Nikon D5600 vs D7200

smatthis

Trying to decide which one to purchase. Need advice.

bruto

I think it depends a little on what you intend to need it for, and what lenses you contemplate getting.

From what I've read, the D5600 is a very good camera with good performance, and the image quality will be just about the same as with a D7200. On the plus side, it's compact and has an articulating rear touch screen which is likely to be very nice for some video work, and for odd position macros, and has some advantages for ease of operation. Because it has no meter follower, it will at least mount even the oldest manual lenses, though it will not meter with them.

The D5600 will, I think function completely with the newest AFP lenses, which require a menu entry to turn the AF and VR on and off. The D7200 will work with them, but cannot turn off the VR on those that have it.

The D5600 also has built in GPS which the D7200 does not.

The D7200 is a step up in many areas, though. It's better weather sealed, its autofocus is better, it has more overall features, it will autofocus with older "screwdriver" style AF lenses, and it will meter with manual lenses, though the oldest "pre-AI" lenses cannot be safely mounted without conversion.

If you do expect to do manual focusing and macro work, you'll find the viewfinder of the D7200 a big step up, because it is not only bigger but brighter - a proper pentaprism rather than a pentamirror design. It also gives a true 100% view, so what appears in the viewfinder will be exactly what appears in the image.

In addition there are some other features, including marginally better color depth, better low light metering and AF, more display density, two rather than one control wheels, locking rear control (avoids accidental repositioning of focus point), pushbutton AF control (no menu needed), pushbutton ISO control (no menu needed to switch in and out of auto ISO), a longer life shutter with higher maximum speeds, mirror lockup, and two memory card slots for either huge overflow or backup in critical situations.

All of which is not to disparage the D5600, which is a very nice looking package at a good price. But now that the D7200 has been replaced with the D7500 and its price lowered, it's pretty hard to beat if you can afford it.

I should mention that these days have a D7100 and my wife a D7200. There's not a lot to choose between them, except for the better buffer and higher ISO of the 7200.

These are really nice cameras to use, and if you can afford the D7200 and don't mind the slight extra weight and size, that's the one I'd go for.