ELNikkor

If you are talking about shooting from a rocking boat at wildlife along the shore, I would suggest you anchor the sailboat, row the skiff to shore, and camp and hike a day or two to get the shots you want. I've been shooting a couple of days with a Nikon B700. It is lightweight, sharp, and goes out to 1,400 equivalent, 20mp jpeg, 31mp RAW. If you need a lightweight, inexpensive zoom for the D7200, the 70-300 AF-P will work well on the D7200.

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

I really can’t give you a number. My suggestion would be to check out the prices new and work from there. B&H has the original for $949 new, and the G2 for $1,299. Also check out what they are actually selling for on eBay as a guide.

hdp26 Loc: Upstate NY

I have a D7200 and the 200-500 mm lens, plus a few other lens to round out my Nikon kit. I am also a sailor. The point I wish to make is that the 200-500 mm is not user friendly when sailing. Ashore on stable footing it is a great lens. On the boat it it is marginal at best. There are many disadvantages of the Nikon system that has led me to add the micro 4/3 Olympic system to my camera kit. Using the Olympic camera has made taking pictures while on the boat so much more user friendly. The advantages of size, weight and weather resistant are some of the reasons my Olympic camera is my go to camera when sailing. I also always carry my Olympus Tough were ever I go. I’m sure there are other camera manufacturers producing similar types of equipment but what ever you choose should match the environment you will have to shoot in.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

I have to agree with hpd26. If weight is critical consider micro 4/3. Also consider an Olympus TG-5 for bad weather.

You need to consider what you want to photograph. I nearly always find pictures more interesting when you are close to the subject. Of course, close to mountain is pretty far away. For my D7200, I have a 16-80mm that I find to be my most useful lens for general photography. Indeed, I bought a Panasonic 12-60mm for micro 4/3 as it has the same field of view. As for the telephoto end, It would seem that a Nikon 70-300, and a Sigma or Tamron 100-400mm. All are much lighter and cheaper that the Nikon 200-500mm. Remember 400mm on a crop sensor camera is a FF equivalent of 600mm.

rusty66

I have a Nikon 7000. A few years ago I was in Alaska on a friend's boat in many places where bears, whales, and goats hung out. My 80-200mm zoom was not nearly enough. I had a 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverter along but they really sucked up the light and were not too sharp on top of that. Images were too small to solve by cropping. I have since bought a Tamron 18-400 zoom which works really well for many other venues. I'm not sure if 400mm on a cropped camera is enough for your purposes but it would be much better than what I had on my trip. If you'll be near a city with air service for a few days you might look into renting something long for a week. Cost would obviously be much less than buying especially if you didn't like it. The next time I go, I will definitely rent.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

A 70-300 is a good choice, go with one with VR/VC/OS/IS (names vary by brand, but it is image stabilization) and would be helpful, especially shooting from the boat. If the D7200 is like the 7100 you also have the choice of shooting standard DX, or in the menu you can change it to a 1.3X crop (in camera crop) yields a photo with >15MP and gives a perceived view of (with the 300mm end) of 300 X 1.5 X 1.3 = 585mm, not magnified, but a cropped shot that equals a nearly 600mm view when compared to FF. Beats using most tele-extenders since there is no light loss. It is called "Image Area" in the Shooting Menu. Check your menu to be sure.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Again, same issue as yesterday. Your on a moving bouncing boat in poor light. Not a good combination especially for a telephoto lens. I would shoot auto ISO with a shutter speed equal or above the mm of the lens. For example, if your shooting with a 400mm lens, your minimum shutter speed should be 1/400 sec. regardless if you have VR on. And VR should be on. So, use auto ISO and set your minimum shutter speed to the maximum mm of the lens you are shooting. Good luck.

jaycoffman Loc: San Diego

This is great advice. Considering your limitations I think the Tamron 18-400 is a good choice. On your crop frame camera it will have good reach but with cost limitations it will be about as good as you can do in low light. Start trying to experiment with higher ISOs to see how high you can go with your d7200 and still get a good picture. I think it is much better than my d7100 was and if you happen to use Lightroom or other good post processing program you can compensate for some noise from the higher ISOs. (As I just mentioned in another post--I know B&H has a good used 18-400 as I just sold it to them.)

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

I have a couple of comments.

Your 70-200 came with an 18 to 1:40 lens, a kit lens but a damn good lens.

don't let buying used stop you keh, b&h and adorama are all trustworthy, good, and sell good used equipment just get a 9 plus or refurbished. you usually will get your lens within a few days to a week depending on where you live.

BSPrague gave you some good recommendations. One I have not read here yet is that 7200 also has good ISO on the high-end side, so if you're worried about low light just crank up your ISO. You can also set it on auto iso if you're in changing conditions where the light changes quickly.

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

You might find this website and Steve's book very helpful. It sure improved my understanding of animal behavior and techniques to get better shots. He talks about using the D7200 in one of his YouTube videos, I think and has reviews of D500 and D7500 which have some commonality to your camera.
https://backcountrygallery.com/secrets-to-stunning-wildlife-photography/
https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrygallery/videos

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Rent an Olympus E-M5 mrII or E-M1 mrII along with a 50-200 f2.8/3.5, adapter, and 1.4X teleconverter. It will be able to take wind, rain, salt spray, and sea splashes. The lense alone gives a 100-400 angle of view. With the 1.4X tele, you will get up over 500 at about f5. Take out insurance and you are set to go. LenseRental may be able to set you with everything.

rikhar Loc: Ct. shoreline

I have a D7200 and I put a Tamron 18-400mm lens on which now I rarely take off … great lens

dione961

Thanks to all for such well-considered advice.

Regarding another camera, I already have the Nikon 1 AW1 with WP lenses: I started this adventure out with this astonishing little camera & it took most of the pics I've posted here. I was gifted the D7200 when a very encouraging & published Japanese photographer insisted I needed to upgrade for the Alaska stage. I use the AW1 whenever it's damp or when we are in the dinghy or hiking up creeks to booming waterfalls. It's spent 3 years in severe tropical heat & humidity, and been underwater or in pouring rain (I made a hood for it) many times & still shoots flawlessly after 3 years of significant abuse. But it has limits.

I have been avoiding the 70-300 for 2 reasons: I already have the Nikkor 55-300 VR - so close, yet so far from what I need so I'd be accumulating over-lapping gear; plus I find it hard to tell which of the 5 versions is being offered on various sites. The 18-400 is a little like this: I already have a Nikkor 18-140 VR and an 11-16 f/2.8 Tokina, but I'll read up more on it.

I will not be returning to the US so unless I buy through UHH used is more risky than new. At least with new (non-gray) I may have time to claim warranty & send for repair etc when I can.

After 4 months solid learning & research I was seriously considering the Tamron 100-400 f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD. The aperture starts out at 4.5 & doesn't ratchet up as early as any of the comparable lenses; it's light; I already have filters to fit it & I can get it for $599 new with 12 mths warranty. It doesn't get slammed in any review I've found although it is rated slower for tracking speed sports than others. That seems OK as I'm not interested in shooting fast action sports (except the one-off Iditarod - but no lighting fast motor sports!!).

BUT - I will take another look at the 18-400, as then maybe I don't need to change lenses too often.

The thing is, I'm a novice with an outstanding camera: maybe with a few more years experience I will get better results without such heavy reliance on gear (& you guys!). But this voyage is full of one-off experiences - we will never come this way again. Plus I never expected anyone would be interested in my story or pics, it all just sort of grew & I was unprepared - so, for now, it seems like having the right gear will help.

Thanks all so much again. I will let you know how it all goes!

Kozan Loc: Trenton Tennessee

Get the Tamron 70-200mm G2 lens. It's fantastic. Very Sharp. I use it on my Nikon D500 for baseball.

rusty66

The baseball players are probably a little closer than the bears and whales in Alaska. It's too short. Won't work.