REVIEW: Nikon D750–Yeah, it’s better than my 5D Mark III (Part II of II)

In the first part of my review, I expressed how impressed I was with this camera. Despite being crippled by a mediocre kit lens for this review, I’ve been very pleased with image quality and dynamic range for the shots I’ve taken with it.

In this final installment of my review, I’ll focus more on some of the technical aspects of this camera and discuss how I feel it compares to some of the other cameras I’ve tested.

Mug Shot Test

f/8 @ 120 mm, 1/200, ISO 100
Unedited in-camera JPEG – click for the full size

Knowing that this camera has great dynamic range, I decided to put it to the torture test using a model with dark eyes and a black background just to see how many tones it could capture. As you can clearly see from above, the D750 knocked this one out of the park.

I can clearly distinguish the pupil from the iris in the eye as well as all the shades in the models hair. Even the black background shows a buttery smooth series of tones.

While this is certainly no Otus 85mm lens, I was plenty satisfied with the detail captured on the skin (sorry Julia!) and the eyelashes.

In short, this camera nailed the mugs shot test, so one could only hope the DMV will start using these – or maybe not!

Bookshelf Test

f/5.6 @ 50 mm, 1/13, ISO 12800, No Flash
Click for the original to fully appreciate the high ISO performance

Overall my testing revealed that image quality and tonal range are fantastic in the ISO 100-12,800 range. When you go into the high modes of 25,600 and 51,200 the dynamic range begins to suffer, but even with in-camera noise reduction results in a usable image.

f/5.6 @ 50 mm, 13s, ISO 100, No Flash
This is the sweet spot of the lens that I tested,
so click for the original to see the best image I could get with the kit lens

Unlike a lot of Nikon’s I’ve tested which tend to have either overly bright or dark metering, I found this camera to have a nice happy medium. With that said, I did get some unexplainable shifts in brightness and color when using auto white balance and matrix metering during my bookshelf testing. This is really my only complaint with this camera, and hopefully this is something that will sort itself out with a future firmware update.

Compared to the 5D Mark III

I own and love the Canon 5D Mark III, and without question it’s definitely one of the best Canon’s ever made. However, it is not without flaws. Do I think the Nikon has leapfrogged the 5D Mark III? YES! The overall dynamic range offered by this camera creates a wide spectrum of natural tones that is more true to life straight out of the camera than what I get out of my 5DM3. While I still prefer many features and characteristics of the Canon, for now this is the new defacto standard for parents, event and travel photographers who really want the best image quality possible.

While personally I don’t give a hoot about video from a DSLR, I still think the movie industry support around Canon probably gives it an advantage. However, I can’t imagine any D750 user being disappointed with the video performance with a sensor that is this good.

What should a 5D Mark III owner do? My advice is to save your money. Inevitably Canon will have a response and for now you have a great camera that’s not worth taking a big loss on – especially if you’ve got a good investment in lenses. Think of it a bit like you are driving the 2013 version of your dream car and your neighbor gets the 2014 model which has some nice new bells and whistles. While it sucks not to have the best product possible, you probably wouldn’t sell your car just to upgrade. I think the same philosophy applies here, so enjoy what you have and spend your money elsewhere – God knows there’s a lot of other ways to spend your money on photography gear and software, so don’t waste your money trying to keep up with the latest camera.

Skip the Kit Lens

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR Lens
My favorite “cheap” zoom lens for starter kits

I wasn’t a big fan of the kit lens, so I’d advise to go body only and get something else. I definitely liked the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR Lens that I tested with the D600 – it was surprisingly good (and cheap). The AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED is the lens to have if you can afford it, so if you are just starting out I’d consider either of those as better choices over the 24-120mm.

Conclusion

If you have an investment in Nikon lenses and are wondering if it is time to upgrade your camera body, I’d say it depends. While I personally wouldn’t take a loss on a perfectly good D600/D610, I’d certainly upgrade any other Nikon besides the D800/D810 and D4/D4s up to this one – if you’ve already bought all of the high quality lenses you are ever going to buy. Great lenses make the most of any camera body, so I always recommend spending extra funds on glass before camera bodies.

With that disclaimer out of the way, owners who do upgrade are going to be delighted. Those frustrated by some of the limitations of the D600/D610 might also find it a worthwhile upgrade, despite that being an excellent camera in its own right.  I can definitely say that as a fan boy of the D600/D610, I found myself very excited to see that my minor quibbles about those cameras had been addressed leaving me with a camera that I’d probably buy if I didn’t have an investment in Canon lenses.

For those who believe DXOMark sensor scores are the word of God (and I don’t), they ranked the D750 as #6 under the D800E, D800, D600 & D610. While I’m sure in their own scientific way this makes sense to them, I can say that to my eyes in real world scenarios I find the D750 to be a overall better performer at higher ISO’s than the D800’s and about the same as the D600/D610.  As a result, I continue to say these sensor scores are non-sense in the real world so take them with a grain of salt. The D750 is a fantastic camera that will definitely not disappoint, so without reservation I highly recommend it.

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order the D750 on the B&H web site.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• REVIEW: Nikon D750 with 24-120mm Lens with Real World Images (Part I)
• Nikon D4s
• Nikon D610 (D600 vs Canon)
• Nikon D810 (includes SIGMA 50mm Art & Otus 55mm)
• Nikon D7000 & 24-120mm Lens
• Nikon D7100 - A Mini D800?
• SIGMA 120-300mm
• SIGMA 35mm Art Series
• SIGMA 50mm f/1.4 Art Series (includes comparisons)
• Canon 5D Mark III First Look (For Parents Version)
• Canon 6D (vs Canon 5DM3 & D600)
• Sony a7R (One of the best sensors I’ve ever tested)
• Ron’s Recommendations
• Discount Coupon Code Page
• Printing Series

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

Nikon D610 vs D600, 6D & 5D Mark III - Review Part II of II (Real World Shots)

f/9 @ 70 mm, 1/125, ISO 100 (Unedited in-camera JPEG)
Drivers license style mug shots of Adriana never looked so good ;-)

If you are just joining me, you can find the first part of my review in my article entitled REVIEW: Nikon D610 - Part I of II (Real World Shots). Very little has changed between the D600 and D610, so I didn’t go as deep in this review as I did its predecessor. As a result, I highly recommend you also check out my first D600 review to get the complete story about what I think about this camera body.

In this installment, I share some thoughts about the D610 compares to the competition and wrap things up with my final conclusion.

Compared to the D600, 6D & 5D Mark III

f/2.8 @ 70 mm, 1/60, ISO 1600, No Flash
Low noise in a similar shot to this blew me away when I first tested the D600

In my previous review entitled Nikon D600–A 5D Mark III Killer? (Part 2 of 2), I compared the D600 to the 5D Mark III. Given the fact that the D610 image quality performance is identical to the D600, I think the comparison shown in that article still applies.

Click here to see the comparison images between the D600 and 5D Mark III. All of the images are available for download so you can compare them using your favorite tools, and you can visit the D610 gallery to get the latest taken with the D610 I reviewed here. Please keep in mind that these images are copy protected and may not be re-used or published without written permission.

When viewing sample images, please pay careful attention to the file names / captions of the review images as they indicate the camera settings and the lens used. For this review I only had the Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens which is sharper than the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR Lens I used for much of my previous review, so that doesn’t mean the D610 takes sharper images.

When I did my D600 review I hadn’t used the Canon 6D yet, so I compared it to the 5D Mark III. That ended up being an unfair comparison because there’s just a lot more technology and features in the 5D Mark III that cause it to blow away the D600/610 (in my opinion). These days I compare the Canon 6D to the D600/610 as they are much closer in terms of features.

The 6D image quality is on par with a Canon 1D X and is better than the 5D Mark III, so I’ve been advising new Canon buyers that the 6D is a great buy for those on a budget. When you compare the D610 to the the 6D, you quickly find that both are excellent and similar in features overall. I prefer the 6D image quality, but the D610 has the better overall body design that makes it my preference when shooting.

Overall my comparison device is simple – if you are already committed to the Nikon platform by purchasing good lenses, then stick with Nikon. If you already own a D600, you don’t need to upgrade to a D610 but if you don’t own a D600 I’d say skip the D600 and go straight to the D610 (especially if you are a parent, wedding or event photographer). If you coming from the D700, it’s a worthwhile upgrade for image quality with a downgrade for the overall AF experience, so sport shooters might think twice while landscape shooters should upgrade. 

If you are comparing with Canon, I’d give the 6D the nod for the best image quality when using eyes instead of DxO scores, but I’d give put D610 body ahead of the 6D and below the 5D Mark III. Wedding & event shooters as well as parents of young children are going to still benefit from the 5D Mark III over the D610.

Bookshelf Test

The following sample images were all taken with the D610 and the Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens and no flash. The images are not processed in any way (no crop, rotate, sharpen, nothing). These are the in-camera jpeg’s that have simply been renamed and uploaded. You can click the photos to download the original files and you can visit the gallery to get more samples not featured in this article.

WARNING: I made a mistake and shot these all at –1 EV, so I need to reshoot my bookshelf test shots. Unfortunately I don’t have my loaner D610 anymore so this will need to happen at a future date. This IS NOT a problem with the camera.

f/2.8 @ 24 mm, 1.3s, ISO 100, No Flash (-1 EV)

f/2.8 @ 24 mm, 1/200, ISO 12800 No Flash (-1 EV)

You can visit the Nikon D610 Sample Gallery to see more images. 

For a more accurate comparison, click here to see the comparison images between the D600 and 5D Mark III. All of the images are available for download so you can compare them using your favorite tools, but they are copy protected and may not be reused in any way without written permission.

For a better view of bookshelf performance, please read my D600 article or visit the Nikon D600 Sample Gallery.

More Real World Sample Images

The following sample images were all taken with the D610 and the Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens and no flash. The images are not processed in any way (no crop, rotate, sharpen, nothing). These are the in-camera jpeg’s that have simply been renamed and uploaded. You can click the photos to download the original files and you can visit the gallery to get more samples not featured in this article.

f/2.8 @ 70 mm, 1/60, ISO 560, No Flash

The ultimate low noise challenge passes with flying colors
f/5.6 @ 26 mm, 1/125, ISO 25600, No Flash

This is a tough shot for most cameras due to the bright
foreground and dim background with stained glass
f/5.6 @ 24 mm, 1/60, ISO 5000, No Flash

f/9 @ 34 mm, 1/60, ISO 560, No Flash

f/16 @ 32 mm, 1/60, ISO 2200, No Flash

f/11 @ 24 mm, 1/30,ISO 12800 No Flash (-1 EV)

Visit the gallery to get better samples not featured in this article.

Conclusion

I once posed the question, “Nikon D600–My Favorite Nikon Ever?!!!”, and in the 2nd part of that review I said that the D3s still holds that title, but the D600 was a close runner up. While there’s little differences between the D610 and D600, it makes sense that the D610 now gets the nod as my favorite Nikon in the current line up. I’m also told that firmware updates have improved the D4 where it probably would fair much better in my testing than it had when it was first reviewed.

If you are just skipping to the conclusion and haven’t read both parts of this article, the only big updates here are quiet mode (great for wedding photographers and parents) and 0.5 frames per second burst mode. I’m sure there’s something I’m missing under the covers in D610 improvements that caused Nikon to release a whole new body as a minor update. Some say it’s better at handling sensor dust compared to the D600, but I haven’t been able to confirm or prove that.

My bottom line is that this is still a great camera that I think will please many Nikon users. I still think those coming from D700’s will be frustrated by the AF system’s limited range of AF points compared to what they were used to, but the great image quality is sure to please. The D7100 seemed to impress me more with its AF performance for unpredictable fast moving objects, but that comes at a cost of image quality that isn’t as good as the D610 (in my opinion).

In the end, even as a Canon shooter if I had to buy a Nikon this would be the one I’d get. It’s a good camera and I highly recommend it.

Where to order

Nikon D610 DSLR Camera

Click here to learn more or order from B&H. Sign up for my deals newsletter to keep up on sales announcements for this camera and much more.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• REVIEW: Nikon D610 - Part I of II (Real World Shots)
• Nikon D600 (vs Canon 5DM3 & 6D)
• Nikon D800
• Nikon D7000 & 24-120mm Lens
• Nikon D7100 - A Mini D800?
• Nikon D4
• Nikon Capture NX2
• Canon 70D (Part II)
• Canon 6D (vs Canon 5DM3 & D600)
• Things You Need AFTER You Buy Your New Camera - Must Have Photography Accessories
• Which books should I read?
• Which camera should I buy?
• Which lens should I buy?
• Which Printer Should I Buy? Epson or Canon?

Need a bag for this camera?

Here’s some of my favorite camera bags:

1. Think Tank Photo Airport Security v2.0 – the ultimate roller / backpack combo
2. Think Tank Photo StreetWalker Pro vs Glass Taxi – StreetWalker Pro has been my go to bag since 2008 when I’m not travelling
3. Think Tank Photo TurnStyle 20 – The Ultimate sling bag and super lightweight
4. MindShift Gear Rotation 180° – THE Hiking Camera Backpack
5. Think Tank Photo Modular Components V2.0 – Brilliant for sports or crowds. The ultimate photojournalist setup & great when you have to run!

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

B&H provided me with a loaner camera and lens at my request so that I could bring this article to you.

REVIEW: Nikon D610 - Part I of II (Real World Shots)

Nikon D610 DSLR Camera

I titled my D600 review “Nikon D600–My Favorite Nikon Ever?!!!” because at that point in time (October 2012) I was still getting over my disappointment of the D800. The D600 still went on to be my DSLR of the year (alongside the Canon 6D), but for the Nikon platform in 2012 I felt it was “the” camera to own when all factors (price, image quality, size, etc…) were considered. In short, it was my preferred “everyday” camera for the Nikon platform. In fact, I liked it so much that I almost bought one (but my investment in Canon gear stopped me).

Fast forward over a year later and a LOT has changed, but surprisingly not much changes on the D610. You basically get a marginally faster burst mode and a quiet shutter burst mode (great for event photographers). Despite this disappointing list of improvements, I enjoyed its predecessor so I decided to have an extended evaluation period with this camera over a variety of conditions as I had done with its predecessor.

Real World Sample Images

The following sample images were all taken with the D610 and the Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens and no flash. The images are not processed in any way (no crop, rotate, sharpen, nothing). These are the in-camera jpeg’s that have simply been renamed and uploaded. You can click the photos to download the original files and you can visit the gallery to get more samples not featured in this article.

For comparison, please read my D600 article or visit the Nikon D600 Sample Gallery.

Beautiful model under studio lights sample is in camera with no crop or edits
f/10 @ 70 mm, 1/125, ISO 100

The dinner rose test – impressive for ISO 5600 (when viewed at realistic sizes)
f/2.8 @ 70 mm, 1/60, ISO 5600

Overall I thought the D610 did good with this tough mixed color scene
f/4 @ 70 mm, 1/60, ISO 900, No Flash

Smoke, red, movement, lights, – this shot has a lot to look at to see how the D610 handles complex situations
f/4 @ 70 mm, 1/60, ISO 3200, No Flash

Handheld at night – solid as expected
f/5.6 @ 70 mm, 1/125, ISO 5000

 

f/11 @ 35 mm, 0.6s, ISO 100 (Tripod)

Incredible dynamic range
f/5.6 @ 70 mm, 1/60, ISO 2000

f/5.6 @ 26 mm, 1/125, ISO 12800 or 25600 - Nikon hides the h mode ISO's from Lightroom

f/9 @ 50 mm, 1/60 ISO 12800

f/7.1 @ 24 mm, 1/30, ISO 1100

Auto white balance (2) torture test
f/2.8 @ 42 mm, 1/60, ISO 3200

The burst mode improvement didn’t seem to help much with my busy toddler
f/2.8 @ 56 mm, 1/250, ISO 2000

The performance of the tonal range of the blacks here was impressive
f/10 @ 70 mm, 1/125, ISO 100

Conclusion

Click here to see my conclusion in part II.

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order from B&H. Sign up for my deals newsletter to keep up on sales announcements for this camera and much more.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• Nikon D600 (vs Canon 5DM3 & 6D)
• Nikon D800
• Nikon D7000 & 24-120mm Lens
• Nikon D7100 - A Mini D800?
• Nikon D4
• Nikon Capture NX2
• Canon 70D (Part II)
• Canon 6D (vs Canon 5DM3 & D600)
• Things You Need AFTER You Buy Your New Camera - Must Have Photography Accessories
• Which books should I read?
• Which camera should I buy?
• Which lens should I buy?
• Which Printer Should I Buy? Epson or Canon?

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

B&H provided me with a loaner camera and lens so I could bring this article to you.

Nikon D610 NOW Shipping and in Limited Stock

Nikon D610 DSLR Camera (Body Only)

Limited quantity available so click here to ORDER NOW!

I thought the D600 was my favorite Nikon ever, so I’ve jumped on this one to review it when I get back from New York next week.

Where to order

Click here to order or learn more.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• Nikon D600 (vs Canon 5DM3 & 6D)
• Nikon D4
• Nikon D800
• Nikon D7000 & 24-120mm Lens
• Nikon D7100 - A Mini D800?

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

REVIEW: Nikon D7100–A Mini D800E?

Nikon D7100 (Kit lens shown, but not tested)

I was a big fan of the D7000 and the D600 was my 2012 DSLR of the Year, so when I got the news that D7100 was coming out I was very excited. When I heard it went the way of the D800E and it shipped without a low pass filter then I got even more excited. I was hoping this was going to be the usable resolution equivalent to the D800E, but it’s not. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good camera with excellent image detail. However, it’s not going to dethrone the D600 as my favorite Nikon camera.

For this test I got to spend some time with a D7100 using the AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens as the kit lens version was unavailable. Ergonomically it feels about identical to the D600 which is a good thing as that’s an excellent camera to use on a daily basis. Since the D7100 is NOT a full-frame camera it doesn’t suffer from the same compact AF point selection area as the D600 so that’s actually one thing that makes the D7100 better than the D600. The other thing that is in the favor of the D7100 is the fact that it’s about $800 cheaper (as of this writing) than the D600, so it’s a great value choice as well.

Nikon D7100 Rear View

Overall I loved the ergonomics of the camera body and it’s vast number of external buttons all within reach (and many are programmable). The rear LCD is supposed to be higher resolution than the D600 (1,229,000 dots vs – 921,000 both 3.2”), but it sure didn’t feel like it. The new info button comes in handy as well for learning more information about the vast features in the menu of this camera.

Overall, it’s a great body that think anyone would enjoy – especially after you get used to the features / quirks of the Nikon system.

Auto Focus Performance

I suck at shooting birds, but the D7100 doesn’t!
f/2.8 @ 70 mm, 1/1250,ISO 2000

One area where the D7100 really seemed to excel was in its Auto Focus performance. Simply put, it’s outstanding – one of the best that I’ve tested – and a lot easier to use than the D4 system. In fact I quickly got so used to how good it was that I found myself trying to find a way to make it fail, and it handled most tasks that I threw at it without any issue.

I’m a horrible bird shooter so when I coincidentally ran into a big group of birds I just upped my shutter speed in M(annual) and put the D7100 to the test. Even in AF-S mode it was nailing everything I threw at it. In AF-C it did a great job of not getting confused when obstructions approached like in the shot below (which honestly would trip my 1D Mark IV up):

This is scary good AF! I was looking the opposite direction when I heard something.
I turned, shot the frames and this bird was gone. It even didn’t get tripped up by the branches!
f/2.8 @ 62 mm, 1/2000,ISO 100

If you shoot sports or moving objects like birds, cars, etc… then you will REALLY enjoy the AF system on this camera. It’s by far the easiest system I’ve used and it gives my 1D X a run for its money. I can also say with confidence that the D7100 AF system performed significantly better than the D4 that I tested. I wasn’t expecting this when I was out testing this camera, but if I was a D4 owner I’d be demanding that Nikon put this mojo in a D4 firmware upgrade or in a new D4s.

The frames per second is useless unless you shoot JPEG only with fast SD card’s, but if given a choice I’d rather accurate AF than FPS any day.

Real World Sample Images

As always, these images ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (yes, even the lame ones <g>). You may not save, edit, print, redistribute or otherwise use them without expressed written permission.

The full set of images is available at http://www.ronmartinsen.com/nikon/d7100, but here’s a few noteworthy images. Click the image for the original and view using the gallery to see EXIF information. All major settings were camera defaults except Active D Lighting was set to Auto. I was using Auto ISO (full range) and typically AF-S with a single point on my intended subject.

I have lots of examples where the shadow detail like this is excellent
f/2.8 @ 24 mm, 1/125,ISO 100, No Flash, AWB (Warm)

Not bad, but the X20 shot of the same scene was just about as good!
f/4 @ 70 mm, 1/1250,ISO 100, No Flash

Curious about dynamic range? This pretty much exercises the whole gamut!
f/5.6 @ 38 mm, 1/200,ISO 800, No Flash, Shade WB

Curious about bokeh or depth of field? Here’s a start.
f/4.5 @ 28 mm, 1/400 (Windy),ISO 800, No Flash, AWB (Warm)

This is hard to appreciate small, but a letter size print of this has wonderful detail
f/6.3 @ 40 mm, 1/200,ISO 800, No Flash

I was happy with the in-camera color as a starting point in this shot
f/4 @ 27 mm, 1/500,ISO 100, No Flash, AWB (Warm)

f/2.8 @ 28 mm, 1/400,ISO 100, No Flash, AWB (Warm)
Good light? Gorgeous results

Really bad light? Still pretty darn good results!
f/2.8 @ 27 mm, 1/1250,ISO 100, No Flash, AWB (Warm)

I had to shoot –1 EV, and ended up with very nice reds here!
f/4 @ 70 mm, 1/320,ISO 100, No Flash

One of the many examples where the AF system
just did the right thing like it was reading my mind
f/2.8 @ 70 mm, 1/125,ISO 125, No Flash

Another example of excellent shadow detail, pleasing bokeh and neutral colors
f/4 @ 62 mm, 1/400,ISO 100, No Flash

The dynamic range is so good here that it feels exactly like it felt in real life
f/4.5 @ 24 mm, 1/125,ISO 110, No Flash

This is one of those impossible shots you know won’t work, but you take anyway.
I was actually pleased with how well it captured the scene.
f/6.3 @ 60 mm, 1/250,ISO 100, No Flash

About Real World Sample Images

I sometimes am asked, “what do you mean by ‘real world’ sample images?” Some have even taken a poke and said “does that mean photos that suck?”

The truth is that as a consumer one of the things that has always annoyed me is when I see the images from a camera on a web site that look fantastic, but when I get it home and use it under normal everyday conditions the photos just don’t have the same “oomph”. As a blogger  I began to investigate “why” there were these discrepancies and I discovered three things:

1. Some sites doctor their photos so what you are seeing is an edited image that used the camera in question, but that’s not an image you’ll really ever get out of the camera. To me this is useless.
2. Some sites only show you photos taken in beautiful surroundings and lighting conditions. While these may be real images, they aren’t the type of image the average person will be taking. This leads to massive disappointment when you get home and are shooting around the house in very difficult lighting and non-ideal locations and think “gosh, this camera sucks compared to what I saw on the web”.

All of the images I feature for all my camera reviews are only impacted by the in-camera processing which is also what you see on your camera’s LCD (even when you shoot RAW). There is NO post-processing and what you see is what you can expect to get. While I do try to get some images in nice settings so you can see what a nice photo will be like, I also work hard to stress the camera to see how it performs under difficult situations (i.e., backlight, mid-day sun highlights, tungsten lighting, indoors with high ISO, etc…).

It’s my opinion that real world shots really tell you what you want to know about a camera and keep you from being surprised when you get it home. It does mean that I have to take some criticism for shots that aren’t always cropped perfectly (what you see is EXACTLY what came out of the camera), and I show image failures. However, my goal is to be the place that you can trust for a REAL assessment of a camera and a place you can trust.

Video

I didn’t test video on this camera, so I have no comment.

Bookshelf Test

Bookshelf tests are conduction on a tripod with mirror lockup and camera default settings. I did turn D-lighting on and these are the actual in-camera JPEG’s (Fine) with no external modifications.

NOTE: Even though I had the lens set to the 24mm mark, all shots report as 26mm in this article.

f/2.8 @ 26 mm, 1s, ISO 200,No Flash

Excellent dynamic range is obvious – I was very impressed right out of the camera. Despite supporting ISO 100, I felt ISO 200 gave the best image quality. The overall best shot I got was at the 24-70’s sweet spot of 35mm @ f/5.6 and ISO 200:

f/5.6 @ 35 mm, 4s, ISO 200, No Flash

That, boys and girls, is goonie goo goo good! The resolution here rivals what I saw with my D800 and D600 testing, but I didn’t have an EXACT comparison so I will not show it here. I can certainly say that in terms of image quality, this is up there with the best of the best. This camera has insane amounts of resolution that you’ll only appreciate on your computer as the camera LCD (despite all of its megapixels) just doesn’t do it justice.

f/10 @ 26 mm, 1/13,ISO 25600

High ISO Performance

The high ISO performance that Nikon’s are legendary for just isn’t there with this camera, so I put it in the same camp as the D800 where you should try to avoid ISO’s above 3200 when possible. The High ISO modes (12,800 and up) are nasty useless to me.

Raw (Lightroom 4.4) vs In-camera JPEG Fine (camera default settings) Comparison

If you had to shoot in the higher ISO’s you’ll be a lot better off turning off the in-camera noise reduction and using Noiseware to clean your image up. The higher ISO creates so much noise that Nikon’s noise reduction destroys the detail.

HDR Mode

D7100, f/8 @ 26 mm, 15s, ISO 100,No Flash, HDR High (in-camera HDR)
Mouse over to see non-HDR and mouse out to see in-camera HDR version

I was very satisfied with the HDR mode, but terribly disappointed with the fact that you only get a JPEG result of the HDR series. On my 5D Mark III I can still do HDR while shooting in RAW and all the intermediate files are kept so it makes it fun to use HDR to see what the camera will get, but you still have the real RAW files for Photomatix or HDR Efex Pro 2. With the D7100 that is NOT the case, so people who are serious about HDR are going to have to either decide to go JPEG only and except the file the camera gives you OR ignore this feature and just shoot bracketed shots with RAW files (recommended).

With that disclaimer out of the way, I was very impressed with the in-camera results. Except for the HDR High* setting (example), all of the other settings seemed very realistic / natural feeling. What’s more, the Auto setting did a great job but is conservative to avoid that overdone HDR feeling. I can see this being a useful feature for casual consumer shooting when RAW files aren’t going to be needed or desired (rare).

Conclusion

This is a very good camera. It’s a worthy successor to the D7000 which it not only surpasses but literally obliterates in terms of overall image quality. While the in-camera noise levels are pretty good, I still feel like I prefer the higher ISO noise handling of the last generation of Nikon cameras. It just seems that Nikon pushed the megapixels so far on this camera that it followed the same pattern as the D800 where more resolution equals more noise.

For the price, this is a very nice camera for Nikon shooters – especially those who are interested in staying in the DX Format family. For bird hunters on a budget, I’d highly recommend it for the AF performance but the frames per second are going to drive you insane. Nikon advertises 6 fps, but that is only if you are shooting JPEG only I think as RAW felt like about 3 fps.

This camera didn’t capture my instant love like the D7000 or the D600 did, and I’m not sure why. Perhaps I’m just getting numb from the very good cameras I’ve been testing lately. I thought I might love this one so much that I’d get one, but I find myself being happy with the cameras I already own. I still highly recommend this camera for existing Nikon owners looking to upgrade (including D700 and D300s owners), and I think most will be very satisfied with its performance.

Where to order

Click here to order the Nikon D7100 on the B&H web site. Adorama may also still have some bodies (only) in stock here.

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