Well specified, especially with its 39-point autofocus, but the controls could be more elegant and our test shots tended to be slightly soft
The Nikon D5200 was Nikon's mid-range DSLR camera for 2013. ON release it sat above the Nikon D3200 but below the Nikon D7100. You can't buy one new today, but there's a lot of Nikon reconditioned models available on eBay as well as the usual second-hand buys. It's three years old now, so is it a bargain or should you buy something more recent - such as the Nikon D3300 - which is around the same price new.
Features and design
The D5200 uses a 24-megapixel sensor, which stands up well today in terms of pixel count. But its best feature is the 39-point autofocus, with a central block of nine cross-type points for increased sensitivity. It's the same autofocus sensor that we first saw in the Nikon D7000, and it's far more sophisticated than anything else at this price. The dense array of points mean it's easy to focus precisely on someone's eye or another small detail in a scene without having to first focus, then recompose and shoot.
There's the same 3in, 921,000-dot articulated screen as on the outgoing Nikon D5100, which is a great asset for video and shooting stills in live view mode. Continuous performance is roughly the same as the newer D3300, delivering 4.9fps for 32 frames before slowing to a still-excellent 4.2fps in our tests. This was only possible when lens distortion correction was disabled, though – otherwise, it lasted for just six frames before slowing to 1.9fps. Raw continuous performance was similarly short-lived, slowing to 1.6fps after just four frames. The D3300 slows to 1.7fps but after six frames, so it's a touch faster here.
Another change compared to the D3200 and D5100 is that the LCD screen's default display makes it much clearer what the current ISO speed is, including when the speed has been raised automatically in Auto ISO mode. With three circular displays for shutter speed, aperture and ISO speed, it's easy to see how adjustments to one affect the other two. The ISO speed isn't displayed through the viewfinder window by default but there's an option to show it instead of remaining card capacity.
-
- Thank You! We appreciate your effort.