Отзывы о Фотоаппарат Nikon D7100 Kit

I shoot semi-pro (i.e. about 10-12 events a year) and have used the D90 very successfully since literally the first day is was available as body only. I am a big Nikon fan, ever since my N70.I finally upgraded to the 7100 after reading so many amazing reviews and the feeling that my D90 was aging and I was getting afraid to take responsibility. My back-up is a D70s, so now I use the 7100 with my D90 as backup.1. Yes, the image quality is great. But, I do not see a huge improvement over the D90. And I have some very good glass. Chromatic aberration is bad. Also 24MP is more than 99% of what your images need. I like the idea that the D4s is only 16mp. Far smarter. (Wish I can afford that)2. I love having dual cards. But this is more for peace of mind, than any real improvement in my images.3. Like the U settings, the S C ring and their locks. But again this is not something that directly affects images.However, there are some things, that really bug me as a working photographer.1. The 2 stage shutter button stinks. The D90's is better, even after almost 50k actuations. The 7100's first stage is mushy and not crisp. I keep missing the focus when I need critical focus with f1.4 lenses, because the mushiness makes it harder to feel. So when I think I am in focus lock, and recompose, I am actually NOT in focus lock resulting in the lens continuing to hunt. And so I miss the shot. Fooi. So yes, with practice I am getting better at feeling the exact spot, but seriously? This is a HUGE flaw. Huge.2. Button placement of Live is bad and far worse than the D90. (I use it to compose when "holding the camera up high over my head"). YMMV.3. The red flaring is useless hard cheap plastic, not the slightly rubbery feel of the D90. Which gives the D90 a slightly better grip. <-- nit pick, I know.4. They moved the + button up 2 spaces. Why, oh why? The first thing you do when you critically examine a photo is to zoom in. So why move the button to a place you need to look at the buttons every time, instead of being to feel the lowest button?5. Ditto regarding the View/Play button. Why recess it and move it from the top spot?6. The focus spot lock button is not firm enough either.In summary, of course the 7100 is a much more advanced camera. But honestly, I am beginning to regret this purchase. The D90 is still a very very good camera, and if you don't pixel peep,or need 51 focus points it is hard to see the difference with 90% of your photos. Wait till the 7200 or something.

I have been a Nikon user for many years and I shoot semi pro here and there when needed. I don't need too many features to take a shot and I don't need to spend a fortune either just for bragging rights but would like a good all around camera. I have known many great photographers from the past that can best anything with simple old school devices so the "features" in these newer cameras are questionable.The D90 was my previous DSLR and worked well with a very good low light sensor. I found myself using the video feature more than I expected and without a continuous auto focus in video, the D90 was not cutting it. In sunlight you can not see the LCD well enough to manually focus video so it had to go. The D7100 was the closest replacement (Nikon) but with an auto focus video mode so I opted for it.Once received, I immediately generated a set of indoor test images between the D90 and the D7100 using controlled lighting, same lenses, settings, etc. In a blind test with a fellow photographer, he was barely able to choose the D7100 over the D90 in 2/3's of the hundreds of images -- I could hardly tell the difference either. There are some features with the shutter speed that is better with the D7100 but overall it is a minor upgrade at best in image quality.The D7100, even with the 51-point focus, still suffers from poor logic in any and all modes for focus. Like all other Nikon's I have had, I end up using point focus or just go manual when it counts as the software does not know what to focus on for the most part. Even simple tests I have made it is a hit or miss what it does for auto focus. It would be nice to leave that aspect alone when shooting sometimes but I can't it seems. The focus gets much worse as the light trails off which you may expect given the contrast detection I assume it uses in the algorithm since the only time it gets it right is in bright light. My friend's D800 seems to be very similar in our tests for auto focus logic (or lack thereof).I still find myself just going near full manual to get a shot I really care about all in all. I would like to simply use an auto mode and hand the camera off to a friend to take some images I would be in, but I can never trust these Nikons to do the right thing. I often just bring a point and shoot for those times to make sure I at least get a shot of some kind. Would be nice to rely on one camera though.The video mode works well enough but also has odd focus problems, but at least it has something to help when you can not see the LCD well enough in bright outdoor light. If it was not for the lenses I have for it I may just use an HD point and shoot for video as it usually handles focus better for some reason -- lacks image quality of course.\Overall it has been so-so. The battery does not last as long as in the D90 either.I may consider other makes next time as this price range for Nikon is seemingly just upped megapixel rehashes of the past with mostly more bells and whistles.

Being the previous owner of a d5100, I bought this camera with high expectations.51 focus points 'improved' focus system? 24 Mpixel? No anti-aliasing filter? 'sharpest and best DX Nikon camera ever'? I'm sold!Unfortunately, the reality of this camera does not live up to this at all. I received this camera and popped my 50 mm 1.4D on it, and started taking some shots inside. The first thing i noticed is the graininess of the photos. Checked ISO, 600 - 800 and this much grain? hmm, red flag number 1. My d5100's 16 Mpixel sensor was quieter than this.The next thing i noticed; many of the photos weren't properly focused. Uh oh. Red flag number 2.How could this be? Does nikon really not know how to make cameras that focus? They've been making cameras for 100 years. I took many more (approx. 1000) test shots in various lighting conditions and on various targets over the next few days, mostly at F 2 - 2.8 with the 50 and my 35 mm 1.8. If i did a rain dance to the gods, stood on one foot, patted my head and rubbed my stomach first, I could MAYBE get 50% of the shots to be in focus. So let me get this straight, I pay 1200 dollars for a camera, and it is in focus half the time? Nice try, Nikon.I tried all sorts of camera settings including the spiffy AF fine tune, and that didn't seem to help at all. Sometimes at would be front focus, sometimes it was back focus, sometimes spot on. Changing the focus point didn't seem to help much.What good are 51 focus points if the thing is never in focus? Ol' trusty d40 had less than a tenth of the focus points and that thing was 90% spot on.Some other things of note:1. I'm convinced that the 1.3 crop mode is a marketing ploy to get uninformed consumers to think they are getting 'extra length' from their lenses. All it is is a crop mode. The only thing you get is maybe a frame per second extra speed.2. The locking buttons for the mode dials are actually VERY useful. However, the awkward lower shutter mode dial is, well, awkward to use. Maybe if it had a textured finish it would be better.3. I put on my external Nikon SB-600 flash and was not getting consistent results. A lot of the time the photos were overexposed. This worked flawlessly on both D5100 and D60.4. After having it for a week, I was starting to see dust spots on the sensor at small apertures (high f numbers). If this happens to you, do the sensor cleaning function, it seems to help a lot.5. The LCD is fixed, which is a good thing. One of my main complaints about the d5100 was the lcd getting dust inside it since the edges weren't encased in the camera due to the gimmicky swivel feature.6. A great feature of the D5100 was that you could half-way press the shutter button and the viewfinder would light up the ISO that it will be shooting at. This was a great feature. Nikon for some reason removed this feature with the D7000, and kept it removed with the d7100. WHY? No one knows. Nice job Nikon. They have it on the D600.Another comment is probably too many megapixels goin' on here. The only people who would use 24 megapixels are professionals who are printing at large sizes, and need the massive resolution - which i would wager is a small segment of who uses this camera. Not amateurs that are posting pictures on facebook.It would have been nice if they kept the same amount of focus points and made them better, rather than trying to put ZOMG 51 focus points OMG!Rather than deal with Nikon (lack of) service, i opted to just return the camera. RETURNed, not replaced. Need I say more?UPDATE 8-24-13Forgot to post here, I returned this second copy of D7100, just too many quality control issues. I went with the D600, whose Image quality blows this thing out of the water. It's funny how night and day the two cameras DX anf FX are. Nikon clearly does more quality control on the higher end models. Couldn't be happier!

To give some background, I started out with a D40 (entry level DSLR) back in 2008. Had that for a couple of years and felt it was time to upgrade. I went a step up in class to a D5100 in 2011. Really enjoyed this camera, it's abilities, and it's additional (manual) controls. Towards the end of this year, I decided it was time to upgrade to the next class and step into the D7xxx class. I decided on the D7100 because the D7000 was similar (in many ways) to my D5100, which shared the same sensor. As a side note, I don't feel that getting the newer version of a camera in the same class is an upgrade. Maybe if you waiting a 2-3 versions, but not the next one. There isn't typically that many features that would persuade me to go from a D7000 to a D7100 based off of my friends (2 of them own the D7000) and what I've read about the D7100. But, for me, the D7100 was the next logical choice.I'm not sure what I can say that hasn't already been written in previous reviews, so let me try from a different angle. I'll discuss some of the items that are not typically listed on a spec sheet or a comparison list:Larger camera (body) size isn't always a negative. We live in a world were small (and faster, of course) is typically better when technology is involved. But with cameras, especially for me and my larger hands, bigger is better. The mid-size D7100 just feels more comfortable in my hands compared to the Compact size of the D40, D3xxx/Dxxx classes of Nikons. The D7100 also has the ability to add on a (Nikon) battery grip for increased battery life and better ergonomics when it comes to taking portraits. The D7100 also has weather sealing, so if you like to continue some level of photography after the rain or snow begins to fall, this is a better option than the entry level classes. Another nice option is that the D7100 has the ability to mount a teleconverter to extend the range of the telephoto lenses.My recommendation is if you are new to photography or new to DSLR photography, the D7100 is probably not the best economical choice. It's relatively complex and many manual controls. Opting for a D3xxx or D5xxx series camera is probably a better buy. They are replaced with a new version just about on a yearly basis, so you can find last year's model pretty cheap.If you already have a D3xxx or D5xxx and feel like you are starting to hit it's potential and/or would like more manual control of the settings (instead of diving into the menus to changes settings), the D7xxx series is probably your best choice. Unless you are coming from a D5100 or D5200, the D7000 is a great economical purchase. It has great abilities.If you are coming from a D5100 (like me) or D5200/D5300, the D7100 is the better choice in this price range. The D600/D610 and D800 are somewhat of a different animal, are more expensive (although the D600 oil issue is driving the price down), and may cause you to spend more money to get rid of your DX lenses and opt for the FX lenses.I hope you found this review useful.

This is a great camera to grow into if you are new to photography or just making the switch from a point and shoot or even upgrading to your first DSLR from a manual camera.I am making the switch from a manual camera (Nikon F2) to a DSLR after many years away from Photography. While the options this camera provides are a little overwhelming at first, i find great comfort in the ability to take the camera to a fully manual mode for everyday shooting while I adjust. It's funny, because while this is my first DSLR, I feel like I have had this camera much longer than I actually have thanks to the simple and consistent way Nikon lays out their controls, if you have owned a Nikon in the past, you will find the D7100 immediately familiar in many ways.There are plenty of places to review and compare the specs of this camera, so I wont go into them here, but I will tell you what I think is great about this camera.While it may be more camera than some people need, I am a fan of buying the best I can afford and simply grow into it, this saves money over the long term. I don't imagine I will ever need more than the 24 megapixels the D7100 provides.The camera is light but solid with a very well balanced feel, I never feel as though it will slip from my hand and the grip is comfortable, although it may be a bit of a stretch for someone with smaller hands (I am six feet tall with larger hands).The camera is quiet and responsive, the buttons provide solid tactile feedback, you can easily operate the D7100 in the dark. The LCD screen on the back is crisp and bright, it reminds me of the clarity of the retina display on Apple products.Coming from a 35mm film camera (full frame) to a DX (crop sensor) takes a bit of getting used to because the angle of view is much tighter. Even though I educated myself about the differences between full frame and crop, seeing it with your own eyes really drives home how different they really are. For example, I also purchased the AF-S Nikkor 50mm 1.4 G with the body instead of opting for the kit lense and what you see with the 50 mm with a crop sensor on Nikon is equal to a 75 mm lense since nikon uses a crop factor of 1.5 (50 x 1.5= 75). This makes for a tighter frame, definitely not a deal breaker by any means, but it is something you should be keenly aware of since it will affect which lenses you purchase and how you take your photographs.There are so many in camera options for the D7100, I highly recommend you RTFM and keep it with you as it will save you much frustration as you learn the equipment.Here are some of my favorite options:* single frame multiple exposure* exposure bracketing* intervalometer* dual card slotThe only complaint I have is regarding battery life, it's a little too short for me. For example, I went on a photo walk recently and ended up taking about 200 shots, by the time I was done the battery was 3/4 depleted. Admittedly I have no basis for comparison, but it felt as though I was being limited by the battery life instead of my own will. Do yourself a favor and purchase a second battery to carry with you. They are relatively cheap but are infinitely valuable.I have only owned the D7100 for a month now so I have not been able to fully explore all it has to offer like the video capabilities.As I stated before, this will be a great camera to grow into.

We had been researching cameras for the last couple of years, saving up for just the right one. And I am so not disappointed! This camera has and does it all!...and it has every potential to grow with your abilities...There are two memory slots so you have back up or can use one for recording and one for pics to keep them separate. There is an attachment available to have a back up battery as well, but it is a separate purchase. The crisp, clear pictures are beyond anything I have had from an essentially point and shoot camera. This is great for beginners as well as those more experienced...and anyone in between. You can make this as automatic or as manual as you would like...completely personalized for the best experience. There is a menu knob on top as well as menus for each setting. They are all pretty easy to utilize and customize. The manual gives step by step directions on much of it to make it even easier. The battery lasts quite long, depending on the mode you use it in and what settings you are using. Recording and using the option to see on the screen as apposed to in the viewer will definitely decrease the battery life. Even then, it lasts a few hours.It does not come with a lens, but I honestly love that. You can save the money from buying the standard "kit" type packages and buy what you really want. Also, if upgrading, the lenses on other Nikons work the same on this one. I already had two lenses, so I use them on this and they are fabulous. There are two different types of lens though...I have the regular, run of the mill, out of the box lenses... and it works with them as easily as the more professional AFs.The ONLY downsides I have found are the bulk, manual (sort of), and price. This camera is a bit heavier than my previous D3200. With the added battery back up, it is even larger and heavier. This is definitely not a little pocket camera for you to pull out quickly and shoot. The price is definitely on the expensive side as well...but buying it on black Friday saved me a ton! I am not sure I would have bought it for the normal price...not that it isn't completely worth it, but I am not a professional and that kind of money is a lot to me. The manual is HUGE! There are so many functions and options, it has to be. However, it is beautifully arranged to find what you need quickly...and it makes it much easier to go from point and shoot to knowing what you are doing by adjusting settings and picking schemes.I know people personally that use this camera for their photography businesses and absolutely love it as well...one of the reasons I was leaning toward it.

I received my D7100 yesterday afternoon and shot some pictures that are posted here, "a picture is worth a thousand words." I had the Nikkor 28-300 mounted so I was getting a 35 mm equivalent of 42-600 mm with the 1.3 crop factor feature. Note this is an FX lens. I have never encountered this before, but Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom have not caught up with being able to process the D7100 RAW files, so all my images posted here were converted in Nikon NX2. Using NX2, you can do some crude editing (adequate for some, perhaps) and can convert to jpegs or 8/16 bit tiffs. All were shot handheld at f/8, ISO 200 (except for the tulips, ISO 1600) at shutter speeds ranging from 1/500 to 1/1000 (sunset was shot at 1/60, tripod mounted). Original raw files are 24 megapixels and were quickly transferred via USB 3.0 reader from Kensington. Operation of the D7100 is essentially identical to the D7000, which I gave to my daughter. A few minor differences, but nothing significant. Using the "i" button on the back of the camera makes switching between DX and 1.3 crop mode VERY simple; this would be great for bird stalking if you need a little more reach or sports where the 51 focus points would essentially cover the FOV. In DX mode, you get 24mp, in 1.3 crop mode, something less than 16mp. I think the best aspect of this is the way the focus points cover the entire width of the image area.After shooting the quick "one offs" posted here, I would have to pronounce this camera "sweet." I like the DX format and the 1.3 crop factor. Expeed 3 processor seems comparable to my 800E. IQ seems terrific. Dynamic range is superb, but hard to completely tell at this point without proper software. Bottom line, while some may scoff at this model as merely evolutionary, to me, it continues the very strong reputation of the D7000, and "son of D7000" is not too shabby a moniker ;) I have encountered no QC issues with the images, sensor, or other bits, but I have only had the camera for less than a day. I will update this if things change. I loved my D7000; I can tell I am going to love the D7100 as well. I will use this camera primarily for bird and animal stalking, but may also take it when I don't want to risk my D800E (the D7100 IQ is terrific enough and the camera is weather sealed as well).PS A note about moire. The D7100 doesn't have an anti-aliasing filter, the 800E neutralizes the AA filter's effects. With my 800E, I have NEVER seen problems with moire (after a few thousand images) and I don't see why the D7100 would be a concern in this regard. Yes, I am aware of all the technical caveats. You can see more of my work at on my website if you want to see more (just click on "drdvde" above to see the link.)UPDATE 4/3/13: Just returned from a trip to Arches National Park. D7100 performed terrifically. Using the 1.3x crop factor, I can get an effective 600 mm from my Nikkor 28-300 mm zoom FX lens. Pictures were sharp, but two issues are important until Adobe provides compatible software. It is possible to "hack" the exiv data of the raw camera files using the exiftool program (google it!) so that ACR and Lightroom and Photoshop thing their dealing with a D5200 file. This works reasonably well with DX mode images (program works flawlessly, but the process is convoluted). In 1.3x crop mode, however, things come to a halt. You can view your images in Bridge, but you can't ge them to load into ACR and they cannot be converted to DNG format by Adobe DNG Converter. You'd be limited to converting to jpeg or tiff using Nikon ViewNX2, as shown in some of my images above.UPDATE later 4/3/13: Adobe DNG Converter v7.4 and Lightroom v4.4 now support the D7100

Note: This is not a full review - this review only addresses the auto-focus issue.I own 5 Nikon bodies: D5000, D7000, D700, D600, and now the D7100. With the exception of the D7000 (I have not 'tested' my D600 yet), EACH camera has had an AF issue; that issue being a front-focus problem. The D5000 has no internal AF fine-tune, so I sent that in for calibration. The D700 I have set on +16, and now the D7100 set on +12. As I mentioned, I haven't 'tested' the D600 yet, but it appears from general shooting the AF is ok. My D7000 has been the only body that is spot-on AF so far.Let me ask you, what is the single most important element needed for taking good, sharp photos? That's right - the focus. It doesn't matter how good your equipment or your technique is if you can't nail exact focus - your photos will be sub-par. With that said, why doesn't Nikon pay extra special attention to this? If I'm paying $1,000-2,000 for a piece of equipment - I want the most important element dead-on.There are many sophisticated items available to check your AF, but here's a simple quick-check that I do:--------------------------------------------------------------**Set your camera up on a tripod**Get out a tape ruler and place it on the floor in front of the camera (I use a Stanley 25 foot)**Set your camera/lens to it's lowest number f-stop (test with different lenses - some may be in the lens only)**Set your AF to single-point and set your focus to AF-S mode**Focus in on the nearest foot mark to the camera - take a photo**Repeat on next, farther foot mark - work your way out a few feet (5-10 photos or so)**Check the photos on your computer - zoom in.--------------------------------------------------------------As you review the photos, if your AF is dead-on, the numbers and marks in front of and in back of your reference point (foot mark you were focused on) should be equally in focus and gradually equally blurring in proportion to the distance from your AF point. If they aren't - you need adjustment. Now I know this isn't a dead-accurate focus test, but it will give you a general idea.And note, I didn't begin this testing because I was looking for focus problems. After I noticed numerous photos were not "perfect", in certain cameras, I decided to do some testing - this is why I haven't tested the D600 yet - all appears to be OK with that one. Also note, I have tested the bodies with multiple lenses - the problem is in the bodies of the camera.Anyhow, I hope this information helps you create better images.*********The 3 stars is based on the AF issue only***********, otherwise the D7100 seems like a very nice camera so far.

Back in 1997 I began with the Nikon Coolpix 900 followed by the Nikon 4500 (which I still have and love).In 2005 I got my first Nikon DSLR the D70 followed by a D90, D200, D7000, D7100 and currently the D600.All have been wonderful cameras but I am now seriously considering downgrading back to the D7100.I shoot lots of photos of all kinds of subjects, just for the joy of it!The D7100 with it's APS-C sensor gets the 1.5x crop factor boost on my lenses ...They start with the 10-24 DX Nikon followed by the 24-85 VR Nikon, the 70-300 VR Nikon and 50mm f/1.8D lenses.That crop factor boost turns my 70-300 into a quite effective 105-450 lens which I really miss with my FX full frame D600.BTW Both my D600 and the D7100 produce amazing 24 megapixel images!But getting a lens for my full frame D600 that equals the quality I get with the 70-300 VR Nikon lens on my D7100 at the equivalent of 450mm is a real problem!Not only are those lenses expensive but they also are big and very heavy and I like to handhold when I'm shooting fast moving birds.I've tried cropping the images from the D600 but the image quality after the cropping suffers.The D600 also has a "DX crop mode" but that only produces images that are 10.5 megapixels and these suffer even more when printed big.The D7100 had a very useful feature they called the "4/3rds Crop" which turns on a frame line inside of the optical viewfinder showing the cropped area and the images it produces are 15 megapixels with an even, 2x lens crop factor which for shooting smaller birds was perfect ... turning my 70-300 effectively into a 140-600 mm equivalent lens and the 15 megapixel images print wonderfully, showing every feather crystal clear, even in large 13" x 19" prints!My only quandary is that the low light performance of the much larger pixel sites on the FX full frame sensor on my D600 is unbelievably great! And, other than when shooting birds, the images I get with the D600 make beautiful large prints, too!My suggestion is that you carefully consider what your photographic subjects are and let that be your guide as to which camera you buy. Good luck!

I decided to replace my 6-year-old D300 with the D7100 after comparing images and reviews for the D300, D7100, and D610. The price, focal point coverage across the sensor, number of focal points, and size and weight of the D610 were always on my negatives list.I'm not a fan of megapixel wars, and would give up pixels for better noise performance or better over-all image quality. Comparing high and normal ISO images, I could see the D7100 beat my D300 and came very close to the D610. I tested actual raw/NEF images from each camera and found that the D7100 images cleaned up very nicely with my current work flow (I'm now using Adobe Creative Cloud). So, image quality to me was better than what I currently had and very close to the more expensive D610.The inclusion of the 18-140 lens for a fraction of it's typical $600 was very pleasing. I used the Nikon 18-135 as my general use lens and loved it, this version with VR is promising to be even better. The only downside I saw was the FramesPerSecond that couldn't keep up with my old D300 when used with my battery grip.In general, the machine-gun approach isn't practical for me for more than a second anyway. But it is handy. Believe it or not, one trick I used to set people at ease is to shout out "Work with me!" and blast out rapid shots. They realizing I'm having fun with them, smile, and I get that one good candid shot.I decided that I like the 1.3x crop feature for the speed benefits and shooting 7fps in JPG cropped mode will probably do me well enough.I doubt I will ever use the scenes, effects, or even video, because it's just not what I do. But, it takes great images and I have used ISO upto 6400 without problems (in my D300 I would never go above 3200). Combined with the 18-140, I am very pleased and expect many years of service from the camera.UPDATE:I wanted to add one note regarding the Frames Per Second burst rate: I had a Sony 40ms 16G SDHC card, a SanDisk Extreme 16G card, and purchased a SanDisk Extreme Pro 32G. I did a test to see how many RAW/NEF images I could shoot in 5 seconds (that seemed like more than my typical burst length). Each card shot about 6FPS until the buffer filled up, then you could hear the lag as the buffer was written. In the end, the Sony averaged 12 shots in 5 seconds, the SanDisk Extreme averaged 17, and the SanDisk Extreme Pro averaged 25 shots. Getting about 5fps on average works fine for me. So with a really fast ExtemePro card I can see a difference and I'm pleased. That negates my last negative concern about this camera.

Background:I have been shooting Nikon and Other Brands DSLRS for Several Years.I own several Prime and Zoom Lens of both High End and Lower End, and I never leave my home without a camera in my hand. Now that we have established that I know how to use a Camera we can move on.Since I was looking to upgrade from a D7000 to a D7100, this will be mainly D7000 VS D7100. I won't get into comparing them with the D600 FX.Having a D7000 I have been a big fan of Nikon for years and I was looking forward having a D7100. I spent about 2 weeks looking at reviews all over the internet, comparing, and comparing, until I decided to finally purchase the D7100.Out of the BoxFirst thing I noticed was that it feels of cheaper build than the D7000, and that the shutter release also didn't feel or sounded as smooth as I had hoped. I just didn't get the feeling that I was using a better version of my D7000.Also there were Oil Marks on the camera out of the box. :( (If you are not comfortable doing wet cleaning, this might be a big issue for you)Shooting /Image Quality I had to shoot JPG for two main reasons, 1) No RAW support at the time 2) In-Camera HDR only works with JPG.Out of the box photos taken with the D7100 look sharper but also grainer in comparison with the D7000 Even at Low ISOs. YES even at Low ISO. (I didn't want to believe this, since I really wanted to like the D7100)I liked the HDR feature, since I could have an OK HDR picture in seconds to share it on the Internet. However, I wanted to get natural looking pictures, but I usually ended up with pictures looking like a Beginner's Photoshop Homework, but I really hope this was just me, since I want this feature to work properly on this or future Nikon cameras.Focusing/PointsThe 51 Focusing points were very nice to use, especially at the 1.5 X Cropped modes, but nothing really worth the update from a D7000. (This doesn't give your lens extra reach precisely, it just means the picture is cropped, allowing you to use only the juicy part of your lens and to shoot faster)I must say that I did not get any back or front focusing, but also didn't get that great improvement that I was hoping for in the D7100, in fact a few times while shooting, the camera wouldn't focus fast enough.Pros D710051 Focusing PointsIn-Camera HDRMore Mega PixelsSharper ImagesCons D7100Grainer PhotosBuild Quality could be an Issue. (Oil Marks, Cheaper Feel, etc.)(I hope I just had a Bad Apple)ConclusionI will probably be repeating what I have read many times before, but I had to experience it myself first hand to really get it.If you have a D7000, you already have a great camera, use the money to get better lens, probably even go FX. (I hate to say this since I really wanted to keep the D7100)If you are coming from anything lower than a D7000 and you have the extra few dollars to burn, the D7100 is a good option, although probably getting the D7000 and maybe a 50mm 1.8G and/or a 35mm 1.8G would be a better choice.Note:I have returned my D7100, and decided to wait for maybe a newer version of the D600 FX.I believe that if you are looking for something above the d7000 you will have to go Full Frame to really see a huge difference on your everyday shooting.

Nikon has finally done it! I tried the D7000 and made numerous comparisons with other camera brands, but for the money and name, you can't go wrong with the D7100. The added "reach" of the additional crop factor (1:3), and the huge new (3.2 in.) display screen give this entry an extra boost above the competition. Added to this the 14 bit RAW file at 24.1 MP and you've got a winner for DX shooting that really deserves to be called "Nikon's DX Flagship" in this format; a post-processing Lightroom dream to work with.Right out of the box, Nikon presents itself with distinction; this thing exudes quality and comfort. Factory defaults were right on and presented great pictures instantly. The fast 51 point auto-focusing system with the 15 cross-types really do the job and I was amazed at the speed, even when using a slow and heavy Nikkor 55-300mm lens- see flower shots in customer images.I have been waiting for this model even before it was announced; almost three years now and I'm not disappointed. It would seem that the earlier problems with front/back focusing in some D7000's have been addressed and corrected with this one, as I see very few problems of this sort. I find it amusing that some users forget to adjust the diopter in the viewfinder to their own specific eye needs; each person is slightly different. That should be emphasized in the opening instructions in capital and bold letters, so that everyone gets it "right." Without that, manual focusing will be to all practical purposes impossible.When you get your new camera delivered, there are some important steps to take to insure everything goes the way it should.Carefully unpack your shipment box, taking care to hang onto the original packaging materials in case you are returning it.Charge battery to full charge. Don't fall for the temptation to fiddle with the settings on the camera with a partially charged battery.CHECK VIEWFINDER DIOPTER with lens attached to correct for your shooting eye. Then double check its accuracy.When SD cards are inserted, format them in the camera to acclimate them to the file system. Never format any camera card in your computer. In fact, when copying from card, don't cut and paste any image from the card, just copy and paste. Don't let the computer treat the card as an external hard drive and modify it, use importing software or simply copy and paste files into your picture directory.Start at factory (out-of the box) settings and take some shots. Remember any modifications can be undone by simple formatting the camera back to factory default by pressing and holding the two green buttons on the outside of the camera for two seconds.And lastly, remember that this is a virtual visual computer with a huge array of functions and capabilities that will take some time to understand and learn. Don't get frustrated if your pictures aren't what you would like. Take your time and ask questions. A great site on the web is The Ugly Hedgehog.comHave fun and enjoy this great hobby called photography.

I have only had this camera or a week now, but I have to put in a review because it is just that good!Nikon did an excellent job with this camera. I have shot about 500 pictures and different events over the last week and the image clarity and detail is superior to the D3100 and D5100 that I have had in the past. Outside photography is really easy with any camera, so I wanted to do a real comparison to indoor image quality with limited lighting so, I snapped on my 1.8G lens and went inside to shoot an event and I got outstanding results. The depth of color is amazing and the detail in the images were just amazing. Removing the low pass filter helps this camera excel in the low light environment excellent move on Nikon's part. The grain is smaller at identical ISO's compared to the D5100.The camera body is laid out well. They squared things off in comparison to the D5200 thats out now, and changed the LiveView switch over to a button which I like. Everything seems to be just in the right place for my hands. I don't have really large hands so it just works.I did get this camera with the kit lens, since it was immediately available versus the body alone. I must say that I'm impressed with the kit lens. it only goes down to 3.5G at 18mm which isn't bad but if you want to reach out and grab a shot at 105mm your aperture moves up to 5.5 which requires a shutter speed adjustment or ISO boost to get the shot. Fortunately adjustments in manual mode are quick and easy since you have 2 quick adjustment dials, and ISO adjustment is right there at your left finger. I didn't like that the default setting is to see the shot count on the viewfinder versus ISO, but its a quick change in the menu system to make the ISO your default display option.Another awesome feature that was added is the white balance adjustment. Now you can frame up your reference shot, shoot a gray card in that scene, select the gray card in live view and make the WB adjustment right there and save that as one of the presets for the shoot. No more batch editing in Lightroom. Totally awesome!!The only gripe I have on the camera right now, and its not on the camera itself is that Adobe Lightroom hasn't been updated yet to read the RAW files from this camera. I can read them in photoshop but thats a 1 by 1 process and I need to get them into Lightroom so I can do some batch processing. Knowing that shortcoming, I shot RAW+JPEG all week so I could still get them into LR and get the photos out to clients.If you are looking for an excellent camera for DSLR photography and don't want to make the plunge in FX format. This hands down is the best DX format camera on the market PERIOD. Don't look anywhere else.UPDATE: Used the camera to shoot some 1080P video. In manual mode you have full control over the ISO, fStop, and Shutter Speed. Having full control over your exposure for video is awesome. Haven't used a DSLR for video work before, but now I can see why its so popular. You have easier access and control over everything. Its even better than my pro HD camcorder that I own. Can't wait to get outside this spring and see the quality of video with lower ISO's. Had to shoot between 2000-4000 ISO to get good exposure at 4.5g inside with contrasting light and dark areas in the room I was shooting in.

Did I mention noise? With 40 years as a Nikon shooter with almost all their cameras (starting with Nikormats) and god know how many lenses, I know a little about photography. I was also a beta tester on the original Photoshop, I'm that old. So I bought this camera as a replacement for my D90 as my DX shooter for birds, with the 300af-s +1.4TC combo. I knew about the small buffer -(hey its REALLY friggin small and bites you just at the wrong moment, to the point you loose all chimping capability without a camera restart) but expected a big resolution upgrade. The fact is whatever marginally you gain in resolution the tradeoff is really bad noise in the shadows at any iso because the sensor Nikon had utilized for this camera is the same 24Mpix APS-C sensor as the D5200 and entry-level D3200 models. The pixel density is equivalent to that of a 56-Mpix full-frame 35mm camera!! Sounds great, right? Not so fast, they cram that many pixels be using the smallest possible "pitch" measured in microns.Let's compare cameras shall we?D700 - 8.45 microns, FX, 12MP - winner - look at the prices asked for USED copies!D4 - 7.3m, FX, 16MPD610 - 5.9m, FX, 24MPD800 - 4.88m, FX, 36MPD7000 - 4.78m, DX, 24MPD7100 - 3.9m, DX, 24MP ---- DOWNGRADE from the D7000D5200 - 3.9m, DX, 24MPD3200 - 3.84m, DX, 24MPAll pixels collect the same amount of noise, but larger pixels collect more of the "good" data than smaller pixels. With all else equal, a larger pixel will result in a higher quality image (less noise) than a smaller one. The pixels of the D7100 are so small my D200 produces better images that need less work in post-processing.People ooh and aah over the resolution of this camera, but after you run the image through your noise reduction program - which ads blur - you are throwing that extra resolution away. No complaints about build, focus are other factors, those are all to taste. Do yourself a favor and pick up a D700 or a D610 and compare the image to the D7100. Creamy goodness.

I never thought I could get this kind of performance with a DX crop sensored camera ! I shot with the D300s for 2years and was pleased how I learned to get more out of that camera than most people thought possible . I own many DX lenses and 2 FX lenses . I don't shoot video so this review may not be for you ? I was contemplating switching to a full frame body like a D700 or an D 800e. I knew it was going to be pricey if I did go full frame because of the glass I would have to buy to accompany the camera . I was getting ready to sell all my DX equipment on eBay when a friend recommend I shoot with his 7100 for an afternoon before I abandoned my superior collection of DX lenses ! Boy am I happy I took him up on that offer ! I was stunned at the quality of the photos I took with his D7100. The dynamic range and sharpness of the photos I took were absolutly fantastic ! I wasted no time ordering one of my own and since I received it I've been stunned at how big of a difference there is between my D300s and the D7100 ! I thought I could only achieve this kind of result with a full frame sensor . I'll never sell my DX set up now that I've achieved results like this. Sure I'll still buy a D800e down the road but I'm in no hurry now. I've been envious of friends who have full frame camera's because of the obvious difference in dynamic range and sharpness they were realizing compared to myself. Not anymore ! I realize all the practice I had getting the most out of my D300s made me a great photographer and my composition skills were actually better than most of my friends who own full frame camera's. With photoshop I can stitch together panoramic wide shots that blow away most anything I've seen ! The low light performance is great and the focus system on the D7100 is second to none ! With the price of FX lenses being so insanely over priced ,I'm thrilled I bought this wonderful DX camera ! I know I'll go to a car show and see people with their pro body camera's thinking they have the advantage when taking the same shots I am. But I'll be thinking I could have bought 3 or 4 more of my complete setups for what they paid for a full frame camera and a couple of lenses while achieving little to no better result than I get with my D7100. Don't anyone think that a crop sensor camera can't compete with a full frame sensor again. Thanks Nikon , you created a game changer !

4 months later (Update the review: 9/18/2013):1. Using best glass (Nikon 35-70 F2.8, Nikon 80-200 F2.8D), I see more improvement of this camera (compared to anything else). You really need a better glass to see the resolving power of this sensor.2. I would say, the combination of the new sensor (Toshiba) and the removal of Anti-aliasing Filter, make this beast a really good performer in terms of image quality.3. The 1.3 crop factor is really a handy nice to have feature, because I am now only use 3X F2.8 zoom lens (for the sake of maximum Image Quality). And it really helps when I need more reach/close up and don't bother to change lens.4. I noticed that the performance of AF sensor is much improved over D7000. I am getting more success ratio using the non cross type AF spot than I use to have with D7000 (For this reason, I only use the center AF spot and recompose technique in D7000 to avoid Focus error).5. The AF performance in low-light is also improved over D7000, not significantly, but enough to be noticed.6. With the 1.3 crop factor, my favorite portrait lens now is the old (but still very good) 35-70 mm F2.8 D. It even give much better result than the new 50mm F1.4 G.===========================Original Review start here:===========================I use D7000, and jump to D7100 when it is available, for one reason: Video Shooting! It has (that D7000 doesn't): Audio Meter, Headphone Jack, Stereo Mic, 50i/60i at full HD (1920X1080).But after use it for several weeks, this is additional things that I found useful:1. 1.3 crop. This is amazing feature that I use more and more often now. Especially when using my Nikon 50mm F.14G, and Tokina 11-16mm F2.8. I program the Image Area (1.3X 18Mp or DX 24mp), into Fn button, so I can switch them without leaving my eye from viewfinder. Why I need this? To make my 50mm lens become 65mm lens. Or making my 11-16mm become 14-20mm. Fantastic...! Now my Tokina 11-16mm becoming more 'portrait' friendly.2. Auto-focus. No surprise, the auto-focus is much better than D7000. It is more consistent, and little bit faster. And also perform slightly better in low light.3. 24Mpix. This is actually has a mixed result. On 24Mpix (DX Image Area, see point 1), it becomes noticeably slower (I always shoot RAW uncompressed + Jpeg Fine). On the other hand, at 18Mpix (1.3 Crop) it is snappier and comparable to D7000 in terms of speed/response.4. Image quality: I find it a little bit better than D7000, but not really impressing like jumping from D100 to D200, or D200 to D300, or D300 to D3S.The cons:At 24Mpix (DX mode), it becomes slower. And when I need to preview the Image, it take some times to response (not like D7000 which is snap). I don't have a chance to test it with fastest SD card (90MB/s). I only use SanDisk Extreme 45MB/s. Probably, when I use a 90MB/s SD card, and split NEF in slot 1 and JPG in slot 2, the response will be much faster.Conclusion:For me, it is a really worth the upgrade, but probably not applicable to any other person with different requirement.

This is my second DSLR. And this is a good second DSLR. Best purchase I've made in many many years. Almost everything I couldn't do (and wanted to do) with my old camera, I can with this one. And just about everything they both could do is easier on this one. It is quite a big step up from the entry level cameras of a few years ago.So while I love this camera there are a few downsides, But these don't matter enough to stop recommending this camera.Minor complaints...1. No aperture change in video live-view. I believe the newer, lower-end Nikon D5300 allows this. Disappointing they didn't add this feature to the D7100.2. Manual mode camera live-view exposure doesn't update with aperture/ISO/shutter speed changes. I think there is a workaround with the OK button, but this is a little annoying.3. Zoom buttons... coming from a camera where the main dial could be rotated to zoom in and out, using a button just seems awkward by comparison. This is an issue in photo playback only.4. ISO change. It seems awkward to press a button on the back and then use the screen at the top to see the ISO selected. Why couldn't they display the ISO on the screen that is on the same face as the button?My favorite features of the camera:1. Compatibility. There are seriously hundreds of lenses and other accessories around for it.2. Bracketing. With one button and a dial turn or two, I can turn bracketing on and off, or change the number of frames and the number of stops between them.3. Frames per second. When shooting movement, 7 FPS is a big deal.4. Auto focus performance. The focus points almost completely cover the frame. And it is so fast and accurate.5. Sharpness... the lack of AA filter really shows. and with 24MP, I'm loving the ability to crop generously after using a prime lens.I started with the Nikon 35mm f/1.8 and recently added a Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6. I think in the future I will buy 3rd party macro and a 3rd party wide angle lens. Tokina seems to be doing better for the money than Nikon is in those categories.I recommend this type of kit as opposed to buying this camera with a kit lens. This camera is so sharp, using a kit lens is like giving it a handicap.

If your moving up from point and shoots or even super entry level dslrs like the d3100 or d3200 or even the d5100 and d5200 then this is going to seem like Iron man to you. Im pretty new to photography so this is more a review for the newbs who really don't know all the high tech mumbo that the pro reviewers throw into their reviews. along with comparisons to cameras that are WAY beyond the average joe's budget (cough) D800e (cough) even D4(cough cough).Any way its has its own focus motor, so that means pretty much all Nikkor lenses or off brand nikon mount lenses will work with it (although some of the cheaper off brand stuff will have odd but not problematic glitches from time to time, again not a big deal unless you shoot for money and need things done right or else).The buttons give you quick and easy access to the more advanced features we have been getting used to in the beginner dslrs like the d3100 but without going through a menu just to change them. Its friggin awesome. If you need a camera to encourage you to push your photography to new heights, this is it.Build quality is the best I have owned so far. again Im the average guy so im not gonna compare this to a 5000 dollar camera and say the build quality could be better than it is because thats stupid. When I held it for the first time my first thought was "whoa....I could beat someone over the head with this until they die....and it would still work!" This feels like as solid as a brick with about a 3rd of the weight. better start hitting the gym though if you're used to carrying a point and shoot around all day and taking pictures. this is not your parents vacation camera... as much as I think it should be, and wish it was.anyway Amazing camera I looooooove it, and its really pushing me to do something with my photography.Its like i know the equipment doesnt REALLY matter when it comes to good pictures but you know that feeling when you show someone (who expects you to be professional) an entry level DSLR and they look at you like you're covered in dog piss? yeah I dont like that so i want to have the confidence to show my pictures AND my equipment and get at least a little respect for it.

Goods and bads. You've got enough of the goods, so let me tell you what you need to know that others won't tell you. This camera needs some serous programming upgrades. It's all in the firmware, and Nikon claims they listen, so we'll see. The problems, again, are not with the camera, but you've got to wonder if the lads in Japan ever actually use these things. For instance, custom settings is a good idea, until you find out that much of the setting up does not have anything to do with the actual mechanics of shooting. Big problem? They offer a remote release (an absolutely essential item) but every time the camera is turned off, for any reason (like removing the memory card for a download and view on a monitor), you must completely set up the remote release function again. And again, and again, and again. So if you are a studio guy (we are), you'll wear out the menu buttons setting this thing up every time you shoot! Oh, you can get a cabled release, but what studio (or other ) photographer likes the wires hanging off the camera and interfering with the pod? And remote controls? Try starting at over $600, and you've got to have two of them to talk to each other! Talk about gouging...There are many things you don't have control of in the custom settings; so many things that we just shoot with aperture control.It's a good camera, and works well with Nikon lenses, but just needs some serious firmware upgrades. Hey, Nikon, how about variable firmware upgrades for photogs that aren't outside shooting kids running around a soccer field?Do some research before you buy, and hope that firmware upgrades are on the way.

The packaging that this order of the Nikon D7100 camera body, plus the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Nikkor Zoom Lens, was truly abysmal.As soon as I lifted the large box that was delivered to my door, it was obvious to feel smaller boxes moving around inside quite loosely, and able to be easily knocked around in transit.Even as I just held the large exterior shipping carton slightly at an angle, the inner boxes could be felt sliding around and into each other.The box was marked with correct side up arrows, but was delivered upside down by UPS Ground.The box itself looked rather flimsy, with the cardboard not being thick and sturdy considering the precision optical instrument purchases inside, but thin and worn looking.The corners and areas closer to the corners of this outside shipping carton all showed mild signs of pressure or impact inflicted.On opening the box I was startled to see that the two boxes containing the camera, and the lens, only occupied about half the interior space of the shipping carton.The unfilled space had been very partially stuffed with two plastic wraps that have large air pockets. These wraps only occupied about less than half the empty carton space, and were mainly arranged at the top of the items, leaving a great deal of space for the two inside boxes to slide around very freely.Also about half the plastic air pockets were deflated, providing even less protection.Clearly the two inside boxes had slid around significantly, as each showed a very obvious dent on a corner of each box.I have not yet used the camera and lens, but am very concerned that at the very least, optimum optical tolerances have been compromised, and that focus and longevity may be compromised as well.I am most concerned that Amazon would see fit to utilize such inferior packaging , especially for optical equipment.I am interested to see if any response from Amazon is forthcoming.It certainly makes a case for purchasing from a local vendor, where even if prices may be higher, you can see the quality of the unopened boxes in advance.

I needed a DX format body for my aerial photography work. I shoot a lot of telephoto, and for my specific purposes, an FX body would have been wasteful. I believe in the theory "the right tool for the right job." Well this camera body fills the bill, precisely. I f***ing love this thing. I shoot from a plane that is often getting rocked by Florida turbulence. Being bounced around the cockpit like a fat kid in an inflatable bouncy castle, I required a camera with a formidable internal vibration control. This thing works like a f***ing charm. It's fast as s*** too; 6 frames per second f***ing fast! In between my projectile vomiting, I can capture a crystal clear, ice-crisp image of that commercial terra-cotta roof that I'm shooting. The camera is bulky in a good way. It doesn't feel like a Coolpix point and shoot; rather, it feels like a well built body, hardened by combat. It's not too big, and feels just right. I feel like a boss when I use it. A boss that laughs at your Canon 5D or Nikon 3100!It's got 2 SD slots! Dual SD-cards mean that I can shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot... and never need another SD card. 2 64GB SD cards loaded? This might indicate why I have a mild drinking problem. Have you ever sat through post processing on 3,479 f***ing photos??? I'm sure you have, yes, and that's why you're here, reading this review. Well 90% of those 3,479 photos were awesome, thanks to a camera that makes quality picture taking child's play. You can train a monkey to capture brilliant photos using the D7100.

I would recommend this camera for any level of photographer. Easy enough for a beginner with the two auto modes (flash or no flash), plus 18 scene modes. More than enough camera to make a hobbyist or amateur happy with lots of bells and whistles for some creative photography. This would even make a good backup camera for a professional photographer.For people like me who just do this for fun and shoot JPEG, there is a lot of retouching that can be done in the retouch menu such as trim, color balance, resize, straighten. You can also adjust sharpening, contrast, brightness, and saturation in the camera under Picture Control on the Shooting Menu. Good for people that don't have post processing software like Lightroom or Photoshop. At the time of this review Lightroom and Photoshop are unable to import RAW NEF files. If you want to work on these files you have to install the View NX software that comes with the camera. Then you can import into that program and save as a TIF file. You can then import TIF files into Lightroom or Photoshop. Hopefully Adobe will release an upgrade soon to offer support for the Nikon D7100.I mostly take snapshots of my dogs or when traveling to post on Facebook so retouching in the camera is what works for me. I purchased the WU-1a wireless mobile adapter to streamline getting the pictures from my camera to Facebook. It wirelessly transfers pictures from the camera to my smartphone or tablet. Once the pictures are on the smartphone or tablet they can be uploaded to Facebook or emailed etc. Super easy way to get pictures from the camera to your cell phone or tablet.I like that it uses SD cards (my previous camera used CF cards) and there are 2 slots for 2 cards. There are 3 different options on how to use the 2 cards. 1) first card for RAW and second for JPEG, 2) second card is used as a duplicate of the first, 3) second card is used for overflow if the first card gets filled up. My laptop has a built-in SD card reader so I don't have to use an external USB card reader to transfer my pictures.Several people have mentioned how the camera searches for focus. I had this same problem and figured out how to change the setting so that didn't happen. Look for the little switch on the front of the camera to switch from AF / M. Leave it on AF, push the button on the switch then turn the command dial to AF-S and then turn the sub-command dial to S. When it's in Auto is when it constantly hunts for focus.The main reason I upgraded to this camera is because the technology is 6 years newer than my old camera and I wanted more megapixels, sharper pictures, better color and less noise. This camera delivers on all counts.I love this camera and can't wait to learn what all its capable of. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because no camera is perfect for all things. I do wish this one had built-in wi-fi and that HDR mode worked in RAW too and not just JPEG.

I had the Nikon D 7000 before and loved that camera with all my heart. It was a loyal friend and companion for thousands of pictures, some were mentioned by the editors of National Geographic on their website, others won prizes in a photo magazine. So you see, it performed well and helped me show my creativity.The D 7000 was a superb camera but has a bigger brother now, the D 7100. The difference is huge in sheer sharpness, clarity and brightness. I was lucky enough to test the 7100 out at the same location, same month, same event and at the same light conditions two years apart. The difference is in quality ( sharpness, light sensitivity and brightness) is truly astounding!Whoever comes from the 7000 will have a very easy time adjusting. Some of the buttons are at different locations, one has to get used to that but one will eventually.The only two things I don't understand is why Nikon made the front dial on the right side slimmer than on the D7000. The dial on the 7000 stuck out a touch wider and had a better feel to it.And last I have to say there is one thing I think is a bad design on both cameras. I already was bothered by it on the 7000 and can not believe they didn't fix this design flaw with the newer model... it used to happen ALL the time that after I put my camera back in the photo bag, the little compartment in which the memory sticks are slipped open by itself.This should not happen and should be double secured. To make sure this does not happen without me noticing it, I put black tennis (grip) tape over it. It would be a shame to loose memory sticks because of this.But except for this, this is an absolutely brilliant camera for the advanced photographer. I would not recommend this camera for a pure DSLR beginner, it's too complex but once you know what you are doing, this is a beauty!!

Ok, there are photographers, and there are equipment collectors. Sadly, a lot of folks think they're photographers, but in reality, they just like to collect equipment. I'm an amateur photographer and a gadget man to boot. So no, I don't know as much about photography as a pro, but I do have enough experience with enough equipment to form an objective opinion. I started with Nikon's D70. Since then I've shot the D200, D5100, D5200, and now the D7100. If you're using your DSLR in full program most of the time as a point and shoot, don't spend the extra money on this camera. Get a D3200 or D5200. If you are constantly changing your settings in the middle of shooting, this is the most bang for the buck you're going to get from Nikon. You see, with the D3XXX line or D5XXX line you have to go into the menu on the back of the camera and hold at arm's length to change your shooting settings. Not a good thing to have to do in the middle of a photo op. The D7100, and the other upper end Nikon's have controls on the outside of the camera to let you change settings without ever having to move the camera from your eye. There are much more expensive Nikon's out there, especially when you get into full frame, and knowing Nikon they will come out with something "newer" than the D7100 in a year or so. But I think it will be mostly fluff, that Nikon had plateaued with this one. Not sure they can make one that's really better any time soon. Easy to use, reliable, and takes great shots, and utilizes many of the same features of Nikon's that cost twice as much, or more. Unless you have to have full frame, this should be the last Nikon you'll buy for a very long time.