<p><em>The new Nikon D7200 is similar to its predecessor but there have been certain improvements<br><br><strong>by Kunal Khullar</strong></em><br><br>Nikon redefined its top-of-the-line DX range or APS-C sensor equipped DSLR with the D7000. The idea was to replace the outdated D300S with a more subtle and compact design. The D7000 evolved into the D7100 promising a better low light performance along with slightly better weather sealing and design. This year, Nikon has updated the DSLR once again and announced the D7200, which sounds like a nimble update to the D7100.<br><br>The D7200 looks quite similar to its predecessor but there have been certain improvements. The new DSLR now comes with a new 24MP CMOS APS-C (23.5x15.6mm) sensor along with Nikon’s new EXPEED 4 image processor. This is same in terms of resolution as the previous version but has an improved auto-focus system and a higher ISO capability which means it can handle low light even better. Another important improvement is the buffer size which has increased 3x — an increment from six shots on 14-bit RAW (loseless) to 18 shots. In simpler terms, it means that it can shoot a lot more pictures in burst mode in RAW format before slowing down to save them to the memory card. Other important improvements include NFC and built-in Wi-Fi as well as better battery output. <br><br>Overall, the construction and button layout is exactly the same as the D7100 which was and still is a solid DSLR. In fact the camera is quite similar to the D810 and the D750. So in case you have used any of the above-mentioned cameras, getting used to the D7200 will be easy. The LED display on the top right showing settings has undergone a slight change and now displays larger readings, but with this improvement has resulted in settings getting smaller.<br><br>The camera can shoot six frames per second and up to seven frames when using the 1.3x built-in crop mode. The viewfinder coverage is claimed to be 100 per cent but it is just a little less, probably around 95-98 per cent, but is still impressive. For low-light, Nikon has further improved the capability of its sensor and has a ISO range of upto 25,600 and boosted option goes up to 1,02,400 which is just insane. Shots at 4,000 and even 5,000 ISO look great and almost without any noise, unless you crop the image. The inclusion of NFC and Wi-Fi is definitely a well-needed feature as it spares you from connecting wires or removing the memory after every shoot. The feature works well and you can easily copy pictures to your smartphone and even edit them. Another small but important improvement is the battery life. Whereas the D7100 can shoot about 900-1,000 shots on a full battery charge, the D7200 can go up to 1,100.<br><br>In the video department, there isn’t a huge improvement; frankly speaking, it never needed one. Thanks to the high ISO capability, videos look amazing, and with the support of 60fps, they look smooth and crisp. The performance of the camera is just excellent, and with the new updated image processor, it makes the D7200 the best performer in the cropped-sensor category of DSLRs.<br><br>The D7200 is a highly recommended DSLR if your requirement doesn’t include a full-frame sensor. It is probably the best high-end DX (APS-C sensor) DSLR from Nikon. Having said that, the difference in the quality when compared to its predecessor is not very substantial. Yes, there is improvement in the low light performance and not to mention the built-in Wi-Fi and NFC. But all comes down to the quality of pictures. So in case you are planning to upgrade from the D7100 or D7000 you should probably hold on. You could, however, go for it if you want to go up a notch from the D3000 series, the D5000 series or anything below that. <br><br>(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 21-09-2015) </p>
