Nikon D200

[bsudiro]

Anybody getting the new Nikon D200 ??
It's supposedly starting for sale today .. Still waiting for a production review.
The new 18-200 VR lens looks quite interesting, but I'll wait to see what they say about distortions, etc ..

Cheers .. Gus

 

[amg_nsx]

Seems that it hasn't hit the USA yet. Check out www.dpreview.com, look under forums on the left of the page, and scroll down to "D1/D2/D100/D200" where you will find many postings about the D200.

There's a link to a Japanese review of a production model and many links to pre-production shots.

Agreed -- the camera looks awfully good. I pre-ordered one on 11/1 and will be glad to comment on it compared to the D100 and D70 in the near future. PM me with any questions.

 

[Joel]

The D200 certainly looks very promising.

I really don't like the D50 and D70s because they feel cheap in the hands. And that god-awful viewfinder feels like you're looking through a toy camera.

But alas, the D200 starts at $1600 I believe. :frown:
Oh well, time to look at the Pentax *istD S2.

 

[RACERnsX]

I really don't like the D50 and D70s because they feel cheap in the hands. And that god-awful viewfinder feels like you're looking through a toy camera.

Couldn't agree more...I too wasn't impressed with the build quality and feel of the D50 and D70's so I opted for a Canon 10D. Of course now I wish I had the 20D but that's another story. As far as the D200 is concerned, unless Nikon has improved build quality....I'd look at Canon in the same price range. Best advice I could give is be patient and go someplace that carries both when the D200 comes out and see what "feels" right for you.

 

[bsudiro]

Agreed about the viewfinder on D70 .. I'm happy with D70 but when I looked at D2X viewfinder, it was like .. holy s#!@! Really nice viewfinder!! It's just too much of a camera for me.
The specs said D200 has an even better viewfinder .. hopefully it's as they advertised!!

 

[cmhs75]

The D200 certainly looks very promising.

I really don't like the D50 and D70s because they feel cheap in the hands. And that god-awful viewfinder feels like you're looking through a toy camera.

But alas, the D200 starts at $1600 I believe. :frown:
Oh well, time to look at the Pentax *istD S2.

do you mean the Pentax is better built than the Nikon D70s?

 

[jordansx]

I preordered mine too. I'm number 12 in Hawaii so I should get mine soon. I'm really excited and will also be happy to answer questions and post some pictures up when I get it.

 

[amg_nsx]

My D200 arrived yesterday and I've been playing with it for a few hours. It's a definite step-up from the D70/D70s. I'll be glad to answer any questions.

 

[rickysals]

my roommate has a D2X, and sort of wish he had waited for the D200, just because it's much cheaper.

I"m curious to use one soon

 

[bsudiro]

amg_nsx, .. how's the viewfinder ?? Is it as good a D2X viewfinder ??
What's your initial impression after playing with it and comparing it to D70/D70s ??

Thx .. Gus

 

[amg_nsx]

Gus,

Compared to the D70/s, the viewfinder is a strong step forward. I have not used a D2X so cannot compare. The D70 gave me the impression of looking through a tunnel -- the D200 does not.

While I felt the move from the D100 to the D70 was essentially lateral, the D200 feels more robust and capable in all significant areas. Autofocus system is improved and hunts less, higher ISO images (when well exposed) are useful even up to 3200 ISO so long as you don't mind a small bit of what appears to be film grain. Continuous shooting at 5fps beats 3fps.

As for sharpness, I have not compared D70 to D200 yet. Most of my work is shot in RAW to avoid the in camera jpeg engine. The D200 images may be slightly less sharp than the D70 in jpeg from the camera -- then again, the D200 seems to have a brighter tone curve which makes out of the box images immediately useable where the D70 almost always required some tweaking to bring up muddy colors and contrast.

I'll be glad to address any other questions. My overall impression is that Nikon has a winner here.

Houston

 

[bsudiro]

Thanks for the info, Houston .. Sounds good .. I really have to start thinking of upgrading .. :wink: ...
One more question, .. hope u don't mind .. did you get the new 18-200 VR lens ?? If you did (one more .. hehe), how do you find the lens ??

BTW, I also shot in RAW with my D70 .. and I do still have to tweak the results a bit .. it would be nice if it behaves like D200 where we don't need to tweak the result too much.

Thanks .. Gus