Verdict

Pros

• Weatherproof
• Good image quality
• Fast, advanced AF

Cons

• Lacks Nikon's recent ergonomic improvements
• Non-tilting screen

What is the Nikon D7200?

The Nikon D7200 is an enthusiast DSLR that won’t bankrupt you. It has a few features borrowed form the top-end Nikon D810 but costs under £1000 without a lens, or around £1100 with the flexible 18-105mm kit lens.

Cheap? No, but it’s around half the price of the Nikon D810. The sacrifice is that the Nikon D7200 has an APS-C sensor rather than a full-frame one. However, with some of the best images available in this class it’s a great choice if you want a camera you can take outdoors in the rain without worrying.

SEE ALSO: Nikon D810 vs D750 vs D610

Nikon D7200: Design and handling

In the past 12 months Nikon has altered how it makes DSLR bodies. The Nikon D750 was the first we tried with this new style: deeper grip for an all-round better feel.

Don’t get too excited, though, because the Nikon D7200 doesn’t have this new style. Its body’s lines are almost identical to those of the D7100. The feel is good, but lacks the palm-hugging loveliness of the new style.

Of course, we were perfectly happy with the older style seen in the Nikon D7200 until we experienced the new design. A hint of ignorance can be a benefit for potential D7200 converts.

That may sound silly, of course, but there are lots of other reasons to appreciate the Nikon D7200’s hardware. It’s hardwearing and weatherproof, making it perfect for use outdoors. This would make a great nature photographer’s camera.

The body has a magnesium alloy skeleton with a polycarbonate front, getting you the grade of materials at home in a reassuringly expensive camera. Weatherproofing flaps cover the ports meaning you can take the D7200 out in the rain with no worries, although naturally you’ll need to pair it with a rain-happy lens too.

Next time we’d ideally like to see Nikon adopt some of the design improvements of the Nikon D750, but this is just one of several signs the Nikon D7200 is not a grand, sweeping upgrade over the D7100. It picks its parts to improve, and ‘feel’ isn’t one of them.

The Nikon weighs 675g and measures 135.5 x 106.5 x 76mm, giving you plenty to grip onto, though.

There are plenty of controls as well, with dual manual dials in front of and behind the shutter. It’s enthusiast-ready, like its predecessor.

Nikon D7200: Screen and viewfinder

Screen and viewfinder haven’t changed much, either. The Nikon D7200 has the same 3.2-inch 1.23-million dot LCD screen. It’s fairly good at coping with brighter environments, although like the body, it’s relatively non-dynamic.

It’s a non-touch display and doesn’t tilt or flip out at all. Once again it’s the Nikon D750 that shows the D7200 up. It has a welcome tilt screen in what is an even more serious camera than the D7200. Tilty screens are generally more common among lower-end cameras, but with the latest hinge designs there’s no major downside to including one.

The viewfinder is very good, however. It is a pentaprism model rather than the cheaper pentamirror kind found in the Nikon D5500 and its brothers. Its brighter and clearer, and has 0.94x magnification.

As one of the top-end APS-C cameras, the Nikon D7200 also has a secondary LCD screen by the shutter button. This gives you a quick update on settings and battery life using a power-light, easily readable monochrome screen.

Nikon D7200: Features

The Nikon D7200 doesn’t try to pack in too many flashy, gadgety extras. However, it does add some connectivity features sorely missed in the D7100.

It has Wi-Fi and NFC, which the main DSLR camera manufacturers have been bafflingly slow to adopt. As usual, these connections let you transfer images to a mobile device easily and remotely control the shutter using an app.