- Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 4 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"Great camera. Has all the important stuff."
Pros: Great pictures, Fast. Big LCD. Rugged
Cons: Have to pop-up flash manually. Can't use inexpensive wireless remote shutter release. Modeling light button in bad place.
Summary: I've had the D200 for about a week. Before I got the D200, I borrowed a friend's D70 for T&E but decided on the D200 because of the higher resolution and rugged build. So far, I really like it overall. It does a great job in all the important areas. It shoots great pics (I've only tried it with jpegs so far), it's continuous shooting is fast, it has a solid feel (haven't tried to expose it to the elements to see if the advertising is true), and the big LCD is great.
Here is the "but":
When I read these types of reviews, I always carefully consider the negative comments because I can always get the positive comments from the company's ads and the retailer's descriptions. Here are the negatives, albeit minor and would not have changed my decision to get the D200 if I had known them before.
1. To use the pop-up flash, you have to manually open it by pushing a button on the side. There is no setting (that I've found yet), like in the D70 Auto mode, in which you can just push the shutter release and the flash will pop up if there isn't enough light. It's OK if I'm behind the camera but if my wife picks it up to snap the kids, she usually forgets until she takes the first pic. It's an issue of being familiar with the camera but it would have been nice to have the feature.
2. The inexpensive wireless shutter release that works with the D70 (ML-L3) for about $20 doesn't work with the D200. You need to get another one (ML-3) that's about $170 US warranty or $130 gray market. It has some other bells and whistles, like the ability to take a pic by sensing something moving in front of the camera. More than I need and more than I want to pay.
3. The button to activate the modeling light is very close to my right finger when I hold the camera and I've accidentally pushed it a few times. Minor irritation.
4. My old SB28 flash works but does not completely communicate with the D200. I'm looking for an SB600 or SB800 for a good price. More money to spend.
5. The catch on the door for the battery compartment seems weak. I feel like it could pop open with a slight touch. The catch for the batt compartment door on the D70 seems to be much more positive. Again minor problem. Speaking of batteries, the D70 batteries do not work with the D200 but the D200 batteries will work with the D70. If you buy extra batteries, make sure you get the right ones (EN-EL3e).
Overall, I'm very happy with the D200. I wish I got the 18-200 VR lens but it was an issue of money. D200 works well with my old Nikkor AF lenses. It seems Nikon, in trying to achieve a prosumer dSLR left some of the consumer friendly features off in favor of making it more of a pro camera.
There are some things that are without doubt. Nikon makes a great product. That's tough for me to write because I was a Canon film camera fan (even though I also have a Nikon film slr as well) but the digital rebel and rebel XT seem to be made cheaply compared with the Nikons. Unless you own a bunch of Canon lenses, seriously consider the Nikons. You might pay a little more but you'll be pleased.
- 2 replies to this review
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A good review of the negative points. I would have liked to see comments on the image quality & how it compared with his Canon cameras, even though they might not have been strictly equivalent in specification. Does the fact that the Nikon D200 has 10M pixels count for anything, bearing in mind that the the average photo printer cannot resolve any detail in excess of 8M pixels.
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This is a pro level camera. It has no Auto feature. That is what is keeping me from buying one at this point. For me (an Amature Photographer) I have to make it useful to my wife to off set the expense. If she cannot use it "easily" then she just would not use it. I have a D70 and love it. The D200 would be great but that is a lot of money to spend on a camera when I would have to have a second auto use camera for my wife.
Where to buy
Nikon D200 with 18mm-to-70mm zoom lens:
$1,999.95
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$1,999.95 | Yes |
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