I know it is long time after the last comment, but I think even today the D7200 gives good value for most of us who are on non-pro’s on a budget. I just recently purchased one perfect sample(almost new, app. 6.000 shots) for teh price of a new TC14E III. After combining my AF-S 500 f5.6 PF with the D7200 and doing a proper AF fine adjustement this combo gives me the equivalent of 750mm f 5.6 at about 3kg of weight combined with excellent IQ combined and unmatched handling and agility. Since I have this combo ma second D750, the AF-S 500 f4 plus the TC14 can stay at home as long as I don’t have to cope with very low light.
eric
December 28, 2018 3:01 pm
I absolutely hated this cameras photos don’t know why was expecting much better
Paul W.
September 12, 2016 6:00 pm
Excellent review. I find it through, and objective. I wonder how will the D7200 compare to the D500 for wildlife photography? I shoot mainly birds, and tend to crop many of the images. I read about the excellent autofocus capability, fantastic shutter speed, and bottomless buffer of the D500. Does the lower pixel count put the D500 at a disadvantage? Thank you :)
The D7200 has more leeway for cropping though not as much as the higher pixel count might suggest. D7200 files are 6000 x 4000 pixels, D500 are 5568 x 3712. This is only a 7.2% decrease in linear resolution. When it comes to capturing action and emotional moments with wildlife, the AF speed/accuracy, frame rate and buffer advantages of the D500 in my opinion outweigh the small resolution difference.
Luc
August 17, 2016 8:06 am
Kenneth contact Steve Perry who is a pro wildlife photographer who can be reach on its site. He has shot with the D7200 and maybe of some help for you
Kenneth Wong
August 16, 2016 12:35 pm
Hello everyone!
This is a follow-up to my earlier post.
I ended up purchasing a D7200 based on John’s findings last September, as I was getting into birding and the D500 was obviously not out yet. I’ve been using the D7200 on-and-off since then and wanted to discuss my findings with you.
If possible, I’d like to know how all of you have your AF configured. I’ve had nothing but problems with the AF system on my D7200, and unlike John, don’t find it to be remotely in the same league as my D3 or D700 bodies, much less a D4-series camera. I have found that John is right about acquiring focus on subjects in dimmer light, but my copy is unable to maintain focus on them.
I’ve had Nikon perform warranty service on the body, and things improved a lot for static subjects. The camera required quite a bit of AF fine tuning prior to servicing, but none after. However I’m still having problems with moving subjects like birds.
When the subject is moving parallel to me, it’s better although not perfect and it’s absolutely horrible whenever a subject moves towards me in any way. Sometimes it can’t even capture a sharp image of a person walking towards me at 5 MPH. With slow-moving subjects, AF seems VERY jittery and I’ve had to increase the lock-on setting to 4 or 5 to offset this problem.
The focus on moving subjects is often close, but not right-on. I usually have my D3 and D700 bodies set to 9-point dynamic mode and have had great results with them. Unfortunately, I’ve found that the D7200 is completely unusable set this way. I’ve had the best results using a single AF sensor, usually one of the 15 cross-type. The side-sensors on my sample seem completely useless and inaccurate on my sample.
I’ve done a lot of testing under more controlled conditions using moving cars at sunset to simulate the conditions I encounter when out in the field and found that using my D3 in 9-point dynamic with active d-lighting on, I can get a return of 80-90% at 9 FPS and 100% if I slow the camera down to 5 FPS.
Under the same shooting conditions — but where I’ve actually made the test easier for the D7200 — single-point AF, no active d-lighting at 5 FPS, it might get around 33%. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve found that my D7200 is completely unusable in the dynamic focusing modes, so the same test yields such a low return rate, I stopped using it completely. Slowing the D7200 down doesn’t seem to improve things as with the D3.
I suspect that the AF capabilities of the lens attached can have some effect, as I’ve had better results with my 300mm f/2.8 AF-S II and TC-14e II than I have had with my 200-400mm VR, although it doesn’t seem to matter with the D3 — with only a few exceptions (that are probably my fault), it just seems to nail everything I throw at it. Obviously, a lens with smaller, lighter elements is going to focus faster than a complex zoom lens with multiple heavy elements, and I can say from experience that my 300mm focuses just a tad faster, which can sometimes make a big difference.
Any suggestions are welcome.
Regards,
Ken
Tom Wilson
April 17, 2016 7:10 am
I can’t wait to see the D 500. I ordered it the day it was announced. That being said, it is going to have to be VERY GOOD to be better than the D7200! I believe this camera will always have a place in my gear as long as it lasts. The files are excellent, the camera is very robust, reasonably fast and light weight for what it does. My current “do everything bag” includes my D 7200 and long lenses for birds and dragonflies which are my favorite quarry and a D800E with shorter lenses for landscapes. I believe that my new bag will just replace the D7200 with the D 500 but when I just want to take a walk around some of my favorite Dragonfly spots with a camera in hand, I believe it will be the D 7200 with my 80-400 AF-s or my 200-500 AF-s. The D 7200 even focuses reasonably well with the 200-500 f 5.6 using a TC-14Eiii. Of course you need to use the center focus point but with back-button AF it’s easy to recompose and it hunts a little but, heck your shooting a 1,050 mm lens with a minimum focus distance of a little over 7 feet, hand-held! I can put up with a little hunting. We are so spoiled! The capability of these consumer cameras like the D7200 just blow away the super film cameras of yesteryear. When I first started in photography I shot with an F4-s for about 5 years and I loved that camera but the capabilities of a D 7200 just run circles around that old top-of-the-line film body and although I never shot with an F5 I believe it would be true of that body also.
Neal Gray
February 25, 2016 11:05 am
Here is a good site to compare cameras…This compares the Nikon D7200 and the Canon 7D MK ii…this site convinced me to buy the D7200..I’m very happy with my choice…cameradecision.com/compa…ikon-D7200
Luc
January 31, 2016 9:48 am
Hi guys Is Nikon writing false statements on this D7200 camera when comparing the specifications ?
D7100 iso 100-6400 expandable to 25600 (Hi2) D7200 iso 100-25600 (full color) boost to 51200-102400 (B&W only)
When DXOmark tested the two camera here what they found for S/N : D7100 iso 1256; D7200 iso 1333 In fact they are very similar within 7% between them not 2 stops as it appears in the specs, while the D750 reached iso 2956 by DXOmark more than a full stop better than the D7200.
Will we see the same thing with the D500 ?
Vivek
December 25, 2015 6:35 am
Hello Nasim,
Season’s Greeting’s!
Thank you for a detailed write up!!
I have been using a Canon 70D and 300mm IS II 2.8 since last 15 months and have sold it off just today! I am planning to shift to Nikon purely because of precise AF, better image quality and low light performance. I have two choices: Nikon D750+200-500+1.4x TC or Nikon D7200+200-500+1.4x TC. I would like to know, if you have tested D7200 with a 200-500 and 1.4x TC. How it performs, AF wise, rendering and image quality. Alternatively you could also let me know, how this combo would perform with a D750 or D810.
Thank you,
Vivek
Kenneth Wong
November 1, 2015 4:00 pm
Hello everyone!
I recently purchased a D7200 after reading the reviews here. I thought I was pretty well versed in using the Nikon AF system, having been a professional sports photographer for many years. This camera has proven me wrong. I’ve been wanting to add an APS-C camera to my bag to extend my reach and based on the information from several of the writers here, thought that the AF system would be superior to the D700 and D3 bodies that I’ve been using.
I’m pretty careful about where I place the AF sensors, but I’m guessing I’m doing something wrong. There may very well be a problem with my camera, but perhaps one of you here can think of something that I missed.
After configuring the camera in a similar manner to my other bodies, I took the camera out to shoot soccer this morning. About 80% or more of the images I shot were out of focus. All of the static tests I shot prior to this morning were dead-on at close range or at distance, even when I’m using supertelephoto lenses wide open.
Normally, with my other bodies, I my in focus rate is probably about 95% or better using either a Nikon 300mm f/2.8 AF-S II or 200-400mm f/4 VR I lens.
I’m using the following settings:
AF mode: AF-C, 9-point or 21-point dynamic focus, focus priority Focus lock-on set to normal AF is set to only focus when I press the AE-Lock button
I have the camera locked on the center sensor. I prefer to do this rather than attempt to manually select a sensor point while the action is moving quickly.
I know it is long time after the last comment, but I think even today the D7200 gives good value for most of us who are on non-pro’s on a budget. I just recently purchased one perfect sample(almost new, app. 6.000 shots) for teh price of a new TC14E III. After combining my AF-S 500 f5.6 PF with the D7200 and doing a proper AF fine adjustement this combo gives me the equivalent of 750mm f 5.6 at about 3kg of weight combined with excellent IQ combined and unmatched handling and agility. Since I have this combo ma second D750, the AF-S 500 f4 plus the TC14 can stay at home as long as I don’t have to cope with very low light.
I absolutely hated this cameras photos don’t know why was expecting much better
Excellent review. I find it through, and objective. I wonder how will the D7200 compare to the D500 for wildlife photography? I shoot mainly birds, and tend to crop many of the images. I read about the excellent autofocus capability, fantastic shutter speed, and bottomless buffer of the D500. Does the lower pixel count put the D500 at a disadvantage? Thank you :)
The D7200 has more leeway for cropping though not as much as the higher pixel count might suggest. D7200 files are 6000 x 4000 pixels, D500 are 5568 x 3712. This is only a 7.2% decrease in linear resolution. When it comes to capturing action and emotional moments with wildlife, the AF speed/accuracy, frame rate and buffer advantages of the D500 in my opinion outweigh the small resolution difference.
Kenneth
contact Steve Perry who is a pro wildlife photographer who can be reach on its site. He has shot with the D7200 and maybe of some help for you
Hello everyone!
This is a follow-up to my earlier post.
I ended up purchasing a D7200 based on John’s findings last September, as I was getting into birding and the D500 was obviously not out yet. I’ve been using the D7200 on-and-off since then and wanted to discuss my findings with you.
If possible, I’d like to know how all of you have your AF configured. I’ve had nothing but problems with the AF system on my D7200, and unlike John, don’t find it to be remotely in the same league as my D3 or D700 bodies, much less a D4-series camera. I have found that John is right about acquiring focus on subjects in dimmer light, but my copy is unable to maintain focus on them.
I’ve had Nikon perform warranty service on the body, and things improved a lot for static subjects. The camera required quite a bit of AF fine tuning prior to servicing, but none after. However I’m still having problems with moving subjects like birds.
When the subject is moving parallel to me, it’s better although not perfect and it’s absolutely horrible whenever a subject moves towards me in any way. Sometimes it can’t even capture a sharp image of a person walking towards me at 5 MPH. With slow-moving subjects, AF seems VERY jittery and I’ve had to increase the lock-on setting to 4 or 5 to offset this problem.
The focus on moving subjects is often close, but not right-on. I usually have my D3 and D700 bodies set to 9-point dynamic mode and have had great results with them. Unfortunately, I’ve found that the D7200 is completely unusable set this way. I’ve had the best results using a single AF sensor, usually one of the 15 cross-type. The side-sensors on my sample seem completely useless and inaccurate on my sample.
I’ve done a lot of testing under more controlled conditions using moving cars at sunset to simulate the conditions I encounter when out in the field and found that using my D3 in 9-point dynamic with active d-lighting on, I can get a return of 80-90% at 9 FPS and 100% if I slow the camera down to 5 FPS.
Under the same shooting conditions — but where I’ve actually made the test easier for the D7200 — single-point AF, no active d-lighting at 5 FPS, it might get around 33%. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve found that my D7200 is completely unusable in the dynamic focusing modes, so the same test yields such a low return rate, I stopped using it completely. Slowing the D7200 down doesn’t seem to improve things as with the D3.
I suspect that the AF capabilities of the lens attached can have some effect, as I’ve had better results with my 300mm f/2.8 AF-S II and TC-14e II than I have had with my 200-400mm VR, although it doesn’t seem to matter with the D3 — with only a few exceptions (that are probably my fault), it just seems to nail everything I throw at it. Obviously, a lens with smaller, lighter elements is going to focus faster than a complex zoom lens with multiple heavy elements, and I can say from experience that my 300mm focuses just a tad faster, which can sometimes make a big difference.
Any suggestions are welcome.
Regards,
Ken
I can’t wait to see the D 500. I ordered it the day it was announced. That being said, it is going to have to be VERY GOOD to be better than the D7200! I believe this camera will always have a place in my gear as long as it lasts. The files are excellent, the camera is very robust, reasonably fast and light weight for what it does. My current “do everything bag” includes my D 7200 and long lenses for birds and dragonflies which are my favorite quarry and a D800E with shorter lenses for landscapes. I believe that my new bag will just replace the D7200 with the D 500 but when I just want to take a walk around some of my favorite Dragonfly spots with a camera in hand, I believe it will be the D 7200 with my 80-400 AF-s or my 200-500 AF-s. The D 7200 even focuses reasonably well with the 200-500 f 5.6 using a TC-14Eiii. Of course you need to use the center focus point but with back-button AF it’s easy to recompose and it hunts a little but, heck your shooting a 1,050 mm lens with a minimum focus distance of a little over 7 feet, hand-held! I can put up with a little hunting. We are so spoiled! The capability of these consumer cameras like the D7200 just blow away the super film cameras of yesteryear. When I first started in photography I shot with an F4-s for about 5 years and I loved that camera but the capabilities of a D 7200 just run circles around that old top-of-the-line film body and although I never shot with an F5 I believe it would be true of that body also.
Here is a good site to compare cameras…This compares the Nikon D7200 and the Canon 7D MK ii…this site convinced me to buy the D7200..I’m very happy with my choice…cameradecision.com/compa…ikon-D7200
Hi guys
Is Nikon writing false statements on this D7200 camera when comparing the specifications ?
D7100 iso 100-6400 expandable to 25600 (Hi2)
D7200 iso 100-25600 (full color) boost to 51200-102400 (B&W only)
When DXOmark tested the two camera here what they found for S/N : D7100 iso 1256; D7200 iso 1333 In fact they are very similar within 7% between them not 2 stops as it appears in the specs, while the D750 reached iso 2956 by DXOmark more than a full stop better than the D7200.
Will we see the same thing with the D500 ?
Hello Nasim,
Season’s Greeting’s!
Thank you for a detailed write up!!
I have been using a Canon 70D and 300mm IS II 2.8 since last 15 months and have sold it off just today! I am planning to shift to Nikon purely because of precise AF, better image quality and low light performance. I have two choices: Nikon D750+200-500+1.4x TC or Nikon D7200+200-500+1.4x TC. I would like to know, if you have tested D7200 with a 200-500 and 1.4x TC. How it performs, AF wise, rendering and image quality. Alternatively you could also let me know, how this combo would perform with a D750 or D810.
Thank you,
Vivek
Hello everyone!
I recently purchased a D7200 after reading the reviews here. I thought I was pretty well versed in using the Nikon AF system, having been a professional sports photographer for many years. This camera has proven me wrong. I’ve been wanting to add an APS-C camera to my bag to extend my reach and based on the information from several of the writers here, thought that the AF system would be superior to the D700 and D3 bodies that I’ve been using.
I’m pretty careful about where I place the AF sensors, but I’m guessing I’m doing something wrong. There may very well be a problem with my camera, but perhaps one of you here can think of something that I missed.
After configuring the camera in a similar manner to my other bodies, I took the camera out to shoot soccer this morning. About 80% or more of the images I shot were out of focus. All of the static tests I shot prior to this morning were dead-on at close range or at distance, even when I’m using supertelephoto lenses wide open.
Normally, with my other bodies, I my in focus rate is probably about 95% or better using either a Nikon 300mm f/2.8 AF-S II or 200-400mm f/4 VR I lens.
I’m using the following settings:
AF mode: AF-C, 9-point or 21-point dynamic focus, focus priority
Focus lock-on set to normal
AF is set to only focus when I press the AE-Lock button
I have the camera locked on the center sensor. I prefer to do this rather than attempt to manually select a sensor point while the action is moving quickly.
Any ideas?
Thanks for your time.
Ken