Nikon has launched the new D7200 DSLR, the imaging company's successor to the popular D7100 DSLR, which was introduced only two years ago.
The D7200 is Nikon's latest addition to its line of lightweight DSLRs, powered by a 24.2MP DX CMOS sensor that has no optical low-pass filter and a 51-point autofocus system that is similar to the ones that its predecessor uses. In addition, the controls and body of the D7200 are the same compared to the D7100.
The new DSLR also packs an EXPEED 4 chip for processing images, promising faster processing by 30 percent compared to the D7100, and a fixed LCD screen measuring 3.2 inches.
When shooting videos, the D7200 is able to shoot at 1080p resolution at a rate of 60 frames per second, though the figures are in 1.3x crop mode. When shooting videos in DX mode, the options are reduced to videos of 30 fps, 25 fps or 24 fps. The D7200 also introduces auto ISO control, a flat picture profile that is useful for color grading and zebra warnings which show when the video's highlights are too much.
The D7200 also improves upon of the major weaknesses of the D7100, which is the DSLR's small shooting buffer. Tests carried out by PCMag showed that the buffer was only 5 Raw+JPG images, 6 Raw images or 22 JPG images before the shooting rate of the D7100 slowed down. For the D7200, the numbers improved considerably, as the Nikon packed the new DLSR with a shooting buffer of 18 Raw images or 100 JPG images before the shooting rate slows down.
When the user shoots Raw images in 14-bit format with the D7200, the shooting is limited to 5 fps. However, the burst rate increases to 6 fps when the format is changed to 12-bit Raw images or JPG images, further increasing to 7 fps when using the 1.3x crop mode.
These changes make the D7200 much more appealing to users that often use their DSLR to take pictures of fast-moving objects, such as for sports photography and animal photography.
The D7200 also comes with the distinction of being the first DSLR by Nikon to come with capabilities for both NFC and Wi-Fi, which should provide users with an expanded number of options in sharing the pictures that they have taken wirelessly.
The D7200 will start to be sold in stores in April for a price tag of $1,200 for only the body. For the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-40mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR kit, the price tag is expected to be around $1,700.
