# D5200 First Shots, First Impressions



## robbins.photo (Feb 8, 2014)

Recently upgraded to a D5200 from the trusty D5100 - did my first zoo walk today.  




653 by robbins.photo, on Flickr

My first impressions?  The autofocus system is a big step up from the 5100.  I was also impressed with the 24 mp sensor, it makes a big difference in post processing in particular, much easier to crop photos without loss of detail.




20140208_1378 by robbins.photo, on Flickr


Believe it or not it really doesn't shoot as fast as the 5100 for a longer burst.  Although on continuous high it can achieve 5 FPS, even with the 95 mps Sandisk Extreme Pro card the buffer gets overwhelmed after about 5-6 shots and it slows to 2 FPS.  I can get a burst of 10-12 if I switch to continuous low and shoot at 3 FPS - or I can switch to JPG mode and that keeps the buffer from being overwhelmed.  But for a longer burst in RAW the 5100 actually had a slight edge there thanks to it's smaller image size.  That's ok though, I won't be switching back 




20140208_001 by robbins.photo, on Flickr

I also added something else to the arsenal, a Sigma APO EX DG 2x Teleconverter.  When combined with the Sigma 70-200 mm F/2.8 it gives me a 400 mm F/5.6.  I was pretty impressed with the image quality, especially after all the negative stuff I'd seen posted on the intertubes about teleconverters in general.  I think a lot of folks try to use them with slower glass and that causes a lot of the problems and negative reviews.  I found the IQ to be very acceptable, at least on the crop sensor 5200.

All in all, very happy with the upgrade.  It's certainly a good step up from the 5100 I had previously.  Looking forward to getting out again tomorrow and getting some more shots


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## Braineack (Feb 8, 2014)

Leopard shot is AWESOME!


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## DarkShadow (Feb 8, 2014)

Sharp,nice IQ.Leopard shot is Awesome. Congrats!


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## BillM (Feb 8, 2014)

That big kitty looks awfully hungry. You may want to back up a few hundred feet


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## ruifo (Feb 8, 2014)

Very good. Welcome to the D5200 world!


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## Derrel (Feb 8, 2014)

These look better than your normal stuff. More saturated, better color.


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## robbins.photo (Feb 8, 2014)

Derrel said:


> These look better than your normal stuff. More saturated, better color.





ruifo said:


> Very good. Welcome to the D5200 world!



Thanks guys.  Really liking the D5200 - I can't confirm it scientifically of course but I think it does much better color wise especially and higher ISO than the old D5100.  



BillM said:


> That big kitty looks awfully hungry. You may want to back up a few hundred feet





DarkShadow said:


> Sharp,nice IQ.Leopard shot is Awesome. Congrats!





Braineack said:


> Leopard shot is AWESOME!


 
Thanks folks - hopefully I'll get some more good shots of him tomorrow.    Only had a half day today, had some appointments that I had to keep so really didn't have the time to hang out and do him justice.


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## ruifo (Feb 8, 2014)

robbins.photo said:


> Thanks guys. Really liking the D5200 - I can't confirm it scientifically of course but I think it does much better color wise especially and higher ISO than the old D5100.




According to the DxoMark camera sensor rating, the D5200 has the 16th better camera sensor out there, and the 1st better sensor among all crop cameras, followed by the D7100 and the D5300, in that order.

Source: http://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Ratings/


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## BillM (Feb 8, 2014)

Looking forward to seeing more zoo pics :thumbup:


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## ruifo (Feb 8, 2014)

Here sharing the DxoMark article entitled "Best lenses for the Nikon D5200", by Kevin Carter (on Thursday, October 24, 2013):
Best lenses for the Nikon D5200 - DxOMark


It brings that information:

[h=3]Nikon D5200 results: Increased Sharpness levels from 24-Mpix sensor[/h][h=3]Best prime lenses[/h][h=3]Best Wide Angle Lens (Prime & Zoom)[/h][h=3]Best Standard Lens[/h][h=3]Best Portrait Lens[/h][h=3]Best Zoom models[/h]

Follow the links for a complete review.


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## robbins.photo (Feb 8, 2014)

ruifo said:


> Here sharing the DxoMark article entitled "Best lenses for the Nikon D5200", by Kevin Carter (on Thursday, October 24, 2013):
> Best lenses for the Nikon D5200 - DxOMark
> 
> 
> ...



A list of lenses that work great with a D5200.. hmm.. it's like waiving a bottle of whisky in front of an Alcoholic.. rotfl.  Seriously though thanks for the list, I am looking to add a lens or two to my kit and this gave me some great info on which ones I should put on the short list.


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## coastalconn (Feb 8, 2014)

Congrats on the new camera!  Looks like tough light.. Iso 3200, 1250 and 5000!  The burrowing owl looks soft to me for some reason, which is surprising because it is at the lowest ISO...


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## oxmav3rickxo (Feb 9, 2014)

That Leopard is indeed awesome, were all those shot with the sigma lens and 2x converter??


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## vipgraphx (Feb 9, 2014)

I like the leopard shot as well. Glad you got a camera that works out for you!


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## xj0hnx (Feb 9, 2014)

That leopard looks like he wants to eat your soul.


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## Bytesback (Feb 9, 2014)

That Leopard shot is just stunning!


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## yahgiggle (Feb 9, 2014)

Awesome shots, Now i want a D5200 too lol


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## robbins.photo (Feb 9, 2014)

oxmav3rickxo said:


> That Leopard is indeed awesome, were all those shot with the sigma lens and 2x converter??



The leopard was shot without the teleconverter attached, so was the owl.  The tamarin was shot with the teleconverter.  Overall I was fairly impressed with the teleconverter, I really didn't expect the image quality to be anywhere near that good.  I think I'll be adding a 1.4x as well shortly, the 2 x is nice to have when I need some more magnification but a 1.4 will give me 280 mm at F/4 (roughly 420 mm with crop factor applied) which I think would be really nice to have.


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## robbins.photo (Feb 9, 2014)

vipgraphx said:


> I like the leopard shot as well. Glad you got a camera that works out for you!


 Thanks Vipgraphx - I'd still like to get a 7100 at some point, but since this one really didn't cost me anything it's not like I could pass it up.  I have to admit I'm really surprised how much difference that 24mp sensor makes.


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## robbins.photo (Feb 9, 2014)

xj0hnx said:


> That leopard looks like he wants to eat your soul.



Well, if I had one.. lol


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## robbins.photo (Feb 9, 2014)

Bytesback said:


> That Leopard shot is just stunning!



Thanks BB - with any luck I'll get a few more worth keeping today. Yesterday was really more about testing stuff out and seeing what all the camera could do, today it's just going to be all about shooting.


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## robbins.photo (Feb 9, 2014)

yahgiggle said:


> Awesome shots, Now i want a D5200 too lol



Well I can highly recommend them now - saw a refurb on Ebay the other day for less than $500 for the body, that's a whole lot of bang for the buck.  Still hoping to get a 7100 at some point myself but the 5200 will definitely be staying in the bag, it's a real joy to shoot with.


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## Braineack (Feb 9, 2014)

robbins.photo said:


> ...the 2 x is nice to have when I need some more magnification but a 1.4 will give me 280 mm at F/4 (roughly 420 mm with crop factor applied) which I think would be really nice to have.


 
So what you meant to say was: ...the 2 x is nice to have when I need some more magnification but a 1.4tc on my 200mm 2.8 lens will give me 280mm f/4.


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## Nibbio (Feb 9, 2014)

It's too good!


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