Best Nikon DSLR Cameras

Hey guys, how are you doing? Remember my goal of raising enough money to be able to purchase some foodstuffs and clothing for motherless babies’ homes and also to purchase 3 items as reward for hard work on this website. Recall that the three items stated were a brand new phone, a laptop and a professional camera. Following from my blogging goals, I write to identify the potential camera to purchase when I reach my goals (by God’s grace).

We have 5 top camera brands that have caught my attention, they are Nikon, Canon, Sony, Olympus and Leica. So many top cameras to choose from right? To make my job easier, I would be researching the top 5 professional cameras of each brand, with the best of each brand making it to the finals alongside the best of the four other brands. So we are expecting 5 finalists. Decisions for the finalist of each brand would be based on the three E’s of value for money, ie Efficiency, Effectiveness and Economy. These are the three criteria’s that would be used to judge, but remember it is based on my personal preference, and there might be some bias.

So, we are starting off with the Nikon brand. Shortlisted candidates for the Nikon brand are detailed below:

Nikon D810 Review

Nikon D810 is a beast when it comes to resolution. It has its well-deserved place at the top of the Nikon DSLR line up. It comes packed with a 36.3MegaPixel FX-Format CMOS Sensor. The letdown though is that it comes without an optical low pass filter, which is very useful for particularly sharp and detailed still imaging.

The Nikon D810 comes packed with an EXPEED 4 image processor which ensures a 30% faster performance speed compared to its predecessor, Nikon D800 which had an Expeed 3 image processor. Nikon D810 avails continuous shooting speed in FX format at 5fps and DX format at a maximum of 7fps.

When it comes to video capabilities, the Nikon D810 holds its ground, with an upgrade from Nikon D800 to include 1080p capture at 24, 30 and 60 fps. ISO sensitivity from Nikon D800’s native ISO ranging from 100 to 6400 has also improved with an expanded wide native ISO sensitivity range that runs from 64 to 12800 in Nikon D810, while being expandable from 32 to 51200.

The advanced Multi- CAM 3500FX autofocus sensor offers 51AF points with 15 cross type sensors and Group Area AF which enables five AF sensors to be used as one group. Before we assess this camera based on value for money, let’s take a brief overview of the camera.

Overview of the Nikon D810

36.3MP FX-Format CMOS Sensor
EXPEED 4 Image Processor
No Optical Low Pass Filter
2″ 1,229k-Dot LCD Monitor
Full HD 1080p Video at 60/30/24 fps
Multi-CAM 3500FX 51-Point AF Sensor
Native ISO 12800, Extended to ISO 51200
5 fps Shooting at Full Resolution
Electronic Front Curtain Shutter
14-Bit RAW Files and 12-Bit RAW S Format

Value for Money Analysis of Nikon D810

Efficiency: Overall, the Nikon D810 is pretty efficient although the absence of an optical low pass filter makes me downgrade its efficiency rating from 5 stars to 4 stars. In case you didn’t know, a low pass filter is also known as an anit-aliasing or blur filter which helps to eliminate the problem of moire by blurring what actually reaches the sensor. The position of a low pass filter is usually in front of a camera’s sensor and it comprises several layers of optical quartz cemented together. Am sure from the above, you would be wandering what moire is. Well moire occurs when an object being photographed contains repetitive patterns for example lines, dots etc, which makes the camera produce strange looking wavy patterns.

Final verdict on Efficiency: 4/5.

Effectiveness: Three words to begin the effectiveness check, and it is: “Pixels do matter”. With a 36.3MP camera, you sure bet that pictures emanating from this camera would be fantastic. The heavy chunk of Megapixels makes you not afraid of cropping the photo. Y rating is definitely a 5 out of a 5.

Final verdict on effectiveness: 5/5.

Economy: Coming to the economy aspect of it, the camera is on the high side, with the price group being a 6/10 when compared with other cameras in this list. Quick reminder though, the camera is meant for professional photographers or people like me who are looking to go into photography. Even with this, it is still a bit high as we have to purchase lenses to go with the body.

Final verdict on economy: 4/5

>>Click here to buy Nikon D810 on Amazon

Nikon D750 Review

As far as I am concerned, Nikon D750 is the current flagship of the Nikon brand. It combines grace with elegance, and it is also one of the cheapest professional SLR’s of the Nikon brand. Nikon D750 is an FX format camera for any occasion, be it still imaging for portraits, wedding photography, landscapes etc or video recording, the Nikon D750 holds its own. The camera features a 24.3MP CMOS sensor along with a EXPEED 4 image processor.

The absolute machine of camera is capable of producing very high resolution images with smooth color gradations, low noise and sensitivity to an expandable ISO 51200 at a continuous shooting of up to 6.5fps.

When it comes to video capabilities, the Nikon D750 produces excellent video shooting with full HD 1080p/60 supported. The camera also supports recording uncompressed video to an optional external recorder.

In addition to the above, why I love the Nikon D750 is because of its tilting 3.2 1,229k-dot LCD monitor which makes working from high and low angles a breeze. The Nkon D750 is also packed with advanced technology features like built in Wifi connectivity which makes it easier to share photos to your social media accounts.

The Nikon D750 also has a 51 point AF system, with 15 cross type points, which avails the utilization of five AF points as a single focusing point in the Group AF setting for heightened initial subject recognition. The 3D Color Matrix Metering III system, along with the 91,000-pixel RGB sensor, also benefits the focusing abilities as well as provides accurate exposure metering to suit a vast array of subjects and lighting conditions.

As usual, before we assess this camera based on value for money, let’s take a brief overview of the camera.

Overview of the Nikon D750

24.3MP FX-Format CMOS Sensor
EXPEED 4 Image Processor
2″ 1,229k-Dot RGBW Tilting LCD Monitor
Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 60 fps
Multi-CAM 3500FX II 51-Point AF Sensor
Native ISO 12800, Extended to ISO 51200
Continuous Shooting Up to 6.5 fps
91k-Pixel RGB Sensor and Group Area AF
Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity
Time Lapse Shooting & Exposure Smoothing

Value for Money Analysis of Nikon D750

Efficiency: The Nikon D750 is known as an efficient beast, as said earlier, it is the flagship camera of the Nikon brand, and was even labelled the camera of the year in 2014 by Popular Photography. The Nikon D750 is superb in low light, bringing out crystal clear pictures even at night. With a burst rate of 6.5fps for up to 87JPEG or 15 RAW frames, this camera easily beats other high end cameras hands down.

Final verdict on efficiency is 5/5

Effectiveness: The Nikon D750 boasts industry leading 51-point 3D autofocus tracking system. With the array of specifications lined up for the Nikon D750, the Nikon D750 still avails incredible internal creative applications including in-camera creation of time-lapse movies with automated exposure smoothing, and a range of Picture Control profiles can be applied to refine the color and tonal handling of imagery.

Final Verdict on effectiveness: 5/5

Economy: We can say the Nikon D750 is moderately priced with a price group of 4/10 when compared with the other cameras in this list. For the quality of this camera, i feel it is under priced and should be one of the camera’s of choice when looking from the pricing angle.

Final verdict on economy: 5/5

>>Click here to buy Nikon D750 on Amazon

Nikon D610 Review

The Nikon D610 boasts an epic full frame, FX-format 24.3 megapixel CMOS sensor with an EXPEED 3 Image processor. Well it is not really epic though given that it has an EXPEED 3 image processor unlike the previous 2 cameras reviewed above. This means that the Nikon 610 would have reduced performance speed compared to the Nikon D810 and Nikon D750. Moving on from there, the Nikon D610 can produce high resolution still imagery with notable image detail and low-light sensitivity to an expandable ISO 25600.

The camera is good for stealth mode related activities as it avails its user a quiet shooting mode that allows the camera to record sequential imagery without the mirror raising or lowering. Nikon D610 is truly another renowned beast of a camera, with continuous shooting of 6fps and a Multi CAM 4800 AF sensor integrated into the camera’s design. The camera produces lightning fast autofocus speeds with a 39-point array to precisely acquire focus in a wide array of lighting conditions.

When it comes to video recording, the Nikon d610 supports full HD 1080p recording of up to 30 fps in the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format and manual control over the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture is possible for optimized control over the look and feel of movies. The Nikon D610 also supports uncompressed recording through an optional external recorder connected via the HDMI port with both headphone and microphone port available for refined control over recorded sound.

Sharing images on the camera has never been easier, with an accessory terminal is compatible with the optional WU-1b Wireless Mobile Adapter and GP-1A GPS Unit for wireless image sharing, remote camera control, and geotagging capabilities.

Before we assess this camera based on value for money, let’s take a brief overview of the camera.

Overview of the Nikon D610

24.3MP FX-Format CMOS Sensor
EXPEED 3 Image Processor
3.2″ 921k-Dot LCD Monitor
Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 30 fps
Multi-CAM 4800 39-Point AF Sensor
Native ISO 6400, Extended to ISO 25600
6 fps Shooting at Full Resolution
Built-In Flash with Commander Mode
Supports WU-1b Wireless Mobile Adapter

Value for Money Analysis of Nikon D610

Efficiency: The camera is really efficient but most of the complaints by users of the camera is that you don’t get many focus points and only covers a small square of the viewfinder.
Not exactly the best for events like weddings and because later on in life I plan to learn photography, I am going to have to downgrade by 2 points to three stars.

Final verdict on efficiency is 3/5

Effectiveness: With an EXPEED 3 image processor, the processing time will be considerably lower than that of Nikon D810 and Nikon D750. For this reason, the rating would be downgraded by one point to a 4/5

Final verdict on effectiveness is 4/5

Economy: The Nikon D610 is in a price group of 3/10. When you compare it to the beast that is Nikon D750 with a lot more advanced feature, listed at a price group of 4/10, the Nikon D610 does not seem too economical. So for this, I am going to have to give it a 3.5 /5

Final verdict on economy: 3.5/5

>>Click here to buy Nikon D610 on Amazon

Nikon D4S Review

This camera is held in high esteem in the photography world, even with its 16mp camera. This shows that it is not only pixels that matter. So, let’s see what makes the magical camera tick. The Nikon D4S is a full frame, FX – Format 16.2MP CMOS sensor with EXPEED 4 image processor to produce high resolution still imagery. The Nikon D4S also has the ability to produce full HD 1080p movies with notable image detail, quality and sensitivity. With the blend of these technologies, there is only one result, exceptional image and video quality.

Images from the Nikon D4S are marked by smooth tonal gradations and vivid, yet accurate, color reproduction as well as an expansive dynamic range. The D4S also features an ISO range of 100 – 25600 which is expandable up to a remarkable ISO 409600 to benefit working in difficult lighting conditions.

With the EXPEED 4 processor, the camera can produce full-resolution continuous shooting rate of 11fps for up to 200 frames with maintained auto-exposure and auto focus. Similar to the Nikon D810 and Nikon D750, the Nikon D4S avails its user an equally refined 51-point autofocus system which can be configured to utilize five AF points as a single focusing point in the Group Area AF setting for heightened initial subject recognition. The Nikon D4S is also packed with a 3D color matrix metering iii system, along with a 91,000-pixel RGB sensor. These features ensure optimum focusing abilities of the D4s and accurate exposure metering to suit a vast array of subjects and lighting conditions.

RAW files from a camera of this standard are usually large, and Nikon has taken this into consideration by availing users of the Nikon D4S a 1000 Base-T (Gigabit) wired LAN connection. Also, when recording movies or time lapse imagery, optional external recorders can be used to record uncompressed movie files, with simultaneous recording to memory cards and live view monitoring possible.

Before we assess this camera based on value for money, let’s take a brief overview of the camera.

Overview of the Nikon D4S

16.2MP FX-Format CMOS Sensor
EXPEED 4 Image Processor
2″ 921k-Dot LCD Monitor
Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 60 fps
Multi-CAM 3500FX 51-Point AF Sensor
Native ISO 25600, Extended to ISO 409600
11 fps Shooting for 200 Shots with AE/AF
91k-Pixel RGB Sensor and Group Area AF
14-Bit RAW Files and 12-Bit RAW S Format
1000 Base-T Gigabit Wired LAN Support

Value for Money Analysis of Nikon D4S

Efficiency: You sure bet that the Nikon D4S is very efficient in doing what it does. With a processor that is up to the mark and a 51 point autofocus system, the Nikon D4S not only takes quality pictures but does so at amazing speed. Little wonder why the camera is highly treasured by professional photographers. The Nikon D4S gets a 5 for efficiency

Final verdict on efficiency is 5/5

Effectiveness: Notwithstanding its lower megapixels, the Nikon DS makes up for this with its 11 fps shooting for 200 Shots with AE/AF and 91k-Pixel RGB Sensor and Group Area AF. For this reason, the Nikon D4S scores a 5.

Final verdict on effectiveness is 5/5

Economy: The Nikon D4S is ridiculously expensive but it is understandable why. The Nikon D4s is pricey and is in a price group of 10/10, it is way above my capacity and for that I would have to score it a 2 based on my personal preference.

Final verdict on economy is 2/5

>>Click here to buy Nikon D4S on Amazon

Nikon D7200 Review

This is another top quality camera from Nikon. Although not a camera with a full frame sensor, the Nikon D7200 still produces magical photos. The Nikon D7200 features 24.2MP CMOS sensor which lacks an optical low-pass filter but on the upside has an expeed 4 image processor. The Nikon D7200 is able to record up to 6 fps at full-resolution, or 7 fps at a 1.3x crop, with a 100-frame buffer for extended high-speed shooting.

When it comes to ISO sensitivity, the Nikon D7200 has a native sensitivity of ISO 25600 which can be further expanded to black & white-dedicated ISO 51200 and ISO 102400 sensitivities. Full HD 1080p Video recording is also supported up to 60fps, and inn.-camera time lapse shooting with automatic exposure smoothing is possible for up to 9,999 consecutive frames.

Like all the latest Dslr’s, the Nikon D7200 avails wifi connectivity but goes a step further by also including Near-Field communication for simple linking to your mobile phone.

Before we assess this camera based on value for money, let’s take a brief overview of the camera.

Overview of the Nikon D7200

24.2MP DX-Format CMOS Sensor
EXPEED 4 Image Processor
No Optical Low-Pass Filter
2″ 1,229k-Dot LCD Monitor
Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 60 fps
Multi-CAM 3500 II DX 51-Point AF Sensor
Native ISO 25600, B&W to ISO 102400
6 fps Shooting for Up to 100 Frames
Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC
In-Camera Time Lapse, Up to 9,999 Frames

Value for Money Analysis of Nikon D7200

Efficiency: Being a camera with a crop sensor (DX), it might not work well for landscape and fashion photographers that need larger print size and resolution. Also due to the bigger pixel size, there is more room for collecting light particles which results in larger dynamic range for the Fx camera. On the plus side, DX camera as manufacturers now manufacture smaller and low cost lenses cost much less than regular lenses for film and full-frame sensors.

Final verdict on efficiency is 3/5

Effectiveness: The Nikon D7200 is very effective in taking clear crisp pictures, but the major omission is the low pass filter. A stated earlier, the low pass optical filter is particularly useful for particularly sharp and detailed still imaging. For this reason, I am going to have to downgrade its rating by 1 to 4/5

Final verdict on effectiveness is 4/5

Economy: The Nikon D7200 is in a price group of 2/10. This is pretty cheap considering the many features it is jampacked with. For this reason, the Nikon D7200 is definitely getting a 5/5 for price.

Final verdict on economy is 5/5

>>Click here to buy Nikon D7200 on Amazon

The Winner:

As guessed, the winner based on my personal preference is Nikon D750. Note, this might not be the best for you based on your preference or reason for purchasing the camera,but for me, the D750 moves to the final round.

Top 5 Nikon Professional SLR Camera’s