The cat is out of the bag and the expected 120fps 720p of the Nikon D7200 has not materialized. Rumors pointed to an increase from 60p to 120p a first for a mirrored DSLR camera.
The D7200 specs show the following:
- 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 25, 24 fps)
- 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps) (no 720p 120)
If you want 1080p at 60fps which is not bad for an SLR then this is an upgrade, however true slow mo look starts happening at 120fps+ which the camera doesn’t touch.
P900 with 83x Zoom!
Nikon also announced the p900 a crazy 83x super zoom for people that love telephoto shooting. Considering the latest super zooms in the 50x to 60x range have been pretty average in image quality compared to a decent sized sensor mirror-less or DSLR, we can’t help but look at the 83x spec as much more than a selling point. The camera is as large as a mid size SLR with an intermediate lens which begs the question why would you want to compromise with a tiny 1/2.3″ sensor when you can get a Micro 4/3ds or Sony NEX mirror-less with a decent lens with beautiful image quality.
The camera video specs are as follows:
1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p)
1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p)
640 x 480 (30p, 25p and a 120p mode)
Considering this is 2015, the spec of 120fps added to the VGA mode is so last decade. Why include it at all? maybe for the crowd that enjoys postage stamp sized video in slowmo. We certainly don’t!
Conclusion:
For Slow motion you can do so much better from Nikon 1 systems “Which are due for a j5 upgrade very soon” to a Gopro Hero 4 or iPhone 6. Avoid a purchase of these cameras if slow motion is your concern. If you only want a regular camera, we would side with the Nikon D7200 for image quality and look at the 83x p900 in awe in the same way you would look at a sideshow freak that has a 3rd eye. Good for advancing the art of optical zoom and vacation shooting without much fuzz or changing lenses but you are probably better served in absolute image quality by a more traditional reach camera.
The quest for a DSLR that has 120fps continues, the D7200 certainly could have been the one to create some distinction.
Nikon D7200 Feature Demo by Nikon:
P900 Nikon Demo Video: