Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

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In a long line of expert-level APS-C SLRs, the Nikon D7100 has arrived as a descendant of the D7000—a favourite of Nikon aficionados and a hit among reviewers—while also taking over from the ageing Nikon D300s, which is still hanging around despite being released in 2009. As a model that seeks to accommodate both enthusiast consumers and pro users, the D7100 is being billed as the best ever Nikon APS-C SLR. So does it live up to expectations?

Over time, Nikon's design has been getting gradually rounder, with curvier corners and a generally less stocky kind of look. Even though the D7100 is slightly larger than its predecessor, it's actually a bit lighter as Nikon has used more more magnesium alloy, notably on the top of the camera. The "100% magnesium" frame seems to be reserved for Nikon's higher-end models for the time being. As usual, the finish is very high-quality and the controls all work well, with nicely notched dials and pleasant-to-press buttons. Our only slight regret is that the shutter-release has quite a long press. On the other hand, we very much like the reworked grip handle, with a new curvier design that's comfortable to hold no matter how big or small your hands. You won't be able to complain about grip such as Nikon MB-D80 Battery Grip, Nikon D5000 Battery Grip, Nikon EL4A Battery Grip, Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip, Nikon MB-D11 Battery Grip, Nikon MB-D31 Battery Grip, Nikon MB-D51 Battery Grip, Pentax BP-K7 Battery Grip, Pentax K10D Battery Grip, Sony VG-B50AM Battery Grip, Sony VG-B30AM Battery Grip here!

The general controls and layout haven't changed too much in the D7100. New features include a lock button in the middle of the mode-selection dial, a Live View button in the middle of the photo/video mode switch and an extra button down the left-hand side of the screen. This new and rather strangely named "i" button offers direct access to the camera's main settings.

The screen, however, has changed quite a bit. First of all, the two little clips for attaching a plastic screen protector have gone. Today's Gorilla-Glass-style protective finishes are clearly considered sufficiently robust to do away with such "unsightly" add-ons (even if they are very practical). It's like the end of an era! But nostalgic Nikon users may find solace in the screen's boosted specs. The screen has been upped from 3" to 3.2" in size and boasts 1,229,000-dot definition thanks to the new RGBW backlighting system (Red, Green, Blue, White) with white pixels on hand to push up the brightness. Plus, our tests found that screen calibration is spot on in this DSLR. We measured the average colour temperature at 6468 K, the average Delta E 94 (colour fidelity) at 2.1 and the gamma bang on 2.2. If we really wanted to nit-pick we could say that blacks are a bit too light and whites are a bit too dark, but these "faults" aren't really problematic. In fact, they actually help improve the screen's readability!

The D7100 has a good range of connections, with microphone and headphones ports, a USB connection (but still no sign of USB 3.0), a HDMI port, a remote control port and two memory card slots (SDXC-compatible). The memory cards can be filled up sequentially one after the other, or used in parallel to back up shots or to save different formats. For Wi-Fi you'll need to pick up the optional WU-1a adapter. Similarly, a separate module (GP-1) is available for GPS. And anyone who's not satisfied with the built-in flash can pick up the WR-1 wireless remote controller—a snip at £650!

The menus are typically Nikon-esque. Packed full to the brim with settings and detailed options, they can feel quite dense. You may need to give up your bed-time novel for a while in order to get through the instruction manual. But the upside is that absolutely everything can be user-adjusted, which is great for users looking to set up their SLR to suit particular preferences. And that makes perfect sense when you think about who this camera is aimed at. Otherwise, we still think it's a shame that the ISO AUTO option isn't active by default, and that you still have to go into the menu to delete several shots at once (that doesn't make editing any easier).