The best Nikon cameras were a turning point in my photography career because they let me explore the world of “real” photography. Not only are these cameras popular among amateur and professional photographers, but they’ve also become my go-to choice as I’ve improved my photography skills and grown with my camera.
Once you find a brand of camera that you like, it’s a good idea to stick with it. As I’ve learned more about photography, my Nikon camera has always been there for me, changing to meet my changing needs. Whether I’m trying to take a beautiful 4K video or a high-resolution still photo, my Nikon camera always does a great job.
It’s important to consider the industry as a whole while ranking the top Nikon cameras. business has been difficult for many camera makers, but Nikon has found it particularly challenging. Companies like Canon and Sony that have more varied businesses have been better able to weather the storm as camera sales have trended lower across the industry. However, Nikon states that it would no longer produce its products in Japan in order to reduce costs after suffering sharp earnings losses.
With the release of its new full-frame mirrorless flagship model, the company hopes to redefine the industry norm and establish Nikon once again as the professional market leader. However, Nikon’s Z series mirrorless cameras and current DSLR range provide something for every type and degree of photographer, even if you’re not in the market for a flagship professional-level camera. In light of this, let’s look at our selections for the top Nikon cameras for a variety of trending subjects. But first, let’s address some of the often asked queries regarding Nikon’s camera systems.
Best Nikon Cameras
Nikon D3500
While you are still learning photography and deciding which type of camera suits you best, you should choose a camera that is simple enough to understand right away and affordable enough to change your mind and change it later if you decide you need something different.
The D3500 is the entry-level model in Nikon’s range of digital SLRs, but it has a 24.2 MP sensor just as good as those found in cameras twice its price and offers an excellent continuous shooting speed of 5 fps for a beginner’s camera. The Guide mode will help beginners get started and understand the basics, but the D3500 has all the manual controls needed to learn photography as you improve your skills.
Nikon D6
The Nikon D6 faces a tough challenge. Its two rivals in the world of full-frame professional cameras are absolute monsters, with the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III being the most advanced camera we’ve ever used, and the Sony A9 II bringing all the advantages of mirrorless shooting to professional sports.
And, while both of these cameras were received with enthusiasm and excitement by the industry (especially the 1D X Mark III, with its overwhelming array of new technologies), the response to the Nikon D6 has been lukewarm, given the comparative lack of new features that stand out compared to the Nikon D5.
Nikon Z 7II
The Nikon Z7 II is one of the best full-frame mirrorless cameras on the market today, whether you’re a photographer or a photo + video maker. It really is a great choice for almost any type of photography! That is, of course, as long as you understand that the Z7 II is a big sister camera to the Nikon Z6 II, which is similar in almost every way except for the megapixel count.
In other words, if you don’t absolutely need 45 megapixels, then you might be better off saving about a thousand dollars and just getting the little Z6 II sibling. That said, 24 megapixels is almost the minimum for full-frame cameras, it seems, and 45 is now the “just right” range for many types of photography these days, from professionals to hobbyists. So if you have about $3,000 to spend, here are the things you might consider the Nikon Z7 II for.
Nikon D750
The D750 offers faster continuous shooting than the D810 (6.5fps), an “improved” version of the D810’s 51-point AF system (more on that later), a 91,000-pixel RGB metering sensor, a 3.2″ RGBW RGBW LCD with tilting (which is otherwise the same) and the same OLED viewfinder display.
The D750 also inherits the same video specs as the D810, which itself incorporated the improvements that Nikon adds with each successive DSLR release. In this case, that means active aperture control, the new “Flat” image control mode, and the addition of zebra overexposure warnings (though there’s no focus peaking yet). The D750 also offers automatic ISO control in manual exposure video shooting, while retaining exposure compensation.
Nikon Coolpix S7000
When you’re looking for a cheap point-and-shoot camera, you know you’ll have to give up a few features you’d like to have. But you don’t want to give up too much, especially in key areas like the number of resolutions and optical zoom lens metering. And this review of the Nikon Coolpix S7000 shows that you can find flexibility in a low-priced camera. Another excellent budget model is the Sony DSCW800/B – Best Budget Compact Camera. If you like this camera, you’ll like our recommendation for the best digital camera.
The price of the S7000 varies quite a bit depending on the retailer, but you can usually find it for less than $250 and sometimes as the best digital camera under $200. At this price point, it’s a good deal, as the S7000 features a 20X optical zoom lens. Having a slim camera with such a large zoom lens is great because it provides a lot of options for setting up your photographic scenes. The Coolpix S7000 does have some drawbacks, which is common for an inexpensive point-and-shoot camera, but it still compares favorably to its similarly priced competitors.
Nikon COOLPIX A900
When they think of relatively slim cameras with a fixed lens, most photographers don’t expect much. Even the best small format digital cameras have several basic features and image quality with perhaps one outstanding feature. But my review of the Nikon Coolpix A900 reveals a point-and-shoot camera that will surprise you with several of the features it contains, including an impressive 35X optical zoom lens.
A cheaper option is the Campark X25 Native 4K WiFi sports action camera. However, Nikon tries to compensate for these shortcomings by giving the A900 the latest features of wireless connectivity, 4K video recording, along with a tilting LCD screen, which are very nice features to find in a compact camera. If you like this compact camera, you’ll definitely want to check out our review of the Sony Cybershot TX9 as well.
Nikon D7200
One of our favourite DSLRs in recent years is the Nikon D7100, which was introduced in February 2013. The D7200 is by no means a radical upgrade, but it does add some important features, notably a larger buffer, improved autofocus performance in low light, 60p video, Wi-Fi with NFC and 15% better battery life.
The D7200 is Nikon’s flagship APS-C camera and is the only DX format camera in the company’s current range that supports autofocus on screw-in lenses. It is in the same class as the Canon EOS 7D Mark II, Pentax K-3 and Sony SLT-A77 II DSLRs, as well as the Fujifilm X-T1, Olympus OM-D E-M5 II, Samsung NX1 and Sony Alpha 7 II mirrorless cameras. In other words, it’s a very crowded field.
Nikon D3100
Nikon has developed a habit of making very attractive entry-level DSLRs, which rarely have the best specifications, but are cleverly designed to be easy and enjoyable to use. The D3000 fitted this pattern perfectly, a mild refresh of the D60 (which was itself a slightly updated D40X), adding ease of use features that made it a pleasant little camera to use, despite specifications that were starting to look rather out of step with the rest of the market.
The D3000 sold well, despite the rather aging 10 megapixel sensor and lack of live view and video. However, the product’s clever design and feature integration can’t compensate for long for a specification that looks outdated. So, with that in mind, Nikon has announced the D3100 – probably the biggest refresh of its entry-level offering since it really attacked the low-end market with the original D40.
Nikon D90
Almost exactly two years after the announcement of the D80 comes its replacement, the rather anticipated D90. The D80 has been one of Nikon’s quiet successes, and even today, despite positively resembling Methuselah in digital camera terms, it continues to sell and often makes the top 10 most clicked cameras. Because it looks so much like the D80, the D90 seems at first glance to be one of those rather underwhelming incremental upgrades, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find that there’s plenty to make Nikon fans happy.
First of all there’s a new CMOS sensor, which Nikon claims produces D300-quality results up to ISO 6400 and – one of the many features “trickling down” from the higher-end models – the same much-vaunted 3.0-inch VGA screen as the D3/D300. Of course it has Live View with contrast-detection AF and it would be surprising if it didn’t have a dust removal system.
More surprising is the inclusion of the world’s first DSLR movie mode (with 720p HDTV quality, no less) and HDMI output, although as we’ll see later, it comes with some limitations. Many of the basic photographic specs are the same or very similar to those of the D80, although there’s a new shutter and an implementation of the 3D tracking AF seen on the D3/D300.
Nikon D100
The D100 enters this new segment of the digital camera market that was created when Canon released the EOS-D30. It is the middle ground between high-end $1,000 prosumer digital cameras and professional D-SLRs. No less than four new D-SLRs targeting this $2,000-$3,000 segment were announced at this year’s PMA.
It is still quite amazing to think that you can now get a six-megapixel D-SLR for about $2,000. After the publication of this preview article, Canon, Fujifilm and Nikon announced their prices. The Canon EOS-D60 full kit is priced at $2,199, the Fujifilm S2 Pro at $2,399, and the Nikon D100 at $1,999.
Final Words
We hope you enjoyed our article Best Nikon Cameras. Nikon has been one of the world’s largest camera manufacturers for decades, and its lineup has changed quite dramatically in recent years. The company continues to churn out some of the highest quality camera bodies and lenses available on the market, but has shifted its focus more toward the mirrorless market.
