Nikon D5200 review

Advances from one version of a DSLR to the next tend to be minor, but the Nikon D5200 takes a bigger step than most. Not only has the autofocus system improved significantly over its predecessor, the D5100, but the sensor has been boosted too, from 16.2 megapixels to a massive 24.1 megapixels.

The autofocus upgrade is the D5200’s standout feature, and it beats anything any mid-range rival has to offer. It’s inherited from the enthusiast-grade Nikon D7000, and has a huge 39 autofocus points, of which nine are the more accurate cross-type points. Compared with the D5100’s nine standard and one cross-type points, it’s a significant upgrade, and it also outdoes its Canon counterpart, the EOS 700D, which has only nine, although all of that camera’s points are cross-type.

The Nikon autofocus proved slightly slower than the Canon’s in our tests, but its extra points delivered greater accuracy – we found we rarely needed to focus then recompose.

In terms of detail capture and noise control, the new 24.1-megapixel sensor is also a winner. Our test shots were bursting with detail, although when comparing side by side with images shot with the Canon, the difference you might expect from the six extra megapixels isn’t massive. You really have to pixel peep to notice any difference at all.

The Nikon D5200’s sensitivity range goes from ISO 100-6400, with up to ISO 25600 available by selecting one of the camera’s “Hi” options. Photos are usable all the way up to 6400, with luminance noise barely visible at ISO 3200 and not terribly intrusive at ISO 6400. Chroma noise is controlled even better: at 1:1, we struggled to spot any chroma noise at all, even at ISO 6400. It’s easily a match for the Canon on this front, with the Nikon producing images that looked sharper at higher ISO levels, but with a slightly stronger grain.

The improvements don’t stop at stills, though, as Nikon has significantly enhanced video capabilities too. The D5200 can now shoot 1080p footage at up to 25fps, or 720p footage at 50fps. It has an integrated stereo mic, compared to the D5100’s mono onboard audio, and there’s a 3.5mm jack for external audio recording. You also have control over audio levels, and full-time autofocus is available while recording. The latter works reasonably well, although focus tends to pulse in and out as your subject moves around in the frame. We found that, although slow, the Canon 700D focused more smoothly in continuous mode, and its new EF-S 18-55mm IS STM kit lens is quieter than the Nikon’s.

The D5200 falls further behind in its ergonomics and handling. It has a 3in articulated screen with a 921kpixel resolution, and it’s very good, but the Canon 700D beats it with more pixels and touchscreen operation. That touchscreen makes the lack of buttons and dials far less of a problem than it is on the Nikon, with esoteric options trickier to access via the D5200’s menus and D-pad. We found having to navigate through multiple menus just to turn auto ISO on and off particularly vexing.

The D5200 has a small handful of other snags that are hard to ignore. In Live View mode it’s impossible to set the aperture – you have Exit Live View, Adjust and then Return. The camera automatically turns off the timer after one shot, forcing you to enter the menu and set it up again if you want to take more than one timed shot in succession. The pentamirror viewfinder is comparatively small, offering a magnification of only 0.78x and coverage of 95%. The Canon 700D (and its cheaper sibling, the 100D) beat it with a magnification of 0.83x and the same coverage.

Burst mode performance is sluggish. Shooting in raw, the D5200 was able to shoot only five frames at 1.6fps before running out of buffer space and slowing to the speed of the SD card; with JPEGs, it managed 15 frames at 3.3fps. The Canon 700D is far lighter on its feet, hitting 2.4fps in raw for eight frames and 4fps in 48 frames in JPEG mode.

You could certainly learn to live with such restrictions, especially given how good the Nikon D5200’s autofocus system is, and how well it performs in low light. For our money, however, the Canon EOS 700D offers a more rounded package, with quicker performance, comparable image quality, a quieter kit lens and superior controls, screen and viewfinder.

Nikon D5200 sample pictures:

Shot at f/8, 1/50s, ISO 6400. Click this link for the full resolution version

Shot at f/5.6, 1/60s, ISO 400. Click this link for the full resolution version

Shot at f/5.6, 1/50s, ISO 3600. Click this link for the full resolution version

Shot at f/8, 1/80s, ISO 6400. Click this link for the full resolution version

Shot at f/8, 1/30s, ISO 200. Click this link for the full resolution version

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