Nikon D200 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) by Nikon
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Digital camera reviews of Nikon D200 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Digital camera Review: I've had with it amazon!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
this is the 3rd product I've gotten that didn't come on time and is not working. if I could give u guys a negative star I would!Digital camera Review: nikon d200
Summary: 5 Stars
Absolutely astounding deal. This camera lives up to the hype. At $800 delivered it is a steal!Digital camera Review: Even if Nikon makes the D400 etc. I am keeping this camera.
Summary: 5 Stars
What happens when you wanted a new at the time D2x or a D2Hs, but the $$$s just didn't make any sense. Buy the D200 instead and get some great glass instead. Unless you are a "pro" and getting paid big money, this D200 is just amazing. Had mine for 2 years and have banged it around, got it wet, hot, cold etc. this camera really just goes and goes. I am an amateur with no "Pro" pretensions but this camera is the D2x's little brother in that the chunky steel and magnesium sealed body, that is all switches dials and doors, this camera is set for the rigors of pro life. I think anyone thinking of using this camera for extended stints should also get the MB-D200 battery grip. Takes 2 of the Nikon EN-EL3 batteries or 6 AA batteries in a pinch with the adapter. The D200 in comparison with my older D70s loves battery power, though I have never run out of power especially with the battery grip before my shooting was done, it does make me concerned. Main reason why I carry 3 camera batteries and a ton of rechargeable AA batteries. In conjunction with the battery grip and the terrific Nikon SB-800 flash this camera is fabulous for special event picture taking like weddings, and also super for Museum photography as well. My trips to the Chino Air museum and the Boeing Museum of flight were just amazing with the D200. Airplanes taken with this camera are just amazing. I love engines and this camera renders the details just great. For fast action race car shooting this cameras 5 frames per second is great too.
A note about exposure. Don't underexpose and the "noise" that the D200 can produce will not harm your pictures. At higher ISO settings at underexposed images chromatic and luminance noise will rear its ugly head. A weakness of the CCD imager that is just about abandoned by Nikon. The D300 uses the CMOS imager with superior performance in the noise arena.
Unlike the lower cost D series Nikon's this D200 will take any autofocus lens whether it has a motor in the lens or not. The D40 and D60 family of cameras will not. The D200 has a built in motor for the lens focus drive built into the body. So while not perfect, I find that I make many more mistakes than my D200 ever does, however when I do what I am supposed to do, the D200 is absolutely amazing.
Another note, since this is a "advanced" enthusiast's camera the "Scene" modes will be not present. I never use them and therefore don't miss them.
The D200 also takes the Compact flash 1 and 2 format cards and IBM microdrive with no problems. However the camera is too old to understand ULTRA DMA cards so don't waste the money on those cards with this camera. With the Sandisk Extreme 3, 4 gig card this camera never let me down with a missed shot ever.
With a shutter speed of 1/8000th of a second and only a 1/250th flash sync speed (my D40 and older D70 had 1/500th second flash sync) you will do well to get that shot.
Menus a plenty, take the time to get your D200 setup the way you want it and you will be glad you did. Custom menus abound, of which I found no use to me, but may be valuable to others. The menus while fairly clear are many and fortunately for most, it would be a one time setup affair.
The mirror lock up feature is nice to check depth of field, something I don't see on a lot of other cameras.
Durability and reliability have been excellent with no issues what so ever.
I read about an independent reviewer who dropped the camera about 5 feet to concrete on the grip and LCD status panel side, and the repair was only $250.00 or so. Pretty good performance since most cameras would be way worse.
Who wants this older camera vs. the D300 say. Someone who wants to save money and get about 7 to 8 tenths the D300 and buy better lenses for the difference maybe. Ones moving up to a better body but doesn't want the D90 and wants something more substantial. The D200 will not disappoint.
Others wanting the latest and greatest will undoubtedly buy the D300 and that makes sense too. For me, and I tried the D300, other than the higher ISO low light performance being better and a better LCD screen, it still was not compelling enough for me to move over to it. I want one sure, but maybe when the price comes down, and even then, it would have to be allot before I give up the D200. I think it is that good. V.C.
Digital camera Review: Strongly recommended.....
Summary: 5 Stars
After a year with my Nikon D40 and having completed a photography course, I decided to treat myself to a more serious SLR. I bought a used model off eBay - but if I'd seen this price ($799) I would have bought off Amazon. Although its a 2 year old model, its a fantastic camera - selling at the same price as the D90.
If you're a serious amateur photographer - buy this over any of the D40/D60/D90 etc. models. Its got a proper LCD display and you can control 95%+ of the functions and settings you need using only the buttons and the LCD display. I've no doubt that the D300 is a better camera - but its also a a LOT more expensive and I'd argue that unless you make money out of photography its a bit more than you need?
If you are new to dSLR photography then the former models may be better suited to you as they have helpful scene settings - but once you become experienced and start understaning DSLR photography and manipulating RAW files etc. this is the camera for you.
Oh and the camera also takes excellent photos! As another reviewer has noted, all of the 5 star reviews speak for themselves!
Digital camera Review: Instant Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
I will be very, very surprised if this camera does not end up becoming something of an early DLSR classic a decade or so from now. I have a feeling that like the Canon 30D and 5D this camera will continue to hold value very well even as similar vintage models have lost most of theirs.
If I had to sum up this camera in one word it would this one: exposure. Exposure is arguably the most important factor in judging the quality of a photo. It is certainly one of the most important if not the most important. This camera has an amazingly great talent at picking the correct exposure. There are countless sites that explain the technical reasons behind this that you are welcome to go and seek out, but I don't want this review to be 3 pages long so I will forgo detailing them again here. Bottom line, you can't ask for anything more in this regard from this camera. You will get shots with this camera that you would have lost with the D40, D50, D60, D70, D80 and D90 due to incorrect exposure. Of course if you had the time, ability, and equipment you could spend 10-15 on each shot to make sure you manually set everything correctly to get that perfect exposure. Most of us don't have the time, however, or don't want to spend the time (and the $300 for a good light meter) so it is a joy to work with a camera like this. The D40-D90s get exposure right too of course, just not as often as the D200 does.
Low-light performance: I feel like I have to start including this in my camera reviews now since everyone seems to care about this much more than they did just 2-3 years ago. Bottom line, it's real simple: this is not a low-light performer. You know what? I could care less! If I need low-light performance I'll grab a 5D or a D3. Honestly, even when I had a 5D I rarely, rarely ever shot at ISO 800 or higher. ISO 100-400 is how I roll. You know what? The D200 is awesome at ISO 100 through ISO 400! No problem here for me. ISO 800 and ISO 1600 are not good. I would have a very hard time selling a photo made at these levels and an equally hard time making a print larger than 5x7. Again, to me this is not slight. I didn't buy the D200 for low-light performance and you shouldn't either. If you need to shoot at ISO 800 and up then you need to get a faster lens, an external flash, or better yet both.
IQ more generally: saturation, contrast, color and clarity are great with this sensor, again as long as you keep the ISO to 400 and lower. At ISO 800 the sensor goes from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. Not only do you get a huge mess of noise that renders the pictures mostly unusable, but everything else (except clarity and sharpness) seems to suffer, too.
Ergonomics: outstanding. I love the ergonomics on the D50 through D700 models. The location of the buttons is also typically Nikon in its intelligence.
Pop up flash: don't ever use it unless it is an emergency. this goes for every other DLSR pop-up flash, too. They are a joke. Either don't use it or buy an external flash. I don't know of a serious photographer who would use a built-in flash on a DLSR unless it was an emergency and not using the flash meant getting no picture at all (i.e. it's 3:00AM and you are witnessing breaking news).
Battery life: this may be the one downside to this camera. It is not the best. You will probably want to buy an extra battery. This is one of the worst when it comes to DLSRs I have used over the years. I don't know what accounts for this but thankfully Nikon ironed it out with every DLSR made after the D200.
I could talk some more but it would be superfluous at this point I guess given that this camera has already been exhaustively reviewed by people much more capable and knowledgeable than I. Bottom line, this is the Pro-Sumer DLSR at this price point. At this price point, you can not buy another better DLSR. If you have $200 more dollars I would probably go with the D90, however. I do think it is worth the extra money. That being said, this is a classic and the fact that 3 years later (a generation in DLSR years) Nikon made the D90 and it came out slightly better does not in any way take away from the greatness of this camera. I mention it merely because the D90 is a current Nikon offering priced not too far above this one and I do believe it is slightly superior in most ways except the exposure. If you are on a budget and need a pro-sumer grade DLSR then this is the one.
This is one of those rare 5 star products that you can instantly disregard all 4 star and under reviews for. If a reviewer gave this 4 stars or less then they do not know what they are talking about or they simply bought the wrong camera for their needs. At the time of writing this review, only 16 out of 138 reviewers gave this anything less than 5 stars. That's right: 122 out of 138 reviewers gave this camera 5 stars. If this isn't a clear consensus then I don't understand the definition of the word consensus. Sorry, but it's not a matter of opinion--the people have spoken. This is a clear cut 5 star camera.