Nikon D7500 Camera Review

Nikon announced the new D7500, which is slated to start shipping “Summer 2017” and will be a replacement to the Nikon D7200. The Nikon D7500 competes in a popular market segment with the Canon EOS80D and the Sony A6300/A6500 bodies (as well as others) offering a more advanced camera with better build quality, performance and features for around $1200-$1500 USD.

The Nikon D7500 will mostly be seen as an incremental update of the very popular D7200, but is a step up from the D7200 in terms of metering, buffer, build and now features a tilt LCD touch screen.

key differences between the New D7500 and the Nikon D7200

• 20 megapixels vs 24 Megapixels on the D7200
• Tilting LCD screen with Touch sensitive vs D7200 fixed screen with no touch control
• Single SD card slot vs dual SD slots on the D7200
• Bigger buffer capable of 50 RAW vs 19 RAW on the D7200

Megapixel Difference

For some users, the lower megapixel count will be seen as a disadvantage since “more is better”. However, the image quality from the D500 is an improvement over the 24mp D7200 sensor, especially in low light and in real world photography the 4MP difference is not all that significant, even in prints over 13×19 inches.

“Cardgate”

Probably the biggest howl I have observed from users about the new D7500 is the lack of a second card slot. The second card slot is a nice feature, especially for wedding photogaphers who opt to have a second “backup” copy of the image stored on the second card. However, the D7200 was the only camera in it’s class that offered a second card slot. The Canon EOS 80D, the most popular comeptitor to the D7200/D7500 Nikon bodies, only has a single card slot.

Older Lenses?

Another change that will be seen as a downgrade is the lack of the index tab for older lenses. This tab is what communicates to the camera the aperture setting on the lens since older lenses are not controlled electronically. You can still use these lenses, but you will have to either use a spot meter or guess, shoot and review.

Battery Grip?

One more thing that has been observed is there does not appear to be a battery grip option for the new Nikon D7500. One was not announced with the camera, and there is not a connection on the bottom for the current grip. Now it is possible that Nikon may be working on a battery grip option that uses a stalk that goes into the camera body similar to Canon. I prefer this design as it allows me access to both batteries without having to remove the battery grip. We will have to wait and see if that is the case.

Nikon D7500 Product Images

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Aside from the badge change and slight IR port shape, the only other major change to the front of the new D7500 is the AI Index tab is missing. This will be seen by many as a disadvantage since you will not be able to use older lenses with full metering. Also, the stereo mic inputs have been moved to the front of the camera from the top of the flash housing.

The biggest difference on the rear of the D7500 is the new tilting touch screen LCD. Additionally, the “Info” button has moved to the left bottom row of buttons and the “i” button has moved above the “still/video/live view” control (the “info” button was below on the D7200). This is a minor rearrangement of the controls on the rear of the camera but if you are used to the “i” and “info” button placement on the D7200 this will be an adjustment. Also, the ISO button is now the Metering button (metering used to be on the top of the camera near the LCD).

Of course the biggest change here is the switch to a single card slot instead of dual slots. Additionally the D7500 only supports up to UHS-1. Since Nikon decided to drop a card slot, it seems to me they should have made the single card slot UHS-2 compatible instead.

Everything here is in pretty much the same place as before, however, the Mic, USB and HDMI ports are all now under the same door whereas on the D7200 the Mic and USB ports were under their own door and the HDMI was a separate door. Nikon also added 5 small bumps to the AF button to help with the tactile feel. This will make identifying the button easier when not looking directly at the button. You can also see the “Bluetooth” logo indicating compatibility for SnapBridge.

Nikon has moved the Metering button from the top of the camera. Now you can access the ISO from the top of the camera instead. This is another minor change but if you are used to the placement on your D7200 or even D610/D750 this will take some getting used to. Also the stereo mic input has been moved to the front of the camera on the D7500.

Visibly absent is the connectors for a battery grip. Since a battery grip was not announced at the same time as the D7500 it is assumed that the D7500 will not have a battery grip option.

Initial Impression

Overall the Nikon D7500 will be seen as an update to the very popular D7200. There are some controversial decisions that have been made by Nikon such as the single card slot, lack of battery grip option and perhaps even the lower megapixel count. However, the Nikon D7500 shoots at a faster 8fps and has an even larger buffer accommodating up to 50 RAW 14-bit images. It also features a new tilting touch screen LCD and “enhanced” weather sealing. Nikon has to be careful here to avoid cannibalizing D500 sales. The D500 needs to be seen as a worthwhile upgrade over the D7500 since it commands a $700 premium over the D7500.

It will be interesting to see how the camera performs when it starts shipping in the Summer.

Preorder Links

Nikon D7500 DX-format Digital SLR Camera Body, Black
$1,246.95 w/ Free shipping
Preorder from Adorama

Nikon D7500 DSLR with AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens
$1,746.95 w/ Free shipping
Preorder from Adorama

Pricing*

• Body Only - $1249.95

*Pricing from Manufacturer's website - Current selling price may be different.

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