DX delights

Bigger isn’t necessarily better. Matthew Richards serves up a feast of APS-C format DSLRS to suit all budgets and experience levels

There are some fabulous full-frame cameras in Nikon’s current lineup, all of which we featured in last month’s Big Test, but bigger isn’t necessarily better.

DX format DSLRS are based on a smaller APS-C type image sensor, measuring approximately 24x16mm, about the same size as a regular postage stamp. That’s a considerable downsize from the 36x24mm of a full-frame image sensor, the latter being 50 per cent larger in both its horizontal and vertical dimensions. That makes the surface area of a full-frame sensor more than twice the size, with the potential benefits that we covered last month. But that’s not the whole story…

The smaller dimensions of an APS-C format image sensor enable the physical build of DX cameras to be more compact and lightweight. Indeed, half of the cameras on test are smaller and lighter than the new Z 6 and Z 7 mirrorless cameras.

The 1.5x crop factor plays into your hands for telephoto shooting,

extending your reach and again saving size and weight. For example, Nikon’s highperformance (and full-frame compatible) AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6e ED VR lens boasts excellent image quality and a super-fast autofocus system. Yet it has a physical length of just 146mm and weighs in at a mere 680g, while delivering an ‘effective’ maximum focal length of 450mm in full-frame terms. It’s a fraction of the weight of a super-telephoto lens that you’d need to use on a full-frame camera, to get the same kind of reach. Indeed, Nikon’s 200500mm VR zoom tips the scales at 2300g, weighing nearly three and a half times as much.

Similarly, DX lenses that are designed exclusively for APS-C format DSLRS tend to be quite smaller and lighter than their full-frame counterparts, because they don’t need to project such a large image circle.

An advantage of full-frame cameras is that, for any given aperture and comparative focal length, you can get a tighter depth of field. This is often desirable for portraiture and still life images, where you want to make the main subject really stand out by blurring the background, or even the foreground in some cases.

Conversely though, the inherently larger depth of field generated by DX format shooting is ideal for landscapes or architectural photography. It’s also useful for any other scenario in which you want to keep near and far objects simultaneously sharp in the resulting image.

With starting prices that are usually considerably less than that of full-frame or ‘FX’ cameras and lenses, the DX format is better suited to novice photographers. In fact, Nikon’s D3xxx series of cameras are renowned for being the world’s most beginner-friendly DSLRS, with their interactive and highly intuitive ‘Guide’ shooting mode. It’s almost like having your own photography tutor built into the camera’s body.

The next step up is the D5300 and newer D5600 cameras, which pack some advanced features into a small and lightweight build, making them great travel cameras. They also sport fully pivoting ‘vari-angle’ rear screens, the D5600 upgrading this to a touchscreen.

Next up are the more highgrade D7200 and D7500, with a level of sophistication that’s geared towards enthusiast, expert photographers. And to prove that DX cameras aren’t just a poor-man’s FX alternative, the range-topping D500 is a fully professional-spec model with build quality, handling and performance to match. Let’s take a closer look at the entire range.

The inherently larger depth of field generated by DX format shooting is ideal for landscapes or architectural photography