Nikon D5200 Digital SLR with 18-55mm & 55-200mm Non-VR Lenses (Red)

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I bought this camera after weighing it against a D5300 and the D7000, and I think that I have made the right choice. The feature difference between this camera and the D5300 is not worth the price gap in my opinion, instead I spent that extra money on accessories and another lens. The camera itself is really easy to use and the learning curve of how to use all of its features is fairly steady. Ive owned my D5200 for 5 months now and will update my review as I continue to learn about more things I can do with the camera daily.

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Truth be told, I was looking to upgrade my Nikon D50 to an FX (full 35mm size image sensor) format camera when I began shopping for a new camera body. The price of those professional workhorses was unfortunately beyond my reach. I found this gem when I set my sights a little lower and I am very pleased with the outcome. The pixel count is extraordinary, yielding native 10x13 prints at 300dpi. The 11x17 prints I have made are beautiful, something I was unable to accomplish with the 6.1 megapixel D50. The camera is compact and lightweight almost to a fault. I know Ill appreciate this when traveling, but the "feel" of it is somewhat "cheaper" than Im used to from Nikon. The vari-angle LCD panel is large and bright and provides easy access to the vast majority of camera settings when not in Live View mode. In Live View, it allows framing pictures at otherwise impossible angles. (I find the shutter lag in Live View disturbing and therefore use this mode only when absolutely necessary). I like the fact that the settings and menus are navigated by using buttons, the joypad and the dial rather than a touchscreen interface. The viewfinder is kind of off-center on the camera body and it took a little getting used to before I was able to automatically center my eye on it. Once that happened I found the screen bright and the framing accurate. The toggle-able grid lines are a very useful feature. The cameras exposure settings are clearly visible. The 39 point autofocus system is fast, flexible and accurate. The various exposure setting paradigms are remarkably accurate. The embedded technology is simply amazing. Along with the numerous scene programs the 5200 offers Active D-Lighting and High Dynamic Range (HDR) modes. Each of these post-processes the image to give dramatically better results in backlit and high contrast situations. The HDR mode actually takes two images at different exposures and combines them so that both highlight and shadow detail are properly exposed in the final image. There is a calculated multiple exposure mode plus a host of special effects and in camera image editing features. All in all, an excellent addition to the Nikon line for serious amateur and light professional photography.

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Before reading my review you should know this one crucial detail. Until I took a chance and bought this camera, Ive only ever used Canons. I was actually looking to get a Canon 6D, then I checked out the specs, compared images and videos between the 6D and so many other cameras, and I went with the Nikon D5200 in the end. It really does capture an image with a slightly higher quality. Its subtle but significant. In terms of overall image quality alone, the only real advantage the Canon 6D has over the Nikon D5200 is the full-frame sensors resolution, which does give you about 2x sensitivity to light as well. But full-frame DSLRs arent right for everyone, and they incur extra expenses for more specific lenses as well. If youre after image-quality, video-quality, versatility, and affordability, Id say this is the best DSLR you can get for under $1k USD. In fact, hands down, I truly believe this DSLR even has the best quality image you can get for under $2k USD. Again, Im not a fanboy of Nikon or Canon or Sony or Pentax or anything. Ive used a Toshiba VHS camcorder, a Sony point-and-shoot, a Panasonic Mini-DV camcorder, a Canon DSLR, a Kodak disposable, and anything else that worked well and made sense... I dont care what the brand is or how expensive or "pro" it is. All I care about it is: How good is the image quality, and is it designed well enough to easily master using it? The second point I can throw out the window if the image quality is that much better than its competitors, but that isnt the case here either. Its a great camera all around PROS: 1.5x crop sensor Vs. Canons 1.6x (very close to a 35mm cinema camera crop-factor) 6000 x 4000 resolution with 15.3 µm² pixel size (Image is sharp, colors are detailed and very accurate!) 921k dot LCD resolution which is more than you even need for the screen size. Shoots .NEF RAW... (Get the free plugin from Adobe if you use Photoshop or Lightroom) Battery lasts a very long time when not shooting (about 500 shots when shooting) 30 second to 1/4000 of a second exposure range. Discrete built-in flash with multiple modes / Shoe for external flash 24.2 bit color depth, 13.9 EV Dynamic range (tones are detailed, colors are rich and vivid! ISO can go up to 1200 in almost any scenario before getting noisy Compatible with almost all Nikon Lenses Has a built-in help system, accessible on the fly, for every single feature and setting! Shoots HDR precomposed in camera or by bracketing multiple exposures to combine later. This baby can capture a crisp and beautiful image! The resolution is large enough, the dynamic range and color depth are wide enough, and the ISO efficiency is so good, I can take a low-light photo of a streetlamp at night, crop out a third of the image, blow it up to the originals size, and still have a crisp, clear, vivid, and noiseless image that I could print at 13x20 inches and hang on a wall, or sell at a gallery. The noise is so low, and the images are so sharp that you could easily blow up an un-cropped image to twice the captured size (26x40 inches) and it would still look fantastic. I was taken aback when I took this little guy out for its first night shoot. Of course, a little know-how and some trial and error plays a role, but I was amazed by how accurately this sensor represents colors. I took a picture of some flowers in the immediate foreground against a backdrop of a park in the midground and a downtown strip in the far distance. Despite the street lighting, the moonlight, the neon signs, and all the little details in the store fronts, cars, trees, grass, benches, cobblestone walkway, and the telephone poll about a mile away... The picture I took was a spitting image of what I saw with my own eyes. Maybe even a little better. From the flowers in the foreground to the telephone poll far away, everything looked clean and clear and as it was in life. I was about 50 yards away from the storefronts with a 35mm lens, and I could still make out license plates in the photo. If I had focused to infinity, I probably could have made out the plates from even further away. Just as an example! Thats not a regular habit or a hobby of mine. hahaha... CONS: Definitely not 100% intuitive menu settings... Read the manual before using to avoid possible confusion. ISO does not have its own button/dial, however its very easy to get used to using the "function" button for this. Menu system works well, but organization feels a bit chaotic and crammed in certain menu tabs. Nikon doesnt distinguish much between photography and videography. READ MANUAL to get familiar with all settings! Non-CPU manual lenses can only be used in Manual Mode. Would be nice to at least have auto ISO/Exposure as an option. The (BRONZE) paint job is not a matte finish like it looks in every photo you see. Its a glossy finish like the red version. PART 2 ~ THE LENSE: The Kit lens feels a little cheap compared more expensive lenses, but it actually performs very well. I used it a couple times and went immediately back to my primes though, but thats because Im more comfortable with them. I dont know what to do with a zoom lense, so this was a great opportunity to get a pretty decent one to experiment with for a good price. For these reasons, I cant really comment on the lense that comes in the kit. All I know is its much more highly praised than any other kit lense for this camera. Ill have to use it more to see how it holds up to my primes.

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This camera has served me very well. I have been using it for 4 years straight with amazing results. As I have progressed as a photographer, I have realized that there are certain situations which really call for more some of the features offered in higher end models than this, but I would definitely suggest this (or any of the newer models of this) camera to anyone who is just starting to feel serious about learning photography. This camera is a great instrument to learn with. The articulating screen (it can actually pull out and swing around, not just tilt up and down) has proven to be amazingly useful for astrophotography, macro shots, self portraits, etc.

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I imagine most are coming to this camera as either an upgrade to a point and shoot, or as a next step from a lesser Dslr. My needs are a little different, so bear that in mind when you read this. This will be primarily a camera used for a studio setup, as I dont need weather sealing, high FPS, or super fast/accurate AF. That said, here are the things that I note. Both pro and Con. Pros: 1. Excellent resolution (and I would be the 5300 is better still in this area) that tops out well above what I have needed in the past (about 16mp) 2. Very nice ergonomics and handling. The feel in your hand (I have medium hands) is comfy and just large enough to feel "real". 3. Af is better that I experienced with the D5100, or even the D7k (both previous studio bodies for me). 4. The menu layout has minor improvements that I find are just notable enough to feel better than its predecessor. 5. The colors out of camera seem closer to reality with this than either the 5100, or 7k bodies were. Not as nice as the D700s though. 6. Swivel screen is perfect for me, esp. when using it to get low angle shots of kids and pets. Cons: 1. The position of the AFL/AEL button (which I use for AF-on), is slightly off to the thumb. Too far out IMO. 2. 1/4000th a tad slow. Above average functionality and great files are what make this a very good camera for my current use. For what the market seeks when looking at this sort of camera, it does very well. Even along side the best competitors, it easily holds its own IMO. Is it up for the task? Yes. Are the images it can produce pretty good (allowing for the skill behind the camera, and the lens in front)? - No, its not pretty good, its excellent overall. Will it make toast and tuck you in at night? Well if that was what you hoped for, you were looking in the wrong place anyhow. EDIT: Nikon updated the firmware today, and fixed the only real bug this camera suffers from. Namely the AF-on functionality during certain shooting setups.

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This camera, to my knowledge, has the highest quality of any camera thats under $2000 (see DXO Marks scores. Its even better than the D7100). So far, I have enjoyed this camera and I intend to shoot some landscapes too. I have been using this camera for a little while now and I can say I really am impressed with the image quality. I can shoot with higher ISO settings (ISO 640-2500 is common for me, even 3200 will do in a pinch) than I used to with my previous camera (Canon Xsi), which is a pretty good camera back in the day. I love the Picture Control function. It allows me to customize my JPEG shots. I shoot BOTH Raw and JPEG and use the JPEG format more often, mainly because I have already (with the Picture Control setting) made my image the way I want so I dont have to spend a lot of time in Photoshop trying to make the picture I envisioned in the first place. Plus, you can customize the Picture Control settings exactly the way you want. And I this review would not be complete without a REASON for why, after 33 years with Canon, I switched to Nikon. You see, I love in-camera special effects. In fact, my favorite technique is multiple exposures. But when I was 16 years old, Canon did not have a camera (for under $1000) that could do that. So, I waited. And I waited. I waited 33 years and Canon still did not make one so I switched to Nikon. This particular camera (D5200) has two different multiple exposure capabilities, one for JPEG (you can choose 2 or 3 exposures to overlap)and one for RAW. The Raw one is interesting. It lets you choose ANY two images on the memory card (they must be RAW format images) and you can control how bright each image will be in the final picture. I LOVE my Nikon! Now of the not so good part. Theres always a down side to everything. And Nikon is no exception to that generalization either. The only two flaws that I can see with this camera is 1) the battery life is short. But this can be remedied by purchasing a battery grip (off brand names are inexpensive, under $100) and 2) the 18-55 kit lens that came with the body is pretty cheaply made (I recommend purchasing the body only and getting an independent lens, i.e. Tamrons 18-200mm zoom. It sells for under $200 here on Amazon). This camera is worth every penny! Add to cart!:)

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I havent had time to use it much, but I like it so far. The Live View is handy for the way I use it, but it drains the battery very quickly. Other than that - its a Nikon, whats not to like! It has a lot more features than I will ever use. Camera manufacturers seem to think that their customers want more and more unusual features. I just want a camera that is easy to use, solidly built, and makes extremely sharp images. The multi-point focus points are about useless - the camera has no idea what I want to be in focus, and it usually focuses on the wrong thing. The closest object or the one with the most contrast is NOT usually what I want in focus. When using auto-focus, I try to lock it to the single focus point in the middle of the screen, so I can focus it where I want. Ive been using Nikon cameras since 1962 (yeah, thats 52 years), and now have four of them, as well as five other brands, so I know how to use one, and how I want it to behave, but of course, NIkon, and all the other high-tech companies never ask their customers what they actually want. They just cram in more functions that make them look more high-tech than their competitors. They want to advertise that their gizmo has more whatzits than the other guys, so their gadget HAS to be better. More is not always better. More functions just make it more complicated and harder to use. Anything that has to have an 88 page book of instructions to explain all the gee-whiz functions no one really needs is just too darned complicated! The attached photo of the night sky is full-frame - just reduced in size to attach. This was taken at 18mm, manually focused using Live View, and spans from Orion, to the star, Sirius, on the left.

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My wife is getting into photography and Ive noticed she sometimes loses a shot when she changes out lenses. Shes been using a D5100, and is really getting the hang of the editing functions available. The last time I really was into photography I was using 35mm film. Life and work got in the way. Ive used the D5100 a couple of times, and fell it produces great quality photos. The features really expand your options. The D5200 is a step up, with a couple more features available. Its also compatible with a larger memory card, so more pictures between downloads. Checked the Nikon website, and noticed there are firmware updates available for both cameras. About 2 hours and both cameras will be up to date, and ready to go.

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I just recently purchased the Nikon D5200 18-55mm and I have to say that it has been an amazing experience thus far. This was my first DSLR camera buy ever, so if youre looking for a review from by an actual expert, this is not the review for you. However, if youre shopping for yourself or someone else with very little experience and want an honest review, look no further. I was shopping around for months trying to find the perfect camera for my needs (Im trying to become a cameraman) that wasnt a substantial amount of money, as these things can go in to the tens of thousands for a really high quality camera. After months of research, it came down to this model, D5200, and the Nikon D3200. Both had very similar specs, and both had been reviewed highly as quality beginner/intermediate cameras. But the Nikon D5200 had the movable LCD screen, which has been a phenomenal bonus especially during shooting videos. Let me start this out by saying that the quality of this camera was far beyond what I expected, producing incredible quality shots and videos all from a simple kit lens. Ive had this camera about 4 months now, and it has never let me down. The placing of the buttons is beyond comfortable, and the camera sits nicely in your hands. The only problem i have faced is the focal length of the lens, which can easily be changed by picking up a lens that fits your focal needs. Another bonus to owning a DSLR camera. Otherwise, this camera is AMAZING. Honestly. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in beginning camera work of any type, as the versatility of this camera is beyond your average point and shoot.

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This is simply a great camera. Low light is not a problem with this bit of kit, especially while using a F1.8 35mm prime. Even without a low f-stop, this camera performs very well in low light. Noise with ISO 1200 and below is almost non-existent except for black areas. Feature set is very nice and 4-5 frames a second is no problem. Video looks great, although there is just a bit of softness that can be cleaned up in post. The audio leaves a lot to be desired, especially when the source is at a distance. Somewhat be expected though. Neewer TT560 boot flash for about $30 is a great addition to this kit and definitely recommended. Articulating screen is great for tough shots, although there is about a 1/4 second delay with the shutter in the mode. Live mode and video will eat your battery though. Overall I am extremely happy with this camera.

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