unpopular
Been spending a lot of time on here!
I didn't see nearly the expected noise issue as was purported to exist, especially nothing that you can't easily correct in the RAW editor. Just a wee bit of correction to the shapening and luminance selectors, some despeckling in CS6 and it is a reasonable and livable amount of noise. I often shoot at ISO 3200 and have delved into the ISO 6400 range on my D7000 with reasonable results.
That image is mine, not the OP's. It's meant as an example of how proper noise control through exposure and processing can provide useable images without destructive NR.