D200 or D2Hs?

Hi Julian,

if it would help you you can check out my online gallery of wedding images , that i have shot with both the D2Hs & D200.
Most of the images (80%) on there are from both these cameras.
There are also some by the D70'S , D2H & Fuji S5pro.

I find that both cameras have their strengths & weaknesses.

The only weakness point for me on the D2hs at a wedding that i can pinpoint , is that i prefer to have more resolution when i am photographing large groups of people (5 or more individuals)when you never know how big an enlargement the bridal couple will order after the wedding. Up to 12x8, 11x14 is ok , but i have been caught out a couple of times when they have ordered 20 x 30"s.

that is when i will reach for the D200.For shots of bride & groom it is more than enough, even for big enlargements 20x30 " As for the D200 only the high iso/low noise above ISO 1250 is a drawback for me, this is wherethe D2Hs really shines.

Colour , the D2Hs is clearly better, more film like.

Resoluton/Detail D200 wins.

Now my dilema is , since purchasing a FUJI S5PRO, Which i am REAALLYY LIKING,I am having headaches as to which camera to reach for first in my camera bag.

Decisions, decisions, decisions, ahh that is life.

http://www.pbase.com/nvphotography

Cheers Nick.

Thanks Nick.

I've already been on your site many times after reading an earlier post from you about D2Hs - great shots by the way!

My initial interest in a new body started when I saw the S5 - colour and DR looks great but the speed would be a real issue for me. So, I've narrowed down to D200 or D2Hs. I'm hugely impressed by the feel of the D2Hs and the shots I've seen from it, even though I've not used it in anger. But, likewise I've seen incredible results from the D200 and like the ergonomics and the much nicer price. And I can't get away from the niggling worry about 'is 4mp enough', even though this is just for my own use.

Well, I have a friend's D200 sat on my desk so I can have a proper play this afternoon.

So, and I know this isn't really fair, if you had to have just one of D200 or D2Hs, would you go for the colour and hi-iso performance of the D2Hs or the versatility of the D200 thanks to higher res? I'm taking it from your post that you're saying D2Hs will do big prints, but not if there are small details such as group faces.

Thanks for the reply!

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We only ask for advice when we already have the answer...

Great shots - thanks.

Problem is, this thread is just confirming what I already knew (guess I should take advice from my own signature) - that D200 would be plenty for me and can produce truly 1st class images but that D2Hs has a certain something.

I've got a D200 on my desk to play with this afternoon - for the brief time I've used D2Hs it certainly had the feelgood factor, let's see if head overtakes heart this afternoon!

Thanks for the advice and the pics - thought you were advocating D200 all the way until the end of your post!!


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We only ask for advice when we already have the answer...

I won't answer the question that you asked Nick, but I will say that you really need to throw into your question to him the differences in AF between the two bodies. I'm not talking about AF speed--although that is superior on the D2Hs for sure--I'm talking about the ability to find and lock focus at all, and to do so accurately. The D200 falls far short in many circumstances where the D2Hs really works well.

Just a little more food for thought in your ponderings.

Sean

Thanks. This is a factor for me - especially as AF performance is low light is an issue with wanting to use my camera for concert work.

I read your earlier post and it seems to echo the same as a lot of other users - that while D200's a great camera, D2Hs just has a certain something. And it's this that I keep coming back to and what draws me into the idea of the D2Hs, even with it's much higher price and resolution limitations.

Thanks again,
Julian

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We only ask for advice when we already have the answer...

Julian,

if i had to pick just one camera to take with me it would have to be.......................drum roll please........................................................................................................................................................................................................
D2Hs.

Why, colour, speed, af. lownoise/high iso performance, more images per card, feel, small files/ small RAW FILES, EASY ON COMPUTER PROCESSING.

I dont often print bigger than 11x14,

So D2hs it is.

Nick.

Dont know what happened with my typing skills before sorry,

Julian,

if i had to pick just one camera to take with me it would have to be................drum roll please..........................................................................................

D2Hs.

Why, colour, speed, af. lownoise/high iso performance, more images per card, feel, small files/ small RAW FILES, EASY ON COMPUTER PROCESSING.

I dont often print bigger than 11x14,

So D2hs it is.

Nick.

No problem - I thought it might be a new and creative use of the tab key...

Thanks - much appreciated.

I'm swaying towards D2Hs - if I buy D200 I'll always wonder 'would D2Hs have been better' but if I buy D2Hs, I reckon the times I'll really wish I had a D200 will be few and far between. And I could always pick up a used one when D300 (or whatever) comes out if I really feel the hi-res need...

Just been using D200 with my 28-70 2.8 and AF's good, but not blow me away fast. I tried D2Hs with 17-55 in a store at the weekend and the AF was instant. Maybe 28-70's a little slower than that but still, it was seriously fast. As an off-topic point of interest, another friend has EOS350D and 17-40L and the AF on that thing was stunning. Hmm, looks like Canon's got the D50 beat on that one....

And, besides all the other stuff, that D2Hs body is a thing of beauty.....

--
We only ask for advice when we already have the answer...

Let me know what you think of the D200 after using it this PM - I would be very interested in your impressions.

Thanks.

Allan

Have put 25000 images on my D200. Wonderful camera. Nothing wrong with the auto focus at all. The camera is hard to beat at it's price point. I use it and a Canon 1Dn, side by side.

The only drawback I have about the D200 is the command dials. After my camera warms, 200 images or so, the dials become very stiff and difficult to move. But, other than that, it's my favorite camera of my lot.

If you'll be shooting a lot of high volume jobs and have the cash, the D2hs's build quality and gearing to professional use will become both obvious and valued.

Best of luck on your quest.
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Rick

I've found life just doesn't fit in 1 camera or manufacturer vision.

I'm not sure where you are, but you can get the D200, a 17-35 (17-55 if you'd rather) and almost a 70-200 f2.8 for the price difference. Add an SB-800 and a Gitzo tripod and you are still below $ wise where you would be with the D2Hs and good glass.

Unless you have a need for extreme speed, then the D2Hs is the choice, but then wait for a few months to see what its replacement will look like.

Tom

I don't think this fall within your list of priorities but ...

Last night I fired off some shots with an infrared filter on my D70 and D2Hs. I know the D70 ain't the D200 (I had the D200 til a few months ago and sorta swapped it for a D2Hs) but believe me, the picture quality is pretty similar between them. Some might disagree but that has been my impression.

They were the first shots I tried with the IR filter and I just wanted to get a rough estimate of what the pics would look like. The shots were badly underexposed and couple that with haaving to shift the white balance all the way to the cool side, you end up with REALLY underexposed pics.

HOWEVER, I couldn't help notice that shots that seemed to be underexposed by the same amount (it's very hard to compare because different sensor sensitivities to IR make accurate comparisons difficult) stood up much better to post processing in the D2Hs, whereas the shots from the D70 totally fell apart. FYI I'm talking raw images.

Just trying to help muddy up your decision

Oh, and I used the D200 for about a year, and after using the D2Hs I gotta say it's a pretty awesome camera, and there definitely is SOMETHING about that LBCAST sensor ... but occasionally I miss a little extra res.

Hi Julian, I bought my D2h's mainly for Sport/Action shooting and kept my D70 for general stuff BUT i found the D2h's such a joy to use that i find myself using it all the time for everything. But the one thing you do need to consider is the croping issue.

I know you said that you don't crop much but i have found that you nearly always end up with a shot now and again that would look great if you could crop it right down, you can't do this with the D2h's it looses quality very quickly with a big crop. I love my D2h's but i consider it a Sport's/Action camera if you don't take much sport i dont think it would be the ideal camera for you.

Regards, Kev







.

nickvango said:

Hi Julian,
if it would help you you can check out my online gallery of wedding
images , that i have shot with both the D2Hs & D200.
Most of the images (80%) on there are from both these cameras.
There are also some by the D70'S , D2H & Fuji S5pro.

I find that both cameras have their strengths & weaknesses.

The only weakness point for me on the D2hs at a wedding that i can
pinpoint , is that i prefer to have more resolution when i am
photographing large groups of people (5 or more individuals)when
you never know how big an enlargement the bridal couple will order
after the wedding. Up to 12x8, 11x14 is ok , but i have been caught
out a couple of times when they have ordered 20 x 30"s.
that is when i will reach for the D200.For shots of bride & groom
it is more than enough, even for big enlargements 20x30 " As for
the D200 only the high iso/low noise above ISO 1250 is a drawback
for me, this is wherethe D2Hs really shines.

Colour , the D2Hs is clearly better, more film like.

Resoluton/Detail D200 wins.

Now my dilema is , since purchasing a FUJI S5PRO, Which i am
REAALLYY LIKING,I am having headaches as to which camera to reach
for first in my camera bag.

Decisions, decisions, decisions, ahh that is life.

http://www.pbase.com/nvphotography

Cheers Nick.

Click to expand...

Interesting post Nick, I've had an S5pro for approx 5 weeks and haven't felt the need to use either of my D2h's. I'm considering off loading one of them to get another S5.. My D2X's aren't seeing much use either though when I need the extra resolution in studio they are the cam of choice....

Regards
Peter

bluepeter said:

Interesting post Nick, I've had an S5pro for approx 5 weeks and
haven't felt the need to use either of my D2h's.

Click to expand...

I guess it would depend on what you shoot, but do you feel you lose some AF capabaility (speed, accuracy, low light AF, focusing screw-drive lenses) having switched from the D2H to the S5?

Ah, possibly off-loading a D2Hs you say?

I know the forum isn't for selling stuff but if you do decide to sell one, maybe let me know as it might tip the balance...

S5 looks really nice from an IQ point of view but I think the speed (or lack of) and big RAW files would put me off..

--
We only ask for advice when we already have the answer...

Hi Allan,

I got some time with the D200 today.

It's really nice. Responsiveness and handling are excellent, images look good, buffer is pretty good (I can fire 20 RAW shots at 5fps before the buffer fills) so that's a major upgrade from my D50 and overall feel is great - layout and functions are almost the same as D2Hs.
And, with the battery grip it looks like a D2!

I've not really considered AF performance before but it was good with my 28-70 2.8 but not knock me out good - not the fastest ever and a bit of hunting but generally pretty good. AF on D2Hs with 17-55 was stunning.

Downsides are big files (only 60 RAW to a 1GB card), not as fast response as D2Hs and the big one - does it have the intangible 'ooh' factor of the D2Hs body and the images it creates? Hmmm.

I think the bottom line is that D200 will do me fine and is way better than what I have already. It'll certainly give me something to grow into as I'm nowhere near the limits of it yet and there's no doubt it's the more sensible purchase - both given the much more attractive price and the fact it's much younger in it's lifecycle.

There's no question that D200 will do everything I need and then some. The ergonomics and handling are great and it feels very, very serious in your hand. But I'm still drawn to 'that certain something' about D2Hs and it's a 'want' thing here rather than need.

I need to get hand-on with a D2Hs and see if the couple of tangible difference and the intangible ones add up to being worth 150% more money. Trouble is, those difference will only show up after living with the camera for a bit, and I obviously don't have that luxury before I buy. Hence I'm scouting for people's opinions here! (thanks all by the way for getting involved).

From your original post, I would have to say in your position there's not much contest - go for D200 - you'll love it. The body is really, really good and D2Hs (and X) are so far into their lifecycles that, as a commercial purchase, they don't make much sense. Same as most other things going from nearly top-end to top-end - D200 will do 95% of what D2 will do and that 5% extra will cost you 150-200% more cash. Problem is there are different arguments as to whether that cost/function balance is worthwhile if it's a business or personal purchase...

Don't know if that answers your question - maybe not if you've already felt the D2X love ('cause that's my problem!!).

--
We only ask for advice when we already have the answer...

Michael Mohrmann said:

bluepeter said:

Interesting post Nick, I've had an S5pro for approx 5 weeks and
haven't felt the need to use either of my D2h's.

Click to expand...

I guess it would depend on what you shoot, but do you feel you lose
some AF capabaility (speed, accuracy, low light AF, focusing
screw-drive lenses) having switched from the D2H to the S5?

Click to expand...

Oh without doubt Michael, the D2H has a particular feel to it and still one of my fav Nikon cams, AF is almost instantaneous with the 17-55 (my most used lens) in the darkest of places. But in the end its about the image. and I have to say for what I shoot (I'm a glamour photographer) the Fuji RAW files are awesome. They are the closest to film I've got from a Dslr (30yrs shooting film, all formats)... I shot a job recently where I knew the margins would be tight, I took a gamble and shot it in jpg on the S5 (I'm a RAW shooter normally) It was outdoor, I used 5 (five) SB800s and the cam in jpg mode performed outstandingly. There are times I'll cuss the AF for not being quick enough, but it's rare and I don't shoot sports,fast cars or birds in flight. But lots of skin and this is where the Fuji is outstanding.

Regards
Peter

If I read his post correctly, I think he's referring to the D2H and not the D2Hs. The D2Hs is a considerable improvement over the D2H, from what I've read.

Sean

plusfour said:

Ah, possibly off-loading a D2Hs you say?

I know the forum isn't for selling stuff but if you do decide to
sell one, maybe let me know as it might tip the balance...

S5 looks really nice from an IQ point of view but I think the speed
(or lack of) and big RAW files would put me off..

--
We only ask for advice when we already have the answer...

Click to expand...

Wow fantastic overview! I really appreciate you taking the time and giving such great detail. The D200 with some extra goodies is probably the way to go for me 'cause I know I will be lusting for a D3 in a few years (when the price is where I can justify it).

Thanks again.

Allan