Nikon D7200

NIKON D7200: full review

Nikon D7200 is the classic digital camera that represents the missing link between DX and Full Frame formats. And to be fair, in some respects, it’s even better than some FF on the market. In fact, it price isn’t really cheap.

Before entering the heart of this review, we need a fundamental preliminary for a camera like Nikon D7200: the target. Who is this excellent camera targeted to? The first kind of public that comes to my mind are the very ambitious amateurs. Then there’s that market share of professionals who could see Nikon D7200 as a good back-up camera body.

Aesthetically, Nikon D7200 is nothing new, resembling the previous D7100.

Design of the camera body

Leather elements and magnesium alloy: a solid and pleasant structure for a tropicalized camera body. Nikon D7200 gives you good feeling to the touch. The plastic effect typical of many entry level camera is absent, while the grip is comfortable only if you have small or medium hands.

It weighs 200 grams more than a successful entry level camera like D3300, so it is quite heavy but its size is contained after all: 136 X 107 X 76 millimeters.

On the back you’ll find the LCD display and the main buttons, easy to reach. On the left side, the ports: microphone, USB, earplugs, remote shutter (on which you can connect the GPS too), mini HDI. On the right side of Nikon D7200, there are slots for two memory cards (one of the first differences with many entry level camera of the same period, equipped with one slot only).

Nikon D7200: technical features

With 24.2 megapixels sensor, Nikon D7200 is perfectly aligned to the prosumers camera of the same generation. Without low-pass filter, it offers great sharpness of images also at high ISO (range between 100 and 25,6K– up to 102,400 with black and white). Quite an improvement from the previous D7100.

The AF system of Nikon D7200 has 51 points, 15 of which are cross-centered. To be clear, D3300 has 11 points in total. This means that moving subjects are not a problem.

Nikon D7200 doesn’t have Expeed 5, but the previous version, since it was launched in 2015. It still remains a high-quality processor and not a handicap. Burst mode shoots 6 frames per second but sadly it’s not silent. Shooting top speed is 1/8000 seconds: Nikon D7200 is close to the top for moving images.

The 7.5 cm display is seen as one of the weaknesses of Nikon D7200, since it is neither touch-screen nor tilt. In fact, it’s not the flagship of such a performing camera: battery life lasts up to 1,100 shots!

Taking pictures with Nikon D7200

Holding Nikon D7200 you’ll immediately see that it’s not a toy. Solidly constructed and well finished, it’s a camera with many commands, well-positioned and easy to reach. The viewfinder has total coverage and has an Autofocus that follows perfectly the moving image. NIKON D7200 is fast, extremely fast.

Buffering is close to perfection for jpeg formats and the ISO to use are many. White balance is exemplary, the exposure meter is excellent. The integrated flash has decent power, the WiFi system works perfectly.

Nikon D7200 can be easily confused with a full frame camera, since it offers spectacular images with spectacular details and high-level color range.

Probably, the only big flaw of Nikon D7200 is the video recording, especially if compared with Canons from the same price range.

Nikon D7200: lenses and price

Nikon D7200 is the typical camera to be bought with its kit lenses, unless you already have other lenses, of course. The price is always more reasonable. The version with the 18-140 VR lens seems to me the most all-round duo, with a price between 1,300 and 1,400 euros.

You can also decide for a combo with Nikkor 18/105 that, crop factor excluded, gets you a maximum focal length of 160. The reason for this choice is double: it costs a few euros less and it’s brighter than 18/140.

At the moment, the camera body alone costs around 800 euros. With the launch of the upgraded model D7500, in fact, it had a significant lowering.

My opinion on Nikon D7200

Nikon D7200 has been one of the most controversial camera in terms of judgement. Being something between a professional and an entry level camera, many people consider it as a small space-saving masterpiece with a relatively affordable price, while the critics see it as an unfinished work.

Those who do not like Nikon D7200 criticize the non-full frame sensor and a bulkiness, albeit limited, incomparable with the defter mirrorless cameras. And then, always according to the detractors, it’s not so cheap not to choose models like D5500 o D5600 in the end.

Instead, those who are taken with Nikon D7200, and partly it is my point of view, consider it an interesting link and not… neither fish nor fowl. Because it has the best of high-level cameras and some appreciable element of the best entry level cameras. What can I say, apart from the technical features that are objective elements, the review of a camera is never science. But if you are someone between an amateur and a professional, I’m sure that Nikon D7200 will give you nothing but good feelings.