Nikon D5200

      Photo Review 8.8
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      In summary

      Buy this camera if:
       – You want a Nikon DSLR with ‘professional’ video recording capabilities.
       – You’d appreciate the articulating monitor and Live View capabilities.
       – You want the option of shooting raw files ““ and RAW+JPEG.
       – You require superior high-ISO performance.  
       – You want an interval-timer.  
       – You want a wide range of special effects and in-camera image adjustments.
       – You want a built-in flash that supports Nikon’s Creative Lighting System.
       
      Don’t buy this camera if:
       – You have legacy lenses from Nikon film cameras that you’d like to use on a new DSLR body. (Autofocusing won’t be possible with some older lenses.)
       – You require a large buffer capacity and fast image processing times for continuous raw file capture.

      Full review

      Nikon’s 24-megapixel D5200 is the latest in a series of affordable, lightweight and high-performance DSLRs with pivoting LCD screens that appeared first in 2009 with the D5000. Positioned between the entry-level D3200 and the recently-announced D7100, it provides a significant increase in sensor resolution over its predecessor. It comes in three colours, black red and brown, and boasts a user interface that will suit snapshooters.  

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      The three colour options available for the Nikon D5200. (Source: Nikon.)

      However, there are a few flaws potential purchasers should be aware of. Like its predecessors, the D5200 has no autofocus motor in its body, which limits your choice of lenses. It will work flawlessly with Nikon’s AF-I   and AF-S lenses but won’t focus with AD and AF-D lenses and doesn’t support matrix metering with AI, AIs and older lenses. Fisheye lenses aren’t recommended. You can find out more in the FAQ pages on Nikon USA’s Service & Support   website (http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Service-And-Support/index.page).

      This may not be an issue for photographers buying into the Nikon DSLR system for the first time but won’t make owners of older lenses happy if they’re looking for a new high-resolution body to use them on. Similarly, photographers who make frequent use of a wide range of camera settings will probably find the user interface on the D5200 frustrating, due to a relative lack of direct control buttons. Again, this won’t worry family snapshooters, who can take advantage of the camera’s effective autofocusing and metering systems and admirable high-ISO performance.

      If you enjoy shooting video with a DSLR, the D5200 also ticks most of the necessary boxes and is one of the few low-priced DSLRs with a built-in stereo microphone ““ plus a 3.5 mm jack for an external microphone. However, the camera’s battery is small and relatively low in capacity (Nikon doesn’t provide capacity figures) so you may require a spare or two when shooting a lot of footage.

      Build and Ergonomics
       Although the D5200’s body is mostly made from polycarbonate plastic, its build quality is above average for the price. According to the base-plate label, the camera is made in Thailand, where the company has a factory in  Ayuthaya, just  north of  Bangkok. Since 2009, all of Nikon’s DX format DSLRs and most of the DX zoom lenses have come from this facility.

      Choice of colour will probably reflect each user’s taste. The red model we received for this review had a rather shiny surface with a similar look and feel to some of the Coolpix cameras we’ve reviewed. The brown model appears to have a similar gloss, while the black model looks to have the standard semi-matte finish.  

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      Front view of the D5200 in black with the pop-up flash raised and the 18-55mm kit lens fitted. (Source: Nikon.)

      The D5200’s body weighs only 555 grams with battery and memory card installed. Adding the 18-55mm kit lens brings the total shooting weight up to 820 grams, which is light enough for single-handed shooting. Having almost all of the button and dial controls on the right hand side of the camera, makes this relatively easy.

      A rubberised grip covers the front of the moulding that sits below the user’s right hand. While it is likely to be uncomfortable for users with large hands, this moulding is deep enough for a secure feel and should suit those with average-to-small hand sizes. Smaller pads of the same material are located on the rear panel and the lower left side corner (to support the user’s thumb when cradling an attached lens). Aside from an AF-assist LED, positioned just in front of the mode dial, the front panel only contains the regular lens release button.  

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      Rear view of the D5200 in red with the monitor reversed onto the camera body, showing the clustering of controls around the right hand side of the camera. (Source: Nikon.)

      Like its predecessor, the D5200 has a fully articulated 3-inch monitor with 921,000-dot resolution. It covers the full image frame and claims a 170-degree viewing angle plus brightness adjustment.
       

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      The range of adjustments provided by the D5200’s monitor is shown in the above graphic. (Source: Nikon.)

      A circular arrow pad controller with a central OK button sits to the right of the screen mounting, with a playback button just above it and playback zoom and delete buttons below. A multi- function button below the former accesses thumbnail and zoom out playback functions, as well as the in-camera help screens.

      Ranged along the interface between the rear and top panels are three buttons and a dial wheel. The Menu button is the only control located left of the viewfinder housing. The other buttons access Information Edit/restore default settings and the AF/AE Lock functions. The command dial is used with other controls to adjust a variety of settings when shooting information is displayed in the monitor. Options vary with different shooting modes.  

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      Top view of the D5200 with the 18-55mm kit lens fitted. (Source: Nikon.)

      On the top panel, all the controls are clustered on the right hand side of the viewfinder housing. The shutter release button and surrounding on/off lever switch are positioned right at the front of the grip. with buttons for accessing movie recording and exposure compensation just behind them.

      Further back lie the Info and drive buttons, the latter in line with a prominent mode dial, which sits atop the Live View lever switch. There’s a prominent hump for the viewfinder housing, which is topped by the pop-up flash. A hot-shoe (with slide-off cover) is located behind the flash, with a pair of four-hole grilles for the stereo microphones just in front of it.

      Metal strap loops are inset into the shoulders of the top panel. A five-hole speaker grille is located just above the left hand side loop. The viewfinder has a slide-up rubber eyecup that is just flexible enough for use with glasses. A dial on the right hand side of the housing provides ““1.7 to +0.7 dioptre   adjustment, which isn’t over-generous.

      There’s a single memory slot midway down the right side panel for SD cards (most types accepted, including Wi-Fi cards) and the battery slots into a separate compartment in the base of the grip moulding. The battery is the same EN-EL14 as used in the D3100, D3200 and D5100 cameras. It’s rated for approximately 500 shots/charge or around 40 minutes of HD footage. A standard 1/4-inch (ISO 1222) tripod socket is located in line with the axis of the lens mounting and the base plate is textured to improve contact with a tripod mount.

      Controls and Functions
       Few controls and functions have been changed since the D5100 ““ and some of those changes have involved tweaking of exiting controls, rather than significant upgrading. One function that has been upgraded is the autofocus system, which is now the same 39-point system as used in the D7000. The illustration below shows the differences in the two cameras’ AF point arrays.
       
       

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      Viewfinder simulations showing the AF point arrays in the D5200 (top) and D5100 (below).

      Unfortunately, you’re forced to revert to the menu system and monitor screen whenever you want to change any of the AF settings ““ including simply swapping between focus modes. The default AF setting is automatic AF area selection, which isn’t infallible, although it works well enough most of the time.  

      The D5200’s viewfinder is the same as its predecessor’s and remains a little dim. Even though it still doesn’t cover the entire frame, the sensor points are better defined than those in the D5100 and you can apply a grid overlay to improve shot composition. The focusing screen is not interchangeable and the dioptre adjustment range may not be adequate for some users.

      The  metering sensor has been upgraded from a 420-pixel RGB chip to the same 2016-pixel chip as the D7000’s as well. As in the D5100, the new system links with Nikon’s Scene Recognition System. It operates between zero and 20 EV

      The metering modes are unchanged, with 3D colour matrix metering II available for type G and D lenses, colour matrix metering II  for other CPU lenses; Centre-weighted average metering weight at 75% on to 8-mm circle in centre of frame and Spot metering on a 3.5 mm circle (about 2.5% of frame) centred on the active focus area. Unlike the D7000, you can’t adjust the diameter of the metering circle in the centre-weighted average mode.

      The review camera arrived the release mode set to Quiet shutter release, which doesn’t return the mirror instantly after the shot is taken, reminding us of the downsides to this mode. For starters, it’s not much quieter than the normal shutter release. It can be quite disconcerting when you’re shooting action because the viewfinder blacks out for a second or two and you can’t be sure whether you’ve timed the shot correctly.  

      Live View now allows shooting with the mirror remaining up at all times (except with flash). In this mode you can position the active AF point just about anywhere in the frame, although it can take several seconds to go from one edge to the opposite one because contrast detection is used. You can centre the AF point by pressing the OK button on the arrow pad to speed things up a bit.

      The graphic user interface (GUI) has been redesigned for easier reading and to provide faster access to frequently-used adjustments. Two options are available, one showing three dials that mimic camera adjustments.
       

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      The two GUI options available for D5200 users. Pressing the <i> (information edit) button lets you toggle across the settings displayed. (Source: Nikon.)

      Seven special effects can be applied to both still images and movie recordings. They include: Selective Colour, Colour Sketch, Miniature Effect, Night Vision, Silhouette, High Key, Low Key. Colour Sketch, Miniature Effect, and Selective Colour can also be applied to images already recorded from the retouch menu. Examples are included in the sample images below.

      The D5200 is compatible with Nikon’s MC-DC2 connector, which supports wired remote control and enables long exposures to be taken in Bulb mode. A new WR-R10 (transceiver) and WR-T10 (transmitter) combo enables remote triggering of the shutter for recording still photos. These devices are compatible with most recent Nikon DSLRs and can work with single and multiple camera set-ups.

      A new optional Wireless Mobile Adapter WU-1a supports wireless transfer of photos and movies to smart-phones and tablet PC s. The view through the camera lens in Live View Nikon’s GP-1 GPS units as well as a variety of flashguns (including the Nikon Creative Lighting System) and  Eye-Fi cards.

      What’s Missing?
       Aside from the issues associated with the lack of an autofocus motor in the camera body, there are a few features that more serious photographers require, which are missing from the D5200. They include the following:
       1. No JPEG aspect ratio settings are provided.
       2. No Kelvin settings are included in the white balance menu.
       3. No built-in GPS or Wi-Fi, although both can be accessed via the MC-DC2 connector for wired remote.  

      Sensor and Image Processing
       According to Chipworks (http://www.chipworks.com), the sensor in the D5200   is made by Toshiba, rather than Aptina (which has an existing relationship with Nikon and developed the sensors for the Nikon 1 cameras) or Sony. It’s marginally smaller than the sensors Nikon has used previously and ‘features copper metallisation and four metal layers’.

      The D5200 has the same EXPEED 3 processor as the D3200, which means it can support a native ISO range from 100 to 6400 in steps of 1/3 EV as well as expansion to ISO 25600 (equivalent) in 1/3 EV steps. The maximum continuous shooting speed has been increased from four frames/second (fps) to 5 fps, although the buffer capacity hasn’t been significantly increased to handle the large image files.   It’s limited to up to 8 NEF.RAW files, 6   RAW+JPEG pairs, 35 Large/Fine JPEGs or 100 JPEGs at other sizes

      Raw files continue to be recorded in 14-bit compressed form, which means you could lose a little highlight data  since Nikon’s NEF compression is slightly stronger on highlight bits. However, you’re unlikely to notice this unless you make very large adjustments to highlights so would rarely influence image quality from a practical viewpoint.  

      Like its predecessor, the D5200 supports three image size settings for JPEGs: Large at 6000 x 4000 pixels, Medium at 4496 x 3000 pixels and Small at 2992 x 2000 pixels. The table below shows the approximate number of pictures that can be stored on an 8GB SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-I card at different image quality and size settings.

      Image quality

      Image size

      File size

      No. of images

      Buffer capacity

      NEF (RAW) + JPEG fine

      Large
       Medium
       Small

      37.0 MB
       32.2 MB
       28.5 MB

      152
       173
       192

      6
       6
       6

      NEF (RAW) + JPEG normal

      Large
       Medium
       Small

      30.9 MB
       28.4 MB
       26.5 MB

      178
       192
       203

      6
       6
       6

      NEF (RAW) + JPEG basic

      Large
       Medium
       Small

      27.7 MB
       26.6 MB
       25.6 MB

      196
       204
       210

      6
       6
       6

      NEF (RAW)

      24.6 MB

      217

      8

      JPEG fine

      Large
       Medium
       Small

      12.2 MB
       7.4 MB
       3.8 MB

      507
       853
       1600

      35
       100
       100

      JPEG normal

      Large
       Medium
       Small

      6.2 MB
       3.7 MB
       1.9 MB

      1000
       1600
       3200

      100
       100
       100

      JPEG basic

      Large
       Medium
       Small

      3.0 MB
       1.9 MB
       1.0 MB

      1900
       3200
       6000

      100
       100
       100

      Video
       Video capabilities are up there with Nikon’s more ‘professional’ DSLRs , which means the D5200 can record in both interlaced (i) and progressive (p) formats with quality options ranging from Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) to VGA (640 x 424 pixels). Unfortunately, the interlaced and progressive modes crop the sensor area differently, causing a jump when you change between them. Movies can also be recorded at 1280 x 720 pixels and 640 x 424 pixels.

      The table below shows bit rates and maximum recording capacities.

      Frame size (pixels)

      Frame rate PAL

      Frame rate NTSC

      Max. bit rate
       (High/Normal)

      Max. clip length (High/Normal)

      1920 x 1080

      50i

      60i

      24/12

      20 min./29 min. 59 s

      25p

      30p

      24p

      1280 x 720

      50p

      60p

      640 x 424

      25p

      30p

      8/5

      29 min. 59 s

      The camera is able to deliver uncompressed video via its HDMI out port. But we weren’t able to test this feature through lack of a suitable recording device.

      The D5200 provides a special Movie Crop setting that can be used when recording 50i or 60i movies. The cropped area (which is recorded) can be viewed during live view by pressing the INFO button and selecting the ‘show movie indicator’, or ‘framing grid’ display. This crop is enlarged to fill the monitor screen.

      The monaural microphone in the D5100 is replaced by a pair of stereo mics and there’s a jack for external microphones for photographers who wish to use them. Users can also and also record video directly to an external device via the HDMI connection.

      A wide range of adjustments is available in movie mode, covering aperture, shutter and ISO settings. However, the aperture setting is locked when you enter Live View mode. If you want to change it, you must exit Live View, re-set the aperture and re-enter Live View again, which is annoying.

      Unfortunately, the D5200’s AF system isn’t as quiet as Canon’s STM system, which means lenses with audible focusing motors are likely to leave impressions on soundtracks. Attaching the optional ME-1 stereo microphone can overcome this problem, in the main.

      Playback and Software
       Both are virtually identical to those provided for the D5100.  

      Performance
       Nikon Australia provided us with two lenses to use with the D5200 body: the AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G and the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, both of which are reviewed separately. We’ve based our Imatest tests on shots taken with the 50mm f/1.8G lens but some sample images included in this review have been taken with the super-zoom lens.

      Still images from the review camera were similar to those from the D5100. Exposure metering was consistently competent, regardless of the metering pattern selected and exposures were usually well-positioned. The Active D-Lighting function ensured highlight and shadow details were recorded adequately in most JPEG shots, although the auto setting was unable to compensate fully for strong backlighting.

      Colour rendition showed the characteristic slight warming but saturation was modest in JPEG shots and slightly low in NEF.RAW files, which we converted into 16-bit TIFFs with Adobe Camera Raw. Imatest confirmed our subjective assessment and showed reds and oranges to have elevated saturation in JPEG shots.
       Autofocusing was fast and accurate with both lenses when the viewfinder was used but slightly slower in live view mode. In both cases ““ and with both lenses ““  we feel there has been an improvement in AF speed in the new camera. Our timing tests showed this to be the case.

      Imatest showed resolution to be close to expectations for a 24-megapixel camera for NEF.RAW images. JPEG image files recorded resolution levels slightly below the values obtained for raw files in our Imatest tests. This is no mean feat for a camera of such high resolution.

      Imatest showed the camera performed well at high sensitivity settings, particularly with raw files. A steady, gradual decline in resolution was recorded as sensitivity was increased, as shown in the graph of our Imatest results below.
       

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      Long exposures at night showed little noise right up to ISO 6400.  The Hi 1 and Hi 2 settings were visibly noise-affected with exposures of a second or two. Interestingly the review camera produced flash shots with almost no discernible noise at both of these settings and noise was undetectable right up to ISO 6400.

      The built-in flash was able to record evenly balanced exposures across the camera’s full sensitivity range. However, using longer lenses tended to produce shading in close-up shots. So did using the lens hood with the 50mm lens. An example is shown below.

      Video quality was very good in the Full HD modes but quality was reduced in the HD 720/60p mode, which means this camera isn’t great for slow-motion shooting. We found no aliasing, moire, rolling shutter or tearing in clips at the higher resolutions. But the movie crop setting reduced resolution to a noticeable degree.

      The dynamic range in video mode was similar to the stills mode, which meant shadows contained a fair amount of detail while highlights could be slightly clipped in contrasty conditions. Soundtracks recorded by the built-in microphones were relatively clear with more stereo ‘presence’ than we expected.

      We carried out our timing tests with the same 32GB SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-1 card as we used for testing the D5100.  Like its predecessor, the review camera powered-up in less than a second and shut down almost instantly.  

      When the viewfinder was used for shot composition, we measured an average capture lag of 0.45 seconds, which reduced to 0.1 seconds with pre-focusing. In Live View mode, capture lag was extended to 1.3 seconds.

      Shot-to-shot times averaged 0.95 seconds when the viewfinder was used 4.5 seconds with Live View.   Shot-to-shot times with flash averaged just under five seconds.

      Image processing times were similar to those we found for the D5100. It took 0.9 seconds on average to process each JPEG file, 1.9 seconds for each NEF.RAW file and 2.8 seconds for each RAW+JPEG pair.

      In the continuous high-speed shooting mode, the review camera recorded 10 high-resolution JPEGs   in 1.8 seconds. It took 16.3 seconds to process this burst. With the continuous low-speed mode, the review camera recorded 10 high-resolution JPEGs   in 2.9 seconds. It took 16.1 seconds to process this burst.

      The buffer memory fills after six NEF.RAW files, which were recorded in one second in the continuous high. Processing time for this burst was 14.2 seconds. For RAW+JPEG pairs, the buffer limit was five frames, which were captured on 0.8 second. It took 18.3 seconds to process this burst.

      Buy this camera if:
       – You want a Nikon DSLR with ‘professional’ video recording capabilities.
       – You’d appreciate the articulating monitor and Live View capabilities.
       – You want the option of shooting raw files ““ and RAW+JPEG.
       – You require superior high-ISO performance.
       – You want an interval-timer.
       – You want a wide range of special effects and in-camera image adjustments.
       – You want a built-in flash that supports Nikon’s Creative Lighting System.
       
      Don’t buy this camera if:
       – You have legacy lenses from Nikon film cameras that you’d like to use on a new DSLR body. (Autofocusing won’t be possible with some older lenses.)
       – You require a large buffer capacity and fast image processing times for continuous raw file capture.
       

      SPECS

       Image sensor: 23.5 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor with 24.71 million photosites (24.1 megapixels effective)
       Image processor: EXPEED 3
       A/D processing: 14-bit
       Lens mount: Nikon F mount, compatible with AF-S and AF-I lenses
       Focal length crop factor: 1.5x
       Image formats: Stills ““ NEF.RAW, JPEG (Exif 2.3), RAW+JPEG; Movies ““ MOV with H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding, Linear PCM stereo audio
       Image Sizes: Stills ““ 6000 x 4000, 4496 x 3000, 2992 x 2000; Movies: 1920 x 1080, 60i (59.94 fields/s)/ 50i (50 fields/s); 1920 x 1080, 30 p (progressive)/25p/24p; 1280 x 720, 60p/50p;   640 x 424, 30p/25p
       Image Stabilisation: Lens-based
       Dust removal: Image sensor cleaning, Image Dust Off reference data (optional Capture NX 2 software required)
       Shutter speed range: 30 to 1/4000 second in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps plus Bulb and Time (requires optional ML-L3 remote control); X-synch at 1/200 sec. or slower
       Exposure Compensation: +/- 5EV in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps (P, S, A and M modes only)
       Exposure bracketing: 3 shots in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV
       Self-timer: 2, 5, 10 or 20 seconds delay; 1″“9 exposures
       Focus system: Nikon Multi-CAM 4800DX with TTL phase detection, 39 focus points (including 9 cross-type sensor), and AF-assist illuminator (range approx. 0.5″“3 m)
       Focus modes: Single-servo AF (AF-S); continuous-servo AF (AF-C); auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A); predictive focus tracking activated automatically according to subject status; Manual focus (MF) with electronic rangefinder available
       Exposure metering: TTL exposure metering using 2016-pixel RGB sensor with colour matrix metering II, centre-weighted (75% given to 8-mm circle in centre of frame) and spot (3.5mm circle, centred on selected focus point) metering patterns
       Shooting modes: Auto, flash off; programmed auto with flexible program (P); shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority auto (A); manual (M); scene modes (portrait; landscape; child; sports; close up; night portrait; night landscape; party/indoor; beach/snow; sunset; dusk/dawn; pet portrait; candlelight; blossom; autumn colours; food)
       Picture Style/Control settings: Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape; selected Picture Control can be modified; storage for custom Picture Controls
       Special Effects modes: night vision, colour sketch, miniature effect, selective colour, silhouette, high key, low key
       Live View Modes: Contrast-detect AF, face detection and subject tracking available
       Colour space options: sRGB, Adobe RGB
       Custom functions: 22
       ISO range: ISO 100 ““ 6400 in steps of 1/3 EV plus expansion to approx. 0.3, 0.7, 1, or 2 EV (ISO 25600 equivalent)
       White balance: Auto, incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade, preset manual; all except preset manual with fine-tuning
       Flash: Built-in pop-up flash; GN approx. 12 (m/ISO 100); Auto, auto with red-eye reduction, auto slow sync, auto slow sync with red-eye reduction, fill-flash, red-eye reduction, slow sync, slow sync with red-eye reduction, rear-curtain with slow sync, rear-curtain sync and off modes selectable
       Flash exposure adjustment: ““3 to +1 EV in increments of 1/3 or 1/2 EV
       Sequence shooting: Max. 5 fps (manual focus, M or S mode, shutter speed 1/250 s or faster, and other settings at default values); up to 8 NEF.RAW files, 6  RAW+JPEG pairs, 35 Large/Fine JPEGs or 100 JPEGs at other sizes
       Storage Media: SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards; UHS-I compliant
       Viewfinder:  Eye-level pentamirror with approx. 95% frame coverage; Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VII focusing screen, 17.9 mm eyepoint, approx. 0.78x magnification (50 mm f/1.4 lens at infinity), ““1.7 to +0.7 dioptre adjustment
       LCD monitor: 3-inch, vari-angle TFT monitor with approx. 921,000 dots (VGA), 170 ° viewing angle, approx. 100% frame coverage, and brightness adjustment
       Data LCD: No
       Playback functions: Full-frame and thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images or calendar) playback with playback zoom, movie playback, photo and/or movie slide shows, histogram display, highlights, auto image rotation, and image comment (up to 36 characters)
       Interface terminals: USO 2.0, HDMI (Type C Mini), PAL/NTSC video out, 3.5mm diameter  stereo mini-pin jack, accessory terminal for MC-DC2 remote controller or GP-1 GPS unit
       Power supply: EN-EL14 rechargeable lithium-ion battery; CIPA rated for approx. 500 shots/charge
       Dimensions (wxhxd): Approx. 129 x 98 x 78 mm
       Weight: Approx. 505 grams (camera body only)

       

      TESTS

      Based on JPEG files taken with the 50mm f/1.8G lens.

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       Based on NEF.RAW files converted with Adobe Camera Raw.

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      SAMPLES

       
       

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      Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.
       
       

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      Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.

      Noise-reduction processing was turned off for the images below.
       

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      30-second exposure at ISO 100, 24mm focal length, f/3.8.
       
       

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      15-second exposure at ISO 800, 24mm focal length, f/5.6.
       
       

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      5-second exposure at ISO 6400, 24mm focal length, f/7.1.
       

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      3-second exposure at ISO Hi1 (ISO 12800 equivalent), 24mm focal length, f/16.
       
       

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      3-second exposure at ISO Hi2 (ISO 25600 equivalent), 24mm focal length, f/22.
       
       

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      Flash exposure with 50mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
       
       

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      Flash exposure with 50mm focal length, ISO 800, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
       
       

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      Flash exposure with 50mm focal length, ISO 6400, 1/80 second at f/8.
       
       

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      Flash exposure with 50mm focal length, ISO Hi1, 1/80 second at f/11.
       
       

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      Flash exposure with 50mm focal length, ISO Hi2, 1/80 second at f/11.
       
       

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      18mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/250 second at f/11.
       
       

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      300mm focal length, ISO 250, 1/250 second at f/11.
       
       

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      300mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/1600 second at f/5.6.
       
       

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      300mm focal length, ISO 560, 1/15 second at f/5.6.
       
       

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      18mm focal length, ISO 100, 15 seconds at f/3.5.
       

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      A typical outdoor subject photographed with no Active D-Lighting (top), with Active D-Lighting on Auto (middle) and with the multi-shot HDR mode (bottom).

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      Shading produced by the 18-300mm lens at 50mm focal length when used for a close-up with flash.

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       Some of the in-camera effects available with the D5200:from top: Fish-Eye, Colour Sketch, Miniature, Night Vision, High Key, Low Key.
       
       

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      Still image captured while recording a video clip at Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) 50i resolution.  

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      Still frame from video clip taken with Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) 50i resolution.
       
       

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      Still frame from video clip taken with Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) 25p resolution.
       
       

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      Still frame from video clip taken with Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) 24p resolution.
       
       

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      Still frame from video clip taken with HD (1280 x 720 pixels) 50p resolution.
       
       

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      Still frame from video clip taken with 640 x 424 pixel resolution.

       Additional image samples can be found in our reviews of the AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G and AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lenses.
       
       

      Rating

      RRP: n/a; ASP: AU$950 or US$799.95 (MSRP) for body only; AU$1070 or US$899 with 18-55mm kit lens

      • Build: 8.5
      • Ease of use: 8.5
      • Autofocusing: 8.8
      • Still image quality JPEG: 8.5
      • Still image quality RAW: 8.8
      • Video quality: 8.8

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