TEST TEAM
The world’s toughest tests
Build Similar to the D7000 in build quality, it’s a mix of polycarbonate and magnesium alloy materials and includes weather seals.
Nikon D7100 Lab test results 30 RESOLUTION Highest number is best
35 40
28 0
5
15
10
25
20
30
35
From the top The secondary info LCD is good to have, as is the lock on the shooting mode dial to avoid accidental switching.
Despite the omission of the low-pass filter, sharpness is no better than from the D3200 and D5200, and lags behind the D5300.
COLOUR ERROR Closest to zero is best
4
6
12
15
3.8
Around the back -3
3
0
9
6
Lab scores don’t show the greatest accuracy for colour rendition but, in most shooting conditions, results look natural.
The D3100’s Live View and movie button configuration has been dropped in favour of a more conventional layout.
SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO (dB)
NOISE VERSUS ISO HIghest values are best 50 45 40 35 30
TOP END
25 20 0
100
400
1600
6400
While sharpness isn’t a match for the D5300, the D7100 does better to control image noise at high ISOs.
DYNAMIC RANGE HIghest values are best DYNAMIC RANGE (EV)
13 12 11 10 9 8 7 100
400
1600
6400
25,600
SENSITIVITY
It starts well at the base ISO setting and, apart from a dip at ISO800, maintains good dynamic range at high sensitivity settings.
OVERALL BENCHMARK A marked improvement in sharpness compared with the D7000 but images aren’t as smooth and noise-free throughout the ISO range. Overall, the newer camera gives a step up in image quality.
98
It was big news when it was launched, but some of the D7100’s thunder has since been stolen
25,600
SENSITIVITY
0
Nikon D7100
April 2014
CAMERA Nikon D7100
£840, $1145 (body only)
ompared with the D7000, which was launched some twoand-a-half years earlier, the D7100 brought a raft of signiÀcant updates 7he biggest news at the time was the omission of the low-pass Àlter ² and whereas the full-frame D800 and D800E cameras gaYe you the choice of a particular body with or without the Àlter, the D7100 is only aYailable without it &onsidering that the D7000 has been criticised for a lack of outright detail resolution, it’s perhaps not surprising that the low-pass Àlter went, along with a hike in pixel count from 1 to 1 megapixels 2ther improYements oYer the D7000 include a step up in autofocus from a 39-point to a 51-point system, a newer
C
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generation (xpeed 3 image processor and a larger, higherres /&D screen 7he D5300 now also omits the low-pass Àlter, has an eYen newer (xpeed processor, an articulated /&D and boasts built-in :i-)i and *36 (Yen so, the D7100 has more reÀned handling aimed at enthusiasts 5eÀnements in this respect include a locking button on the shooting mode dial to aYoid accidental changes, and the option to conÀgure the rear ¶2.’ button for one-touch magniÀcation when reYiewing images, similar to the D300S
Performance 3erformance is Yery impressiYe, and the D7100 shows an increase in Àne detail recorded in images oYer the D7000 +oweYer, along with the rise
in resolution comes a reduced buffer capability :hereas the D7000’s memory buffer can hold between 10 and 15 5$: Tuality shots, depending on colour depth and compression settings, the D7100 runs out of space in only six to nine shots
Pros… Improved resolution, 51-point AF, high-quality pentaprism viewfinder, secondary LCD panel. Cons… Limited buffer space for RAW quality shooting, lacks Wi-Fi, GPS and an articulated screen.
OVERALL We say… For enthusiast photographers who demand easy access to shooting parameters, it’s currently the pick of the DX crop.
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