We all like to take pictures when we travel, and many of us want the quality of a DSLR. Consider the Nikon D7100. This is Nikon’s “flagship” DX camera (we’ll explain more about what that means in a moment).
As happy D7000 owners for more than two years, we immediately upgraded to the D7100. Rather than rehash all of the camera specs in this review, we’ll focus on what has changed vis-a-vis the previous camera.
24.1 MEGAPIXEL SENSOR, 1.3x CROP MODE, NO AA FILTER
Although we didn’t really care about having more megapixels, there are advantages. The most obvious is cropping and the 1.3x crop mode is a nice feature if you are into bird & wildlife photography.
The D7100 crop mode delivers an in camera crop that essentially discards pixels around the outer perimeter of the image (instead of a 6000×4000 DX image, the camera captures a cropped 4800×3200 image). Because the resulting cropped files are smaller (about 16 megapixel) the cameras gets a slight boost in frame rate to 7 fps. There are focusing advantages as well, since all 51 focus points cover almost the entire frame of the image.
Nikon has worked wonders with the D7100’s 24.1 megapixel sensor, delivering amazing resolution detail while keeping noise in check. The noise that appears in higher ISO images has a grain quality that’s more pleasing to my eye than previous Nikon DX cameras we have owned (YMMV).
The removal of the anti-aliasing filter is icing on the cake, placing this camera in the company of the D800E (which merely canceled its AA filter – the D7100 deletes it altogether). The new crop mode, combined with this enhanced sharpness, were key selling points to me.
After extensive use of the D7100, we’re happy to report that the camera is SHARP SHARP SHARP. (And did we mention that it is SHARP?) We were never 100% pleased with the sharpness of images coming out of my D7000, but this camera is amazing in that department. Whether this performance is the result of the deletion of the AA filter, we do not know – but I know the camera is sharp.
WEATHER-SEALED BODY
The camera feels great in the hands, solid and substantial without being a brick. The body is now fully weather sealed (reportedly to the standard of the D800) and the button layout changes are logical and well thought out. I like the new “i” button – it’s a cinch to change key camera settings, especially toggling the image area between DX and 1.3x crop modes.
Nikon has tweaked the ergonomics nicely, with the larger thumb rest and raised “OK” button control pad. The LCD screen is 3.2″, larger, brighter, and higher resolution than the D7000 screen. ALL of these changes are subtle but significant improvements.
Note also that pressing the “OK” button during shot review zooms to a 100% review of the image at the focus point, allowing you to pixel peep on the fly – a great feature that will become essential once you start using it.
The weather-sealing comes in very handy to those of us who travel. (We’ll never forget using our weather-sealed Nikons in Alaska during rainy season!)
51 AUTOFOCUS POINTS
The AF is improved as well, with a whopping 51 AF points (that extend edge-to-edge in 1.3x crop mode). The camera focuses quickly and (for the most part) accurately.
COLOR
We’re liking the color captured by the D7100 better than that of the D7000 (and its Sony sensor). It’s warmer and more organic to our eyes. Color rendition is different from camera to camera, and the D7100 delivers pleasing skin tones.
VIDEO UPGRADES
We shoot a lot of video for Loloho.com, so we’re happy about the new frame rates (including 60P). The location of the movie record button, next to the shutter release, makes sense.
We’re particularly happy that we now have a headphone jack on the camera. Sure, we don’t always use the in camera audio, but it is nice to be able to monitor it now if necessary. The camera LCD display now sports audio level indicators, too.
POSSIBLE WEAKNESSES
The sharp 24 megapixels demand better lenses and better technique to get the results you want – is that a weakness? In other words, the ceiling of performance is higher with the D7100, but you will need the lens and technique to take advantage of it.
The buffer could be larger – this will be the Achilles Heel for some bird shooters. By limiting the buffer, Nikon has left the door open for a true D300 replacement to slot above this camera in the lineup. For me, the many considerable upsides of the D7100 outweigh the buffer issue.
We’re not big fans of the D7100’s locking control dial (we never had problems with the old dial) but it works fine – it just slows down operation a bit, and we worry that it may break.
Just a minor quibble: the shutter sound is different, perhaps a little louder, than the D7000 shutter.
CONCLUSION
Brilliant camera. Nikon has dialed up the D7000 in every area you would expect, and a few you would not expect. The D7000 is an outstanding camera, but the D7100 offers improvements across the board. Better weather-sealed body, better ergonomics, more resolution, better color, more AF points, no AA filter, a 1.3X crop mode, a headphone jack, 60P frame rate, on screen audio levels. And did we mention that it is SHARP SHARP SHARP?
The D7100 is the best DX camera to date. Click here to get your own.