Is the D200 worth it if purchasing a better camera model

[D50birdshooter]

Is the D200 worth even looking at for bird photography??? or should i invest in a D2x, or D300 those are the models, anyone have any suggstions

[gasjkh2]

Is the D200 worth even looking at for bird photography??? or should i invest in a D2x, or D300 those are the models, anyone have any suggstions


The D200 is only as good as the lense & the photographer.

I have just upgraded from the D70s and this is a seriously big jump in performance potential.

The thing about the D200 is the huge range of functions available in the Menu, which is going to take me some serious amount of time to understand & learn, BUT I have already taken some stunning bird pictures with the BIGMA 500mm lense.

I was using crap lenses before & this is definitely the most limiting factor.

The D200 is currently the best bargain Nikon available I believe?

Currently looking for an old f2.8 400 - 500mm lense also if anyone is thinking of selling one?

[Watts]

[QUOTE=gasjkh2;1117358]The D200 is only as good as the lense & the photographer.

I have just upgraded from the D70s and this is a seriously big jump in performance potential.

QUOTE]

I wouldn't disagree with this. I upgraded from the D70 to the D200 some 15 months ago and have been very pleased with the results.

BUT if faced with the choice now and if I could afford it I'd go for the D300. The lower noise at higher ISO would be welcome and by all accounts the overall picture quality is better.

On the other hand there would be little point in spending the extra on the D300 if you then couldn't afford a good lens. After all, the lens will likely outlast the camera - gone are the days when we are still shooting with a 20+ year old SLR (as I was with my 35mm Nikons), but I'm still using a couple of 25 year old lenses.

Bill

[Guidenet]

One big advantage of the D300 is the ability to push to higher ISO with better performance. One thing this translates to in bird photography is the ability to use much higher shutter speeds which, of course, allows one to better freeze birds in flight. With my D80, which is the same sensor as the D200, I had a tough time getting that shutter speed up over 1000/ sec. Hand holding a 500 mm f6.3 and trying to pan a bird in flight was nearly impossible for a novice like me.

With my new D300 it's much easier. It still requires good technique and I'm still learning but the new camera really helps.

If you can afford an $8000 500 f4 prime, it doesn't matter so much, but with Bigmas and Tamrons, you get f6.3. To get that shutter speed up, you need to be able to push the ISO.

Just my thought.