terpentijn

Yes! Dual cards are a MUST. Just for safety sake. If you don't mind a card malfunction and loosing all your photos, one card is fine. However, the 7xxx series pretents to be a semi-pro camera. Having only one card slot is definitely not professional (nor safe)

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

The D7100 and D7200 both have two slots. I haven't used a D7500, but it only has one slot. There aren't enough other differences between it and the 7100/7200 to make it worth the investment for me.

https://www.dpreview.com/news/2885741290/nikon-d7500-what-you-need-to-know

Andy

MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

You may not see it, but many of us do see it and for good reason. My husband and I travel extensively to areas that we’ll only be able to get to once - think the Arctic, Antarctica, the Galapagos, Africa, and the like. If I were to have a card fail when shooting on such a trip, I’d be devastated. That second slot gives me peace of mind. When we are traveling, the second card becomes an extra back-up that I literally keep on my body. Hence, dual card slots are a MUST for MY personal situation. When I was getting ready to trade up from my D7200, I chose the D500. If it had not had that second slot, I would have probably just waited a bit to see what else Nikon had coming down the pike. I’m still considering the D850, but then I’ve been saying that for the last 2 years!

MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

FWIW, I traded up to a D7200 from my 1st DSLR, a D5200. At the time I traded up to the D7200, the D500 had not yet been announced. It became available very soon after I bought my D7200. As much as I enjoyed the improvement over my D5200, I soon became very unhappy with my new toy. I shoot birds and wildlife and the D7200 just didn’t cut it compared to the D500. The buffer in the D7200 is much smaller than in the D500. I’d be shooting between 2 friends both of whom had the D500, and they’d be shooting away well after my buffer filled and my fps slowed to a crawl. I missed sooooo many shots! Due to that experience, I purchased the D500 less than a year after I bought my D7200 and have been extremely happy with my decision. Both the D7200 and the D500 have dual card slots. However, one big difference between the 2 card slots in the D7200 and the 2 in the D500 are the type of cards used. The D7200 takes 2 SD cards which are, IMO, fairly reasonably priced. The D500 takes an XQD card in slot 1 and an SD card in slot 2. Those XQD cards are pricey compared to SD cards. It’s something to consider. Since I normally use both slots (duplicate), I purchase the fastest write speed cards I can find. I do still own and use my D7200, but my D500 is my real work horse.

Traveller_Jeff

I moved from a D7100 to the D500 and have never looked back. It's an outstanding camera.

Rmccully

I have all of the Nikon 7XXX cameras. I did not like the anti-aliasing filter on the 7000 and upgraded to the 7500. I have the 7100 as my second camera body. I plan to convert the 7200 to Infrared. I love the 7500. The single card slot does not bother me. I love the articulating screen on the 7500. Makes it easier to shoot shots low to the ground and above my head on a tripod as I focus using live view. The other feature that I love and use a lot is multiple image. The 7500 allows a maximum of 10 images that can be combined in camera as a single image. The 7100 and the 7200 allow a maximum of only three images. I take a lot of photos using intentional camera movement and combining the images and the 10 image features provides greater creativity. BTW I would have gone with the D500, but preferred the lighter weight of the 7500

Drala2k Loc: Vermont

I have the D7100 and now the D7500 so to add a bit more fuel to the fire here is my 2 cents. I do prefer the D7500 and it is now my main camera over the D7100. I have never had a card failure in camera but did manage to overwrite two cards once. I recovered the images with CardRecoveryPro. I do carrier extra cards with me at all times as a practice.

I find that the increase dynamic range, better low light and the tilty flippy bit with the screen really improve the shooting experience for me -- retired with cranky knees. The higher buffer and speed of the group focus came into play when shooting my grandsons soccer game-the D7100 buffer is horrid. I shoot these cameras because I am retired and these are affordable for me. If I were to advise you, I would say that if you could afford it to skip the D7000 series go straight to D500. You will never look back. Also, skip the older D7000 and D7100 as the newer models outshine those cameras in many ways. Buffer!!

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

I moved from a 7100 to the 7500 because the buffer on the 7100 is puny. Almost everyday I hit it and missed shots waiting for the camera to catch up. One summer of missing breaching whales and I set it aside. Though the 7200 buffer is much better I went with the 7500 because it is newer and has a better processor. The single card slot affects me not at all. The articulated screen is nice. I don't use it much but when you want one, there it is. Unexpectedly I found that the grip on the 7500 is different than the 7200 and that it is the most comfortable camera I have ever held. I love picking it up.
...Cam

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

If there is one thing to be learned in this thread, it's that each photographer has individual needs and priorities, not to mention individual budgets. If I'm shooting my grandkids' sports events, I'm generally shooting JPEG, not making art quality prints and I've never had a problem with the D7100 buffer. I don't do much wildlife photography, but if I did, then I would surely upgrade for a bigger buffer. And while my knees are as cranky as anyone's, If I'm shooting low to the ground, I'm generally using a film camera with a waist level finder. If I were using digitals as my primary gear, I'd probably be very happy to have the flippy screen!

Diff'rent strokes and all...

Andy

Pepere3

I have a D7000 with vertical grip. It has a shutter count if 1696. Asking $ 625.00

Marturo Loc: Western North Carolina

I bought a D7100 because it took all my Nikkor Glass.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

I agree on the D7xxx series, the 7xxx is a fine camera series and will feel much more pro than what you've been shooting, the 7200 is just a tad better (IMHO, using my same lens system on both). The 7000 is also a fine camera, but is even older, which may/may not matter to you. he D7500, I hear good stuff, but have not handled one. It would be hard to go wrong here, as long as you research prices and buy right.

shoelessjoe

I bought a new D7200 last year when Nikon was phasing it out through B&H with an extra battery and SD card at a really good price. I love the camera. The buffer is a problem if you take 6 or 7 raw images on continuous high. There are two continuous settings so I mostly use the slower setting and it works fine for the most part. If you are shooting wildlife or sports then this could be a problem but otherwise this camera is great.

As for the two card slot I use it if I shoot two different events and just change the cards in the slots so that I get the events on separate cards but I probably could do without the extra slot. I once heard a photojournalist on a podcast say that a second slot was important for his work. He would write to one card in raw and the second in JPG. This way he was able to use the JPG to meet deadlines and have the raw file to work with at a later time. As one poster said that when on a once in a lifetime trip the extra redundancy is a necessity. For some it is important and for others not so much.

I feel I still have a lot to learn and have not grown out of the D7200 yet so I will probably stay with it until I feel that I'm ready to move on. When I do it will probably be to a mirrorless camera but for now I will stay with the D7200.

uhaas2009

There’s a lots of difference. Screw drive focus, ISO, focus points, focus......It belongs what you want to to as photographer or what do you want to “shoot”? It’s easy to Get a body but it isn’t easy to get the right body for you. Good luck

Siemienczuk

Another vote for the D7200. And one more reflection on the utility of a second card slot. Street photography. Tiny, slow, cheap card in slot two. If somebody goes ape because they think you took their pic, begrudgingly pull the card from slot two and surrender it.