Nikon D7200 Field Test

On paper at least, the Nikon D7200 is a camera whose design appeals to me. Much like my own daily shooter, Ricoh's Pentax K-3, the D7200 is an enthusiast-grade DSLR that packs features into a relatively compact body, and comes with an affordable price-tag as well. As well as the K-3, the D7200 competes head-on with the Canon 70D.

Although I didn't personally write our Shooter's Reports for the earlier D7000-class cameras, whose heritage the Nikon D7200 builds upon, I've shot with and enjoyed both cameras. And I have to say, I really like the basic body design, which is inherited almost unchanged from the D7200. Sure, it's not quite as compact as my K-3, but it's comfortable in-hand and most controls are very well-placed.

In the first part of my Nikon D7200 Field Test, I found much to love in this rugged, enthusiast-grade DSLR. Its weather-sealed body might come with a bit of a learning curve due to its extremely generous array of controls, but after a while becomes second nature, and helps keep your attention focused on your subject.

And while I found its Wi-Fi wireless networking connectivity a little rough around the edges, and missed the presence of any articulation mechanism for the D7200's monitor, I felt it was otherwise a camera that's a whole lot of fun to shoot with. And the results spoke for themselves: On a spur-of-the-moment trip to Lexington, Kentucky, I got a whole raft of photos that I was very happy with.

Exposure and white balance were accurate, and colors convincing. And there was detail by the boatload, just as you'd expect from its 24-megapixel image sensor. But that was all in the daytime: I still had quite a bit more testing to do before I drew any final conclusions.