# Which to go for? D7000 or 5200 ?



## Dave Devoid

Hi All..

Still contemplating what to do when i finally get my camera. Been reading up on my options and im still not 100% sure on where to go tbh...

If i can scrape together enough i would like to go for the d7000 or d5200, if not its the D3200..

Which of the two would you all go for please?

From what i can see they are pretty closely matched in spec and price, but id like the opinions of the forums seasoned photographers for advice. 

Thanks in advance....

Dave


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## Dave Devoid

Its doing me in that much im even dreaming about cameras now...ffs...


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## KmH

The D5200 hasn't yet been officially announced (no cost or ship date info), so get the D7000 because it's available now and offers so much more than the D3200 does.

The D7000 has 2 command wheels for adjusting various settings, a top LCD, Commander mode for off camera flash control, screw-drive auto focus system, magnesium alloy metal top and back plates that help dissipate heat and help block stray RF interference, faster fps rate, and more.

Nikon's entry-level camera segment has 2 tiers.
The cameras in the lower of the 2 have just 1 command wheel, no top LCD, no screw-drive auto focus, and no Commander mode for flash
The D90, D7000, and D600 are in the upper entry-level tier.


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## Someones

Don't depend on others opinions. All you have to do is research. 
in my glance.
D7000 is way WAY WAY better than 5200.
5200 is an armature camera.
Nikon 5200 vs D7000 - Our Analysis




*&#8203;*http://www.someones5theye.com/http://www.facebook.com/5theye


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## 2WheelPhoto

D600 over both


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## fjrabon

The D5200, as announced, is undeniably a big upgrade over the D5100, and image quality wise is probably the equal or better of the D7000. HOWEVER, the D7000 is a near pro featured camera as KmH pointed out. If you end up really getting into serious photography, you'll find you quickly outgrow the D5200s control scheme. I'd honestly shoot with a D90 over the D5200 for these reasons alone. 

Image quality is great, but on a day to day shooting level, controls are probably more important.


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## coastalconn

Someones said:


> Don't depend on others opinions. All you have to do is research.
> in my glance.
> D7000 is way WAY WAY better than 5200.
> 5200 is an armature camera.
> Nikon 5200 vs D7000 - Our Analysis



First of all snapsort is just a generalized, biased website, that doesn't take many important factors into account! 
Second of all, if you are going to reference it, you should have a enough knowledge to pick the right camera!!!  You linked to a coolpix 5200, not a D5200!!!


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## Dave Devoid

Yeah, the more i look the more the D7000 is looking the better option...

I am a newb, but once i get my teeth into something i go all out on it, so would prefer longevity...Im not interested in just point and click or id be opting for a coolpix , but am tied slightly to budget.
I want brand new as my first camera, so i know what sort of life its had, so second hand isnt an option tbh...

The more i read about the D7000 the more i realise its the camera for me...i can get my hands on a brand new D7000 with 18-105 lens for £822...The price for the D5200 with 18-55 lens is £819..The D3200 with 18-55 is only £429...


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## gardy

fjrabon said:


> The D5200, as announced, is undeniably a big upgrade over the D5100, and image quality wise is probably the equal or better of the D7000. HOWEVER, the D7000 is a near pro featured camera as KmH pointed out. If you end up really getting into serious photography, you'll find you quickly outgrow the D5200s control scheme. I'd honestly shoot with a D90 over the D5200 for these reasons alone.
> 
> Image quality is great, but on a day to day shooting level, controls are probably more important.



For this reason IDE say the d7k, but if you can wait, from the sounds of it there will be an update to it sometime first of the year if that's an option, otherwise I've been seeing a bunch of d7k's on eBay for 700$ish if you don't mind buying used, it could save some green


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## TheLost

Also... Don't over look the fact the D7000 has a built in focus motor giving you a LARGER option of lenses.  IMHO, i would never buy a body without the focus motor.


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## Designer

dave_cath00 said:


> Its doing me in that much im even dreaming about cameras now...ffs...



Been there myself.  

BTW: You have not mentioned lenses, so whichever camera body you choose, be sure to budget for a lens.

In most cases, an entry-level camera will be packaged with an entry-level lens so you can get right out and begin taking pictures, but most aficionados will scoff at the cheaper lenses and claim that you MUST upgrade to better glass ASAP or you will not be taken seriously. 

So get ready.


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## Dave Devoid

Designer said:


> dave_cath00 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Its doing me in that much im even dreaming about cameras now...ffs...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Been there myself.
> 
> BTW: You have not mentioned lenses, so whichever camera body you choose, be sure to budget for a lens.
> 
> In most cases, an entry-level camera will be packaged with an entry-level lens so you can get right out and begin taking pictures, but most aficionados will scoff at the cheaper lenses and claim that you MUST upgrade to better glass ASAP or you will not be taken seriously.
> 
> So get ready.
Click to expand...


The D7000 comes with [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Nikon 18-105mm AF-S DX Nikkor f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens..Im reading its a pretty good one and sells separately for £230..[/FONT]


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## Dave Devoid

TheLost said:


> Also... Don't over look the fact the D7000 has a built in focus motor giving you a LARGER option of lenses.  IMHO, i would never buy a body without the focus motor.



Yeah, also swinging me towards the 7k....will also make lens choice cheaper not having to rely on an AF one...


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## KmH

fjrabon said:


> HOWEVER, the D7000 is a near pro featured camera as KmH pointed out.


The D7000 is nowhere near being a pro featured camera, and I did not imply it was.

The D7000 lacks most of the prosumer grade features, let alone pro grade features.


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## fjrabon

The 18-105 is a very good kit lens.  At some point you may want a lens with a lower wide open f/stop, but to start with, the 18-105 is solid.  

To clarify, the D7000 supports AF and AF-S lenses, where as the D5200 supports autofocus on AF-S lenses only.  

For my money the D7000 has, since the day it came out, been the most bang for your buck dSLR in history.  Even now it's sensor hasn't really been clearly surpassed in crop frame form.  The current sensor on the D5200 is possibly a TINY smidgen better, but the difference between the sensor in the D7000 and the Canon 7D is many times bigger (in the D7000's favor) than the difference between the D7000 and the D5200.  While the build quality isn't quite pure pro standards, it's very good.  Full CLS commander mode built into the camera is an awesome feature set.  

I'm eagerly awaiting the D400/D7100 upgrade, but I have a feeling it won't be a gigantic upgrade over the D7000.  Just looking at the component parts, things haven't progressed enough for it to be a large leap, in the way that the jump from the D90 to the D7000 was (and the D90 was and is a fantastic camera).  

And, sure, I own a D7000, so I may be biased, but I work with 7Ds, 60Ds, 5DII's and III's every day.  for the $750-$1000 you pay for this camera (depending on new v. used), you just CANNOT beat this camera.


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## KmH

dave_cath00 said:


> TheLost said:
> 
> 
> 
> Also... Don't over look the fact the D7000 has a built in focus motor giving you a LARGER option of lenses.  IMHO, i would never buy a body without the focus motor.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, also swinging me towards the 7k....will also make lens choice cheaper not having to rely on an AF one...
Click to expand...

You don't yet understand the issue.

Nikon makes *AF-S* lenses that have an auto focus motor right in the lens (*-S*). Most of Nikon's AF*-S* lenses are relatively inexpensive consumer grade lenses. Quite a few of the AF*-S* lenses also have VR (Vibration Reduction) which adds considerably more cost to an AF-S lens than a built-in AF motor does.

Nikon makes older *AF* designated lenses that auto focus, but there is no auto focus motor in the lens. The lens focus mechanism has to be driven by a motor and screw-drive system that is in the camera.
Most of those older *AF* designated lenses are still pretty pricey because they are previous generation pro grade lenses.

Additionally, advances in lens glass making/coatings, lens electronics, and lens design have also added to the cost of the newer AF-S lenses when compared to the older AF lenses.


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## fjrabon

KmH said:


> fjrabon said:
> 
> 
> 
> HOWEVER, the D7000 is a near pro featured camera as KmH pointed out.
> 
> 
> 
> The D7000 is nowhere near being a pro featured camera, and I did not imply it was.
> 
> The D7000 lacks most of the prosumer grade features, let alone pro grade features.
Click to expand...


I'm saying compared to the D5200 it's near pro level.  

It lacks a PC port and a fully metal chasis.  That's basically it as far as big things.  It only will do a 3 bracket, but do pros really need auto bracketing past 3?  What else am I missing?  You can add a grip if you want that.  The buffer is small.  Is that it?  are those the lacking most pro-sumer grade features' you are talking about?  I never said the D7000 was the greatest camera ever, but I also fail to see how it's really far from pro-grade either.  It's clearly not pro-grade, but it isn't terribly far either.  

And the insistence that things like the 5DIII is a 'pro-sumer' camera doesn't reflect the modern market now.  Most pros are shooting what you generally call 'pro-sumer' cameras these days.  Honestly I'd be willing to bet that the ratio of pros to consumers are the same for the D3/D4 as they are to the D800.  Same on the Canon side.  I see MWACs shooting with 1DXs every week and I see pros shooting with 5DIIIs or 7Ds every week.  

PC ports are on their way out anyway, it's not going to be long before you have to buy radio triggers if you aren't using some mode of line of sight control.  That comes directly from a Norman rep.  It's more or less open knowledge amongst the major players (ie camera companies and strobe makers).  It's already getting hard to find speedlights that accept PC cables.  PC ports/cables will be about as easy to find in 5-10 years as kodachrome is today.

Again, this isn't to say that the D7000 or cameras in its class are 'pro-grade' but that simply the division between pro-grade, 'prosumer and 'consumer' just aren't clear any longer when you look at who uses these cameras.  You've got all kinds of consumers using pro-grade, all kinds of pros using consumer grade.  10 years ago, no pro would dare use a consumer rebel and no consumer could afford a pro grade camera.  That just ins't true on either end any more once you get past the very most basic unto cameras.  And no consumers really use medium format digital.  

If you want to call something pure pro-grade, you almost have to talk exclusively about med format.  After that it's such a mottled blend of features that there aren't even remotely clear lines.


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## TheLost

fjrabon said:


> If you want to call something pure pro-grade



Rule #1!!! (i learned this when i started browsing this forum).. Never call ANY DX camera pro-grade / pro-sumer / pro-anything unless its the D300! You will be flamed and burnt to a crisp.

I always thought the meat-sack behind the camera made the 'pro'...  not the equipment. (but shhhhhh... you cant say that here)


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## TonysTouch

TheLost said:


> fjrabon said:
> 
> 
> 
> If you want to call something pure pro-grade
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rule #1!!! (i learned this when i started browsing this forum).. Never call ANY DX camera pro-grade / pro-sumer / pro-anything unless its the D300! You will be flamed and burnt to a crisp.
> 
> I always thought the meat-sack behind the camera made the 'pro'...  not the equipment. (but shhhhhh... you cant say that here)
Click to expand...

It is a well known fact that the camera must have a full magnesium body to be considered "pro-grade". Lol


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## TheLost

TonysTouch said:


> It is a well known fact that the camera must have a full magnesium body to be considered "pro-grade". Lol



Now that more 'consumer' cameras have magnesium in the body i've heard that the D400 will have a full Adamantium internal structure.


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## shadowlands

D7000 all the way!!! AF motor is a must!!! Top LCD!!! Better build....


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## StandingBear1983

+1 on D7000


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