Review D7200 mini review

[Randy]

OK, Randy, I give up. Obviously you must have much better insight than mere mortals like me. Or ...

Thom Hogan
Imaging Resource Folks - "There's also a new 51-point autofocus system, based around a Multi-CAM 3500DX AF sensor as seen previously in the Nikon D300 and D300S"
And those are just a couple.

At least we agree that D7200 is a cut above, or at least we do today .......

Insight ? You give up what ?

Bill, I am hardly the only shooter who came to the same conclusion AFTER shooting thousands of pics with both cameras. Is that more clear now.

 

[mneary]

Insight ? You give up what ?

Bill, I am hardly the only shooter who came to the same conclusion AFTER shooting thousands of pics with both cameras. Is that more clear now.

There's also the theory that early D7100 bodies had sometimes erratic focusing... I bought mine in late 2013, about 9 months after it was announced - no issues! After all the recent QA issues with multiple bodies (D800 left AF, D600 oil, D810 long exposure, D750 flare, ...) I learned my lesson.

Mike

 

[docsol]

Terific

 

[docsol]

Thanks for the insight Randy and Bill. I am almost ready to pull the trigger. My upgrade is a no brainer from a D200! Portraits, sports and family shots. I have been bitten by the upgrade bug.

 

[*BBD]

D200 is a great camera, sold mine when I upgraded to D300. Each generation gets better, but not always in the ways I would like. What I have seen that helps me in the newer bodies is simply the ability to shoot in more varied situations than prior, which is what I think we should expect.

Exactly so. The D7200 is clearly a big advance on what I have and should allow easier shooting in poor lighting situations. Thanks again.

 

[stevenjames]

Thank you!

 

[mdupont]

Ok I have my very old D300. Looking to upgrade. Most of my shots are backyard birds, my boys sports (track, soccer and tae kwon do) and family shots. Was thinking of the D750 but with all the good reviews now thinking of the D7200. You guys are making this hard.

 

[mneary]

Ok I have my very old D300. Looking to upgrade. Most of my shots are backyard birds, my boys sports (track, soccer and tae kwon do) and family shots. Was thinking of the D750 but with all the good reviews now thinking of the D7200. You guys are making this hard.

Not so hard, really - for birds & sports, D7200. For landscape & portrait, D750. For low light, D750, too. You can shoot landscapes & portraits with a D7200, of course, but you won't get the pixel density for birding with the D750.

There's your answer

Mike

 

[Butlerkid]

nothing, we are done, seriously. I will probably not buy another DX body after the D7200. I leave today for a few days shooting in SC and I am taking 1 body, not the D4 or the D800, I am taking the D7200 because the light will be great and I need the reach

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.......never say never........

 

[SFIND]

And Mike, I've got to say, the high ISO sample images I've seen look great. ISO 6,400 looks very good and better than the D7100.

I will second Randy and the many others that I've seen complain about the 7100's focus. I would describe it as adequate at best. Granted I primarily use my cameras for either night HS football or HS basketball in dark gyms. My 7100 takes a second longer to acquire focus and loses focus more than the D300 does. In fact, I had really forgotten the difference until I broke out my D300 yesterday for the first softball game of the season. It tracks much better.

I've seen enough so far to give me confidence in the 7200. I'm purchasing it soon and already have my 7100 up for sale.

 

[Russ_]

I would be very happy with a D7200 and consider it my elusive D400 - if it had an AF-on button as well.

 

[morcguy]

While I'd like as many controls as they can jam on there, it really is a build-Q issue. Compared to the D20, the D720 feels...well, not exactly flimsy, but definitely less like the tank I'm used to. I shoot a LOT in relatively cold weather, so I'm a little worried about the D7200's sealing. Then again, that part might just be a mental hurdle.

Personally, I like the extra "reach" the DX format gives me, so I'd prefer to stick with it.

The concept of a 'freeze proof' camera is kind of new isn't it. I know that I shot outside in the dead of winter with my D50 and D90, with no problems except really limited battery life. The cameras were used outdoors at -10 F range with no problems. At that temp the whole camera goes in a big ziplock before doing inside, and stays there for at least a couple hours to warm up without condensation forming.

So, I would not worry about a 7200 in cold weather.

 

[Butlerkid]

I would be very happy with a D7200 and consider it my elusive D400 - if it had an AF-on button as well.

Why not just program the AE-L/AF-L button to AF-On functionality? Or another button? Isn't that possible?

 

[daveja]

I would be very happy with a D7200 and consider it my elusive D400 - if it had an AF-on button as well.

The position of the AE-L/AF-L button on the D7200 used for AF-On feels very comfortable to me so I don't think that would be an issue for you...

 

[morcguy]

The position of the AE-L/AF-L button on the D7200 used for AF-On feels very comfortable to me so I don't think that would be an issue for you...

Same. I will never go back to AF on the release button.

 

[SFIND]

Without getting too far off topic, can someone verify my understanding of focusing with the AF-on button. I don't find it useful for my purposes of mainly shooting sports.

Am I right that if you use the AF-on, you can first focus and lock focus on what you want to photograph, then release the button and "recompose" and move the camera around the object you're focused, then press the release to take the picture, with the release button not refocusing and thusly keeping focus on what you originally focus on?

I guess that would be nice for that use. But for myself mainly tracking sports, I just keep my finger half-pressed the whole time for focus and then press when I'm framed well for pictures. Am I missing a use for tracking? I don't see why to use two buttons what I can accomplish with one. But I've noticed other sports photographers using AF-on, so maybe I am missing something?

 

[Butlerkid]

Without getting too far off topic, can someone verify my understanding of focusing with the AF-on button. I don't find it useful for my purposes of mainly shooting sports.

Am I right that if you use the AF-on, you can first focus and lock focus on what you want to photograph, then release the button and "recompose" and move the camera around the object you're focused, then press the release to take the picture, with the release button not refocusing and thusly keeping focus on what you originally focus on?

I guess that would be nice for that use. But for myself mainly tracking sports, I just keep my finger half-pressed the whole time for focus and then press when I'm framed well for pictures. Am I missing a use for tracking? I don't see why to use two buttons what I can accomplish with one. But I've noticed other sports photographers using AF-on, so maybe I am missing something?

You have described ONE benefit of the using AF-ON.

The second benefit many sports and wildlife shooters appreciate is you can also keep the AF-On button depressed while tracking a moving subject and initiate shutter release when you want to take the photo. This gives you continuous AF tracking separated from the shutter button.

To do this, you must set AF to AF-C not AF-S.

 

[Randy]

Without getting too far off topic, can someone verify my understanding of focusing with the AF-on button. I don't find it useful for my purposes of mainly shooting sports.

Am I right that if you use the AF-on, you can first focus and lock focus on what you want to photograph, then release the button and "recompose" and move the camera around the object you're focused, then press the release to take the picture, with the release button not refocusing and thusly keeping focus on what you originally focus on?

I guess that would be nice for that use. But for myself mainly tracking sports, I just keep my finger half-pressed the whole time for focus and then press when I'm framed well for pictures. Am I missing a use for tracking? I don't see why to use two buttons what I can accomplish with one. But I've noticed other sports photographers using AF-on, so maybe I am missing something?

I tried it for 3 months and hated it.....you can do the same thing with just the SB

I do occasionally use it when I need to focus and then recompose

 

[Randy]

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.......never say never........

I didn't

 

[Russ_]

Why not just program the AE-L/AF-L button to AF-On functionality? Or another button? Isn't that possible?

But then I have to program AEL to one of the front buttons, as I use that too, so then I have to reprogram another button....
Basically I just need another button! Though one problem with the location of the AE-L/AF-L button is that it is a bit awkward to use with the ThinkTank rain cover as it's too close to the viewfinder, it ends up being under the neoprene piece around the vf, making it just a tad more difficult to use constantly.

The position of the AE-L/AF-L button on the D7200 used for AF-On feels very comfortable to me so I don't think that would be an issue for you...

I have the D7100 so know what it's like, it's not the position so much (though it is a bit as I say above), but I'd like an extra button as there's not enough for what I'd like to use!