GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL................. Nikon D7200

GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL Nikon D7200   When you get proficient enough with an entry-level DSLR, there are  always a ton of upgrades available. And if you're not doing photography  as a professional, spending on a full frame DSLR will be overkill.  The D7200 is Nikon's offering for the advanced user and they call it  the most advanced camera in their DX (APS-C size sensor) range. Compared to the previous D7100, there are a few key upgrades (though   they are outwardly very similar). For starters, the autofocus system has  been completely overhauled -the D7200 focuses faster (it tracks  moving subjects better) and more reliably , even in very low light.  And second, it has a larger buffer memory , which means it can shoot  faster and in a longer burst. If you shoot in JPEG (even at the highest setting), you can shoot at 6  frames per second for a burst that lasts over 100 photos.For RAW ,  you can do 18 continuous shots before the buffer fills up. The built in WiFI and NFC is a first for Nikon DSLRs.  The competition has offered these features for a while so it's good to  see Nikon catching up. Thanks to WiFi, you can wirelessly upload  photos to social networks or transfer photos. There's a free Wireless  Mobile Utility app (iOS and Android) that helps you with this and it  lets you shoot remotely with your device. The D7200 also has dual SD  cards slot. You can use a second card as `overflow' (when one fills up,  it starts writing to the other) or `backup' (same images stored on both)   or selectively, if you want to shoot JPEG & RAW . We tested it with a Nikkor 18300mm f3.5-6.3G ED lens with built in  VR (vibration reduction: Nikon's term for optical image stabilisation).  This is a lens for someone who wants the ultimate in versatility -you  can use it indoors, where the 18mm focal length can easily fit everyone  into the frame -or you can use it as a superzoom, with the 300mm side  of the lens bringing everything closer. But this is a `75,000 option. The ISO range is 100 to 25,600, with two additional ultra high ISO  settings: Hi BW1 (equivalent to ISO 51,200) and Hi BW2 (equivalent  to ISO 1,02,400). Needless to say , these are black & white modes,  which are to be used only when capturing any sort of image is more  important than the amount of noise. You can safely push it to ISO  3200 without much noise. The video mode is limited to 1080p 60p,  but there is a flat picture control mode that maintains both shadow  and highlight detail -and a time lapse mode is built in too.  It's a capable performer -probably the best APS-C performance  you can get this side of a lakh of Rupees Hitesh Bhagat ET16DEC15