DPReview D7200

[jaomul]

Not to bad a write up

Nikon D7200 Review Digital Photography Review

 

[fjrabon]

Kinda surprised that it slipped to a silver award. The 7100, according to them, was one of the easiest choices for a gold award they've ever made. But, the market has really tightened with the 7DII, 70D, mirrorless offerings, etc. Nikon came out with an incremental upgrade, that is truly a better camera than an already incredible camera (d7100) that was lapping the field when it came out, but the competition really made an all out sprint and caught up.

 

[jaomul]

I have this camera on order, on strength of other reviews I have seen. The af and buffer and iso are by all accounts improved on previous camera. Once I saw the pros and great image quality I was even more happy about my decision.

It seems this review focussed strongly on the strength of mirrorless cameras auto focus systems and the fact that dslrs may require fine tuning. It did mention inherent focus faults you get with this camera because it's a dslr. It did also state somewhere that the Samsung nx1 may beat it in continuous focus, though some video comparisons I've seen seem to show the Samsung having more hits per second rather than higher percentage.

All in all this review would in my opinion push you towards mirrorless if you were not already invested in a system.

Do DPReview see dslrs as a dying breed I wonder?

 

[Derrel]

It's a review by committee, with three authors. Reading page 14, the conclusions, shows some of the things they mention as being class-leading, or best in the industry; but...it's not a mirrorless design, and it's not a great video camera, so the score of 84 only makes it to their "silver" award. Stellar still photo image quality, but they wanted it to show exposure simulation in live view, and have full-time aperture control while shooting video.Nikon D7200 Review Digital Photography Review

 

[jaomul]

The pros matter to me, the cons don't really, if it didn't have video it wouldn't bother me at all. I suppose they have to review for the majority, who prob want all those features

 

[fjrabon]

Yeah, it's an interesting review, and at times it seemed like it was being pitted not against individual cameras, but the best aspects of several other cameras. I really wonder what gets their Gold award in the DSLR ASP-C category then? The 7DII hasn't been reviewed by them yet, I think, and I'd take the D7200 over the 70D any day of the week (heck, I'd take the D7000 over the D70).

 

[Derrel]

Yeah, it's an interesting review, and at times it seemed like it was being pitted not against individual cameras, but the best aspects of several other cameras. I really wonder what gets their Gold award in the DSLR ASP-C category then? The 7DII hasn't been reviewed by them yet, I think, and I'd take the D7200 over the 70D any day of the week (heck, I'd take the D7000 over the D70).

Exactly...it was faulted for not having all of the best aspects of several different cameras, and was faulted for not being as small as a mirrorless. And, despite what most experts would say, the crew at dPreview has somehow elevated mirrorless camera focusing to being superior to what the D7200 has. And it's not as good a video camera as the tiny-sensor Panasonic GH4 either, so, that's listed a strike against the D7200. Keep in mind too--this is a staff of young people who seem to love their mirrorless cameras very,very much. A site that talked up the shabby performance of the Olympus OMD-EM5-II in the roller derby events here Field test Shooting Roller Derby with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Digital Photography Review but it is a cool, popular hipster camera.

This happens at times: a camera can easily be reviewed by people who focus on what a camera is not, rather than what it actually is. If a camera lacks a feature or capability the user can find in another camera, then the camera that lacks that feature is automatically downrated. Even though the D7200 is by their tests the "best yet APS-C image quality", class-leading in low light performance, impressive AF thru the viewfinder, AF to Minus 3 EV, excellent battery, well-implemented Auto ISO available even in Manual mode (a huge Nikon strength),a very deep buffer,APS-C class leader in Dynamic Range, no banding issues, is the closest camera they have EVER seen in terms of ISO invariance!!!--buuuuuut.....they wanna shoot it like it's an iPhone, and have exposure simulation on the rear LCD...

This is partly what happens when 20-something tecchies get their first real jobs...

 

[bribrius]

competition is getting stronger. Not a bad thing. Maybe they will start putting out better and better cameras instead of holding back for the sake of having a feature to sell the next model on.

 

[Derrel]

So....the D7200 has such an amazing sensor and such noise-free electronics that it can be set to ISO 100. And then scenes can be deliberately under-exposed by one,two,three,four,five,or even six EV...so the resulting images become darker and darker and darker....and THEN, at the computer, using software, the images can be brightened back up to "normal" appearance. With the least amount of noise of any camera they have ever tested. They emphasize this entire point with almost a whole page, and comparisons with many cameras.This is the "ISO invariance" feature they trumpet so loudly. And yet..... they want the rear LCD to MATCH the exposure effect that will be given by the actual exposure settings? Major brain fart there...Errrrrrrr! Buzzer sound. Mental disconnect here, a major disconnect.

For people who are using the rear LCD to focus and compose in a studio scenario, where electronic flash will be used to brighten up the shot perhaps as much as 10 or even 12 EV above the ambient light level of the modeling lights....they want...the rear LCD to SHOW the dimmer-than-ambient flash-based exposure settings' biased lighting effect? Again, they're penalizing a high-MP d-slr for not being the kind of camera they can whip out of a jacket pocket at a coffee bar, or at some Seattle craft beer pub, and live-view a shot or two of their friends across the table. Tying the rear LCD finder image to the exposure settings in use at the time the shutter is pressed is exactly what a SOOC JPEG shooter or an iPhone or Galaxy shooter would expect...but NOT at ALL what a professional or serious flash shooter would want.

Would an enthusiast or professional shooter using flash really expect that in a dimly lighted situation, in which he was using off-camera flash, that the FLASH exposure of say ISO 160 at 400 Watt-seconds at f/11 would be the way he wanted the rear LCD of his camera to "preview" the exposure? Seriously? The rear LCD in Live View mode should always reflect the camera's settings? WUT? Shooting flash at 1/250 second at f/11 indoors....do I REALLY want to have a damned near BLACK image on the LCD, one that tracks my exposure settings which are correct for my flash but dead-dead-dead wrong for focusing and composing? Apparently, the dPreview trio think that's the way a $1200 Nikon ought to work.

The serious enthusiast who is following the TPF idea of DELIBERATE, in-camera underexposure and then software "lifting" as the way to push the effective ISO would not want the Live View's exposure to reflect a 1,2,3,4,5,or 6-stop deliberate underexposure either: I mean, who the f*** wants an almost black LCD image to use in Live View?

The D7200 should probably have been faulted for lacking a built-in phone as well, and also for its lack of a coffee bar membership program, and lack of a craft beer frequent pint-pounder card for Seattle craft beer pubs. Seriously, the D7200 lacks some major millennial-generation street cred features.

 

[Stephanie Stewart]

I have to say I LOVE my 7200, I posted a while back about upgrading from a D5100. I have had so many people contact me, asking what I have been doing to my photos because they look so different and amazing. It's the camera, all day. The increase in focus alone was worth it for me, and no it wasn't the kit lens that made the difference since I didn't buy the kit lens, just the body! I'll say it again, and again, and again, I'm in love with my new camera!

 

[jsecordphoto]

I have some sample raw files in my review if people want to play around with them. I rented one, then bought one today as my primary wildlife body.

 

[goodguy]

After reading this interesting review one camera came to my mind the GH4
Why ?
Well the GH4 is a video camera (a good one according to reviews) that can be a good picture camera too.
The D7200 is the same only the opoisit, its designed first of all to be a picture/stills camera that can take good videos too but no one will buy it for its video capabilities just like most will not buy the GH4 mostly to shoot picture with it.

For people like me who care VERY little about video the D7200 is the APS-C camera to choose no matter how much it costs, its mostly designed to produce best results pictures and is leading the market at that.

One point that also is evident from this review is that mirrorless is getting better and better and it looks like the gap between them and DSLR is closing very fast, again I find myself worries about what Nikon plans on doing in the future, continuing to produce DSLR with small improvement every 1-2 years will eventually leave it behind while mirrorless will take its place.
Nikon needs to wake up and give us Nikon fans more options both DSLR and mirrorless, it will break my heart to move to another camera maker in the future if Nikon will stop producing the best stills cameras in the market, we are safe for now and hope deep in Nikon's R&D labs future cameras with the right answers are being developed.

 

[goodguy]

Yeah, it's an interesting review, and at times it seemed like it was being pitted not against individual cameras, but the best aspects of several other cameras. I really wonder what gets their Gold award in the DSLR ASP-C category then? The 7DII hasn't been reviewed by them yet, I think, and I'd take the D7200 over the 70D any day of the week (heck, I'd take the D7000 over the D70).

Exactly...it was faulted for not having all of the best aspects of several different cameras, and was faulted for not being as small as a mirrorless. And, despite what most experts would say, the crew at dPreview has somehow elevated mirrorless camera focusing to being superior to what the D7200 has. And it's not as good a video camera as the tiny-sensor Panasonic GH4 either, so, that's listed a strike against the D7200. Keep in mind too--this is a staff of young people who seem to love their mirrorless cameras very,very much. A site that talked up the shabby performance of the Olympus OMD-EM5-II in the roller derby events here Field test Shooting Roller Derby with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Digital Photography Review but it is a cool, popular hipster camera.

This happens at times: a camera can easily be reviewed by people who focus on what a camera is not, rather than what it actually is. If a camera lacks a feature or capability the user can find in another camera, then the camera that lacks that feature is automatically downrated. Even though the D7200 is by their tests the "best yet APS-C image quality", class-leading in low light performance, impressive AF thru the viewfinder, AF to Minus 3 EV, excellent battery, well-implemented Auto ISO available even in Manual mode (a huge Nikon strength),a very deep buffer,APS-C class leader in Dynamic Range, no banding issues, is the closest camera they have EVER seen in terms of ISO invariance!!!--buuuuuut.....they wanna shoot it like it's an iPhone, and have exposure simulation on the rear LCD...

This is partly what happens when 20-something tecchies get their first real jobs...

Today obsession over smaller and smaller cameras is really not surprising, people are ok with smaller sensor and smaller lenses but I think many like me who appreciate the flexibility and IQ good, fast zoom lens brings to the table will never fall for this trend!!!

If I would buy an APS-C mirrorless camera I wouldnt bother with its primes and go streight to their fast zoom lenses, from seeing how big these lenses are compared to the small body I cant see myself holding them for a long time pinching these little bodies, I need a bigger body to balance these big lenses, the NX1 and GH4 are bigger then mirrorless cameras like the a6000 thus loosing to them too (like the DSLR's) in the size advantage argument.
Smaller size has its pro's and Con's

I want the most flexible and capable system I can get and am willing to pay with weight and size, the results speak louder then any argument to me. I believe there are plenty of othe photography fans that will agree with me (and plenty that woudn't).

 

[Microbois]

Today obsession over smaller and smaller cameras is really not surprising, people are ok with smaller sensor and smaller lenses but I think many like me who appreciate the flexibility and IQ good, fast zoom lens brings to the table will never fall for this trend!!!

I think the same way. While having a small and powerful camera system is great when you're travelling or want to be incognito, I still want to be able to hold my camera comfortably in my hands, and don't want any compromise on IQ.

 

[jaomul]

I think photographers are spoiled for choice