D7200 as a Wildlife camera? Not so much

BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
When I saw the specs of the D7200 I was hoping that it would finally be the wildlife camera I wanted both the D7000 and D7100 to be. Alas, I'll continue limping along with the D7100 for a couple years.

https://photographylife.com/dumbing-down-the-d7200-what-nikon-doesnt-get-about-wildlife-photography

This is really a problem for Nikon. You can want your users to upgrade to meet their needs, but when you consider the cost of the FX kit required to get what you want, the cost of swapping systems looks a lot more attractive.
 
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mikew_RIP

Senior Member
BackdoorHippie said:
When I saw the specs of the D7200 I was hoping that it would finally be the wildlife camera I wanted both the D7000 and D7100 to be. Alas, I'll continue limping along with the D7100 for a couple years.

https://photographylife.com/dumbing-down-the-d7200-what-nikon-doesnt-get-about-wildlife-photography

This is really a problem for Nikon. You can want your users to upgrade to meet their needs, but when you consider the cost of the FX kit required to get what you want, the cost of swapping systems looks a lot more attractive.
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I see two possible reasons for the D7200 a money making easy to make fill in camera to avoid any major new launch or a test bed for a few bits before they go into a more serious camera,i hope for the second option but fear its the first
 
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
mikew said:
I see two possible reasons for the D7200 a money making easy to make fill in camera to avoid any major new launch or a test bed for a few bits before they go into a more serious camera,i hope for the second option but fear its the first
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Funny, but that's sort of what folks said two years ago when the D7100 failed to fix the issues with the D7000.
 
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mikew_RIP

Senior Member
Just about made my mind up not to bother,of all the things i want the more focus points working to F8 would help the most for birds in flight,with the light we get in the UK i cant really move off center point if its the only one with F8 ability ,looking seriously at the D750 to add to the D7100.
 
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adox66

Senior Member
Nikon do seem to do a lot to annoy their customers. There really has been so many issues/faults with new releases in the last couple of years.

I`m a current D7100 owner and when I change body at some point in the future I will certainly think long and hard whether I want to stay with Nikon or make the move over to Canon.
 
AC016

AC016

Senior Member
adox66 said:
Nikon do seem to do a lot to annoy their customers. There really has been so many issues/faults with new releases in the last couple of years.

I`m a current D7100 owner and when I change body at some point in the future I will certainly think long and hard whether I want to stay with Nikon or make the move over to Canon.
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Canon EOS 7D Mark II Review: Digital Photography Review

10fps, 1090 jpeg buffer, 31 raw buffer. 65 AF points, all cross type. Center AF double cross type. Now you're talking ;)
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
AC016 said:
10fps, 1090 jpeg buffer, 31 raw buffer. 65 AF points, all cross type. Center AF double cross type. Now you're talking...
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Not too mention almost 2 bits better color depth and all but three more stops dynamic range. Three stops!! This was the camera that almost had me dumping Nikon for Canon but I stuck it out and went full-frame with Nikon instead. If I had it to do all over again I'm not sure which road I'd take in all honesty.

Clearly Nikon's long term strategy is to remain swaddled in the safety and security of being number two.

Well played Nikon... Well played indeed.

*golf clap*
.....
 
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AC016

AC016

Senior Member
Horoscope Fish said:
Not too mention almost 2 bits better color depth and all but three more stops dynamic range. Three stops!! This was the camera that almost had me dumping Nikon for Canon but I stuck it out and went full-frame with Nikon instead. If I had it to do all over again I'm not sure which road I'd take in all honesty.

Clearly Nikon's long term strategy is to remain swaddled in the safety and security of being number two.

Well played Nikon... Well played indeed.

*golf clap*
.....
Click to expand...

If i were presented with both cameras today (D7200 & 7DII), i would not hesitate in choosing the Canon. But, i have nothing invested in Nikon, so it's far more easier for me to make that decision.
 
Woodyg3

Woodyg3

Senior Member
Contributor
Horoscope Fish said:
Not too mention almost 2 bits better color depth and all but three more stops dynamic range. Three stops!! This was the camera that almost had me dumping Nikon for Canon but I stuck it out and went full-frame with Nikon instead. If I had it to do all over again I'm not sure which road I'd take in all honesty.

Clearly Nikon's long term strategy is to remain swaddled in the safety and security of being number two.

Well played Nikon... Well played indeed.

*golf clap*
.....
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Not sure where you are getting your stats. The D7200 has MUCH better dynamic range, color depth and low light performance than the Canon. Check this link:

[video]http://www.dxomark.com/Reviews/Nikon-D7200-The-new-APS-C-champ/Comparison-2-Nikon-D7200-vs-Canon-7D-Mark-II-vs-Sony-A77-II[/video]

The only advantage I see of the 7D MK II is the 10 fps vs. 6 fps. If that's the main spec that is important to a photographer, then the Canon wins out.

As for the original article link, I agree that the full frame cameras mentioned, which cost 2 to 6 times as much as the D7200, have better low light performance. That's kind of an "uh-duh" to me. Otherwise, I don't really see the point of the article.

I'm NOT saying that I don't wish Nikon would come out with a 10 fps DX "pro" level camera. I AM saying I'd rather have the D7200 than the 7D MkII at this point, for the better image quality. That's just me, of course. :)
 
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AC016

AC016

Senior Member
Woodyg3 said:
Not sure where you are getting your stats. The D7200 has MUCH better dynamic range, color depth and low light performance than the Canon. Check this link:

[video]http://www.dxomark.com/Reviews/Nikon-D7200-The-new-APS-C-champ/Comparison-2-Nikon-D7200-vs-Canon-7D-Mark-II-vs-Sony-A77-II[/video]

The only advantage I see of the 7D MK II is the 10 fps vs. 6 fps. If that's the main spec that is important to a photographer, then the Canon wins out.

As for the original article link, I agree that the full frame cameras mentioned, which cost 2 to 6 times as much as the D7200, have better low light performance. That's kind of an "uh-duh" to me. Otherwise, I don't really see the point of the article.

I'm NOT saying that I don't wish Nikon would come out with a 10 fps DX "pro" level camera. I AM saying I'd rather have the D7200 than the 7D MkII at this point, for the better image quality. That's just me, of course. :)
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It not just the 10fps, it is the buffer size that i mentioned in a previous comment. It's the buffer size/capacity that has been a handicap for the D7XXX series and one that it most complained about. In regards to what Fish said, not sure i would care much about what the naked eye can't necessarily distinguish. Speeds and feeds, the Canon wins out and speeds & feeds is what is lacking in the D7XXX series (I have owned the D7100).
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
I think it's funny. The guy in the article expects machine gunning the camera to do his job for him. He'd be totally out of luck back in the days when film frames were advanced by hand. :)
 
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cbay

Senior Member
Give me a "quiet mode" that really is quiet and i would be impressed. As it is now with my D7000, the deer spook at 30+ yards. I guess that makes the "spray and pray" somewhat useful. lol
 
J

J-see

Senior Member
I shoot the D810 FX mode, full RAW, unprocessed, and even when doing BiF, the burst size or buffer never is a problem. If I need more shots in a row, I buy a video camera.

It can't be much worse for the D7200.
 
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BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Horoscope Fish said:
Not too mention almost 2 bits better color depth and all but three more stops dynamic range. Three stops!! This was the camera that almost had me dumping Nikon for Canon but I stuck it out and went full-frame with Nikon instead. If I had it to do all over again I'm not sure which road I'd take in all honesty.

Clearly Nikon's long term strategy is to remain swaddled in the safety and security of being number two.

Well played Nikon... Well played indeed.

*golf clap*
.....
Click to expand...

When I made my case in 2011 there was nothing like the current Canon offering, so choosing the D7000 was easy, and something even my Canon shooting brother understood. Today? The only thing that would scare me off is the $500 extra on the price tag. All things being equal there's a chance I'd still go Nikon with the D7200 were I a novice entering the market today, but I would have likely got a sterner lecture from my brother.

I just don't understand how Nikon can go 4 years tossing a middle finger at the pro-DX market?! They seem lost trying to find a way to compete with all the varied camera types while not cannibalizing their own camera market. But damn, if they hurt a few pro wildlife photographers' D4s sales with a camera that sells in the high thousands instead of the high hundreds then isn't that really a "win"?
 
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mikew_RIP

Senior Member
When i look at the D7200 @ nearly £1000 for the body i cant help but think i would toss another £500 extra in to get the ultimate DX body but maybe ime on my own.
 
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
WayneF said:
I think it's funny. The guy in the article expects machine gunning the camera to do his job for him. He'd be totally out of luck back in the days when film frames were advanced by hand. :)
Click to expand...

That's sort of like saying that a confederate soldier wouldn't stand a chance against an M-16. And sort of pointless - unless you're also recommend we send our troops out with muzzleloaders.

If the tech has evolved shouldn't the expectations? Just because you could get 2-3 fps with film at best back in the day doesn't mean you should be satisfied with it now. The bitch was that you still settled for a shot back then among all those frames that you managed to squeeze off. The number of different "poses" a bird flight can give you in 1 sec is amazing, and even at 6 fps you wind up tossing complete 2-4 second runs because nothing looks "right". So I'd argue that being able to sift through 30 shots in 3 seconds isn't spraying and praying as much as it is being offered the job to make a better selection to settle on. There's no wildlife photographer on the planet out there shooting in single frame mode with a willingness to fire that one frame at precisely the right time when they're looking to capture action. Same thing with sports.

There are lots of people who can do their jobs with one hand tied behind their back. But why the hell should they?
 
J

J-see

Senior Member
mikew said:
When i look at the D7200 @ nearly £1000 for the body i cant help but think i would toss another £500 extra in to get the ultimate DX body but maybe ime on my own.
Click to expand...

I'd pay 1500 for a DX with larger pixels. It should be possible since they managed to get more sensor pixels on the same area for the D810 which implies that technically they could add about 24Mpix of those on a DX area and have FX low light performance.

Strike 24Mpx. It'd be close to 5k*3.5k or something. I'd go for that too.
 
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C

cbay

Senior Member
BackdoorHippie said:
There's no wildlife photographer on the planet out there shooting in single frame mode with a willingness to fire that one frame at precisely the right time when they're looking to capture action. Same thing with sports.

There are lots of people who can do their jobs with one hand tied behind their back. But why the hell should they?
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Well there's at least one ;)
I'll admit that i don't shoot BIF though. And to be honest i untied my one hand a week or so ago when shooting BIY (birds in yard lol). Sucker was like a machine gun. Scared the heck out of my lovely birds. lol
For deer it's not all that necessary unless they take off. Like i mentioned the noise is the biggest problem.
Sorry hippie, had to stand up for the old confederate.!
 
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