an older battery that's losing its ability to hold charge.

Other possible causes might include a mis-seated lens (but since you already dismounted and remounted the lens this is probably not the issue); or possibly stuck aperture leaves in the lens—this can happen with older vintage lenses when age causes the lubrication of the iris leaves to turn sticky. To test this out, try using a different lens on the camera and seeing if you have the same issue.

The small wheel by the viewfinder, btw, is the adjustment. It's changing the "prescription" of the lens, as it were, adjusting for near or far-sightedness, if you want to use the viewfinder without glasses. It has no effect on brightness.

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