Camera differences - D3200 vs D7200

donnad

Hi everyone! I've had a D3200 for a few years now. Without moving up to a full frame since I have many lenses for a DX camera - is it worth moving up to the D7200? If anyone else has moved from a D3000 series to the D7200, your input would be helpful! Thanks!

bruto

My wife had a D7100, but was looking for a bigger buffer, and I was becoming a bit frustrated with my D3200's noise after a demanding jungle excursion, so for Christmas she treated herself to a D7200 and I got the D7100 (which is my upgrade from the D3200). I would say that the difference is not huge for many things, because as you know the D3200 is very good at what it does and capable of good work. The D7x00 series has some big advantages over it, and especially the D7200 in some areas, and if those areas are bothering you, then the D7200 may well be the answer.

My biggest problem with the D3200 has been its poor high ISO performance when shooting distant wildlife and the like. As you also no doubt have noticed, the high ISO noise nibbles at the edges of subjects. It's no issue for many things, people for example, but a killer for things like birds in flight or monkeys in trees. The D7100 is a couple of stops better, and the D7200 a couple more, making it a better performer on distant wildlife, especially if one needs to crop or if light is poor (or both).

The D7100 and 7200 have no anti-aliasing filter in the sensor (same as the D3300 and others of that generation), and although the sharpness difference is not enormous, it's noticeable. You can get away with less post processing sharpening, and when you're right at the edge with ISO noise, that can make a significant difference.

The D7200 also has a much better auto focus system - not quite state of the art since the D500 came out, but close. More options as well, including proper release priority, which makes continuous servo tracking more reliable. Although you can do pretty well with the D3200 for birds in flight and the like, the D7200 will do noticeably better.

The D3200 compensates for its non-defeatable focus priority in AFC mode by allowing shots a little earlier, and by being a little less accurate. It's not quantified by Nikon, but it does seem as if "good enough" is not as repeatably accurate in AFC as in AFS. This compromise is not mentioned in the manuals for the D7100 and D7200, presumably because it's not needed.

One of the other things I really like about the higher models is the better viewfinder. Whether this is an issue for you may vary, but I like to do a fair amount of macro work, and often use manual lenses, and although an eyepiece magnifier helped make the D3200 more usable, the difference in the D7x00 is considerable. The finder is larger, brighter, and crisper. With manual lenses, I get a lot fewer shots out of focus.

There are a number of other things to like in the D7200, which are less critical to getting a good picture, but very nice for basic usability. It's much easier to toggle Auto ISO on and off, the two control wheels make manual operation much easier, the AF settings are very well arranged, the dual memory cards add reliability and capacity, the built-in focus motor and AI follower allow full function with older AF lenses and manual lenses (although pre-AI lenses cannot be used, where they could on the D3200, but that's not usually a factor). It has moderate weather sealing which means you can take it out on a rainy day. Some features you may like, but may never use, include exposure bracketing, variable sharpening and ADL, interval timer, and in the D7200, built in WiFi.

The D7200 also allows lens fine tuning, which can help with auto focus in some cases. Rarely needed, but handy when it is. Most of our AF lenses have been right on the money anyway, but it's a nice feature.

I'm sticking with the D7100 for the moment, because here it is, and the differences are not enormous between that and the D7200. If I were shopping for a new one, I'd spring for the D7200, and almost did anyway for the high ISO benefit. If you can afford it, I think you'll like it. Only you can say whether it's worthwhile, of course, and that will depend partly on what, if any, limitations you've found in the D3200.

I'm planning (eventually, but keep putting it off) to convert my D3200 to infrared, figuring it's a good candidate for this, and after several years of heavy use in which the print has worn off the buttons, etc., it's not worth much real money.

A couple of other features of the D7200 may be of interest and may not. It is one of the most "ISO invariant" cameras around, making it interesting for extended dynamic range through post processing. It also re-introduces focus trapping, which was disabled on the D7100. You can read up on that, but it's a way of tricking the camera into shooting only when a moving subject enters the frame.

donnad

Thanks so much for your detailed comparison. I have found a few of the same things lacking in the D3200. I can see from your wife's purchase that the D7200 will be a good improvement. Definitely something I will consider.