Diptych D7200 The first (left) and the most recent (right) photos taken with my Nikon D7200

A Black Friday Deal I Couldn’t Resist

You might be right where I was a year ago today – combing through online reviews, chin-scratching over the pros and cons, checking your checkbook, and generally working yourself into a froth over the impending purchase of a new camera. I got up early to get to my local camera store before the madness ensued, asked the salesperson all kinds of pointless questions (I knew the Nikon D7200 was the only body in my price range – there was no way I would be able to spring for a new full frame camera, so the D7200 was it), and walked out with my first brand new DSLR since I picked up a D3100 to replace my seminal digital rig, the D70s.

The How and the Why

OK, the story of how I bought the D7200 might not interest many, but the story of why could offer more helpful insights. Here are the main reason’s I bought the new rig last year (and a few issues I’ve had with the camera).

Selling Points

  • 24 megapixel crop sensor:
    • Gives me manageable file sizes that won’t choke my outdated Mac.
    • Gives my 80-200mm lens a little more reach.
    • Represents an ISO performance upgrade from my D7000 for indoor sports.
  • Improved autofocus and buffering.
  • 6 fps is enough for what I shoot.
  • Max shutter speed of 1/8000th sec.
  • Dual SD card slots
  • Magnesium alloy weather-sealed body.
  • Supports autofocus on screw drive lenses.

Issues

  • Bummed that there’s not a Nikon OEM cover for the back LCD screen.
    • The cover I stuck on lasted about 9 months – I guess I shouldn’t complain.
  • Images feel “digitally” compared to shots I get from my D700.
    • I know, comparing apples to oranges….
  • That’s really all I can think of.

In Retrospect

A funny thing happened right after last year’s big Black Friday sale. It seems that a bunch of local photogs decided to ditch their full frame cameras to pay for their upgrades. A D700, a camera I’d fawned over for years, came up at a great price. So I bought it. Then another hit the market with fewer clicks (the former D700 had over 150,000 shutter actuations and could explode at any moment). So I picked that one up, too, as a backup in case I needed to send the older model back to Nikon for a new shutter.

Overall, I would say that the D7200 is my main camera body. I especially like using it for sports photography. Also, the improvements over the D7000 are noticeable and appreciated. I held onto my D7000 and have used it exactly zero times in the last year. This morning a new battery charger showed up in the mail. This afternoon I plan to post it for sale on Craigslist. I feel like the Nikon D7200 will be my main go-to for the foreseeable future. I love using my D700 when I’m taking portraits or when the artistic impulse strikes, and as an added bonus I’ve found that it does really well in some low light sports situations, especially in gyms that are lit like caves. With that said, the D7200 is still the camera I reach for the most.

As you can imagine, I’m not feeling the urge to buy anything this Black Friday – but if you’re about to drop some coinage on new gear this year my questions for you would be:

  • Do you have a need?
  • Do you have a specific use for the new camera?
  • Do you know what you’ll do with the old one?

Happy shopping!