The Nikon D600 had been leaked with such enthusiasm, that when it was launched at a press conference in Dubai a few days ago, everyone in the room already had an idea of what they were going to write about it. Nikon have designed the D600 to fill the gap between the D7000 (entry-level) and the D800 (Pro-enthusiast). It will, no doubt, be competing primarily against the Canon EOS 5D which has a file size of 22MP. The D600 has a 24 MP file which suggests that the 36MP file that in inside the D800 will be reserved for the top level DSLRs in the Nikon range. However, the question for those of us who are awaiting the arrival of the D5200 is 'Does the D600 offer any clues as to what the D5200 will offer?'. 
Whilst camera manufacturers offer a large variety of products to entice buyers, they are forced to work to the economies of scale. They all minimize their spread of components where ever possible and so we should be able to make some educated guesses about the D5200 from what Nikon have put into the D600. As already mentioned, the file size for the D5200 is probably going to be 24MP and this will be the Nikon default size in their entry-level DSLR range. It is big enough for almost any purpose and a significant increase on the d5100's 16 Mp file.
The D5100 is a Dx camera, which means that the sensor is smaller and the standard lens length in increased. The holy Grail for the purists has always been to have a FX camera in the entry-level price range. The D600 offers both FX and DX, but the cost puts it above the entry-level range. I don't think the D5200 will offer FX options. Most users are happy to shoot DX these days and would prefer the extra distance form their lenses. The cost of adding FX to the D5200 would make is too expensive for the beginner market.
The D600 is a very promising all round camera, but I am a bit disappointed by the shutter speed of 1/4000 and burst rate of 5FPS. Whilst it is more than most photographers will need, they want more. 1/8000 shutter speed would sound a lot better and I would hope that the D5200 leap-frogs the D600 and offers at least 6FPS. An entry-level DSLR should be flexible enough to allow the photographer to experiment and push their skills to the limit - 5FPS is simply not fast enough.
However, it looks like Nikon are going to substantially improve the Auto Focus system in the D5200. The 11 point system in the D5100 now looks quite dated and I expect the D5200 to have the 39 point AF system that has been issued to the D600. This is great news for all the Nikon enthusiasts who shoot landscapes, as well as the videographers. The D5200 will probably keep the pentamirror system, rather than take the pentaprism system which is in the D600. Whilst the pentaprism enhances clarity and visible range, it is too expensive to put into this camera and the cost will severely outweigh the benefits.
The D5200 will undoubtedly have two memory card slots. One simply isn't enough these days, particularly if the photographer is shooting video or even RAW files. Two slots will enable the user to save in different formats at the same time, or double the amount that can be shot/recorded during a shoot.
The D600 has an auto brightness function on the LCD monitor. The D5100's articulated monitor has been a great success and it would be great if the D5200 could continue progress in this area. Why not have the auto brightness function on the D5200 as well? In fact Nikon should be looking hard at whether they can incorporate Canon's touch screen system as well and make the D5200's back screen a unique selling point.
The HD video function was a huge selling point for the D5100 and Nikon need to maintain their momentum in this area on the D5200. Offering a 60 FPS rate on full HD would be really useful, but I think they could take a neat trick from the D600 with it's auto time lapse movie creation function. It seems a practical way to take the hard work out of time lapse photography and encourage the beginner to try something new. Also, with sound being so important, Nikon might add a headphone jack to the D5200.
I had hoped that Nikon would launch the D5200 for Photokina this year. It seems that we shall have to wait a little longer. However, when it does arrive, the evidence suggests that it will have significantly upgraded its functionality. My guess is that it will have 24MP files,1/4000 shutter speed, 5FPS frame rate, 39 point Auto Focus and some new options on the menu side. i think it wll be worth waiting for....
Whilst camera manufacturers offer a large variety of products to entice buyers, they are forced to work to the economies of scale. They all minimize their spread of components where ever possible and so we should be able to make some educated guesses about the D5200 from what Nikon have put into the D600. As already mentioned, the file size for the D5200 is probably going to be 24MP and this will be the Nikon default size in their entry-level DSLR range. It is big enough for almost any purpose and a significant increase on the d5100's 16 Mp file.
The D5100 is a Dx camera, which means that the sensor is smaller and the standard lens length in increased. The holy Grail for the purists has always been to have a FX camera in the entry-level price range. The D600 offers both FX and DX, but the cost puts it above the entry-level range. I don't think the D5200 will offer FX options. Most users are happy to shoot DX these days and would prefer the extra distance form their lenses. The cost of adding FX to the D5200 would make is too expensive for the beginner market.
The D600 is a very promising all round camera, but I am a bit disappointed by the shutter speed of 1/4000 and burst rate of 5FPS. Whilst it is more than most photographers will need, they want more. 1/8000 shutter speed would sound a lot better and I would hope that the D5200 leap-frogs the D600 and offers at least 6FPS. An entry-level DSLR should be flexible enough to allow the photographer to experiment and push their skills to the limit - 5FPS is simply not fast enough.
However, it looks like Nikon are going to substantially improve the Auto Focus system in the D5200. The 11 point system in the D5100 now looks quite dated and I expect the D5200 to have the 39 point AF system that has been issued to the D600. This is great news for all the Nikon enthusiasts who shoot landscapes, as well as the videographers. The D5200 will probably keep the pentamirror system, rather than take the pentaprism system which is in the D600. Whilst the pentaprism enhances clarity and visible range, it is too expensive to put into this camera and the cost will severely outweigh the benefits.
The D5200 will undoubtedly have two memory card slots. One simply isn't enough these days, particularly if the photographer is shooting video or even RAW files. Two slots will enable the user to save in different formats at the same time, or double the amount that can be shot/recorded during a shoot.
The D600 has an auto brightness function on the LCD monitor. The D5100's articulated monitor has been a great success and it would be great if the D5200 could continue progress in this area. Why not have the auto brightness function on the D5200 as well? In fact Nikon should be looking hard at whether they can incorporate Canon's touch screen system as well and make the D5200's back screen a unique selling point.
The HD video function was a huge selling point for the D5100 and Nikon need to maintain their momentum in this area on the D5200. Offering a 60 FPS rate on full HD would be really useful, but I think they could take a neat trick from the D600 with it's auto time lapse movie creation function. It seems a practical way to take the hard work out of time lapse photography and encourage the beginner to try something new. Also, with sound being so important, Nikon might add a headphone jack to the D5200.
I had hoped that Nikon would launch the D5200 for Photokina this year. It seems that we shall have to wait a little longer. However, when it does arrive, the evidence suggests that it will have significantly upgraded its functionality. My guess is that it will have 24MP files,1/4000 shutter speed, 5FPS frame rate, 39 point Auto Focus and some new options on the menu side. i think it wll be worth waiting for....
About the Author:
Jeremy Bayston has worked in the photographic industry for over two decades. He has a particular interest in digital imagery. Go to his website to discover more about the new Nikon D5200 and its launch date. Alternatively visit his general digital camera site to read up to date news about consumer cameras.
No comments:
Post a Comment