Todd Lando
Active member
This is my second DSLR, after owning a D70 since mid 2004. In my film days, I began with a Ricoh XRP, quickly upgrading to a Nikon FM, then FE2, years later an N90, then an F100. And after scanning slides for a few years, the D70 easily won me over instantly. My only complaints about the D70 were that it felt a bit too light, without the robust construction of my late F100, and seemed to be less consistent in focusing with a few of my favorite lenses.
So far, the D200 replacing (supplementing) my D70 reminds me of the upgrade from a well worn N90 to the F100. A few nicely upgraded features, a control layout more appealing to advanced users, and robust, truly "professional" construction. Like the N90-F100 upgrade, I don't expect any miraulous improvements in image quality
(though there is some, already noticeable improvement in the first hundred or so images).
The control layout is strikingly different than the D70 in some respects, and similar in others. I havent been completely through the manual, so until I get my controls customized, I'll reserve judgement. Out of the box, the settings and controls eem to demand a bit more personalization than I expected. Kudos to Nikon for building this in - a big step up from the D70 it seems.
Probably most striking is the VASTLY improved LCD screen. Night and day when compared to the D70. Absolutely bright and beautiful. The lowest brightness seems brighter than the highest on the D70. I'd like to see a firmware update that adds a few more settings on the low end, to preserve power...
So far I'm at 125 images, a lot of menu browsing, and about 25 flash images, and the battery is only down 1 bar. I know these new batteries "learn" about their capacity in use, so maybe it'll drop dead soon, but so far it looks fine. If I truly get only 150-299 images like many are reporting, I'll be pretty disappointed. My D70 has only been charged a handful of times in thousand of images, and I honestly hoped for more with the D200. Jury is out until I've cycled the EN-EL3E a few times. If the battery sucks, and I need a need to add the big grip to get extra power, I may regret not just saving for the bulky D2X or the 5D...
Most important to me, though, is the immediately noticeable improvement in Auto WB control. The first images were all on auto, and were all spot-on. What a huge improvement over the D70. I shot in NEF on the d70 because I never really trusted the WB, but maybe I won't have to anymore! Much more shooting will prove, I hope.
The images look great so far, and I expect better as I get familiar with the camera.
I should state for the sake of this forum only that I am not a die-hard brand loyalist like many here. I seriously considered the EOS 5D for a few months (not out of spite for Nikon's slow product intros, or banding/backfocus/included software, etc, but because it seemed alike a nice camera that came close to meeting the specs of my "dream" DSLR). In the end, I chose not to switch brands because the cost was a bit higher than I could afford - considering the need to buy new glass as well as a $3000 body. If I didn't have so many nice Nikkor lenses, I might well be posting on the Canon forum. I'm sure either camera would take beautiful photos, which is why I love photography - not for the toys.
Problems:
I'm not "pixel-peeper", and am far more interested in the art of the image than the science and specs of the camera. That said, the misnamed "banding" issue does seemed to affect my camera. I noticed it when examining an edge near a blown highlight on a test snapshot. EDITED: Closer inspection of the image (read: pixel peeping) reveals that this IS NOT THE DREADED BANDING AT ALL! The image is so detailed that I was able to detect the shadow cast by a screen door - in an image taken from 20 feet away with a 12-24mm Nikkor to boot. Now that's resolution.
In follow up, I broke down and snapped some images of a lightbulb. It makes me sick that I resorted to that silliness, since it seems that nobody's "banding" actually harms good images: but alas, NO "BANDING."
As far as I can tell, this camera meets my wants/needs pretty close to perfectly, for the time being. If you own Nikon glass, and are in the market for a new body, this is probably the one to beat. If you're torn between Nikon and Canon, you've got a tough decision, as both have cameras that will probably meet your needs with advantages and disadvantages to each. Play with the cameras in a shop that sells both brands. Listen to your heart, as these boards will only confuse you with silly loyalists who always believe "their" brand is best.
So far, the D200 replacing (supplementing) my D70 reminds me of the upgrade from a well worn N90 to the F100. A few nicely upgraded features, a control layout more appealing to advanced users, and robust, truly "professional" construction. Like the N90-F100 upgrade, I don't expect any miraulous improvements in image quality
(though there is some, already noticeable improvement in the first hundred or so images).
The control layout is strikingly different than the D70 in some respects, and similar in others. I havent been completely through the manual, so until I get my controls customized, I'll reserve judgement. Out of the box, the settings and controls eem to demand a bit more personalization than I expected. Kudos to Nikon for building this in - a big step up from the D70 it seems.
Probably most striking is the VASTLY improved LCD screen. Night and day when compared to the D70. Absolutely bright and beautiful. The lowest brightness seems brighter than the highest on the D70. I'd like to see a firmware update that adds a few more settings on the low end, to preserve power...
So far I'm at 125 images, a lot of menu browsing, and about 25 flash images, and the battery is only down 1 bar. I know these new batteries "learn" about their capacity in use, so maybe it'll drop dead soon, but so far it looks fine. If I truly get only 150-299 images like many are reporting, I'll be pretty disappointed. My D70 has only been charged a handful of times in thousand of images, and I honestly hoped for more with the D200. Jury is out until I've cycled the EN-EL3E a few times. If the battery sucks, and I need a need to add the big grip to get extra power, I may regret not just saving for the bulky D2X or the 5D...
Most important to me, though, is the immediately noticeable improvement in Auto WB control. The first images were all on auto, and were all spot-on. What a huge improvement over the D70. I shot in NEF on the d70 because I never really trusted the WB, but maybe I won't have to anymore! Much more shooting will prove, I hope.
The images look great so far, and I expect better as I get familiar with the camera.
I should state for the sake of this forum only that I am not a die-hard brand loyalist like many here. I seriously considered the EOS 5D for a few months (not out of spite for Nikon's slow product intros, or banding/backfocus/included software, etc, but because it seemed alike a nice camera that came close to meeting the specs of my "dream" DSLR). In the end, I chose not to switch brands because the cost was a bit higher than I could afford - considering the need to buy new glass as well as a $3000 body. If I didn't have so many nice Nikkor lenses, I might well be posting on the Canon forum. I'm sure either camera would take beautiful photos, which is why I love photography - not for the toys.
Problems:
I'm not "pixel-peeper", and am far more interested in the art of the image than the science and specs of the camera. That said, the misnamed "banding" issue does seemed to affect my camera. I noticed it when examining an edge near a blown highlight on a test snapshot. EDITED: Closer inspection of the image (read: pixel peeping) reveals that this IS NOT THE DREADED BANDING AT ALL! The image is so detailed that I was able to detect the shadow cast by a screen door - in an image taken from 20 feet away with a 12-24mm Nikkor to boot. Now that's resolution.
In follow up, I broke down and snapped some images of a lightbulb. It makes me sick that I resorted to that silliness, since it seems that nobody's "banding" actually harms good images: but alas, NO "BANDING."
As far as I can tell, this camera meets my wants/needs pretty close to perfectly, for the time being. If you own Nikon glass, and are in the market for a new body, this is probably the one to beat. If you're torn between Nikon and Canon, you've got a tough decision, as both have cameras that will probably meet your needs with advantages and disadvantages to each. Play with the cameras in a shop that sells both brands. Listen to your heart, as these boards will only confuse you with silly loyalists who always believe "their" brand is best.