When Nikon launch the D5200, they will be hoping that its stops the opposition in their tracks. But that is a very tall order these days. The speed of technological change means that today's innovation is tomorrow's ' so what?'. The D5200 can be expected to use the 24Mp sensor of its sibling the D3200, which will make it a class leader. The burst speed can also be expected to improve, perhaps to 8FPS, to give the action photographers something to smile about. And for those who want to push the boundaries in low light or still photography, A higher ISO setting and more focal points is a must. Video is a big selling point in this market and whilst the D5100 has an excellent Movie mode, the D5200 would be expected to at least offer a greater range of frames per second and possibly an out channel for head phones to go with the the external mic socket. All these improvements might well put the D5200 out ahead of it's rivals, but there are still some superb cameras out there that need to be checked out before you decide to buy the D5200.
THE NIKON D5100 - There is no reason to think that the arrival of the D5200 will lead to the immediate demise of the D5100. After all, it is a great camera. The image quality is superb, especially in the detail and the way it handles noise issues.16 megapixels is now regarded as a smallish file, but shot through nikon lenses they will stand up well against anything in this class. The innovative articulated viewing screen has been a great success and is very useful when shooting video or at odd angles. The ISO, which is extendable to 25,600, beats many of it's rivals. The HD video is excellent ad the external Mic records in stereo. The only slight downside is the slow-ish 4FPS, but not something that everybody really needs. For the price, this is a great piece of kit.
THE NIKON D3200 - Nikon have really astonished the photographic community with this ' entry-level' camera that seems to want to compete with pro-level bodies. The 24 MegaPixel sensor is remarkable in a camera of this price and had put every other beginner-level camera in the shade. The external Mic (for stereo recording) and HD video make this a great starter for photographer and videographer alike. The solid ISO rating - up to 6400 - and shutter speed range make this flexible and versatile camera the current leader of it's class.
THE CANON EOS 650D/Rebel T4i - Newly launched, this camera shows that Canon mean business. Offering an 18MP sensor, taken from the 7D, a top ISO of 25,600 and 5FPS the 650D wants to trample over the opposition. The full HD video function and stereo sound will appeal to photographers who want to mix disciplines. The articulated touch screen is new to this class and the contrast autofocus is something you are more likely to find in the Compact Systems Camera bracket. However, apart from these innovative additions, it has many of the characteristics of the 600D/Rebel T3i.
THE CANON EOS 600D/ Rebel T3i - Up until the arrival of the 650d/ Rebel T4i, this was canon's flagship model in this market. It does offer a good range of features at a fair price. The 18 Megapixel file size was the largest around until matched by the the 650D and beaten by the D3200, and it is quite big enough for almost any requirement. The Canon lenses ensure that the image quality is superb. Like the D5100, it too has an articulated viewing screen, which is handy for shooting the HD video. The 9-point autofocus lets the camera down slightly and the 3.7 Frame Per Second burst speed seem quite pedestrian these days. All together though, this is a very competent camera from an excellent brand.
THE CANON EOS 1100D/Rebel T3 - The is the most basic D-SLR supplied by Canon. It offers 12 MegaPixel files, 9-point autofocus and is a great way to take the step up from compact or bridge cameras. The onscreen functions guide is really useful and intuitive and helps the novice find their way around the technology. However the video is only 720pp which, these days, is only good enough for the web. Nikon won't regard this as a serious contender to the D5200 as it is aimed at someone who is at the very beginning of their D-SLR experience.
THE PENTAX K-30 - Of course the big two dominate the D-SLR classes, but for those who aren't tied to either Nikon or Canon, it's worth while looking at other manufacturers. The Pentax K-30 is an excellent camera that sits at the upper end of this class, both in price and functionality. It offers a 16 MegaPixel file size and, unusually, has 100% view through the viewfinder, which makes cropping much easier. 6 Frames per Second burst speed is pretty good, and the buffer has good capacity (allowing 30 frames per burst). The HD video is impressive and offers 24,25 or 30 FPS. Pentax also offer the option to power the camera with normal AA batteries which can be very useful. Designed for the outdorrs, it is made of toughened plastic and is completely weather-sealed. Price with 18-55mm lens $900/650
THE PENTAX K-r - This camera is small and light and has some great functions for its class. It is quite robustly built and offers a shutter speed up to a blistering 1/6000 and a wide ISO range, up to 25,600, which makes it very useful in low light. Whilst it can shoot HD video, it does so at 16:9 which is a little restrictive, and the internal Mic only records in Mono. There are various Modes to help the beginner, which are intuitive and accessible. It can operate on AA batteries. Price with lens 400 / $760
THE SONY ALPHA 57 - The SLR has been around for so long that it is easy to think there is no better system out there and whilst the main manufacturers are herding D-SLR users steadily towards CSC functionality in the hope of removing the viewfinder completely eventually, Sony have chosen a different path. The Alpha 57 is an SLT - single-lens translucent. Instead of having a moveable mirror that bounces the light to the viewfinder and then moves to allow the camera to take the shot, Sony have produced a fixed semi- translucent mirror that bounces some light to the viewfinder and lets the rest through to the sensor. Sony have used this for a while now and it can produce some pretty good results. The A57 has a 16MP sensor that are good quality, though they do need some work if shot in low light. However the advantage is that you can see the shot continuously, even when the camera is shooting at 10FPS. The HD video is competent and has a choice of 25FPS or 50FPS. It also has an innovative digital zoom and a maximum ISO of 16,000. Altogether, this is a pretty good camera for the price. Price $700/ 500
THE SONY A37 - The Alpha 37 has recently launched and puts Sony firmly back into this bracket after the very poor A390. It offers 16MP files and 5.5 FPS burst speed in most modes ( though it can get up to 7FPS) and a maximum ISO of 16,000. It is not a D-SLR, but operates a semi-transparent mirror system. It offers an in-camera zoom function, claiming to double the length of your lens with little loss of quality, and a tiltable back screen. It also offers HD video. Price 400/$550
THE NIKON D5100 - There is no reason to think that the arrival of the D5200 will lead to the immediate demise of the D5100. After all, it is a great camera. The image quality is superb, especially in the detail and the way it handles noise issues.16 megapixels is now regarded as a smallish file, but shot through nikon lenses they will stand up well against anything in this class. The innovative articulated viewing screen has been a great success and is very useful when shooting video or at odd angles. The ISO, which is extendable to 25,600, beats many of it's rivals. The HD video is excellent ad the external Mic records in stereo. The only slight downside is the slow-ish 4FPS, but not something that everybody really needs. For the price, this is a great piece of kit.
THE NIKON D3200 - Nikon have really astonished the photographic community with this ' entry-level' camera that seems to want to compete with pro-level bodies. The 24 MegaPixel sensor is remarkable in a camera of this price and had put every other beginner-level camera in the shade. The external Mic (for stereo recording) and HD video make this a great starter for photographer and videographer alike. The solid ISO rating - up to 6400 - and shutter speed range make this flexible and versatile camera the current leader of it's class.
THE CANON EOS 650D/Rebel T4i - Newly launched, this camera shows that Canon mean business. Offering an 18MP sensor, taken from the 7D, a top ISO of 25,600 and 5FPS the 650D wants to trample over the opposition. The full HD video function and stereo sound will appeal to photographers who want to mix disciplines. The articulated touch screen is new to this class and the contrast autofocus is something you are more likely to find in the Compact Systems Camera bracket. However, apart from these innovative additions, it has many of the characteristics of the 600D/Rebel T3i.
THE CANON EOS 600D/ Rebel T3i - Up until the arrival of the 650d/ Rebel T4i, this was canon's flagship model in this market. It does offer a good range of features at a fair price. The 18 Megapixel file size was the largest around until matched by the the 650D and beaten by the D3200, and it is quite big enough for almost any requirement. The Canon lenses ensure that the image quality is superb. Like the D5100, it too has an articulated viewing screen, which is handy for shooting the HD video. The 9-point autofocus lets the camera down slightly and the 3.7 Frame Per Second burst speed seem quite pedestrian these days. All together though, this is a very competent camera from an excellent brand.
THE CANON EOS 1100D/Rebel T3 - The is the most basic D-SLR supplied by Canon. It offers 12 MegaPixel files, 9-point autofocus and is a great way to take the step up from compact or bridge cameras. The onscreen functions guide is really useful and intuitive and helps the novice find their way around the technology. However the video is only 720pp which, these days, is only good enough for the web. Nikon won't regard this as a serious contender to the D5200 as it is aimed at someone who is at the very beginning of their D-SLR experience.
THE PENTAX K-30 - Of course the big two dominate the D-SLR classes, but for those who aren't tied to either Nikon or Canon, it's worth while looking at other manufacturers. The Pentax K-30 is an excellent camera that sits at the upper end of this class, both in price and functionality. It offers a 16 MegaPixel file size and, unusually, has 100% view through the viewfinder, which makes cropping much easier. 6 Frames per Second burst speed is pretty good, and the buffer has good capacity (allowing 30 frames per burst). The HD video is impressive and offers 24,25 or 30 FPS. Pentax also offer the option to power the camera with normal AA batteries which can be very useful. Designed for the outdorrs, it is made of toughened plastic and is completely weather-sealed. Price with 18-55mm lens $900/650
THE PENTAX K-r - This camera is small and light and has some great functions for its class. It is quite robustly built and offers a shutter speed up to a blistering 1/6000 and a wide ISO range, up to 25,600, which makes it very useful in low light. Whilst it can shoot HD video, it does so at 16:9 which is a little restrictive, and the internal Mic only records in Mono. There are various Modes to help the beginner, which are intuitive and accessible. It can operate on AA batteries. Price with lens 400 / $760
THE SONY ALPHA 57 - The SLR has been around for so long that it is easy to think there is no better system out there and whilst the main manufacturers are herding D-SLR users steadily towards CSC functionality in the hope of removing the viewfinder completely eventually, Sony have chosen a different path. The Alpha 57 is an SLT - single-lens translucent. Instead of having a moveable mirror that bounces the light to the viewfinder and then moves to allow the camera to take the shot, Sony have produced a fixed semi- translucent mirror that bounces some light to the viewfinder and lets the rest through to the sensor. Sony have used this for a while now and it can produce some pretty good results. The A57 has a 16MP sensor that are good quality, though they do need some work if shot in low light. However the advantage is that you can see the shot continuously, even when the camera is shooting at 10FPS. The HD video is competent and has a choice of 25FPS or 50FPS. It also has an innovative digital zoom and a maximum ISO of 16,000. Altogether, this is a pretty good camera for the price. Price $700/ 500
THE SONY A37 - The Alpha 37 has recently launched and puts Sony firmly back into this bracket after the very poor A390. It offers 16MP files and 5.5 FPS burst speed in most modes ( though it can get up to 7FPS) and a maximum ISO of 16,000. It is not a D-SLR, but operates a semi-transparent mirror system. It offers an in-camera zoom function, claiming to double the length of your lens with little loss of quality, and a tiltable back screen. It also offers HD video. Price 400/$550
About the Author:
Jeremy Bayston has worked in the Photo industry for over two decades and has written about cameras and photography on various photographic websites. Check out his site devoted to the Nikon D5200 for the latest news from Nikon. Sign up for his newsletter about the D5200 D-SLR.