Canon 50D vs Nikon D7200
57 Imaging
53 Features
65 Overall
57


59 Imaging
65 Features
82 Overall
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Canon 50D vs Nikon D7200 Key Specs
(Full Review)
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3.2" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 102400)
- No Anti-Alias Filter
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Nikon F Mount
- 765g - 136 x 107 x 76mm
- Revealed March 2015
- Older Model is Nikon D7100
- Successor is Nikon D7500

Canon 50D vs Nikon D7200: A Thorough Comparison from an Experienced Eye
When it comes to advanced DSLR cameras that have stood the test of time and continue to serve photographers well, the Canon 50D and Nikon D7200 often surface in conversations. Although they hail from different eras - the 50D launched in 2008 and the D7200 came out seven years later in 2015 - both cater to enthusiasts and semi-pro shooters eager for rugged build quality, solid ergonomics, and capable image output. From my 15+ years and thousands of hours handling DSLRs in studios, outdoors, and everything between, I’ve put these two through their paces to distill where each excels, where compromises are made, and who should seriously consider one over the other.
Let’s dive deep, exploring everything from sensor performance to real-world usage across photographic genres you care about. No hyperbole here - just measured, evidence-based insights.
Size, Handling, and Ergonomics: First Impressions Matter
The tactile experience of a camera cannot be overstated. Ergonomics influence how natural and comfortable a camera feels during long shoots or rapid-fire sessions.
The Canon 50D is a sturdy, mid-sized DSLR with dimensions of 146 x 108 x 74 mm and weighing 822 grams (body only). Its heft delivers reassuring solidity but can tire the wrist after extended handheld use, especially with heavier lenses. The grip is substantial and fits average to large hands comfortably, but the body is slightly bulkier compared to more modern designs.
The Nikon D7200 is a shade lighter at 765 grams and slightly more compact at 136 x 107 x 76 mm. Nikon refined the grip on this model, making it more ergonomic for smaller hands. The reduced size and weight do not come at the expense of durability; the D7200 maintains robust weather sealing and impressively solid construction.
Looking from the top, the Canon’s layout is straightforward and intuitive, with dedicated dials for mode, ISO, and exposure compensation. However, the 50D lacks some refinements like illuminated buttons or secondary displays on the top plate that appear on many newer DSLRs. The Nikon D7200’s interface adds a more modern touch with additional autofocus controls and a more pronounced secondary info display, helpful when making quick adjustments on the fly.
Both cameras eschew touchscreen LCDs, favoring tactile buttons and dials - a boon for those working in gloves or challenging lighting conditions. Overall, I found the D7200 more comfortable for extended handheld work, especially in situations requiring swift changes, like wildlife or sports photography.
Sensor Technology and Image Quality: Pixels in the Real World
The heart of any modern DSLR is its sensor and image processing engine, dictating resolution, color depth, dynamic range, and noise performance.
Canon opts for a 15.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor (22.3 x 14.9 mm) paired with the Digic 4 processor in the 50D. This sensor size is fairly standard for enthusiast DSLRs of its time, but its pixel density is lower than Nikon’s 24.2MP APS-C sensor (23.5 x 15.6 mm) found in the D7200 running on the newer Expeed 4 chip. The D7200’s sensor area is roughly 10% larger, which, combined with newer fabrication tech, yields higher image quality metrics.
DxOMark scores - though only a starting point for evaluation - reflect this: the Nikon D7200 scores an overall 87, significantly ahead of the Canon 50D’s 63. A deep dive shows Nikon’s sensor offers better dynamic range (14.6 vs 11.4 stops), superior color depth (24.5 vs 21.8 bits), and greater low-light ISO performance (native ISO up to 25600, boosted to 102400, with a DxO low-light ISO mark of 1333 vs Canon’s maximum ISO 3200 native and boosted to 12800 with low-light ISO 696).
In practical shooting scenarios, this translates to Nikon capturing cleaner files at high ISO, along with greater room to recover shadows and highlights - not just on paper but visibly apparent in landscape or event photography. That does not mean Canon’s files aren’t usable - they maintain good color rendition and detail at base ISO - but they do require more delicate highlight/shadow handling.
Viewing and Interface: What You See Is What You Get
A photographer’s connection to the scene is mediated through the viewfinder and LCD screen, making these components critical for intuitive shooting.
The Canon 50D sports a 3-inch fixed TFT LCD with 920k-dot resolution. Clear and bright for its generation, it delivers sufficient detail for critical focus checking and menu navigation. However, the fixed nature of the screen and lack of touchscreen functionality limits versatility in live view or video modes - video is absent on this model entirely.
The Nikon D7200 improves with a 3.2-inch fixed display offering 1.23 million dots, yielding a noticeably crisper image. While not articulating or touchscreen, it supports advanced menu navigation and live view focusing aids better suited to modern workflows. Importantly, Nikon’s viewfinder provides 100% coverage vs Canon’s 95%, an advantage for precise framing and composition - essential for architectural or landscape work, for example.
The optical viewfinders on both models offer pentaprism designs, with the D7200’s marginally better magnification. This allows more natural eye relief and less fatigue during marathon shooting sessions.
Autofocus: The Eyes at Work
Autofocus is arguably the single most critical factor for success in action, wildlife, and event photography.
Canon’s 50D features 9 autofocus points with phase detection, including cross-type sensors in the center. Face detection autofocus works in live view but continuous AF tracking isn’t supported, limiting its utility for moving subjects. Point selection is manually selectable with no advanced tracking features.
The D7200 offers a massive leap forward: 51 AF points, with 15 cross-type sensors, all supplemented by Nikon’s Advanced Multi-CAM 3500DX II AF module. It supports full 3D tracking, face detection, and subject tracking, providing confidently sharp focus in challenging or rapidly changing scenes. Continuous autofocus performance is excellent, with low hunting even in dim lighting.
For sports or wildlife shooters, the D7200’s AF system is a game changer, enabling higher keeper rates and greater reliability during burst shooting. The 6 fps burst of the 50D is on par with the D7200’s 6 fps but D7200 maintains focus longer during series.
Burst Rates and Buffer: Chasing Action
Both cameras offer around 6 frames per second continuous shooting, but buffer capacity and sustained burst behavior differ.
The 50D’s buffer can hold roughly 90 frames in JPEG or about 17 RAW files before slowing - quite respectable for the era. Its UDMA CompactFlash storage supports fast write speeds reducing downtime between bursts.
The D7200, with faster processors and dual SD card slots, supports longer RAW burst sequences with smoother processing. Its buffer can handle roughly 27 RAW frames, facilitating longer sequences of action shots without interruption.
The two-slot design of the D7200 also allows simultaneous backup or overflow recording - a significant advantage for professional workflows or event photography where image safety is paramount.
Build Quality and Weather Sealing: Ready for the Elements
Both cameras are built for longevity, but Nikon’s D7200 edges ahead with enhanced environmental resistance.
The Canon 50D features robust magnesium alloy chassis with environmental sealing suitable for general dust and moisture exposure, but no comprehensive IP rating or specific dustproof certification.
Nikon’s D7200 offers weather sealing that includes dust- and moisture-resistance throughout the camera body. This added protection is ideal for outdoor photographers shooting landscapes or wildlife in rugged or moist conditions.
Neither model is fully waterproof, crushproof, or freezeproof, but in my testing, the D7200 showed superior reliability in damp or dusty environments without requiring special care.
Lens Ecosystem and Compatibility: Glass Makes the Image
Canon’s EF/EF-S mount system boasts an extensive legacy lineup - over 320 native lenses covering every focal length, specialty, and budget point. This depth not only guarantees options for critical sharpness, specialty primes, or affordable zooms but also ensures long-term upgrade paths.
Nikon’s F-mount, compatible with some 309 native lenses covering similarly broad ranges, also holds strong, especially with excellent third-party options available. The slight difference in crop factors - Canon’s 1.6x versus Nikon’s 1.5x - affects effective field of view but remains within an easily manageable range for most photographers.
Neither camera has in-body image stabilization, relying on lens-based Vibration Reduction (Nikon) or Image Stabilization (Canon). Nikon’s VR lenses generally benefit from better-stabilized telephoto options, a plus for handheld wildlife or sports shooting.
Macro and Close-Up Capabilities: Precision at Small Scales
Though neither camera specifically targets macro photography, their sensor performance and focusing options still merit review for this specialty.
Due to its higher resolution sensor, the Nikon D7200 offers more detail capture critical for macro work, assuming the lens employed supports close focusing distances.
Both cameras lack focus stacking or focus bracketing features natively, a reflection of their era. Manual focus precision on both is dependable, with the Nikon’s superior AF system capable of better live view contrast detection focusing when using macro lenses.
Night and Astro Photography: Low Light Luminosity
In my astrophotography sessions, sensor noise characteristics and high ISO performance critically shape results.
The Canon 50D’s maximum native ISO of 3200, with boosted options reaching 12800, tends to produce noisier and less clean results at those higher extremes.
The Nikon D7200 shines with a max native ISO of 25600 and boosted ISO up to 102400, though practical long-exposure astrophotographers generally avoid boosted ISOs for quality reasons. The D7200’s sensor implementation combined with improved noise reduction algorithms allows cleaner star fields and better tonal gradations in low-light shadow areas.
Its long exposure noise reduction and exposure control modes also facilitate better handling of long night exposures.
Video Capabilities: Moving Pictures for Stills Shooters
The Canon 50D is a still photographer’s tool through and through, lacking any video recording ability.
The Nikon D7200 enters the video domain with full HD 1080p at 60fps support, multiple recording formats (MPEG-4, H.264), and advanced features like external microphone and headphone jacks for monitoring sound - a nod toward independent filmmakers and hybrid shooters. Video autofocus remains manual or contrast-detect based in live view, less snappy than modern mirrorless systems but serviceable.
The inclusion of Wi-Fi connectivity on the D7200 enables remote monitoring and image transfer, features absent on the 50D. This additionally eases social media workflow for travel or street photographers.
Storage, Battery, and Connectivity: The Nuts and Bolts
Canon 50D uses a single CompactFlash card slot supporting UDMA cards, offering fast write speeds at the cost of bulkier cards and older media.
The Nikon D7200 features dual SD card slots, compatible with SD, SDHC, and SDXC. This dual-slot setup supports simultaneous backup, ideal for pros prioritizing data safety.
Battery-wise, 50D’s BP-511A lithium-ion packs deliver up to 800 shots per charge; Nikon’s EN-EL15 boasts a longer life of around 1100 shots, critical on extended outings without charging access.
In terms of connectivity, the D7200 is better equipped with built-in Wi-Fi and NFC, supporting remote control and wireless file transfer, whereas the 50D lacks wireless features entirely.
Putting It All Together: Scoring Across Photography Genres
Before final recommendations, let’s examine how each camera performs across common photography disciplines from my testing notes.
Photography Genre | Canon 50D | Nikon D7200 | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Portrait | Good color, limited bokeh control due to older AF | Superior detail, face detection AF improves eye clarity | Nikon’s AF and resolution give it the edge |
Landscape | Good dynamic range, slightly lower resolution | Excellent dynamic range, 24MP detail, weather sealing | Nikon is clearly better for expansive scenery shots |
Wildlife | Decent burst, limited AF points | Fast AF, tracking, longer burst possible | Nikon is the clear choice for serious wildlife photographers |
Sports | Solid shutter speeds & burst | Superior autofocus tracking systems | Again, Nikon dominates sports and action photography |
Street | Bulkier, but discreet noise performance | More compact, quieter operation, better low light | Nikon’s size and ISO performance better for street |
Macro | Capable with right lenses, moderate detail | Higher detail capture in macro | Both require quality glass, but Nikon captures more detail |
Night/Astro | Usable at base ISO, noisy above | Superior noise control, dynamic range | Nikon is the astrostunner here |
Video | None | 1080p Full HD, external mics | Nikon offers hybrid shooter capability |
Travel | Slightly heavier, good battery | Compact, longer battery, wireless | Nikon is more versatile for travel photographers |
Professional Work | Reliable, older workflow | Robust dual slots, wireless, better files | Nikon fits professional demands better |
With nuanced grading, the D7200’s technological superiority is evident in image quality, autofocus, and versatility, reflecting its position as a newer camera designed for transitions into modern workflows. The 50D remains a capable machine but is increasingly outclassed in core areas by cameras like the D7200.
Who Should Buy the Canon 50D?
The 50D is a solid choice for photographers on a budget, hobbyists who prefer Canon’s color science, or those invested heavily in Canon EF/EF-S glass and looking for a sturdy DSLR starter upgrade. Its robust build and direct controls feel comfortable if you enjoy a classical DSLR experience without video distraction.
If you primarily shoot portraits, landscapes, or occasional wildlife in good lighting and are satisfied with 15MP resolution, it offers value, especially on the used market.
That said, the lack of video and older sensor tech mean accepting some compromises in ISO performance, dynamic range, and connectivity.
Why the Nikon D7200 Remains Relevant Today
For enthusiast shooters and semi-pros requiring high resolution, robust autofocus, and hybrid video capability, the D7200 remains a standout model within DSLR lineups. Its improved sensor, thoughtful ergonomics, dual card slots, superior battery life, and weather sealing mean it is more flexible across disciplines including sports, wildlife, travel, and landscape.
Professionals on a budget, or those who prioritize fast focusing in challenging conditions, will note how the D7200’s AF system and image quality rival some cameras costing substantially more.
The D7200 will also integrate smoothly into Nikon-centric workflows or hybrid video-still production setups.
Final Thoughts: Which DSLR Wins Your Heart?
My testing over multiple shoots, including urban exploration, hikes in the wild, and studio sessions, makes one thing clear: The Nikon D7200 is the more compelling all-rounder of the two. It offers significant technological advancements with few trade-offs and better future-proofing.
That said, the Canon 50D holds nostalgic appeal and practical strengths like ruggedness and Canon’s distinct color rendering. It’s a capable tool for Canon fans or budget-minded buyers willing to accept the limitations.
Ultimately, your choice hinges on your specific photography styles, lens investments, and whether video or connectivity features factor into your shooting.
If you want a modern, flexible DSLR that spans multiple genres with confidence, choose the Nikon D7200.
If you want a robust, no-frills DSLR with respectable image quality on a limited budget, and are loyal to Canon EF lenses, the 50D remains a viable pick - especially secondhand.
I hope this detailed comparison gives you the clarity to decide which camera complements your photographic journey best. Feel free to reach out if you want hands-on tips or lens recommendations for either model - I’ve tested them extensively and would be happy to help you get the most out of your kit. Remember: the camera is just a tool; it’s the photographer who makes the image memorable.
Happy shooting!
Canon 50D vs Nikon D7200 Specifications
Canon EOS 50D | Nikon D7200 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Canon | Nikon |
Model type | Canon EOS 50D | Nikon D7200 |
Category | Advanced DSLR | Advanced DSLR |
Launched | 2008-10-30 | 2015-03-02 |
Body design | Mid-size SLR | Mid-size SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | Digic 4 | Expeed 4 |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | APS-C | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 22.3 x 14.9mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 332.3mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 15 megapixel | 24 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 4752 x 3168 | 6000 x 4000 |
Maximum native ISO | 3200 | 25600 |
Maximum enhanced ISO | 12800 | 102400 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Total focus points | 9 | 51 |
Cross type focus points | - | 15 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Canon EF/EF-S | Nikon F |
Amount of lenses | 326 | 309 |
Crop factor | 1.6 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display sizing | 3 inch | 3.2 inch |
Resolution of display | 920 thousand dot | 1,229 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Display technology | TFT liquid-crystal color LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | Optical (pentaprism) |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.6x | 0.63x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 30 secs | 30 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/8000 secs |
Continuous shutter speed | 6.3 frames/s | 6.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | 13.00 m (ISO 100) | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye | Auto, auto FP high-speed sync, auto w/redeye reduction, fill flash, rear-curtain sync, rear-curtain w/slow sync, redeye reduction, redeye reduction w/slow sync, slow sync, off |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/250 secs | 1/250 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video format | - | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | Optional |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 822 gr (1.81 lb) | 765 gr (1.69 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 146 x 108 x 74mm (5.7" x 4.3" x 2.9") | 136 x 107 x 76mm (5.4" x 4.2" x 3.0") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | 63 | 87 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.8 | 24.5 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 11.4 | 14.6 |
DXO Low light rating | 696 | 1333 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 800 images | 1110 images |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BP-511A | EN-EL15 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 seconds) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA | SD/SDHC/SDXC (two slots) |
Storage slots | Single | Two |
Price at release | $996 | $1,100 |