What a WONDERFUL camera! This was supposed to be a backup camera, and is now my primary. The way it feels in my hands is awesome. It has all the options I need and it produces wonderful looking images. The white balance options let me cut down post production in a huge way. Combined with my ExpoDisc, it produces perfect WB. Even the auto WB is something else. The metering in this camera is also a huge upgrade from the D70.

I did also purchase the MB-D200 battery pack and vertical shutter release. Over the S3 Pro, I'm happy with this because this actually has command dials on it. One great thing about the MB-D200 is the fact that you can run on either one EL-EN3e batteries, two EL-EN3e batteries or six AA rechargable batteries.

Overall, this camera is a massive step up for Nikon. It produces beautiful images and has all the options a pro could need. It's at a reasonable weight and is easy to handle. This is by far the best producing and best feeling camera I have ever owned.
Bravo, Nikon!
-Brian

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What's not to like!, March 19, 2006

(Georgia, United States) - See all my reviews

I finally got the D200 after being on a waiting list for more than three months. It was worth the wait! I loved my D70, but with 10 megapixels and basically the guts of a much more expensive D2x, the D200 is a dream.

There are a gazillion possible settings, but right out of the box, you can start shooting with the defaults and get great images. The default exposures, color saturation, and contrast are noticeably improved over the D70, although I still have (and expect) to edit the photos in Photoshop. That's no problem - I would rather do it with the powerful Photoshop software than let the camera's firmware do it.

This camera has a really solid feel about it. It's a bit heavier than the D70, but with all the added features, that's acceptable.

With a price tag of $1700, the D200 is a bargain for serious amateurs and professionals.
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Nikon turns out a real performer in this camera., March 15, 2006
Reviewer: projectmgr
The excitement over this camera is justified!
We've all heard about the excellent build quality and it is true.
This is in many ways the best camera I have ever owned. The interface is intuitive and really is beyond compare in my experience. Every adjustment is right there at your finger tips making it fast and easy to change settings as different lighting and situations present themselves. This camera fits my hands like a glove!
So far the matrix metering is impressive. The amount of detail captured in the shadow area is exceptional!
Contrary to rumors I have read the D200 does offer capture in black and white mode.
Nikon has done a lot right here!
One other thing the software is another excellent feature. You can import existing pictures, regardless of brand camera used to capture. The upload is quick and offers the ability to tag, export, mail, adjust, resize and more. Very nice and comprehensive user interface there as well.
Packaging and accessories are first class!
One side note, the battery does not last anywhere near the 1800 captures described in the descriptions I have read. One battery does not get me through a day of shooting, particulary when using a VR lens. Plan on getting a couple of hundred shots in between charging possibly more if using manuall focus and shutting off frequently.
Overall I am very happy with the purchase of this camera. It's the best value on the market in my opinion.
*Continued assessment after even more extensive use.
Ok...I am even more impressed than I was when I wrote the above portion of this review.
The amount of well thought out features on this camera expand the photographers capability greatly.
Start with having four custom menu's that can be set and ready to use just a click away. For instance, one set-up for sports, one for flash portraiture, one for night capture and so on.
This camera produces the best life-like as witnessed at the time of capture color I have expereienced since discovering photography almost 30 years ago.
I mean superb color! Pariculary in the greens and blues. Every color really!
The images produced have the least amount of digital noise I have seen. This means better pictures, enlargements and best of all a lot less time spent in the processing. I even jack the ISO(International Standards Organization) up to 800 or a 1000 with excellent results! There is some noise at 1600. About the same as some of the other cameras I've used when set at ISO 200.
The EV(Exposure Variation) adjustments are easy to access and you can set the increment value to 1/3, 1/2 or 1 full stop depending on personal preference.
Oh! You can do picture Overlays in the camera! Yes right in the camera as long as they are captured in RAW and on the same memory card.
Add to that multiple exposure capability as well.
This camera puts a lot of capability in your hands!
**Continuing on after EVEN MORE extensive use.
Ok....this camera continues to impress me as I am sure it will any of you who are not used to the performance of a pro quality Digital SLR.
The build quality is holding up perfectly despite daily usage and variety of weather and situations. I really appreciated the sealed body when it began raining as I was photographing near Golden Gate in San Francisco this last weekend. Nice not to have to panic when your 200 yards away from the car and you neglected to even wear a coat let alone bring rain gear for the camera.
I love how this camera works with the SB80 flash unit! I even appreciate the performance of the on board flash, in particular the fast recycle time.
Boom, boom, boom this thing is ready to go with about a second delay when used in single shot mode.
I am getting exceptional detail when capturing shots with a lot of bright backlight. It's capturing more of what I actually see than any other camera I have owned or used.
I suffer from gear addiction just as many other people do. The D200 certainly has curtailed that problem/pastime because I find it difficult to find a camera under 16 megapixels I consider to be an upgrade. I include the D2X in that opinion because the interface on the D200 is so much better and the cost so reasonable in comparison. Also makes me wonder if there won't be a updated successor to that model somewhere soon up ahead.
Anyways......I would love to add a back to reality comment about what the D200 is lacking or can't do or that Nikon forgot, but I haven't found one yet.
If I could change one thing it would be to either extend the cord that you use for viewing images on a television screen or provide a remote control. I find initial image viewing and even in camera overlays
so convienant when viewed on a large TV screen. The short cord provided is fine when using the slideshow feature but when viewing one image for longer than 5 seconds or zooming in to view detail it sure would be nice to do so from more than a couple of feet away.
Other than that believe every positive you have heard.
I haven't experienced any "banding" problems but have read of some who say they have.
Also for those considering the other manufacturer's 5D let me say that I like Nikon's choice of 10 plus mega-pixels and the way it extends the
telephoto length of my zoom lenses. Even on the 12-24mm DX Nikkor. More on why that is included in my review of that lense. This camera hooked to the 80-400mm VR nikkor is my favorite combination right now.
I continue to be pleased with the included Picture Capture software. Very straightforward and my choice for initial download of jpeg or NEF images.
This is one heck of a digital tool!
Good luck!

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