Nikon D5200 review: A camera that can keep up with the kids

The Nikon D5100 is a solid camera with excellent photo and video quality, but relatively sluggish performance tarnishes its allure for me. Nikon fixes that in the D5200 with the same new autofocus and metering systems that debuted in the D600, plus an updated higher-end viewfinder, and the result is a noticeably better shooting experience that makes it an excellent choice for all-around family and vacation photography.

The Nikon D5200 makes a great choice for family and vacation photographers.

With excellent photo and video quality for its class; a fluid shooting design and solid feature set; the Nikon D5200 delivers a lot for the money.

Though it has no significant flaws; the lack of an autofocus motor in the body limits your lens-selection flexibility.

Nikon D5200 Review

The D5200 ($799.95 direct, body only) is Nikon's mid-level consumer D-SLR camera, offering more features and control than the entry-level D3200, but not quite rivaling the more expensive D7100. It's an impressive performer, shooting continuously at 4 frames per second and delivering clean 24-megapixel images through ISO 3200. It's not the without its drawbacks—the viewfinder isn't as large or bright as in some other SLRs, and it doesn't offer full compatibility with older Nikon lenses. But it's certainly good enough to displace its predecessor, the D5100 as our Editors' Choice for digital SLRs priced less than $1,000. Design and Features The D5200($748.00 at Amazon) is rather compact for a D-SLR, but manages to squeeze quite a few controls into its small body. It measures 3.9 by 5.1 by 3.1 inches and weighs 1.1 pounds without a lens. The Pentax K-30($693.00 at Amazon) is just about the same size, varying by a tenth of an inch at most, but is heavier at 1.4 pounds. The extra weigh...

The under-$1,000 Nikon D5200 is a capable D-SLR that delivers impressive image quality and continuous shooting at 4 frames per second, earning it our Editors' Choice.

Excellent image quality; Fast autofocus; 4fps continuous shooting; Sharp vari-angle LCD; 39-point autofocus system; Fast to start and shoot; 1080i60 video capture; Wi-Fi and GPS add-ons available

Small pentamirror viewfinder; Will not autofocus with screw-drive lenses; Noisy focus during video recording; Only one control wheel