We have written an updated version of this article, comparing the new Nikon D5600 and the Nikon D7200. Click here to read the new article, or click here to open it in a new tab.
The newly announced Nikon D7200 has finally been given a significant performance boost, making the choice between it and the D5500 (a less expensive camera that provides identical image quality) a much more difficult one to make. It’s also worth noting that the changes between the new D5500 and D7200 and their predecessors are not very significant, so you may prefer to save money and buy the older models while they’re still available. My general advice is always this: buy the least expensive camera that will meet your needs, and buy the best lenses that you can afford. Below, I’ll cover the differences between these cameras and explain which types of photographers will find the different features useful.
New In the D5500
If you’re deciding between D5500 and older D5300, here’s the difference:
- a touch-sensitive screen has been added to the D5500
- built-in GPS have been removed in the D5500
- the top of the ISO scale has been increased by a stop to 25600, though it may be more accurate to say that the “expanded” ISO of 25600 has been incorporated as “native”
- its a millimeter shorter and narrower, 5mm thinner, and about 60 grams lighter (about the weight of an egg) than the D5300
That’s it! The D5500 and D5300 are virtually identical, otherwise, so as the price drops on the D5300, many photographers who don’t care about having a touch-screen or who want built-in GPS will be able to pick it up at a great price. Currently, the D5300 body costs $597 while the newer D5500 body costs $747.
Nikon D5500 vs D7200: What’s the Difference?
To begin with, we can take a look at the most significant specs for the D5500, D7100 and the new D7200.
| Nikon D5500 | Nikon D7100 | Nikon D7200 | |
|---|---|---|---|
  |   |   |
|
| Price (body) | $746 | $796 | $1096 |
| Price (with 18-140mm kit lens) | $1046 | $1096 | $1396 |
| Body Material | Sereebo, (carbon fiber reenforced plastic) body-chassis | Partial Magnesium Alloy Frame, Plastic | Partial Magnesium Alloy Frame, Plastic |
| Dust/Weather Sealed Body | None | Yes | Yes |
| Sensor Resolution | 24.2Megapixels | 24.1 Megapixels | 24.2 Megapixels |
| Anti-Aliasing Filter (Reduces sharpness, prevents moire) | NO | NO | NO |
| ISO Range | 100-25600 | 100-6400 +12800 +25600 | 100-25600 |
| Total AF Points | 39 | 51 | 51 |
| Cross-Type AF Points | 9 | 15 | 15 |
| AF Motor In Body (For Using Older AF Lenses) | NO | YES | YES |
| AF Light Level Range | -1 to +19 EV | -2 to +19 EV | -3 to +19 EV |
| Autofocus Fine Tuning Adjustments | NO | YES | YES |
| Shutter Speed Range | 1/4000th - 30 sec. +bulb | 1/8000th - 30 sec. +bulb | 1/8000th - 30 sec. +bulb |
| Expected Shutter Life | 100,000 Shots | 150,000 Shots | |
| Max Frame Rate | 5 fps | 6 fps (7 shots in 1.3x crop mode) | 6 fps (7 shots in 1.3x crop mode) |
| Max RAW Burst (buffer size) | 6 shots, compressed 14-bit | 7 shots lossless 12-bit 6 shots lossless 14-bit | 18 shots 14-bit |
| Max JPG Burst (fine, Large) | 100 | 33 | 100 |
| Flash Sync Speed | 1/200th sec. | 1/250th sec. (1/320th* sec, or slower,) | 1/250th sec. |
| Wireless Flash (Built-in Commander) | NO | YES | YES |
| Auto FP Flash Mode (High Speed Sync) | NO | YES | YES |
| Media Slots | 1 SD / SDHC / SDXC | 2 SD / SDHC / SDXC | 2 SD / SDHC / SDXC |
| LCD Size | 3.2" 1,036,800 pixels | 3.2" 1,228,800 pixels | 3.2" 1,228,800 pixels |
| LCD Articulated | Yes | No | No |
| LCD Touchscreen | YES | No | No |
| Built-in GPS | No | No | No |
| Built-in WiFi | Yes | No | Yes |
| Body Weight | 420g (no battery) 470 (with battery) | 675 (no battery) | 675 (no battery) |
| Body Size | 124 x 97 x 70 mm | 136 x 107 x 76 mm | 136 x 106.5 x 76 mm |
| Battery Life | 820 shots CIPA Standards | 950 shots CIPA Standards | 1,110 shots CIPA Standards |
| Viewfinder Coverage | 95% Frame .82x Magnification | 100% Frame .94x Magnification | 100% Frame .94x Magnification |
| Video Codec | MPEG-4 / H.264 .mov | MPEG-4 / H.264 .mov | MPEG-4 / H.264 .mov |
| Video Resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 50i, 30, 25, 24 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60i*, 50i*, 30, 25, 24 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps) 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps) 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) |
| Video Length Limit | 29 min 59 sec. | 29 min 59 sec. | 29 min 59 sec. |
| Headphone Jack | No | Yes | Yes |
| Internal Mic | Stereo | Stereo | Stereo |
Build Quality
Perhaps the most obvious difference between the D7200 and the D5500 is in their construction. The D5500 body is significantly smaller and lighter, built of carbon-fiber reenforced plastics (Sereebo), while the D7200 is heavier and built for durability, with a metal (magnesium alloy) back and top, and importantly, it is weather sealed. Since the D5500 also uses a smaller battery, the carry-around weight of the D7200 is about 40% more1 Actually 38.6% than the D5500.
Whether this is an advantage or disadvantage depends on your photographic needs; some photographers (especially those with larger hands) prefer a larger camera with some ‘heft’ to it, while others prefer something more lightweight and easy to carry around, especially travelers and hikers. Needless to say, those who work in harsh conditions will also prefer the D7200’s weather sealing and heavier-duty construction, as a matter of practicality.
The Sensors : Exactly the Same
Like the previous generation, Nikon’s D5500 and D7200 both have 24-megapixel sensors, and neither one makes use of an anti-aliasing filter. Consequently, if you shoot RAW files, you will not be able to detect any difference in image quality between these two cameras, and since both cameras now use the same processor, the JPGs should be equally indistinguishable.
With the success of the D7100, Nikon also decided to remove the AA filter from the D5300 and D5500’s sensors, and now the D7200. For all practical purposes, there is no difference between the sensors the D7200 and D5500, so there should be no difference in image quality if you shoot RAW. Though this lack of AA filter does provide the potential to for the camera to produce sharper images, don’t expect too much.
Why does that matter? Even with the much larger receptors of the D800, lens resolution has become a serious bottle-neck for image quality. Nikon has already produced a special list of lenses that can allow you make the most out of your D800 sensor. The dramatically higher pixel density of Nikon’s 24-megapixel APS-C sensors will tax lens resolution even more, meaning that the D7200 and D5500’s images won’t get much sharper unless lenses get sharper first.
Auto Focus Systems
Unlike most entry and mid-level SLRs, the Nikon D5500 has a very sophisticated autofocus system. While cameras like the Canon T6i and 70D have 19 autofocus points, the D5500 has 39, though only the central nine of them are cross-type 3 If you’re not sure what cross-type points are, or why they’re important, check out our short video on the subject, here. . This autofocus system, which also incorporates color information, has been adopted from the Nikon D7000.
The D7200, however, shares the same AF system with the flagship Nikon D4 and the D810: 51 AF points, including 15 cross-type… the best system available in a Nikon body.
For all but the most dedicated action photographers, the system in the D5500 will be more than sufficient, even if you’re buying a camera primarily for shooting sports. If your paycheck, however, is going to depend on your focusing system, the extra several hundred dollars will be well spent on the D7200.
Speed
When it comes to speed, the differences between the D5500 and D7200 are more modest that you might expect. The D7200 does have a top shutter speed that is one full f-stop faster than the D5500’s (ie, 1/8000th vs 1/4000th). When it comes to shooting bursts of photos, though, the D7200 only provides an additional frame per second over the D5500’s 5 fps (unless you’re shooting in 1.3x crop mode, in which case it will give up an additional frame per second).
However (unlike the D7100) the D7200 has a significantly larger buffer, allowing longer continuous bursts of shooting. While the D5500 (and D7100) can only shoot 6 14-bit RAW files in a row before filling the buffer and getting bogged down, the D7200 can shoot 18 RAW images in a row, three times more than the D7100 (though it still lags significantly behind Canon’s original 7D, which could shoot 25).
Shooting JPG gives you even more freedom to hold down that shutter button. The D7200 can shoot bursts of 100 frames or more (at 6 fps), just like the D5500. The D7100 was only capable of shooting 33 in a row.
The D5500’s Downfall
Flash. With the popularity of “Strobist” techniques over the past several years, flash photography has become increasingly important to amateur and semi-pro photographers, and this is where the D5500 falls short: it lacks high-speed-sync4 For a quick explanation of what high-speed-sync is, watch our video here. (Auto FP Flash, henceforth AFP) and external flash control with the built-in flash. External flash control may not be a big deal; many of us prefer to use radio-units instead… though the built-in IR system can be very useful with Nikon’s Creative Lighting System (CLS).
The lack of AFP, however, is a serious problem. Consider this situation: you’re shooting a portrait outdoors during the day, and you want to use a large aperture to blur the background… perhaps f/2 or f/1.4 . This will push your shutter speed beyond 1/1000ths of a second, much higher than the camera’s 1/200th sec. maximum sync speed. So, if you want to use a flash to soften the shadows or create a catch-light in the eyes of your subject, forget it: the flash will not sync. The same is true if you want to use flash for sports and a high shutter speed, and while you can purchase external command modules or radio transmitters for off-camera-flashes, there’s nothing you can buy to work around the lack of AFP. You’d need to buy the D7200 instead.
In some instances, a neutral density filter can be used to bring the shutter speed down within the range of the D5500’s sync speed. There are several problems with the method, though: the image through your viewfinder can become quite dark, making it hard to frame your shot and making it hard for your camera’s AF system to pull focus, you lose flash power, if you’re shooting with a telephoto lens, shutter speeds at the camera’s sync speed might not be safe for hand-holding, and they’ll always be too slow for sports or fast action (if you’re balancing flash and ambient light).
All the Little Things
There are a few other assorted differences that deserve mention here, but they’re mostly the same differences that we saw between the D5100 and D7000. First, the D5500 does not have an autofocus motor built into the camera body, so it will not be compatible with the full range of (old school) Nikon lenses, while the D7200 does posses the motor. And speaking of “focus”, the D7200 is capable of micro adjustments to correct for front or back-focus problems on lenses, while the D5500 is not.
As should be obvious from the images above, the D5500 has an articulated LCD screen, which some people find helpful for ground-level shots and video but others find a breakage hazard or amateurish.
The D7200 has dual SD card slots. It’s can be nice to have two slots if you want to record JPGs to one card and RAW to the other, perhaps sending JPGs to an Eye-Fi card, for example. However, if you only need storage space, a single slot is fine. These days, a single 64GB SDXC card costs only $30, and I rarely shoot more than 32GB per day, even at all-day events.
The D5300 has built-in GPS tagging, a feature that requires additional equipment with the D7200. This feature was dropped in the D5500, perhaps the result of the ubiquity of smartphones and apps such as GeoTag Photos Pro, but there are also reports of problems with battery drain using the GPS in the D5300, among other issues that I have yet to confirm.
Finally, if you are interested in video, the D7200 has been given a headphone jack for monitoring audio while you shoot. The jack is absent in the D5500 (and D5300, D7000). All of these cameras can shoot video at up to 1080p 60fps, except for the D7100, which can only shoot at 30fps at that resolution.
Which to Buy?
The Nikon D5300 and D5500 are great cameras, and I’d recommend them for the vast majority of amateur photographers, with the exception of those who need superior flash capabilities.
To summarize, you should buy the D5300 if you:
- want a great, all-around camera
- shoot primarily with natural light or studio strobes
- need an articulated LCD screen for video or photos
- want built-in GPS
- want to save some money to buy the best lenses possible. At Amazon, the price for the D5300 body is $597
Buy the D5500 ONLY IF you:
- really care about the weight of your camera. The D5500 weighs about 60g less than the D5300; that’s about the weight of a large chicken egg.
- think you’ll really enjoy using a touchscreen.
- find that the current prices are very similar. At Amazon, the price for the D5500 body is $747
Buy the D7100 if you:
- don’t shoot bursts of action in RAW format and want the other features of the D7100
- At Amazon, the current price for the D7100 body is $797
Buy the D7200 if you:
- shoot lots of action, especially in long bursts
- are hard on your equipment and need a more durable body
- use flash for action or fill and need high-speed sync
- use Nikon’s CLS and want to use the built-in command module
- shoot macro (or other focus critical work) and need to make micro adjustments to your lenses
- shoot a lot of video and want a simple headphone jack on your camera
- don’t need to worry about spending a little more. At Amazon, the price for the D7200 body is $1097
For the sake of simplicity I’ve tried to focus on only the differences that, in my experience, will actually be important. There are, of course, numerous differences between the two cameras, though, and some features may be more important to particular photographers. If you think that I’ve left out something important, please feel free to let me know.
Please Comment!
If you have additional questions or comments, please let me know, below. I’ll do what I can to answer questions and clear up any confusion.
