Nikon D7100 Announced

New flagship APS-C body from Nikon

By PF Staff in Photo Industry News on Feb 21, 2013

Nikon has just launched the new D7100 DSLR which is replacing the D300s as their flagship APS-C body, and of course is succeeding the the current D7000.

Key specifications:

• 24.1 megapixel APS-C sensor
• ISO 100-6400 (expandable to 25,600)
• 51-point autofocus with 15 cross-type points
• 6FPS burst mode with up to 100 frames
• Full-HD video at up to 60FPS
• Dual SD card slots
• 3.2" LCD with 1,229,000 dots
• 100% viewfinder with OLED data readout
• In-camera HDR and wireless connectivity support
• Fully weather-sealed
• MSRP: $1199 (body-only)

This surprisingly-low price may say something about way in which the APS-C camera industry is headed.  With the Pentax K-5 available for just $739 and the Nikon D7000 for $899, and current high-end APS-C cameras selling in the low $1000's, the advanced APS-C DSLR may well be fully replaced by cameras employing 24x36mm full-frame sensors in the near future, with mirrorless offerings gaining an increasing presence among enthusiasts uninterested in shooting in a larger format.  Just over two years ago, the Pentax K-5 launched at a MSRP of $1749, and the Canon 7D was $1899, which is much much higher than anyone would be willing to pay today for such a camera.

While Nikon announcements are normally outside of our homepage coverage, we are sharing this news because we feel it's a fairly good prediction of what Pentax's upcoming APS-C flagship may bring to the table.  Recent rumors suggest that Pentax will be launching a 24-megapixel DSLR called the K-3 later this year to replace the K-5.  Given the success of the 24-megapixel sensor found in the Nikon D5200, and now the introduction of the 24-megapixel D7100, it's possible that Pentax will follow suit and employ the same sensor in their new DSLR.  As many of you know, the Pentax K-5 uses the same sensor as the D7000 but still managed to squeeze a little bit more out of it once the image test results came in, thanks to better in-camera signal processing!