The big news about the Nikon D7100 isn’t that it has a 24.1 million pixel sensor – that was fairly predictable.

Instead, the big news about this new Nikon camera is that Nikon has decided to omit the anti-aliasing element from the camera’s filter above the chip.

In her Nikon D7100 review video, our head of testing Angela Nicholson discusses the camera’s performance, image quality and whether this is the right DSLR for you.

Nikon D7100 Review Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Angela Nicholson head of testing for Future’s photography portfolio and I’m going to take a look at the Nikon D7100 in this video.

Like the Nikon D3200 and D5200, the D7100 has a 24MP sensor, but Nikon has left off the low-pass filter.

Low-pass or anti-aliasing filters are usually put over a camera’s sensor to reduce the risk of moiré interference occurring when photographing subjects with fine patterning that is close to the camera’s resolution limit. The downside of using them is that the image is softened and needs sharpening post capture.

So does omitting the filter from the sensor make any difference to the images? Our tests indicate that it does. At the lower sensitivity settings the D7100 can’t resolve any more detail than the D3200 or D5200, but the images look a little sharper straight from the camera.

And when the sensitivity is pushed up a little, the D7100 can resolve more detail than either of these two Nikon cameras – although the images are also a bit noisier.

Another interesting feature of the D7100 is that the central point of it’s 51-point AF system is sensitive down to f/8. This mean if I mount this 70-200mm f/4 lens via this 2x teleconverter, the camera will still focus the lens automatically despite the fact that the maximum aperture is reduced to f/8.

The focus takes place while the aperture is wide open – in this case at f/8 – and the aperture closes down to the selected aperture for the exposure just before the shot is taken.

The focus mode is set using these controls on the side and this dial.As we’ve seen before with Nikon SLRs, in continuous AF mode the camera can be set to track the subject using 51, 21 or 9 AF points once you’ve selected the starting AF point.

There’s also the 3D-tracking mode, which works well provided the subject colour contrasts well with the surroundings – it’s not a good choice for shooting team sports where the payers have matching shirts.

With a decent lens the focusing is fast and accurate in most situations – even in very low light.

Inside the D7100 is the same EXPEED 3 processing engine as Nikon’s other recent SLRs, including the D4 and D800. This allows a sensitivity range of ISO 100-6400 which can be expanded to ISO 25,600 if necessary – although I wouldn’t recommend it.

This engine also enables a maximum continues shooting rate of 6 frames per second. However, this can be pushed to 7 frames per second if the 1.3x crop mode is employed.

When this mode is activated the crop area is indicated in the viewfinder and the crop is applied to both raw and JPEG files. It’s useful if you want to frame a distant subject tightly and reduce files sizes, but many users are likely to prefer to crop post-capture.

Like the D7000 the D7100 has a collection of JPEG-only special effects that can be accessed via this option on the mode dial. These effects can be previewed on the main LCD screen and are selected by rotating the thumbwheel. As you can see the screen image lags a little, but it’s not too bad.
Helpfully, the word EFFECTs is visible in the viewfinder so you can’t forget which mode you have selected.

The D7100 feels nice and solid in the hand and this silky-textured grip gives good purchase. All of the most important controls are within easy reach and you can check setting by pressing this Info button.

This button here allows you to change some key features such as the image area and noise reduction settings. It seems off that this also give a quick route to customising the use of the preview and function buttons though.

The D7000 is capable of producing superb images with lots of detail and natural colour. It’s worth keeping an eye on the image histogram view though as the Matrix Metering doesn’t always do what you expect.

PAGE 1: Nikon D7100 Review Video
PAGE 2: Our original hands-on Nikon D7100 review
PAGE 3: Our original Nikon D7100 launch story

READ MORE

Nikon D7100 vs D7000: 13 things you need to know
Nikon D7100 vs D600: which DSLR should you choose
16 new cameras we’d like to see in 2013
10 common camera mistakes every photographer makes
99 common photography problems (and how to solve them)

When Nikon launched the D600 it seemed like the dream camera for enthusiasts. It was expensive, but affordable – just – and the perfect step up from the D7000 and the ageing D300s.

But the brand new D7100, announced on February 20th, changes everything. It’s far more than just an upgrade to the existing D7000, as our 13-point D7100 vs D7000 comparison shows. In fact it’s Nikon’s most advanced DX-format D-SLR to date.

It’s so advanced, in fact, that it’s enough to make anyone think twice about the D600. The D7100 offers the same resolution, it’s cheaper and it means DX owners can keep using their existing lenses.

It’s a tough choice, so here’s our point-by-point Nikon D7100 vs D600 comparison to help you make your mind up!

Nikon D7100 vs D600: key points to know (1-3)

1) Resolution

Both cameras have 24-megapixel sensors. The D600 has a full-frame sensor, and the larger size (roughly twice that of the D7100) should give it an inherent quality advantage. But the D7100 dispenses with the usual anti-aliasing filter (just like the ground-breaking Nikon D800E) to provide super-fine sharp detail. We can’t say which camera will be best until we’ve carried out a full set of lab tests, but we predict it’s going to be closer than the difference in sensor sizes suggests.

2) Sensor size

It’s not just about megapixels and resolution. The larger sensor in the D600 produces images with less overall depth of field and, often, a greater feeling of depth and space. It’s easier to get shallow depth of field effects with a full-frame camera, though this can backfire if you want to shoot landscapes or still life shots where everything in the frame is sharp, from near to far. A full-frame camera gives you a reduction in depth of field roughly equivalent to 1 f-stop – it’s neither good nor bad, but something to be aware of.

3) Lenses part 1

If you have a selection of DX lenses, you’ll have to ditch them when you move up to the D600. You can use them in ‘crop’ mode, but then you’ll be wasting most of the D600’s potential. This means buying the D600 itself will only be the start – there will be plenty more expense to come. With the D7100, of course, your existing lenses will be just fine.

PAGE 1: Nikon D7100 vs D600 – key points to know (1-3)
PAGE 2: Nikon D7100 vs D600 – key points to know (4-10)
PAGE 3: Nikon D7100 vs D600 – key points to know (11-12)

READ MORE

Nikon D7100 vs D7000: 13 things you need to know
Full frame sensor size explained: how to exploit its advantages and cool effects
Infographic: full-frame vs crop factor lenses

The Nikon D7100 is a 24.1-million-pixel DSLR aimed at enthusiasts. Unusually Nikon has left out the antialiasing filter over the sensor as this should enable it to record sharper details.

The Nikon D7100 price tag is set to be £1,099.99 (around US$1,682/AU$1,635) body only, or £1,299.99 (around US$1,988/AU$1,932) as part of the standard kit with an 18-105mm lens. Nikon expects sales to start at the end of March.

Find out more about the camera’s key features in our hands-on Nikon D7100 review video below.

READ MORE

Nikon D7100 vs D7000: 13 things you need to know
Nikon D5200 review
Nikon V2 review