Ron's Photography Gear Recommendations-2016 - Updated December 31, 2016

It's that time of year again where I draw the line in the sand about listing out what gear I'd recommend if a close friend or family member came to me for advice. While you may see some Sony's up front, I'm not a Sony fan boy and I don't think DSLR's are dead. In fact, my camera of choice personally is a Canon 1DX Mark II, but there's lots of reasons why people need a camera so my recommendations try to offer my 2 cents as to what camera I think is the best choice for your needs.

Best Value Camera

Clifford Pickett shows you just how amazing the iPhone 6 Plus can be in this article

The best value camera is your cellphone.

Seriously, the quality of cell phones beats most cameras under $500 these days and arguably most under $1000 have a tough time competing. As a result, I've suspended recommending cameras under $1000 (original MSRP) over the latest Samsung and Apple cell phones.

Taken with an iPhone 7 Plus by Clifford Pickett
Learn more about iPhone 7 photography here

Best Compact Camera

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V Compact Camera

I loved the Sony RX-100 IV, but it's definitely expensive so I just use my cell phone as my compact camera now. However, I appreciate why people want more than a cell phone, so if I were going to invest my money for something better that is still compact, then without hesitation it would be the RX-100 V.  

Best Starter Camera

Sony a6300 f/5.6 @ 70mm for 1/500 sec at ISO 250

I loved the Sony a6300 and its predecessor the a6000, but the expensive a6500 didn't impress me as much. The cheaper price point of the previous generation models make it the best choice for a starter camera these days.

I prefer the Sony a6300 over the a6500

If you are going to go with a a6300 (or any of the ax00 bodies), then you are going to need a good lens. I loved this lens during my a6000 and a6300 reviews:

Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens

Yes, there's a FE mount 24-70 G Master lens but it didn't impressed me when I reviewed the a6500. This 16-70 lens was a good combination of size, value and quality for this platform, so I have no problems recommending it as a good place to start.

A good runner up would be the Nikon D610.

Best Mirrorless

Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless 42MP/4k Video Digital Camera

While Sony's menus drive me mental, if someone asked me what I thought the best sensor on the market was today I'd tell them that to my eyes it's the Sony a7R Mark II. This camera blew me away with it's image quality, even though it didn't have the knock your socks off AF like the Fujifilm X-Pro 2.

Sony a7R Mark II at f/4 @ 25mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 5000
Incredible dynamic range is the strength of this sensor

I would caution buyers that I would expect to see a Mark III come out at some point, so my advice would be to site tight and wait for that if you plan to go with an A7 series. However this camera can hang with the best cameras on the market, so there's nothing that prevents me from highly recommending it.

Best Event Photography Camera

Nikon SB-5000 AF Radio Control Speedlight

Event photography requires a flash, and ideally a flash that won't overheat and is ready to shoot again quickly. While the Canon 600-EX II-RT is smoking fast with radio transmission support (which means no pocket wizards required), the SB-5000 offers that plus a quiet internal fan that should reduce the risk of overheating under load. This is why it is my favorite flash now, and when paired with a Nikon D750 (or even a D500), I think you've got the best combo for success for photographing events.

What events?

Concerts, weddings, social gatherings, etc... Essentially anything where you'll be shooting in bad lighting yet needing to get images that will make your client happy enough to pay you.

 

Best Studio Camera & Lens

Canon 5D Mark IV f/7.1 @ 200mm for 1/200 sec at ISO 100 (Unedited)

I had very low expectations for the 5D Mark IV, so it's even shocking me that when I consider all factors that I can't think of a camera I'd rather have in the studio more than the 5D Mark IV.

Canon 5D Mark IV

Yes, there's more megapixels in the 5Ds,  5DsR, and Nikon D810, but when you weigh in the features of the camera, the high ISO performance and revolutionary new features like dual pixel RAW AF, then this is a game changer compared to others in its class. Yes all of those other cameras, and the amazing Sony A7R Mark II will serve you well in the studio too, but if a dear friend came to me and was asking for advice on what they should get for a new studio photography camera, this is the one I'd recommend.

Click here to see my review and learn more.

Sigma 85mm Art Series lens is sharper than anything I've ever tested

Best Wildlife Camera

Canon 1D X - f/5.6 @ 560mm for 1/1250 sec at ISO 500

If I were going on a safari or was serious about wildlife photography, there's zero question about what gear I'd take with me. It would no doubt be the Canon 1DX Mark II with the Canon 200-400mm f/4L IS USM with internal 1.4x extender.

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Rear View

Now that's a pretty expensive combo, so I'd probably have to sync up with LensRentals.com to use my discount on a rental as I don't have a spare $10,999 USD (as of the time of this writing) for that lens. However, I do think its the best lens on the market for wildlife, and this article isn't about the best value - it's about my recommendations for the best gear.

Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender

Yes, some swear by the Sigma 120-300mm, but it let me down (see my review). I also don't think it's the best lens for wildlife, no matter how much value and hype it offers.

Best Camera for Pro Sports Photographers (and Active Kids)

Nikon D5 - f/2.8 @ 200mm for 1/2000 sec at ISO 3600

Yes, there are more affordable cameras like the Nikon D500 and the Canon 7D Mark II, but if you are shooting in horrible indoor gym's or soccer games on dreary weather days then the best results require the best gear. You need the best high ISO performance to freeze motion at insane fast shutter speeds, and you need incredible auto focus performance. You also need incredibly fast focusing lenses, which isn't cheap either.

Nikon D4S DSLR Camera

As a result, my favorite choice for pro sports photographers has been the Nikon D4s even though the D5 is better on paper. The in-camera metering performance of the D5 let me down, so  if you have to go with the latest hotness then I'd have to recommend the Canon 1DX Mark II over the D5, even though outside of metering the D5 is a wonderful camera.

Both Canon and Nikon have nailed the auto focus in their latest cameras, so it's quite possible to have burst modes with 100% of the shots in focus. Both do very well at high ISO's too.

Before Nikon's PhotoPlus 2016 announcement, I would have said that Canon's 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens was way better, but I haven't had a chance to test the new Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Lens. As a result, Canon was still my personal choice over Nikon for a sports camera setup, but I have high expectations that this new lens will put Nikon on par with Canon - perhaps even leap frogging it.

Got Active Kids?

Yes, photographing kids is very similar to being a pro sports photographer, except you don't have the luxury of wonderful stadium lighting.

Nikon D5 - f/7.1 @ 125mm for 1/400 sec at ISO 36,000

When I evaluate my photos annually, it's always clear that the best shots I got of the kids were always with the sports cameras because they had great high ISO performance which let me use the shutter speeds I needed to get the shot. The price will be out of the budget of most families, so this will only be practical for the richest of parents, so see my next recommendation if you aren't loaded with cash to burn.

Best Camera for Parents

Fujifilm X-Pro 2 f/2.8 @ 55mm for 1/550 sec at ISO 400

The Fujifilm X-Pro 2 had the best eye tracking / focus system I've ever used, so when I look at price and size this is a pretty impressive starting point for parents who want to get serious about their photography. I also love the in-camera processing of Fujifilm for the parents who don't want to fuss with editing and just get great shots right out of the camera.

Fujifilm X-Pro2 Mirrorless Digital Camera

Yes, I wish it had better high ISO performance and a built-in flash, so if those things are important to you then another strong contender is the newly released Sony a6500. I haven't had a chance to test it yet, so you'll have to see  my Sony a6300 review.

I loved the a6300 and its predecessors, so I expect the a6500 to be excellent as well. However, the a6300 eye auto focus didn't perform as well as the Fujifilm, so until I test a Sony that beats the X-Pro 2 then I still like the Fujifilm.

Parents with kids in sports, this isn't the right camera for you so see my recommendation for parents with active kids in this article.

Best Drone

Nikon D5 - f/2.8 @ 200mm for 1/2000 sec at ISO 2500

I'm not a drone guy, but I've played around with several models and I have lots of colleagues who are making a good living off their drones. Universally, the one that I hear recommended most is the DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter (includes 4k video). If you don't mind waiting until they are in stock, then DJI Phantom 4 Pro Quadcopter has an even better camera sensor and more crash protecting sensors so I'd go for that if I were buying a new done today.

While I joked about how I still managed to have a harmless crash with mine in my first review, I've spent more time with Phantom 4 and love it because of the safety features that keep me from having a serious crash that would destroy it.

If you are wanting to get into drones, 4 or 4 Pro is the one you want! See my mini review of the DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter for more info.

Best Photo Printer 17"

Epson SureColor P800

I love my Canon printers, but Epson did everything right when it rolled out the P800. With proper (optional) roll support and everything I loved about its predecessor (the 3880) and my P600 and Canon PRO-10, it's tough to find a reason why not to recommend this printer.

To learn more, see my Epson SureColor P800 Review.

Late 2016 update - My Canon PRO-1000 has been phenomenally good and very reliable about staying connected even when rebooting the router. While it lacks roll support, the image quality and chrome optimizer yields images that my eyes prefer. My review isn't done yet, but I'm currently leaning towards making the Canon PRO-1000 my new favorite choice for 17" printers.

Best Photo Printer 24" & Up

Canon PRO-2000

The Canon PRO-2000 is a sexy beast that has won my heart completely. Canon has done so much more than offer a new printer model with improved inks - it's thought about many of the pain points of print masters and addressed them with this printer. From improved stability and an easy to use touchscreen control panel, this printer has been a tremendous leap ahead of its predecessor. What's more, the images I have been getting have been consistently great and paper loading has been drastically improved with support for up to three different media sources at one time without have to unload anything!

I can't recommend this printer enough - if you are going to print large prints, this is what you want - with the multifunction roll adapter if your budget allows for it!

Best Computer Display

NEC PA322UHD-BK-SV 32" Widescreen LED Backlit
Color Accurate IPS Monitor (Shown with SpectraView II)

4k UHD resolution is the way to go if you can afford it, but when you if you want to go big then my favorite choice right now is the  NEC PA322UHD-2 4k for Pro Photo & Video Editing. I've used this as my primary display since December 2014 and I have zero regrets.

Yes, there are higher resolution displays out there but when it comes to color accuracy you want a display with a programmable LUT and great edge to edge performance. I'm also of the opinion that if you invest in a display, you don't want to toss it when you get a new computer so I much prefer a stand-alone solution over the all-in-one computers with displays.

Click here to see my full review.

If this is out of your budget, then check out my review for the PA242W which gives the great performance of a PA series without the expense of 4k.

Best Photography Laptop

Microsoft Surface Pro 4 with 16GB RAM and 256 GB SSD

I love my MacBook Pro (Late 2015 Edition) but it's getting long in the tooth and the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar lost me when they dropped the USB ports. I don't want a fist full of dongles, so I started using my daughter's Surface Pro 4 and loved it.

This isn't just a tablet, it runs full blown legacy Windows apps like Photoshop and Lightroom as good as you've ever experienced a consumer desktop. However, the stylus means photo editing is super precise and the high resolution display is 267 pixels per inch which is greater than a Macbook retina display. It's loads lighter than my MacBook Pro too, so I found that I liked it quite a lot.

Click here to learn more.

I also prefer the i7 version of the Pro 4 over the SurfaceBook for weight savings, and I highly recommend the Windows 10 Anniversary Edition for the best experience with Windows Hello (facial recognition login) and significantly improved battery time (versus previous Windows 10 versions).

See my about page for all of my disclosures.

Best Photography Accessories

X-Rite ColorChecker and i1Display Pro

Without accurate colors on your display you've got a world of trouble ahead which is why I highly recommend that if your display didn't come with a colorimeter, then get the i1 Display Pro. While you are at it get a ColorChecker Passport too so you set the perfect white balance for people or landscapes in one click.

Hoodman Loupe

This is one of those things people don't think they need, but I've never loaned one of these during a workshop or outdoor shoot where the person who borrowed it didn't immediately fall in love with it. This thing just gives you a gorgeous view of your LCD no matter how sunny it is outside which is invaluable to me. Personally, I can't do an outdoor shoot without this in my pocket.

Breakthrough Photography - Best Deal on Filters especially the must have circular polarizer

I've got one of the latest x4 circular polarizers from Breakthrough Photography and it's as good as any B+W or Hoya that I've used. The X2 is good, but the x4 is the no compromises best glass (coming soon).

Singh-Ray Variable Neutral Density Filter (discount offer)

If you want silky smooth water then you need a neutral density filter, and when out in the field it's easier if you have a variable version so you can dial in the right amount to get the shot.

Lastly, you'll want to watch the video in this review for my smartest investment ever.

Best Video Learning

Kelby One is still the best value in the photography business, so if you are someone who likes to watch videos from the best photographers / photo editors and learn their tricks, then this is the best resource on the web - by far!

Click here to learn more and get a discount.

Best Photo Editing Software

The Nik Collection from Google is free and still quite good, and I'm a die hard fan of Lightroom and Photoshop. However, my #1 choice to add creativity to your photography these days is the Topaz Complete Collection

Below a partial list of some of the Topaz products that I've reviewed and you can check out some of my tutorials here.

Topaz Adjust 5.0

Topaz Labs Glow 2

Topaz Labs Impression 2

Topaz Labs ReMask 5.0

Topaz Labs Restyle 1.0

Topaz Labs Simplify 4

Topaz Labs Texture Effects 2.0

Best Skin Softener & Noise Reduction Software

Before and After of the video tutorial image - click to learn more

Imagenomic Portraiture is still my favorite skin softening software of all-time and it's sibling Noiseware is by far the best product on the market to remove the most high ISO noise from your photos while preserving the most detail.

Best HDR Software

Aurora HDR 2017 Tutorial and Special Offer

HDR Efex Pro does a good job if you are on the PC, and Photomatix is still the king of HDR, but my go to product these days (which sadly is Mac only) is Aurora HDR 2017.

Best Camera Bags

Click to learn more about Think Tank Photo bags and get a special offer

Click here to see my list of Think Tank Photo and Mindshift Gear reviews to learn why they are my favorite brand of bags available today.

Click here to learn about the Airport HeliPak bag featured above.

Best Digital Frame

Meural Digital Canvas - Show famous art or your own

Rarely am I a fan boy of something, but I think I have to say that I am a fan boy of Meural digital frames because they are the only frames I've ever used that I didn't think sucked.

These are great displays with awesome software housed in hand made frames made in the USA by Amish craftsmen.

Click here to read my review and see why I love them so much, plus get a discount!

Special Offers

Check out my discount coupon code page for discounts and special offers to many products featured here and more.

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 D500 with 24-70mm f/2.8 VR & SB-5000

Nikon D500 Camera Body

I was  big fan of the Nikon D7100 and D7200, so when I heard Nikon was doing a APS-C sized sensor (23.5 x 15.7 mm) camera, I wondered where this would fit into the line up. After learning about its 10fps burst mode, it immediately became clear that this was to be a direct compete to the Canon 7D Mark II (review). In fact, I spent a little time comparing the specs of all three side by side to get my head around all of the differences. In a nutshell the D500 gives you:

• Same fps burst mode as the 7D Mark II (10 fps)
• The best in class high ISO range (51,2000 and more in extended modes)
• The best LCD resolution with touch screen support
• 153 phase detection and 99 cross type autofocus points (but you can still only select up to 55 of them)
• 4k video
• A bigger price tag and a few other minor improvements

Given how much I enjoyed the D7100 and D7200, this all sounded good so I was excited to give it a go.

Accessories Tested

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR Lens

Ever since I heard Nikon released the 24-70 f/2.8 VR, I've been anxious to try it - but it has alluded me due to high demand - until now. While this is a very expensive lens, the idea of having my favorite travel range of 24-70 with both f/2.8 and VR was a dream come true.

Nikon SB-5000 AF Radio Control Speedlight

Another item high on my todo list from Nikon was the SB-5000 speedlight which features both radio control support, as well as a tiny fan to allow for up to 100 consecutive shots without overheating. Given the problems the SB-900 & SB-910 had with overheating, this was a big improvement and the radio control puts it on par with the Canon 600EX-RT flashes that I shoot with.

Unfortunately for this review, I didn't have the WR-R10 so I wasn't able to test the off-camera radio control support.

Hands On Impressions

One of the main features of this camera is its burst mode performance, but a fast burst mode is meaningless if the buffer fills up and you cant' take photos. It's hard to quantify burst mode and buffer flush times in text, so I decided to do a quick video where I do a quick high level overview of the body and show off its burst mode in action:

Ultimately I liked the body performance which mimics the great Nikon design with lots of physical hard buttons that are user reprogrammable. It's burst mode was great, and buffer flush times were reasonable - although not as blazing fast as the D5 (review) - of course. That said, I didn't test XQD, but even with a SanDisk 16GB Extreme Pro UHS-I SDHC U1 Memory Card (Class 10) it was very fast.Simply put, buffer flush times aren't going to be an issue with this camera based on my extensive experience testing other camera bodies.

f/4 @ 70mm for 1/2000 sec at ISO 360
This is one of a series of 42 burst mode images
so you can see how many shots were in focus vs blurry

During my testing, I found the performance to be closer to the D5 than I expected but not as good in the tests that I ran. This is to be expected since I wasn't using a sports lens for this test, so your mileage may vary depending on the lens used.

Like the D5, the best performance was in AF-C single point mode for moving subjects and of course AF-S single point for stationary subjects. Just like the D5, when you try to use the dynamic area modes it seems to get lost sporadically during the burst mode before locking onto the subject again.

Overall, I found myself getting less in focus shots than I did with the D7100 and D7200 I tested, but again that could be due to the lens used. Bargain hunters should keep this in mind when deciding which lens to buy (my recommendations), as I would expect the best in-focus shots performance to come with the newest and best Nikon sports lenses.

A Word About Nikon Metering

If you read the marketing material for Nikon's metering system it sounds wonderful - in fact, it sounds revolutionary. However, in practice the metering experience I've had on the D5 and the D500 is the worse metering I've ever seen on a digital SLR since 2007.

This statement will infuriate the fan boys and cause me no end of hate mail, but I've got to say it because it's been such a nuisance in real world testing. I've experimented with all of the modes (see the manual here) and here are my observations:

• Matrix - This is the mode you want to use (and the default) because it's supposed to take into consideration the entire scene and balance the exposure for the scene using the most advanced algorithms developed by Nikon. Sadly, it is very inconsistent alternates between dark and light exposures even when the camera and subject doesn't move. In real world use it can drive you made, so you'll start trying other modes.
• Center-weighted - this is a classic simple mode that is supposed to meter based on what in the center of the frame and in some cases it can be the best choice, yet for the D5 & D500 it isn't quite as reliable and is prone to errors just like Matrix
• Spot - Many of my Nikon friends both in the pro and prosumer ranks have sworn that Spot metering is the way to go on Nikon because it will meter off your focus point. In theory this sounds brilliant, but in practice even this can screw up if your spot is on an dark eye vs the cheek of a subject. The cheek will give you the metering you want and the wrong focus, but eye will over expose with perfect focus. It's very frustrating!
• Highlight-weighted - This looks like spot, but what I does is assign the greatest metering weight to the highlights which ends up being the wrong choice for pretty much every circumstance unless your subject is a Geisha with hot highlights of light on her face. Nikon suggests it for use with stage actors, but I haven't used it for that so I can't comment if it works well but for everything else I tried it with it would make the highlights great at the expense of what you cared about.

The more you time spend fighting it, the more you learn how to work around it (hint: spot metering is you friend and often with -1EV of exposure compensation), but why does it have to be so difficult? For all of the Canon, Fujifilm, Sony, Panasonic, and Olympus cameras I've tested the default metering modes just work so it's something you never really need to fool with. In fact, out of 400,000+ shots I've taken with Canon cameras, I've only switched from Evaluate metering mode to Spot mode < 10 times, and while I've demonstrated what it's Partial and Center-Weighted metering do, I've never really needed to use them.

I think this will be a frustrating point to new DSLR owners who buy this camera, and ironically it was never this bad with other models before the D5 & D500. Yes, those benefited from spot metering and weren't as good as I'd like, but they were loads better than the D5/D500 metering.

Hopefully Nikon will address this in a firmware update at some point, but in the meantime don't say you haven't been warned! It's also another reason to make sure you shoot RAW.

Auto Fine Tune Frustrations

If you don't know what Auto Fine Tune is, you can see a good video in my D5 first look article, but what this does is "automatically" calibrate your lens with your camera to avoid any focus errors (aka back focus / front focus). On most cameras this has to be done manually using something like a Datacolor SpyderLensCal Autofocus Calibration Aid, or software like the like Reikan FoCal. Both of these work, but it's not as easy - in theory - as the camera doing it for you.

There lies the rub, I've found that it doesn't work well and often makes things worse more than it helps. I'm not alone with the frustrations and inconsistency in the results as you can read on DPReview here.

I'm glad they have it and I hope they perfect it, but for now I strongly advise people to avoid this buggy feature and do it the good old fashion ways mentioned earlier in this section.

24-70 f/2.8 VR Thoughts

f/3.5 @ 70mm for 1/250 sec at ISO 720
Minimum focus distance of this lens was amazing
even when babies attack while you are shooting

I like the 24-70mm range on any camera platform as a versatile every day / travel lens, but surprisingly it's been a common practice to offer a f/2.8 without any sort of vibration reduction/image stabilization, but it has shown up on f/4 variants. As a result, it's been a long-time ask of fans of many platforms to have their cake and eat it too by getting a lens that is both a 24-70mm f/2.8 AND VR. Of course, the predecessor 24-70mm f/2.8 was an outstanding lens, so getting VR at the expense of image quality simply wouldn't do.

During my testing, I've been very happy with the sharpness but even more impressed with the minimum focus distance. As any parent will tell you, when you photography kids - especially little ones that are on the move - they are going to come after you as soon as they see the camera. As a result, you have precious little time to try to get a shot before you end up with a finger on your lens. Typically this results in a series of blurry out of focus shots, but the nice thing about this combo was that the excellent minimum focus distance meant that I could still acquire focus even as a child would cross into my personal bubble. The burst mode and great focus of the D500 allowed me to get the shots I wanted and surprise shots that were closer than I expected to get.

f/22 @ 24mm for 1/100 sec at ISO 400
Shooting in the sun used to always create lens flare like this, but it's less common with premium lenses these days. I was disappointed that this lens didn't do better.

The only major concerns that I had with this lens was that it doesn't have the warm contrast punch that I typically enjoy of lenses in this price range, and it was subject to a lot more flare issues than I would have expected. Lenses like my Canon 11-24mm have a coating that basically eliminates flare, so I would expect a lens of this price point to leverage a similar technology for excellent flare protection. Of course if you don't shoot into direct harsh light like the sun this won't be an issue, so it's not a serious problem.

I give this lens high marks for parents and travel photographers who want a single lens that's good for unpredictable situations in life under all lighting conditions. The VR can save you from camera shake blurriness, and the physical size of the lens isn't too obnoxious to carry around.

I liked it and and can easily recommend it for parents, event and travel photographers.

SB-5000 Thoughts

f/2.8 @ 60mm for 1/250 sec at ISO 45600
I was a bit surprised that the camera with SB-5000 flash
chose such a high ISO when in Auto ISO mode and Matrix metering

While I didn't get to do as much testing as I would have liked with this flash, I was impressed with how well it coordinated with the camera to give me the right amount of flash when I needed it. It also had a good harmony with the auto ISO which means that backgrounds weren't pitch black when in matrix metering mode. However, you may want to cap the maximum auto ISO when using it as sometimes I think it went too far - as in the case above where it chose ISO 45,600. While technically right, it wasn't what I expected after using other flashes for so many years so this is something to keep in mind.

The SB-900 and SB-910 suffered from overheating issues when used heavily, so this flash addresses that by having a built-in fan that fires up briefly after you take a shot (and yes, you can disable it). I didn't' find the noise to be a problem in real world use, and I appreciated how fast this flash was ready to go for another shot (much faster than any flash I can recall using).

When used properly it can give you results that give you the amount of light you need without having the overly bright look that you see in the shot above (pointed directly due to this being taken in pitch black darkness during July 4th fireworks).

If I were a Nikon shooter, this is the only flash I would want to have on my camera. I'd gladly take it over the SB-910 any day. The radio wireless support makes it an even better choice for anyone that needs a proper flash.

Overall Thoughts

Everything I've seen seems to indicate this is the camera that most were hoping it would be - it's basically a D7200 on burst mode steroids with improved AF performance and higher ISO support. The camera body is a delight to use, and I definitely prefer it over the Canon 7D Mark II. While the usability of both the Canon and Nikon are very good, I'd take the Nikon over the Canon for better high ISO performance and overall image quality. 

Real World Shots

For my reviews I always like to take casual shots of every day life using both RAW+JPEG with default camera settings (excluding exposure and other where noted below). These shots have been unedited and are 100% exactly s they came out of the camera.

All images are copy protected and may not be used for any other purpose beyond this review, and must not be printed, edited, uploaded, displayed or otherwise used without signed written consent on a notarized document.

Click here for a full gallery of images, and see my comments on a subset of those images below...

f/4 @ 70mm for 1/2000 sec at ISO 280
This was the 149th of 156 shots in a running series and my son was all of the place for the last part of this sprint. I was pleased at how great the focus was with him being at the edge both from the camera and lens performance. The minimum focus distance also made the last few shots sharper than I usually get with sports cameras.

f/2.8 @ 56mm for 1/640 sec at ISO 100
The colors are a bit exaggerated here because I forgot the camera in Vivid picture control mode
but the image quality was solid. This was a bit of a dynamic range torture test that passed with flying colors - especially with the data in the raw file

f/22 @ 62mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 250
Excellent dynamic range for a cropped sensor means that if you can position yourself right you can get great in the sun shots - just be mindful of the position of the inevitable flare spots

f/5.6 @ 62mm for 1/1600 sec at ISO 100
On a full frame with this lens this spider would have been a speck so this shot wouldn't have been possible, so this was definitely a case where I was happy to be shooting APS-C!

f/11 @ 34mm for 1/60 sec at ISO 100
I needed a flash here but didn't have it, but I was impressed with the dynamic range that I got despite that reality. This was one frame of a bracketed shot, so I definitely can save the shot via HDR processing later in Aurora.

f/3.5 @ 70mm for 1/250 sec at ISO 720
While you can't tell from this shot, my son was walking and looking the other direction when I yelled "hey Kai". With one frame in single-shot mode it managed to nail the focus quickly and the cropped sensor meant that I could put the focus point exactly where I wanted it (his eye instead of just below it on full frame sensors)

f/8 @ 24mm for 1 sec at ISO 800
Long exposure shooters will appreciate the switch to close the viewfinder to avoid light leaks during events like firework shows where you are surrounded by people with cell phone flashes going off during your long exposures

f/5.6 @ 24mm for 1/160 sec at ISO 2200
The dynamic range is good even as the ISO's climb yielding much better results than I expected for tough conditions like this shot

f/2.8 @ 38mm for 1/250 sec at ISO 1600
The bokeh of the 24-70 is quite pleasing and I was plenty satisfied with the sharpness even when it was wide open at f/2.8. Edge performance was impressive too!

f/3.5 @ 70mm for 1/500 sec at ISO 900
In camera processing is very pleasant even with the Standard Picture Control
and Auto1 White Balance. It's rare to see an image this pleasing out of a Nikon, but thanks to three Auto white balance choices, you can get great in-camera results instead of the historically cold neutral tones

f/22 @ 62mm for 1/60 sec at ISO 51200
Read those settings - both the lens and camera impressed me here with an image that would have not been this good even at 1600 ISO just 7 years ago! Yes, the high ISO performance is great and the VR made this handheld shot super sharp!

f/5.6 @ 62mm for 1/100 sec at ISO 2800
The great minimum focus distance of the 24-70mm will make it a great choice for amateur macro photographers who want the one lens that does it all during their vacation

Conclusion

It's been a while since I shot an APS-C sensor, but this camera reminded me why there is still a place for them in the crowded camera body market these days. I loved being able to put my focus points all the way to the edges of the frame without having to point and recompose like I must do on full-frame cameras. I loved the extra reach especially when at the minimum focus distance zoomed at 70mm. This makes the tilting LCD on the back during live view even more important and useful - as is the pinch to zoom!

This camera is everything everyone has been saying it is. It's got very good AF performance with even a simple travel lens like the 24-70, and its got the burst mode and buffer flush performance to make it a great choice for sports photographers. I also loved how well it worked with the SB-5000 so that you only needed to be mindful of your flash head position and not have to fight the flash as I've had to do with earlier Nikon body and flash combos.

While I thought the metering sucked because series of shots would be ruined with overly dark and overly bright exposures in the middle of a series, this same problem exists on the D5 so I can't help but think Nikon will get to the bottom of this issue for both camera bodies and issue firmware updates to fix it - let's hope! The good news is that when the meter gets the exposure right, it does a spectacular job so take advantage of the great AF performance and fast buffer speed to take a few extra shots and it won't be an issue in real world use.

This is a very good camera that is sure to please the Nikon faithful who are looking for a new body to replace their D7200 or D750 shooters who are longing for better burst mode performance that is closer to the D700 with a battery grip - even if it is at the expense of a cropped sensor.

While I don't care to use DSLR's for video, the 4k video support is sure to please aspiring videographers too.

In the end, it's easy to give this camera a high recommendation but if you don't need the FPS, 4k video and the extra reach, the D750 and D610 are still excellent cameras that are worth considering.

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order on the B&H web site. Click here to learn more about the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR Lens, and click here to learn more about the SB-5000.

Other articles you may enjoy

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

• Nikon D5 (Nikon D4s)
• Nikon D610 (D600 vs Canon)
• Nikon D7200 (and older model links)
• Nikon D750 - Yeah, you want this one!
• Canon 7D Mark II
• NEC PA322UHD 4k for Pro Photo & Video Editing
• Aurora HDR by Macphun & Trey Ratcliff
• Ron's Recommendations

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.