Nikon D7100 Underwater Review - The Digital Shootout

GEAR TESTS: Nikon D7100

Chris Parsons
Sales Manager

If I try to put myself in the position of a person looking to advance as an underwater stills photographer, a person who wants to consider an SLR for the sake of performance, image quality, lens selection and all of the other goodness that an SLR brings to the table, what SLR would I want? If this person didn't have lenses already, what SLR would I recommend? No question - the Nikon D7100 would be very high on the list. The D7100 is Nikon's best ever DX camera, and is an ideal imager for the underwater world.

I'd hoped to spend some quality time with the D7100 at the Shootout, and I did manage to get two dives in with it, but it was our most popular demo rig this year, and it stayed busy the entire week with Shootout guests.

On of the strengths of the D7100 is the choice of lenses. There is a whole range of revered Nikon glass, of course, and some other really key 3rd party lenses, like the Tokina 10-17mm. We paired the D7100 with two interesting lens choices on this trip... the Nikon 85mm macro lens, and the new Sigma 17-70mm Contemporary lens.

One thing I really do like about the Nikon D7100 is how easy it is to move focus points, especially given the Nauticam Multi Controller Pad. Trying to shoot tiny creatures is much easier when you can quickly slide the focus point where you want it.

The Nauticam D7100 handles really well, is well balanced and the controls are exactly where they need to be. I thought the 85mm on the APS-C sensor is an ideal focal length for many macro shots, and can get even tighter with the addition of a closeup (diopter) lens. The new Sigma 17-70mm is a very easy lens to shoot, and I teamed it up with the Zen Underwater DP-170 which resulted in a much smaller DSLR setup than you usually see.

Sean Boone
Web Sales and Logistics Manager

As usual, Nauticam has nailed the ergonomics of the NA-D7100 housing. Easy levers and dials to access all the main controls underwater have made using this housing for the first time a breeze. The D7100 certainly performed as expected of a new Nikon camera. Unlike other lower end cropped sensor Nikon cameras, this is one for the underwater shooter. The power and performance from Nikon made for some great imagery. Fast focusing made it easier to get the shot off, even when doing splits (50/50 shots or over/under shots).

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