Nikon D7200 a Review

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I would like to review the Nikon D7200.  This is Nikon’s newest entry into the enthusiast category.  This is also the first DSLR I have purchased in 7 years.  I am making the switch from the Nikon D300 with MB-D10 grip.  The importance of noting the grip is that it pushes the Nikon D300 to just about 8 fps when using the D2 series batteries.  The majority of the work I did in my previous photography career was based on sports.  Prior to the D300 I used Nikon D2H cameras and even before that Nikon F100 film cameras.

Below is my unboxing video on youtube.  Shot with a iPhone 6+.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKe8NI5N8QU

So first you notice from the photo up top I added the MB-D15 grip to my D7200 unlike with the D300 this grip adds no speed boost only vertical grip and function buttons.  Coming from a sports background I had to change several things right away with the camera.  First I took the focus off the shutter button and instead placed it on the AE-L/AF-L button on both the grip and the back of the camera.  So why did I do that is that I like one touch focusing I pick a spot where a subject will pass through focus there and then track the subject through the focus area.  This also helps if you have a subject and the camera tries to grab something in the background that is moving to focus on.

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The 24MP and the new processor engine are both very amazing.  For my test shots I used two speed lights above and behind my subject with a simple bounce card angled back up into his face.  This created a very dramatic image that worked well with his baseball clothes.  To get this I setup the on-board flash unit into command mode.  All of the functions I changed I did it through poking around I at no point opened the manual.  This is something I like to see if the menu and controls follow what is known as the KISS principle.  KISS stands for Keep It Simple Stupid.  To my thoughts I think Nikon did a bout 7 out of 10 on the simplicity of the menu.  There was a few functions that they could have made easier to follow.  I also noticed through shooting this weekend at a wedding that the ISO button can be accidentally be pressed screwing your playback up for a second or two.  This is not a big deal but it was annoying.

hi-resNikon D7200 a Review

85 prime f2.0

The camera to me is a big step up the construction was heavier then I thought.  The camera was a bit more narrow then I expected but with the added grip it fits my giant paws nicely.

I used for my photos 2 x 64gb Sandisk Extreme Pro cards.  I set the camera to use principle NEF and slot 2 should produce JPG copies.  I must have something set wrong as currently it is producing NEF and NEF images not JPGs in Slot 2.  I will have to investigate the menu but it does show that I have this set right.

***UPDATE*** 

After following Nikon’s instructions for power cycling this problem is no longer present and the camera is operating as expected.

Nikon D7200 a Review

Here you see what is exactly on the slot 2 card.

Screen Shot 2015-03-22 at 9.08.58 PMSo as you can see they may have a bug.  I have opened a support ticket with Nikon and I am waiting for an answer.  Still I can’t complain about the image quality they are simple spectacular.

hi-resNikon D7200 a Review

Again in master mode I used a Rouge Speedlight softbox and a Rouge honeycomb with yellow gel to take an image of my son in his roman costume for school.

hi-resNikon D7200 a Review

I am highly impressed overall with the camera.  I have heard people say this is not a huge update from the D7100 but I can’t compare that I am going from the D300.  The bigger buffer is a huge consideration for me as I will most likely still shoot sports and I will need the burst ability to get the shots that matter.  For my opinion the camera is worth every penny and I look forward to shooting more with it in the near future.

Thanks.

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