- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Nikon D600
- Nikon D5200
- Nikon D5100
- Nikon D700
- Canon EOS 650D
Rated 100% by by C.S.-Michael (Mar, 2013)Nikon has worked wonders with the 24.1 megapixel sensor, delivering amazing resolution detail while controlling noise.
Rated 85% by by c|net (Nov, 2010)It's not a lightweight camera, but it feels very sturdy and well built, with a solid grip and enough heft to offset the weight of many heavy pro lenses.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Nikon D7100 compared to the Nikon D7000
MP24
APS-C
Rated 85% by by DPReview (Apr, 2013)While this HDR-like result may not be to everyone's taste, the point here is that at base ISO, the D7100 provides enough headroom in shadow detail to create this effect from a single exposure.
16.1 MP
APS-C
Rated 100% by by B.-Fuller (Oct, 2010)Smaller weight and size is becoming much more important to me and this camera is a very good trade off of features for size and weight.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 24 MP   | 30 MP |
D7100 by Photography Blog (Mar, 2013)The weather-proof D7100 features a 24 megapixel DX image sensor, 51-point autofocus system, 6fps burst shooting and a high-resolution 3.2 inch LCD screen.
D7000 by R.-Wandrei--social_bunny (Nov, 2010)RAW format uses full 16.2 megapixels so files are huge (would be nice to see an option that allows you to choose how many megapixels you want to use when shooting RAW).
sensor size
D7100 by DPReview (Apr, 2013)Noise does start to become visible at the pixel level even at moderate ISO sensitivities, but is kept well under control given the pixel density of its 24MP APS-C sensor.
D7000 by DPReview (Nov, 2010)With its APS-C sensor the Nikon D7000 cannot quite produce the very shallow depth-of-field footage that the Nikon D3s or other full-format DSLRs offer but it still gives you much more control in this respect than most consumer video or digital compact cameras.
viewfinder size
D7100 by DPReview (Apr, 2013)The size of the viewfinder is a key factor in the usability of an SLR - the bigger it is, the easier it is to frame and focus your shots, and the more enjoyable and involving process it is.
D7000 by J.-Carrow (May, 2012)Even 6400 can give nice shots, and the HI-2 (equivalent of 25,600) can give very usable shots if you don't mind heavily post processing them and only using them reduced to web sizes.-The metering is noticeably better, so I have to adjust the exposure less, and have fewer blown highlights.-The viewfinder is larger, so its easier to see what you're doing.-The auto white balance has a much wider range of correction, and is more accurate.
body size
136 x 107 x 76 mm
132 x 105 x 77 mm
D7100 by DPReview (Apr, 2013)That all of this comes in a relatively light weight package is even more impressive.
D7000 by Yani (Jun, 2012)First impression holding the camera is that it is indeed very substantial feeling - very solid and just heavy enough to feel like it is made of quality parts but not excessively heavy.
focus points
| 0 | 51 | 60 |
D7100 by Photography Blog (Mar, 2013)In this mode the camera's 51 focus points cover an even wider area of the frame for even better subject acquisition.
D7000 by val (Sep, 2011)I loved the feel, the speed, the metering, especially for flash photography, the ease of use, the focus points (and accuracy) and the controls.
Performance Real world tests of Nikon D7100 vs Nikon D7000
DxOMark image quality
D7100 by DPReview (Apr, 2013)Below we've provided 1920 x 1080 still images and in the full size crops you can see blurry output from the 1.3x crop mode that is analogous with upsampling.
D7000 by Emil--EmilImage quality (wealth of details, sharpness, color rendition), performance, design, ergonomics, usability, fill-n flash - it's a pleasure to shoot with this camera.
DxOMark low light performance
D7000 by Mauricio-M.-Silva--mmartins98 (Jan, 2011)I've took some pictures of New York, at night, and I've got the best results of all my life, in those conditions.
continuous shooting
D7100 by DPReview (Apr, 2013)We did find that the maximum 5.9 fps we measured was not achieved consistently throughout the burst, as times averaged between 5 and 5.5 fps.
D7000 by Mark-Fitzpatrick--Math-Teacher (May, 2012)Even when set to highest file size and optimal quality, I click off rapid fire shots of say a receiver as he is catching the ball.
battery life
950 photos
1,050 photos
D7100 by Alan-Montgomery (Mar, 2013)I have gotten a couple hundred shots off and still have half battery life.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the D7000
| Much higher definition video | HD video | vs | HD video |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great video; great for displaying on a large flat panel TV | |||
| Significantly larger screen | 3.2" | vs | 3" |
| Around 10% larger screen | |||
| Significantly higher resolution screen | 1,229 k dots | vs | 920 k dots |
| More than 30% higher resolution screen | |||
| Much higher resolution | 24 MP | vs | 16.1 MP |
| Around 50% higher resolution; Capture more detail, good for large prints | |||
| Marginally more recently announced | Feb, 2013 | vs | Sep, 2010 |
| Announced date over 2 years later | |||
| Significantly more cross-type focus points | 15 | vs | 9 |
| 6 more cross type focus points; Easier and faster focusing in low light | |||
| Supports HDR | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Combines multiple photos together to capture both bright and dark areas | |||
| Better overall image quality | 83.0 | vs | 80.0 |
| Almost the same | |||
| More phase-detection focus points | 51 | vs | 39 |
| 12 more phase detection focus points; Faster autofocus in reasonably lit settings | |||
| Less noise at high ISO | 1,256 ISO | vs | 1,167 ISO |
| Around 10% higher low light performance | |||
| More highly reviewed by consumers | 88.68% | vs | 86.64% |
| Almost the same | |||
| Lighter | 675 g | vs | 780 g |
| More than 10% lighter | |||
Advantages compared to the D7100
| More photos per charge | 1,050 | vs | 950 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 more shots; Longer battery life | |||
| Slightly smaller | 132 x 105 x 77 mm | vs | 136 x 107 x 76 mm |
| Almost the same | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Nikon D7100 | Nikon D7000 | ||
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 | Rated by 34 users at amazon.com Rated 80% by by W.-Choe (Mar, 2013)  Rated 100% by by blackhawkjohn (Mar, 2013) Rated 100% by by P.-Hartung (Mar, 2013) | Rated by 558 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by C.-Michael--C.S.-Michael (Mar, 2011) Rated 100% by by C.-Michael--C.S.-Michael (Mar, 2011) Rated 100% by by Duck (Dec, 2010) | |
video
Nikon D7100 | Rated 85% by by DPReview (Apr, 2013)The D7100 can shoot 1080p movies at 30, 25 or 24 frames per second at bitrates of up to 24Mbps.
Nikon D7100 | Rated 85% by by DPReview (Apr, 2013)The latter is only active in movie live view mode, which is entered by pushing the live view button on the D7100's rear (after you've selected movie mode from the stills/movie live view switch).
Nikon D7100 | Rated 85% by by DPReview (Apr, 2013)In this clip of a moving streetcar, you can see that the D7100's sensor readout is swift enough to avoid a rolling shutter effect.
sensor
Nikon D7100 | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2013)The D7000's 16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor has been superseded by a 24.1 megapixel CMOS chip, capable of providing a Live View feed, recording Full HD video and capturing full-resolution stills at 6 frames per second for up to 33 Fine JPEG images and 6 14-bit RAW images, slightly more than the D7000 for JPEG but significantly less for RAW.
Nikon D7100 | Rated 85% by by DPReview (Apr, 2013)In fact, if you don't have a compelling reason to shoot with a full frame DSLR, or have no need for 36MP output, the APS-C D7100 offers a largely similar shooting experience, great looking images and a smaller, lighter body to carry on your shoulder.
Nikon D7100 | Rated 85% by by DPReview (Apr, 2013)In our tests we found that measured ISOs from the Nikon D7100 match the marked ISOs within 1/6 stop accuracy, meaning ISO 100 indicated = ISO 100 measured.
focus
Nikon D7100 | Rated 85% by by DPReview (Apr, 2013)The D7100 combines the excellent handling and ergonomics of the D7000 with some of the recent changes Nikon has made throughout its higher-end DSLRs like an integrated stills/movie live view control, AF mode button/lever combination and top-plate mounted movie record button.
Nikon D7100 | Rated 85% by by DPReview (Apr, 2013)You could also put a 2x teleconverter on a lens like the very good AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm F4G ED VR and the D7100 could still use its center focus point at the F8 equivalent maximum aperture this combo would produce.
Nikon D7100 | Rated 85% by by DPReview (Apr, 2013)Other D7100 upgrades over the D7000 include a significantly upgraded AF system, with focus algorithms borrowed from the top-end Nikon D4, 51 AF points (15 cross-type) and the stated ability to focus in light as low as -2EV.
lens
Nikon D7100 | Rated 85% by by DPReview (Apr, 2013)This is actually an improvement over DX-format Nikons such as the D7000 that allow you to change the aperture setting in live view, but don't apply it if you start recording (so movies are recorded at the aperture that was initially set on entering live view, regardless of what's displayed on the screen).
Nikon D7100 | Rated 85% by by DPReview (Apr, 2013)In real world shooting with the D7100, it's not unreasonable to assume a significant number of owners will be shooting with an affordable zoom like the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR kit lens at a more commonly used aperture like F8.
Nikon D7100 | by Mike-Tomkins (Feb, 2013)The Quality / Zoom In and ISO / Zoom Out buttons have also switched places with each other, a change that may take a little while for upgrading D7000 owners to get used to.
ergonomics
Nikon D7100 | Rated 85% by by DPReview (Apr, 2013)The D7100's on/off switch is concentric with the shutter button, with the exposure compensation and metering mode buttons rounding out the control points.
Nikon D7100 | Rated 85% by by DPReview (Apr, 2013)The D7100's on/off switch is concentric with the shutter button, with the exposure compensation and red movie-record buttons immediately behind.
Nikon D7100 | Rated 85% by by DPReview (Apr, 2013)The D7100 offers six different 'Picture Controls', which are essentially color response presets applied to in-camera JPEGs.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Nikon D600 Best image quality as rated by DXOMark |
 | 2 | Nikon D5200 Lightest |
 | 3 | Nikon D5100 Smallest |
 | 4 | Nikon D700 Largest sensor |
 | 5 | Canon EOS 650D Has a touch screen |
 | 6 | Canon EOS 60D Most shots per battery charge |
 | 7 | Canon EOS 7D Many cross-type focus points |
 | 8 | Canon EOS 7D MII Fastest rapid fire mode |
