Is The Nikon D200 Hard To Understand

[nez]

I have just ordered a nkon d200 and should be recieving it in the next week or so.I have heard the cameras menus can be quite baffling to the none proffesional is this true or is it balloney as i have heard mixed reviews on the camera.

My previous camera was the nikon d50 which i found so easy to use even in full manual modes.Does the d200 have a fully automatic mode which i can use as well as aperture priority and shutter priority modes.

i am greatfull on any help on this camera
thanks.

[Asiaeagle]

I have just ordered a nkon d200 and should be recieving it in the next week or so.I have heard the cameras menus can be quite baffling to the none proffesional is this true or is it balloney as i have heard mixed reviews on the camera.

My previous camera was the nikon d50 which i found so easy to use even in full manual modes.Does the d200 have a fully automatic mode which i can use as well as aperture priority and shutter priority modes.

i am greatfull on any help on this camera
thanks.

The D200 is a great camera. It dose inculde all the functions of D50 as you mentioned.It also provides the more advanced mode and updated technology.But you need time to dig them out.

[AJDH]

I found the D200 a daunting at first, probably due to my changing from a Konica-Minolta. Now I've got the hang of it there's no problem. I think you will be pleased with your purchase. :t:

[nez]

I found the D200 a daunting at first, probably due to my changing from a Konica-Minolta. Now I've got the hang of it there's no problem. I think you will be pleased with your purchase. :t:

thanks im getting mine tomorow

[Keith Reeder]

Coming from the D70 I found the D200 very easy to get used to (even though I've since chucked it for a Canon 30D).

It doesn't have a fully automatic mode as such, as I recall, but it allows you to program in your favourite settings to recreate an auto mode if you want it.

That said: ease of use doesn't automatically mean good pictures - it's a camera that definitely needs good light...

[nez]

Coming from the D70 I found the D200 very easy to get used to (even though I've since chucked it for a Canon 30D).

It doesn't have a fully automatic mode as such, as I recall, but it allows you to program in your favourite settings to recreate an auto mode if you want it.

That said: ease of use doesn't automatically mean good pictures - it's a camera that definitely needs good light...

Thanks keith for the advice.

[scooby]

Coming from the D70 I found the D200 very easy to get used to (even though I've since chucked it for a Canon 30D).

It doesn't have a fully automatic mode as such, as I recall, but it allows you to program in your favourite settings to recreate an auto mode if you want it.

That said: ease of use doesn't automatically mean good pictures - it's a camera that definitely needs good light...
Hi Keith

I'm interested to know why you opted for the 30D over the D200?
They're on both on my shortlist, and I'd appreciate your views.
Do you know anything about the Sony alpha, seems to me the specs are pretty similar and it comes in somewhat cheaper.

[baillieswells]

Hi Keith

I'm interested to know why you opted for the 30D over the D200?
They're on both on my shortlist, and I'd appreciate your views.
Do you know anything about the Sony alpha, seems to me the specs are pretty similar and it comes in somewhat cheaper.

There is agood review of the Sony comparing it with the Canon 350D and Nikon D200

http://cameralabs.com/reviews/SonyA100/

[Keith Reeder]

I won't go into too much detail Scooby - speaking ill of the D200 provokes all sorts of abuse in some quarters! ;)

Suffice to say that overall I found the D200's image quality in anything less than really good light, rather grim.

It's not just the noise (which can be horrible, even at relatively low ISOs), it's the in-camera noise reduction, which just "smears" all the fine detail out of an image (great if you're shooting weddings; terrible if you're shooting birds).

And I am absolutely convinced that the NR is on all the time, not just at 800 ISO plus which is what the manual says.

The D200 can produce great high ISO shots - it's not high ISOs per se - it's low light: there are really good ISO 800 shots in the gallery here, but they've also had a shutter speed of 1/2000 or more, so light really wasn't in short supply.

So, if you're going to use the camera in routinely good light, it's potentially a very good camera.

But I couldn't afford to spend the kind of money the D200 costs (€1904 today) for it to sit around for the few days a year when the light is good and I can get out and use it.

There are also documented issues with the accuracy of the AF, and I'm convinced that the metering is unreliable - certainly I couldn't understand what was going on with the metering in either of the D200s I had (yep, I gave it every chance).

If you like, we can discuss this via PM - I can go into much more detail and provide examples...

Honestly though, someone could offer to buy my 30D off me for the price I paid for the D200 and throw a new D200 in to sweeten the deal - and I'd still say no unless I had a buyer right on hand to take the D200 off me.

Before anybody rushes to defend the D200 - doubtless calling into question my ability to even hold a camera the right way up - just remember that these are my experiences, and that using a DSLR really isn't brain surgery: your experiences might differ from mine, but they don't make mine any less valid.

[Leif]

"overall I found the D200's image quality in anything less than really good light, rather grim."

Can you explain what you mean by that? Do you mean that long exposures are poor? Or high ISO? Or something else?

I've been using a D200 for about 6 months, and I've been very impressed with the image quality. ISO 100 to ISO 400 are brilliant. At ISO 800 noise makes an appearance, and I don't like ISO 1600, and hate ISO 3200. Noise reduction can be turned off below ISO 800. At ISO 800 and above it must always be on, and is at the minimum by default. I would not use anything by the minimum as it DOES soften the image as mentioned by another poster.

I would use ISO 1600 if push comes to shove, but with the internal NR at the minimum. My experience is that Nikon Capture does a much better job of noise reduction with little loss of sharpness, but it is SLOW. Boy is it SLOW.

At high ISO correct exposure is critical though this is true of any APS sensor camera.

I was browsing through magazines in a shop recently, and I saw a test by a UK magazine (Digital Photography?) that compared the D200 and the 30D. They found that at low ISO the D200 had a bit less noise. Above about ISO 800 the 30D was a bit better. Not quite the results I had expected.

But back on the ranch, yes the D200 is relatively easy to use. It has a nice layout with the most used functions accessed by buttons, and other functions accessed via the menus. I rarely need to use the menus. The viewfinder is really excellent and I do not find focussing a problem. I find it hard to criticise and I don't think I'm a Nikon fanboy. They've come a long way since the awful F50 and F70 ergonomics.

What I don't like:

> The cable release socket is fiddly to attach.
> The cable release socket cover is fiddly and easily lost.
> The MLU mode is a bit odd in that the shutter will automatically trigger after 30 seconds which irritates me no end. If you've sat on a hill waiting for the wind to drop, you'll know what I mean.
> It can be hard to get accessories though Grays of Westminster will have them, but at a price.

It does not have so-called 'idiot modes' but I guess it's not hard to learn to use aperture priority etc. I think it has ISO priority which is potentially useful.

It should be as easy to learn to use as the D50. But you might find existing lenses start to look less than stellar. And you will have to take care to use a good tripod and head, unless using VR, or high shutter speeds.

Leif

[Neil]

I'm surprised your spending so much money on a new camera without checking it out first. It's a different level of camera to the D50 and will require reading the manual and lots of practice. Neil.

[yossi]

Keith,
I'm so sorry to hear about your bad experience with the D200. It's absolutely the opposite of my experience.
My camera's counter is now at ~27,000 and I enjoy every click of it. It's not a beginners camera, and needs some learning to use it.
Canon has a better noise/snow reduction system (Digic II or so), but the speed of focus and the accurate exposures of the D200 as well as it's great colors are outstanding. The high iso noise is a monochrome type noise, much more pleasant to the eyes that color noise.
Sure I'd wish it could produce noise free images at iso 3200, however, the camera offers an excellent package of functions - makes ME very happy.
Life is a compromise, isn't it?

[anonymous_guy]

May not be of much consequence but.........
I stepped up from the D70s to the D200 & a 70-200mm lens at the same time & was having all sorts of problems with sharpness of focus & was becoming quite upset with the whole experience. Was reading all sorts of stories about focus difficulties etc....... then suddenly after several hundred shots, everything just seemed to click into place & the images started coming out right.

So I suppose it came done to understanding the camera.
Now, nearly all my shots are taken in either ISO 100 or 200 & I compensate around that platform in either A or M.

Am very impressed with the camera now, although must confess to being a complete klutz in anything technical.

[yossi]

There's a problem with the D200 that I didn't have with the D100 or D2X.
When dust enters the compartment of the AF mechanism, the camera behaves very weirdly. The solution - remove the lens, gently lift the mirror with your finger about half way.
Underneath the mirror you'll see another small mirror.
This place cummulates dust and it's upsetting the AF mechanism.
A blow of air cleans it up and everything is back to normal.
It is not related to the dust on the CCD filter and doesn't show in the pictures.
Long AFS lenses (70-200, 200-400 and similar) are big dust pumps.
My 2C on the subject of AF problems with the D200...

[Duke Leto]

I too upgraded from a D70s to a D200, no decision as I don't wish to restart the lens collection again. But I do see an annoying problem with the focussing occasionally I honesty believe that its me not fully understanding the variations if focussing offered by the camera over a D70s and it will take a while for any one to get to grips with if they are coming from a lower model (also its usually a bird on water shot which probably does mean operator error). As a Nikon fan I will say one thing the battery life sucks absolutly horrible compared with the D70s so an MB-d200 and a 2nd battery are needed for a day out and yes I have every electonic setting to a minimum (screen, metering etc)
All in all glad with the purchase, its environmental sealing with its rapid shot rate make it an ideal wildlife body.
If any one has a problem then I suggest that you subscribe to the Nikonians website www.nikonians.org it will have loads of excellent advice and there is a nice piece on the D200 and how to set up the focusing (look in the D200 section)
Having a friends who are both Canon and Nikon fans (and one whos a press photographer with a Nikon d2X and D2Hs) we will always agree to disagree but overall they both produce brilliant pictures as this forum is testimony too......

[HappyFish]

Blue Crane Digital, has a great video on how to use your d-200 that will get you up to speed fast. I got mine at Wolf Camera in U.S.A. There is said to be a great one that you can get on line but my weiner dog ate my notes on it yesterday along with a bird mag and the B&H catalog. Canon is said to have the low light thing hands down. Nikon has that dx chip that turns your little f5.6 800 mm lens into a f5.6 1200 mm lens. There are great photographers that use both. It`s the same old thing, tall vs short, blond vs brown, S&W vs Ruger. Have fun with your new toy. The more you learn about it the more fun you will have.----HappyFish