A7III vs D7200

January 01, 2019  •  Leave a Comment

DSC_0915D7200 Controls Not a lot of pictures in this post. I've been using a Sony A7III for the last month or so and 300 images in, I can write a limited review.

The two cameras are easy to use and give images with about the same resolution. The Sony is a mirror-less camera, a version of the next generation of hardware, and it shows in the finish and features. The D7200 is an older technology, perfectly competent and well-developed, but somewhat clunky in comparison.

In no particular order, the relative strengths of the two devices:

  • Composition aids. The D7200 can display a grid and has a level line that's visible when using the screen. The A7III has more grid choices, and the level line is on in the viewport.  The A7III can do a "zebra display" which reveals over-exposed regions.
  • Lenses. There are an enormous number of lenses available for the Nikon. Far fewer are available for the Sony. The Sony lenses are more expensive. There are some extremely high quality lenses for both (Zeiss lenses for the Sony) and you pay for them. There are adapters that will take Nikon F mount lenses to the Sony E mount. The adapters let you use the lenses, but the autofocus is a bit wonky.
  • Battery life. The nikon batteries last forever (>800 shots if you're careful). The Sony eats charges. Get two batteries and an external charger for it.
  • The Sony has a full-sized sensor and the D7200 has a smaller "APS-C" one. This makes the Sony a little bit sharper than the Nikon, but that's a second-order effect (Fraunhoffer diffraction.)
  • Focus. Both cameras have similar automatic focus modes. However, manual focus on the Sony is seriously cool. The camera zooms in and you can get the image focused exactly the way you want. The Sony has more focus points and can be razor sharp. Autofocus can be a headache because it will focus on what it wants. Often that's what you want, but sometimes it isn't. The 7200 has a neat feature - you can decouple the focus control from the shutter control and use spot focus. Unfortunately, my 7200 has the habit of randomly resetting focus mode to what it wants. 
  • Sensor cleaning. The 7200 sensor seems to attract cruft. I've gotten into the habit of using the cleaning function every time I turn the camera on. 
  • Preview. The 7200 has a preview button that sets the aperture of the lens. That's a good start, but the Sony beats it hands down. If you adjust the exposure, or work in manual mode, or exceed the speed/aperture/shutterspeed limits of the camera, it shows what the image will look like. This is extremely useful for contrasty or back-lit scenes.
  • The Sony needs to be turned on to see what the image will be. The Nikon, being mechanical, can be used with the power off to see what the image will look like. Obviously both need to be turned on to record an image. Not a big deal when you can recharge quickly, but this can be an issue for extended field trips. (Bring yet another battery for the Sony.)
  • Menus: Some reviewers complain about complicated menus for the Sony. Both cameras have similar complexity.
  • Low-light performance and grain. The Sony is better. Acceptable grain at 3200 ASA.
  • Both cameras can take videos and sets of frames in rapid succession.
  • Raw format. Both cameras can save raw images. Darktable 2.0 supports the Nikon, and Darktable 2.4 supports both. I've tried building Darktable 2.4 for my version of Linux mint, but haven't tested it yet. I don't know about Adobe's software. 
  • Image quality. I nearly always need to process the D7200 images to get the best quality. I rarely have to fiddle with the Sony ones.
  • The Sony is a great deal lighter.

I seem to have automatically switched to the Sony for my main camera. 

 


Comments

No comments posted.
Loading...

Archive
January February March (1) April May June July (2) August (2) September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December
January (2) February March April May June July (1) August (1) September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December