Nikon D200

Opinion: I bought this camera when it first came out and still have it 6 years later, although I had it converted to IR last year (2011). It's been a nice camera for landscape photography, but poor for low light and has bad battery life. In fact, it was the purchase of a GPS unit that led me to replace the D200 for normal use with a D300s -- I could only get 2-3 hours on a battery with the GPS connected because of the way the D200's GPS logic was implemented.

It's a sturdy camera, but I wouldn't buy one today. Some people swear by the images of CCD sensors, but I've seen nothing but advantages the more recent CMOS.

As an IR camera it has been fine. I've taken many dramatic land and seascapes with the converted camera, however there is obvious noise.

Opinion: I paid only $500 for mine new from Best Buy after it was discontinued. Amazing camera! Served faithfully as D300 backup for weddings.

Opinion: A big step up for me from my D40. However I have kept at it and starting to see the results. I am enjoying the journey.

I picked mine up on Ebay several months ago. Only 1600 actuations. The camera is like new. It feels so strong. The buttons soon become 2nd nature.

These cams are cheap now so a great way to learn photography.

Cheers

Opinion: I had replace my Canon 40D for this one. At the time, the only issue is the image above ISO800. Canon is better with the CMOS sensor. Otherwise i just love Nikon's image quality. The 3D Color Matrix Metering is outsanding and it put Canon in the box.

Opinion: A meaty and very capable camera for sure, but why:

- does it not have a 1/500 flash sync, like the D50 and D40?
- does it not outperform other 10mp DSLR's for resolution sharpness when shooting macros? (my test was Oly E-410 with 50mm OM Macro vs D200 with 55mm Micro-Nikkor).

For the price it still commands, I would prefer something extra. It has all the features you could ever wish for, and the images do portray a nice depth to them.

Fast operation and performance, easy to use...good in the hand. Certainly recommended, maybe I was just expecting something else.

Opinion: Excellent camera

Opinion: A serious tool capable of beautiful image quality.

I upgraded to the D200 in january 2007 after using the D70 for almost 3 years. My main reasons for upgrading were the larger viewfinder and LCD as well as RGB histogram and mirror lock up.

After using the D200 for over 3 years I am still very satisfied with it's image quality and features and have not been tempted by newer DX DSLRs like the D300 and D90. I know the newer 3 inch LCD screens are very sweet but the 2.5" LCD on the D200 is more than good enough for me. (especially compared to the 1.8" on my D70). I love being able to configure it to bring up 100% view on the focus point with one press of the 4 way jog dial.

The larger viewfinder is also very nice and 11 focus point is more than enough for my type of shooting. AF is very accurate for me. While noise at high ISOs have indeed gotten better with newer cameras the high ISOs of the D200 have never held me back although most of my shooting is ISO 800 and below.

Build quality is top notch and holding this camera you know you have a serious professional tool in your hands.

I plan on using this camera for some time to come as it does what I need it to do and it does it well. Meter is accurate and image quality never lets me down. I have printed up to 20x30 inches and they look real nice.

Opinion: An excellent and very versatile piece of equipment. Too be perfect, a slightly higher
frame rate, say 8fps, and the AF of the D2X would be great.

Not a low light camera, images properly exposed can be usuable above ISO 800.

Opinion: I have this camera for over an year now and I am very pleased with its performance. D200 body is solid and well built which is what you expect from Nikon. It construction & features are more pro-like than other consumer camera at this price range.

One cool thing I discovered about D200 is that it can use battery grip (MB-D200) allowing me to shoot vertically, the kind you only get in the professional bodies. It also let me put an extra battery or six AA batteries in the grip.

D200 produces great-looking photos right out-of-camera with no or very little post processing. Color, skin tone, contrast and saturation are almost perfect, however personally I feel images are bit soft for my taste. This should not be an issue if you shoot RAW like me. There is virtually no noise until ISO 800. For images at 1600 and above you will have to use some good noise removal tools like Noise Ninja, Neat Image, PS CS2 "Reduce Noise" or Helicon Pro.

Another nice feature of the D200 is its ability to control one or more SB800 or SB600 flash remotely with full iTTL metering.

My D200 is married with a Nikkor AF-S DX VR 18-200mm. With the focal length range equivalent to a 27mm-300mm lens in 35mm format I don't think I will ever have a need to remove this lens from the body, thus reducing the chance of dust getting on the image sensor also.

According to the press release by Nikon "... integrated double-bladed shutter, which incorporates a refined mirror balance system, has been tested to well in excess of 100,000 cycles." Thats roughly 100 shots each day for 3 years. Note: This doesn't mean D200 shutter will die at 100001. There are many cameras out there working well way past their stated shutter life cycle.

In short, you can't go wrong with camera like D200.