MikeScone
Mike - Camera Corner Mod
I've had a Nikon D7000 for five years or so, and I've been very happy with it. You can find my notes on that camera here on the Camera Corner forum.
This spring Nikon announced the second-generation improved version, the D7200, and the new features in the new camera seemed worth upgrading for. The camera shipped a week or two ago, and I've had some time to try it out. Here are my first impressions:
- Operationally, it's very much like the D7000. It feels heavy and stable, and very smooth and intuitive to use. There are a few new controls, and some buttons are moved around, but no really major changes.
- Like the D7000, the D7200 will work perfectly with any Nikon lens which has a computer chip (not just the ones with focus motors, as in the less-capable D3300/5500), and will also work and meter properly in aperture priority (A) or Manual (M) modes with any manual Nikon-mount AI lens (basically, nearly anything made since the 1970's). That's great if you have older lenses or some of the more expensive Nikon lenses which don't have the built-in focus motor.
- The resolution is increased - up to 24MP - but that's not a big deal. Unless I'm planning to print at poster sizes, I use the lowest resolution anyway.
- The exposure bracketing feature will now allow up to nine exposures - up from three in the D7000 - which should make taking HDR images easier. High Dynamic Range (HDR) is where you take a series of pictures at different exposures, then merge them together, so that those parts of the image which might be overexposed or underexposed in one picture are replaced by properly exposed segments from other pictures. There's also a built-in HDR feature which I haven't played with yet, where the camera takes multiple images at different exposures and merges them internally.
- There is a lock button on the mode dial, which prevents accidentally changing to some other mode than the one you wanted. That was an annoyance with the D7000 - I'd often grab the camera from its bag or on the passenger seat of the plane, and change the mode without realizing it. I'd only notice after I'd missed a few shots. With the lock button, you just have to push the lock button in the center of the mode dial while changing modes, otherwise it stays where it belongs.
- There's a built-in WiFi system which lets you control the camera and download pictures to a smartphone or tablet. I can't find any software to let me use that feature with a desktop or laptop, but it works well with my iPhone and iPad. I can see using it to download and e-mail pictures in the field.
- The WiFi feature is also a good substitute for the somewhat erratic infrared remote control, with much greater range and no sensitivity to ambient light. The ability to use the Live View through the phone or tablet allows setting up the camera on a tripod and using it without actually looking through the camera. I can see using that at the bird feeder - set up the camera and walk away, and I can take pictures without disturbing the birds. I took this self-portrait using the WiFi as a remote:
- The D7000 had an internal gyroscope, and you could display an artificial horizon on the back LCD to make sure you had the camera level. The horizon could be displayed in the viewfinder, too, but only temporarily - and it replaced the readout below the image when it was in use. On the D7200, you can turn on the artificial horizon as you want, and it appears on the viewfinder image as a dark line on the bottom of the picture without affecting the information readout. That's much more useful.
- The high-ISO performance is greatly improved compared with the D7000. The D7000 topped out at ISO 25,600, and pictures taken at that ISO were noisy and lacking in contrast - it was great having that ability if I needed it and couldn't get the picture any other way, but the quality was noticeably degraded. The D7200 is capable of fairly clean images at ISO 25,600 - not perfect, but nearly as good as the D7000 at 6,400, or the ten-year-old D300 at 1,600. Here's an example, the same picture taken at ISO 25,600 in the two cameras:
Picture taken by the D7000 - notice the color noise and the unsharpness of the CD's in the rack in the detail, and the somewhat "flat" colors:
The same picture taken by the D7200, with the same detail. Notice the improvement in sharpness, reduced noise and improved color rendition.
Having the higher ISO available for "clean" pictures allows you to take pictures under available light, rather than having to use flash - although the D7200 is also very good metering flash. Here are examples of two pictures taken under the same conditions, first with flash and then without:
- The higher ISO capability also lets you use a higher shutter speed under marginal light conditions if you need it.
- In addition to the improved performance at ISO 25,600, the D7200 is capable of taking monochrome (black and white) pictures at an incredible ISO 102,400. Yes, the pictures are grainy and not as sharp as they are at lower ISO's, but at that level you can take pictures under conditions where it's hard to see what you're taking a picture of. I took this picture out my front door on a dark, cloudy night. The only illumination was a little light spill from the lights in my living room and the outdoor light on the neighbor's house about 1,000 feet away across the street.
That's enough for now. I'll post some more thoughts as I get more used to the camera. I'll be off to Florida next month for the Sun'n'Fun fly-in. I'm going to be one of the volunteer photographers at the event, so I expect to give the new camera a real workout.
This spring Nikon announced the second-generation improved version, the D7200, and the new features in the new camera seemed worth upgrading for. The camera shipped a week or two ago, and I've had some time to try it out. Here are my first impressions:
- Operationally, it's very much like the D7000. It feels heavy and stable, and very smooth and intuitive to use. There are a few new controls, and some buttons are moved around, but no really major changes.
- Like the D7000, the D7200 will work perfectly with any Nikon lens which has a computer chip (not just the ones with focus motors, as in the less-capable D3300/5500), and will also work and meter properly in aperture priority (A) or Manual (M) modes with any manual Nikon-mount AI lens (basically, nearly anything made since the 1970's). That's great if you have older lenses or some of the more expensive Nikon lenses which don't have the built-in focus motor.
- The resolution is increased - up to 24MP - but that's not a big deal. Unless I'm planning to print at poster sizes, I use the lowest resolution anyway.
- The exposure bracketing feature will now allow up to nine exposures - up from three in the D7000 - which should make taking HDR images easier. High Dynamic Range (HDR) is where you take a series of pictures at different exposures, then merge them together, so that those parts of the image which might be overexposed or underexposed in one picture are replaced by properly exposed segments from other pictures. There's also a built-in HDR feature which I haven't played with yet, where the camera takes multiple images at different exposures and merges them internally.
- There is a lock button on the mode dial, which prevents accidentally changing to some other mode than the one you wanted. That was an annoyance with the D7000 - I'd often grab the camera from its bag or on the passenger seat of the plane, and change the mode without realizing it. I'd only notice after I'd missed a few shots. With the lock button, you just have to push the lock button in the center of the mode dial while changing modes, otherwise it stays where it belongs.
- There's a built-in WiFi system which lets you control the camera and download pictures to a smartphone or tablet. I can't find any software to let me use that feature with a desktop or laptop, but it works well with my iPhone and iPad. I can see using it to download and e-mail pictures in the field.
- The WiFi feature is also a good substitute for the somewhat erratic infrared remote control, with much greater range and no sensitivity to ambient light. The ability to use the Live View through the phone or tablet allows setting up the camera on a tripod and using it without actually looking through the camera. I can see using that at the bird feeder - set up the camera and walk away, and I can take pictures without disturbing the birds. I took this self-portrait using the WiFi as a remote:
- The D7000 had an internal gyroscope, and you could display an artificial horizon on the back LCD to make sure you had the camera level. The horizon could be displayed in the viewfinder, too, but only temporarily - and it replaced the readout below the image when it was in use. On the D7200, you can turn on the artificial horizon as you want, and it appears on the viewfinder image as a dark line on the bottom of the picture without affecting the information readout. That's much more useful.
- The high-ISO performance is greatly improved compared with the D7000. The D7000 topped out at ISO 25,600, and pictures taken at that ISO were noisy and lacking in contrast - it was great having that ability if I needed it and couldn't get the picture any other way, but the quality was noticeably degraded. The D7200 is capable of fairly clean images at ISO 25,600 - not perfect, but nearly as good as the D7000 at 6,400, or the ten-year-old D300 at 1,600. Here's an example, the same picture taken at ISO 25,600 in the two cameras:
Picture taken by the D7000 - notice the color noise and the unsharpness of the CD's in the rack in the detail, and the somewhat "flat" colors:
The same picture taken by the D7200, with the same detail. Notice the improvement in sharpness, reduced noise and improved color rendition.
Having the higher ISO available for "clean" pictures allows you to take pictures under available light, rather than having to use flash - although the D7200 is also very good metering flash. Here are examples of two pictures taken under the same conditions, first with flash and then without:
- The higher ISO capability also lets you use a higher shutter speed under marginal light conditions if you need it.
- In addition to the improved performance at ISO 25,600, the D7200 is capable of taking monochrome (black and white) pictures at an incredible ISO 102,400. Yes, the pictures are grainy and not as sharp as they are at lower ISO's, but at that level you can take pictures under conditions where it's hard to see what you're taking a picture of. I took this picture out my front door on a dark, cloudy night. The only illumination was a little light spill from the lights in my living room and the outdoor light on the neighbor's house about 1,000 feet away across the street.
That's enough for now. I'll post some more thoughts as I get more used to the camera. I'll be off to Florida next month for the Sun'n'Fun fly-in. I'm going to be one of the volunteer photographers at the event, so I expect to give the new camera a real workout.
Looking forward to seeing more pictures from you posted with your new fancy camera!
