Canon and Nikon were the two camera giants of the SLR age and now that we are in the digital era, they have become the giants of DSLR. Both make excellent kit – camera bodies, lenses, flash systems and accessories – and there is not a huge difference between them.
I was a Canon person during the SLR era (and still have all my old bodies and lenses in a box in the attic) and switched to Nikon when the camera world went digital. For most of us, once we are committed to one brand it becomes too expensive to switch on a whim, and I am quite happy with my Nikon D800 and the range of Nikon lenses and accessories I've built up over the past 10 years. So, a couple of weeks testing the new D7200, the update of the very popular D7100, was just what I needed to convince myself that I am backing the right horse and to measure the technical advances against my now three-year-old D800. Firstly, let it be said that there aren't dramatic changes in this update. The D7200, however, remains an extremely affordable alternative to the D800 and D810, coming in at around €1,053 for the body only and around €1,545 with the 18-105mm lens kit, compared with €3,288 for the D810 body only.
The sacrifice is that you're getting an APS-C sensor rather than a full-frame one, so image quality at high ISO readings will be much lower. But given that the D7200 is hardwearing and waterproof, it makes the perfect DSLR for outdoor photography – the body has a magnesium-alloy skeleton and a polycarbonate front. Weather-proofing flaps cover the various ports. I have images shot on Blackheath on a stormy Sunday morning to verify this – and the camera is still working perfectly. It has dual memory card slots, which is useful if you want to use one card for stills and the other for video, and the 3.2in, 1.23 million dot LCD screen is bright enough to use easily for both formats. It also has wi-fi. All in all, a superb, cost-effective addition to the Nikon range.
BiiSafe Buddy
Bluetooth key finders have been around for a while and although they sound like a great idea they tend to work only within a small radius: if your lost keys are, say, more than 50 metres away – which they inevitably are – you're unlikely to find them. So, it is with great pleasure that I can report the arrival of a new generation of item trackers, as these things are broadly known, that connect assorted valuables to your mobile phone. The most recent is the Finnish-made BiiSafe Buddy, which offers item tracking via Bluetooth and a location-sharing alerts feature. You create a usage circle within the app – it is geared as much towards wayward items such as lost children or family members as it is to keys – and share your location via GPS with these people. You will see its/their location on a map on your phone or computer. Great for Glastonbury 2016. Around €45.
Netatmo June
Now that it's high summer what are our first thoughts as we head out to the Mediterranean? A golden tan or UV-related skin damage? We are so much more attuned to the harmful effects of over-exposure to the sun these days that we are obviously more inclined to measure it. To that end, the Netatmo's June UV bracelet is a useful accessory for the current season. It features UV A and UV B sensors, Bluetooth Low Energy and a companion app. If you sit in the sun too long or if the UV index is high, the app will send you a notification with a recommendation. The app also gives you a forecast with UV indexes and bases daily UV dose recommendations on World Health Organization data. Unusually for a wearable it is quite attractive, comes in three colours – gold, platinum and gunmetal, and has a battery that lasts a month on full charge. €111 on Amazon.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
