Great DSLR for the Discerning Photographer

The D7100 is Nikon's flagship camera in its DX-format DSLR lineup. The specially designed CMOS sensor comes in at a whopping 24.1 MP, which generates 6000×4000-pixel images that will take up between 25 to 30 MB on your hard drive. We tested the kit that came with the NIKKOR AF-S 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens.

As you might expect, this camera comes with all the features, buttons, and dials that will keep photographers of every level satisfied. We recommend that you spend a few late nights with the manual to really learn all the features and customize them to taste. Plus, some features aren't very intuitive; for example, changing the default Auto-area AF to Single-point AF requires holding the AF-mode button to the left of the lens and turning the subcommand dial.

The D7100 can capture up to 6 frames per second at full resolution (as well as full HD video), but you'll have to wait on the buffer for a couple of seconds before you can take another shot, and even longer to do another burst of 6 frames. The D7100 also has Live View for those times when you need to hold the camera away from your eye; however, Live View impacts the speed of AF, as well as the time between each shot.

The image quality is exceptional (especially at lower ISOs). Our test images were sharp, and the colors were spot on. On the rare occasion, very bright colors appeared with a touch too much saturation, but overall the D7100 takes great images. Noise begins to creep in beyond ISO 400, but you have to do some pixel peeping to discover it, and images up to 3,200 are still very usable with a little noise reduction. If you're just getting into DSLRs, or you haven't upgraded your camera in more than 5 years, we highly recommend the D7100.

Company: Nikon Inc.
Price: $1,199.95 (body only)
Web: www.nikonusa.com
Rating: 4.5
Hot: Image & build quality; ergonomics; dust & moisture resistant
Not: Buffer; noise at high ISOs; Live View performance

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