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9
stars
Excellent, if you need it - Too Much, if you don't
by jhb417
on
February 21, 2006
Pros: Extremely fast, excellent control layout, good "control panel screen", excellent capabilities. If you like Nikon's way of doing things, you will love this camera.
Cons: Occasional WB confusion (true for most digitals, pro or otherwise), more camera than most people need (or can understand), but will be purchased by those who don't understand it, much less need it.
Summary: The day I first unpacked this camera and shot my first picture with it, I knew I had made the right decision. Compared to the D70 (also a very good ...
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Summary: The day I first unpacked this camera and shot my first picture with it, I knew I had made the right decision. Compared to the D70 (also a very good camera) it is in another world. By published specs, it is not a D2x, but it is very close in many areas. Like with most other "technology" the D2x is already starting to show it's age, after only a year and I am just not quite ready to shell out 5K for something that will probably be re-done in the next year or so. So, in the mean time, for 2K, I get most of the features and capabilities and get to explore more of my photography with something that exceeds my capabilities.
Most impressive is the control layout. It took only a few minutes of review to find what each button, knob, switch, etc., does and my fingers were able to get to them easilly without a great deal of thought. Need to switch from single shot to continuous, a quick flick of my finger get's me 5 fps to catch what is going on. A simple press of the button and a turn of a knob gives me ISO from 100 - 1600 all without having to move the camera from my eye. Excellent job on layout.
Image quality is superb. Just remember, 10 Megapixles will not correct for poor photographic techniques! Take a bad picture with this camera and you will get a bad picture with more pixels than most others. As with most digital cameras, even those costing many thousands of dollars more, high ISO settings (1000 and above) will result in a bit more noise. A D2x does a slightly better job with this, but the D200 is a fair step ahead of the D70, etc.
The list can go on and on and on and quite honestly, most of it is beyond my knowledge. What I do know is that the camera "fit" me, has the capabilities that will alow me to progress and do excellent phtography and if my skills improve and finances allow, whatever Nikon comes up with to replace the D2x (D3x?) would be my next step... maybe.
I said in the "cons" section that this camera is more camera than most will need, but would get anyway. The reason I think this is a "cons" is that people will purchase it and then become disatisfied when they can't control it like a D50/D70. It doesn't take much more thought, but an accidental slip on one of the controls will result in the camera doing something you might not be ready for. A setting in the software that is incorrectly done will result in poor photo's. If you don't take the time to learn it's capabilities, to learn the functions available, you will not be able to correct a simple problem and reset things. This is not a "point and shoot" camera. It is one step (1/2 maybe) below the best available and either you are serious about it and spend a few minutes to learn it, or you will end up hating it. It is a two edged sword - high end capabilities with a mid range pricetag. More people will purchase it than probably should.
On the other hand, if you want the ability to do many of what the "big boys" do with their D2x, Canon's similar, etc., without the pricetage, this is the camera for you.
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63 out
of 64 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
better tha the d70
by truronion
on
January 3, 2006
Pros: size, build quality, menu
Cons: soft photos, big three buttons better on the rear
Summary: had the d200 two weeks now, sold the D2X expecting this to be a fair substitute, unconvinced, the photos are soft and the buttons on the back of the D2X ...
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Summary: had the d200 two weeks now, sold the D2X expecting this to be a fair substitute, unconvinced, the photos are soft and the buttons on the back of the D2X were a major plus, love the size of the menu, major improvement on the D70 I used to own. not getting close to the battery life of the D70 or the D2X, works much better with external flash indoors, overall am sure I will get to love it when the D2X fade from my memory
Updated
FURTHER TO MY PREVIOUS COMMENT THE D200 IS CERTAINLY GROWING ON ME BUT THE BATTERY LIFE IS ABYSMAL, A BACKWARD STEP COMPARED TO THE D2X AND THE D70 WHOSE BATTERIES SEEMED TO GO ON FOREVER,WILL NEED TO BUY AT LEAST A COUPLE MORE.
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10 out
of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
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10
stars
Nikon D200/Aimee Baldrige!
by sealsong
on
December 11, 2005
Pros: Superior build quality, Intuitive, Ergonimic design typical of Nikon, Accurate metering far superior to the competition, Built in flash, Same image processing engine as D2X but with custom built CCD.
Cons: None that I have found so far
Summary: First of all, I've had the D200 for two weeks now and it is amazing. I currently own the D2X, the 5D, the 20D, the D50 and have also ...
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Summary: First of all, I've had the D200 for two weeks now and it is amazing. I currently own the D2X, the 5D, the 20D, the D50 and have also owned the 1Ds. This is without doubt the most pleasurable to use over all and if I could only keep one (which I'm well on my way to doing) it would be the D200........and the F6 (I know I only said one but the worlds best analogue SLR is in a league reserved only for it's self). Now on to Aimee Baldrige. One user wrote "Aimee Baldrige's review sucks!" My opinion is that not only does it suck, ALL OF HER REVIEWS SUCK!! However I do not blame her as she is only the messenger and you know what they say about not shooting the aforementioned. I blame the wigs at C|NET! Can't you guys get someone worthy of our respect? Someone who actually knows and has a passion for what she's doing as opposed to someone who looks like she's read a bunch of other ill written reviews and decided to repeat what we all already know? It is not her fault, get someone who will tell us somthing about the product from a perspective that is beneficial to us, get someone who is passionate will you please!! As we're on the subject, how is it that users feel inclined to write assinine comments like "this is the camera we've all been waiting for" without actaully having the product in their hands or indeed owning it? If people are going to review products without having any first hand experience, then what does that say about the integrity of this site?
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10 out
of 12 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
Just the right camera?
by jwhitbread
on
November 16, 2005
Pros: Most of the high end features....
Cons: Without most the high end price....
Summary: I didn't want to buy a sub-$1000 DSLR. I can't afford the camera I really want at $5000. But now I think Nikon has nailed it on ...
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Summary: I didn't want to buy a sub-$1000 DSLR. I can't afford the camera I really want at $5000. But now I think Nikon has nailed it on the head with this blend. I predict this camera will hit 9 out of 10 on the CNET scale.
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16 out
of 28 users found this user opinion helpful.
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8
stars
I don't want to hear a single word
by mrobzo
on
November 10, 2005
Pros: This is a flexable camera for Pros
Cons: Not out yet
Summary: I am sick of morons who rate a product that is not available to them. Trace this guy comments and he says the same thing about every product he doesn'...
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Summary: I am sick of morons who rate a product that is not available to them. Trace this guy comments and he says the same thing about every product he doesn't own and can't afford. He wouldn't have a clue as how to use it let alone afford it. It will be released in December!
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12 out
of 20 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
Everything It Was Advertised To Be!
by Paulinla
on
April 27, 2006
Pros: Intuitive Controls, Solid Build, Outstanding Results
Cons: No full Frame Sensor, Hard to Find
Summary: I did a lot of research before buying this camera, and was impressed by the overwhelmingly positve feedback. I have had the camera for three weeks, and it is everything ...
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Summary: I did a lot of research before buying this camera, and was impressed by the overwhelmingly positve feedback. I have had the camera for three weeks, and it is everything that was promised, and maybe more. I love the feel of the camera, and the controls make perfect sense. A thorough review of the manual is recommended to understand the capabilities of the camera, but then figuring out how to achieve the desired settings is pure common sense. The photos need almost no post production work, provided you know what you're doing when you take the photo in the first place. The large 2.5" LCD provides the confidence to know that you captured what you wanted to, and the zoom function is very easy to use.
The battery life is not the 1800 pictures that Nikon boasts, but depending on your photo shoot, it is better than the 200 or so that many of the reviews have quoted. I have kept track of the shots taken on my current battery charge, over a few days. So far I have taken 465 pictures under a variety of conditions, and the battery life still shows 31% remaining.
I am very impressed by the quality of the photos at 800 ISO. There is some noise, but it is minimal for such a high setting. The continuous shooting works pretty much as promised. I have an 80x CF card, and under good daylight conditions I was able to take 34 shots before the buffer filled up (in 7 seconds), and five seconds later, I could take 10 more (even though the buffer was still writing to the card).
If Nikon could find a way to incorporate the holographic focusing that Sony uses on its high end prosumer cameras, which allows perfect focus under absolute zero lighting conditions, it would be perfect, but as is, it is pretty close.
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5 out
of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
First 300 pics were 99% great
by williameb
on
December 29, 2005
Pros: Quick and accurate, focus and exposure on the money
Cons: Can't shoot backwards like the coolpix. Must look through the eyepiece.
Summary: More camera than 99.9% of people will ever be able to use. Huge amount of control. The camera and the 18-200MM lens are a perfect match. Can't wait ...
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Summary: More camera than 99.9% of people will ever be able to use. Huge amount of control. The camera and the 18-200MM lens are a perfect match. Can't wait for the wifi conrols to become available.
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5 out
of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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10
stars
i'm rating a 10...
by rtbarry
on
December 1, 2005
Pros: read dpreview
Cons: read dpreview
Summary: to offset the very unhelpful readers who are reviewing this camera as a '5 or 6 or 7' before they've even touched it.
if you must comment on this ...
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Summary: to offset the very unhelpful readers who are reviewing this camera as a '5 or 6 or 7' before they've even touched it.
if you must comment on this camera, at least read the comprehensive DPReview.com preview, or some other detailed hands-on review first.
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4 out
of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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10
stars
Daddy Like!
by vodkasinz
on
January 3, 2006
Pros: Fast, responsive, great pictures and better price!
Cons: I would love this camera to have a bottom grip, but I could always add one.
Summary: I have been testing with this camera for a few weeks now, and I have been loving it. It is super responsive and takes beautiful pictures. I really like the ...
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Summary: I have been testing with this camera for a few weeks now, and I have been loving it. It is super responsive and takes beautiful pictures. I really like the layout of the controls over other cameras I have tested. The large screen is key and very bright. I know that there is no perfect camera, but due to what you get for this price, I had to give this camera a 10! If you are looking at cameras in this price range do yourself a favor and get this one. The Canon D20 is a good camera too, but falls short of the D200.
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3 out
of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
I am blown away by the camera quality and use of manual lenses
by robsb
on
March 14, 2006
Pros: Works with all but one of my manual lenses
Cons: No interchagable viewfinder or screen
Summary: I have had the D200 camera body for a week. I had to wait 2 weeks for it to arrive and it was worth it. I had just sold my ...
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Summary: I have had the D200 camera body for a week. I had to wait 2 weeks for it to arrive and it was worth it. I had just sold my Nikon F3HP and waist level viewfinder and also my CoolPix 950. In December I had purchased an Olympus SP-500, which I still plan to use for travel, but I was looking for a digital camera that would let me use the 7 Nikon lenses I had,24mm f/2.8, 35mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4, 55mm MicroNikkor f/2.8 with PK13, 300mm f/4.5, 80-200 mm Zoom f/4 and 35mm to 105 mm f/3.5-4.5 with Macro feature, some dating back to the mid 70's. I had looked at a D70, but it just didn't feel right and it really didn't let you use manual lenses - you could attach them but got no metering. After doing a lot of research and finding out I couldn't get very much for my manual lenses, I discovered that they would work with the D200 [if they are at least AI-more on that later]. So when the body came I quickly charged up the battery, skimmed through the book, and started mounting lenses. First you notice right away that although the D200 is about the same size as the D70, it feels a lot better, because it is metal and a bit heavier. The eye level viewfinder is beautiful, nice and bright and you can turn on a grid array, just like I had in my F3. It shows 95% of the image, a drawback from the F3, but better than most DSLR's. Everything is where it should be. Your fingers fall naturally on the shutter button [which has no preceivable lag]. The control panel display on the top is huge, as is the LCD screen for looking at menus and pictures. Using manual lenses has its plusses and minuses. You can't use Programmed mode or Shutter Priority with the manual lens. You can only use Aperture Priority and Manual, and of course you have to manually focus. But you get full color matrix metering as long as you enter your lenses focal length and max aperture in the camera data base. If you don't enter this data, you still can use spot or center weighting, but even those will be more accurate if you enter the data. Also as long as your lens has a 5.6 of less f number, you get assisted focusing as you manually focus - a symbol comes on in the viewfinder when you are dead on! It gets a little dicy if you want color matrix and are shooting a zoom. As you change focal length or if as in the case of my 34 to 105 Zoom the aperture changes, you need to change those values in the camera to get the best results. Nikon makes this easier by allowing you to program the function button so that you can press it and thumb the main command dial and or sub command dial and scroll through different focal lengths and apertures. This only takes seconds. Also all this data that you enter shows up in the viewfinder. I am still playing with all the customizable functions, so I have much more to test, but every lens but one took flawless pictures, dead on in exposure! The exception was my 35mm. I in an addle brained rush put the 35 mm on the camera, forgetting it was not AI. This is a NO NO. I didn't notice that it was not really fully on, but was jammed! I tried to take a picture and the viewfinder was reporting an aperture lower than the f/2.8. When I saw what I had done, I was really sweating, as I was afraid I had damaged the camera. I did get it off though, and quickly isolated it from the other lenses. Now you also have to realize that with the reduced functions [no auto focus, no P or S] you also get some big benefits. First you won't have to buy any lenses for awhile, except maybe in the wide angle area. Because of the difference in size between the sensor and 35mm film, you get a 1.5 x factor for all of your lens focal lengths. So my 24mm is now a 36mm on the camera and my 300 mm f/4 is now a 450mm. Remember this is without a loss of f stop. Just try and price a digital 300 mm f/4. Secondly we all know that the old lenses were mechanical marvels, they had very small abberations compared to todays digital lenses, unless you plan to pay $3 or 4 thousand for one. They are just faster and better made. So people will tell you that you no longer need fast lenses today because the cameras can deliver higher ISO numbers. This is true, but it is nice to have an f/1.4 75 mm equivilent or even an 450mm f/4 in a tele when you need it. Also though you have to focus manually and set the aperture manually like you did in old film days, you also don't have to wait for the lens to focus. You can press the shutter at any time, getting faster pictures. With an autofocus lens, it has to be in focus before the camera will fire. So if you shoot like an old film pro and set you lenses to hyperfocal distances, you have a mean candid camera with instant pictures. As I try out more things, I will come back and add to this, but since I had not seen any review that addressed manual lenses, I wanted to put this up. One other thing. I could not use my old Nikon F Model II bellows with the camera because it hit the rails. I had tried it with the PK 13 ring to give me some clearance, but it wasn't enough. In summary. A great camera, with dead on metering and superb color and lightening speed.
Updated
As I have had my D200 longer, I am getting used to it, and it is getting easier to use. Nikon says to use Circular Polarized filters with this camera, but I am using manual lenses and I still had my linear polarized filter for those lenses, so I tried using it. It worked just great. I know this type of filter will through off autofocus lenses though. I have now takne pictures with the built in flash and also used the camera in commander mode with a wireless SB800 flash. They work as advertised. I have dedicated one of my custom settings to the commander mode so I can change to it quickly. The camera has 4 user shooting modes and 4 user custom modes that you can set, and I have found them very useful. The pictures I am getting from my old lenses get better and better.
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2 out
of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Nikon D200