Nikon D7200 incrementally upgrades popular D7100

Joining the still-popular D7100 in Nikon's product line, the D7200 only delivers some small enhancements over that model. Scheduled to ship in April, it will be available as a body-only ($1,200) or kit with the 18-140mm f3.5-5.6 lens ($1,700). In the UK I found it for preorder for £940 (body) and £1,120 (with the 18-105mm f3.5-5.6 lens). Unfortunately, still no sight of it in Australia.

Nikon D7200 ain't got new body (pictures)

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What's new

• Performance improvements. These are incremental, and predominantly in the memory-buffer handling for continuous shooting. While it has the same 6 frames-per-second maximum at full resolution, 5fps for 14-bit raw files and 7fps in 1.3x crop mode (13.5 megapixels), it can burst for more shots overall: 27 12-bit raw files, up from 7 in the D7100, 18 14-bit raw shots and to 100 JPEGs (Normal quality, not highest quality), up from 33 on the D7100. It has a newer autofocus module, which might deliver some speed or accuracy increases, but the rest of the system is the same.
• Imaging improvements. This model brings the camera up to Nikon's latest image processor, the Expeed 4, and with it a claimed 30 percent improvement to processing and an interesting change to its upper ISO sensitivity handling. The sensitivity range now tops out at ISO 25600, and the Hi 1 (ISO 51200) and Hi 2 (ISO 102400) are solely black-and-white modes. I think that's a good approach, since the ugly color noise in expanded sensitivity ranges tends to turn into interesting noise in black and white.
• Wireless connectivity. Nikon adds built-in NFC and Wi-Fi support rather than requiring an extra-cost dongle.
• Video updates. Nikon has added auto ISO support during video shooting and its Flat Picture Control (as well as the addition of a Clarity parameter to all the Picture Controls), but there's still no manual aperture support. That's annoying. The D7200 can do 1080/60p, 50p -- the D7100 only supported 720p at 60fps -- but only in the 1.3x crop mode. From a resolution and video-quality standpoint, that won't have an impact, but in the crop mode you can't get the same scene coverage with a given lens. (In other words, if you have a 35mm lens, it normally has the same angle of view as a 53mm lens, but in the 1.3x crop it's the same as a 68mm lens.) In addition to the interval shooting of the D7100, the D7200 now offers in-camera time-lapse creation with exposure smoothing.

At the same time as the D7200, Nikon also announced a wireless Bluetooth lapel microphone (the ME-W1), with a transmitter you attach to your camera strap. It's notable in that you can plug a

My take

The good news is that unless you really miss that built-in Wi-Fi, you're not going to kick yourself for having just bought a D7100 -- except perhaps if the price drops significantly. And if the D7100 gets cheaper it's going to be a much better value for the money than the D7200. Its new sibling, the D5500 looks similarly specced -- better in a couple ways and not as good in others, so it's a wash -- but lacks the D7x series' weather-sealed body and more durable shutter. And while the D7200 looks compelling in many ways compared to the 70D , that camera is due for an update soon.

Comparative specs