Although new camera models continually come to the market, older models still have their worth. In this particular case, it is the Nikon D7200. The D7200 has been updated by the D7500, but still boasts a very useful and broad feature set. The model still has capable features and even some that outdo the D7500, like maximum resolution and dynamic range.
New models give you the best and latest features, but the Nikon D7200, if not available at your local camera store, can still be picked up for a healthy price. In this regard, let’s dig in and see what the camera has to offer and if it is still competitive.
Design
The body of the Nikon is made of tough magnesium alloy. Maybe not as rugged or weatherproof as the top-end models, but robust enough to handle most situations. Dual card slots are a useful addition.
The fixed 3.2-inch rear LCD screen is bright enough to be used in everything but harsh sunlight. It, unfortunately, isn’t articulated or has touchscreen use, but it’s adequate enough for basic, image previews. The total weight also comes in at 765g, which is about average for this type of camera body.
The Nikon D7200 sticks to the tried and tested Nikon layout. Buttons and switches are located in the same places, which is no bad thing. Familiarity throughout the line means you can jump from one model to the other with ease and not worry that features have been buried in menus or completely left out.
As for the feature set, the camera is wrapped around a 24.2 MP DX-format CMOS image sensor and more or less updated features across the board from the Nikon D7100. The processor is also faster, which also means longer bursts of images.
Video has been increased to 1080p at 60FPS, a 51 point autofocus system, ISO range from 100 – 25,600 and a ridiculously high 512,000 and 1,024,000 for black and whites only. There’s also the caveat of only 5fps shooting for the top quality of 14-bit RAW files, which may be limiting if you’re into predominantly action photography.
Video is shot at a 1.3x crop and you have to enable the 60p option, but it would have also been nice to have 4K featured. The autofocus system in video mode does the job, but in the majority of cases, video guys would probably want to opt for manual focusing for the most precision. The video compression format is outputted with QuickTime (AVC) at up to 38Mbit/s.
There’s also WiFi capability and NFC for easily sharing photos, which can be easily enabled via the menus. Other little additional features include things like nine-shot bracketing for HDR images, auto ISO in manual mode, Zebra patterns for the video guys, and additional presets such as the Flat Picture Control.
In total, there are a lot of features packed into this camera body. It may not have some of the extensive feature sets of higher-end models, but you shouldn’t feel wanting, especially on a crop sensor body.
Nikon D7200 in Use
For overall image quality, the 24.2 MP sensor does a very good job of capturing fine detail, especially at low ISO levels. It’s a definite improvement over the previous model, with this being most evident when you crank up the ISO levels. This becomes more apparent when shooting in JPEGs in low light, with the D7200 being noticeably better than the D7100.
When shooting in natural light, auto white balance does a good job of nailing neutral colors, with precise autofocus and a good level of detail. Autofocus isn’t the fastest in the world, but you probably wouldn’t notice until you start shooting a lot of action images.
In fully automatic mode, the Nikon D7200 can finely handle exposure levels. Picking a middle-of-the-road aperture, such as f/5.6-f/8 at ISO 100 provides consistently good images that are pleasantly detailed straight off-camera.
When the ISO level is cranked up, images only start to get slightly noisy around ISO 1600. Cranking up the ISO above 5000, some detail smearing starts to appear, but noise reduction is remarkably low. Once you hit levels of ISO 12800 and above, skin tones start to lose some of their detail, but are passable when you really need to get the shot in low light.
As above, for a crop sensor body, the Nikon D7200 produces great images when you strap on a high-quality lens, especially a nice prime and you won’t feel wanting. Everything is laid out in a logical fashion with easy access to the most common features. And if you’re already used to the Nikon way of doing things, this camera is an easy transition. Basically, lots to like here.
How Does the Nikon D7200 Compare?
As per the common theme when reviewing Nikon camera bodies, Canon is a likely competitor. The Canon EOS 7D Mark II may be slightly more expensive, with some of the features being comparable.
The Canon 7D is also a very good and well-regarded crop sensor performer, but the Nikon pips the overall image quality, with slightly sharper images at low ISO levels. When going into high ISO ranges, Canon has a more heavy-handed noise reduction system, but you can obviously strip this out if you’re shooting in RAW format.
The layout of controls on the Nikon is also slightly more intuitive, but the Canon wins out for continuous performance, which may be a consideration if you’re shooting more action and event type images. It can be seen as a close call between these two camera bodies, but the Nikon moves ahead as a general all-rounder, with no real obvious deficits, considering its age.
| Nikon D7200 | Canon 7D Mark II | |
| Pixels | 24.2MP | 20.2MP |
| Video | 1080P 60FPS | 1080P 60FPS |
| ISO | 100-25600 | 100-51200 |
| Weight | 765g | 910g |
Conclusion
The Nikon D7200 may not be a huge leap above the previous model, but its feature set is rock solid and where improvements have been made are significant. The autofocus system is faster and better in low light, with low ISO images being rendered in nice detail.
The addition of 4K video and an articulating rear screen with touchscreen facility would have been nice, but in reality, this would probably be more benefit to video guys than anything else.
Overall, the Nikon D7200 is a very good and recommended all-round camera body, which will provide you with high-quality images and lots of functionality to expand your creativity. As an older model, it can also be picked up for a reasonable price and unless you want the latest and greatest features, the D7200 should be able to cover most shooting scenarios without the nagging need for something more expensive.
