Nikon D200 Review - Pt 2
sduford on May 20 2006
PArt 2, 4-month update.
Well I have now had my D200 for about 4 months and I thought it was time to provide a quick update on this wonderful camera.
First, I really have to say that I am enjoying this camera tremendously. It is a joy to use, and it has definitely helped improve my photography. The camera’s heft and smooth shutter help reduce vibration, while the excellent metering and auto-focus system really help me get more “keeper shots”. The outstanding ergonomics make this a truly great photographer’s tool and the only small negative points are the center “button” on the multi-selector which is hard to hit without moving the selector, and the M/AF-S/AF-C focus mode switch that I occasionally hit by accident. Other then these two nitpicks, the D200’s ergonomics are near perfect for me. Another feature that turns out to be a lot more useful then I though is the weather sealing. This camera has extensive weather seal and that enables me to photograph in the snow or light rain and not have to worry about my camera. This can make a huge difference on your success in less then ideal weather conditions or harsh environments.
However, all this power and flexibility comes with a price: this is not an easy camera to use. The auto focus system in particular is very complex and requires a lot of study and practice to properly understand and exploit. If you do not take the time to learn it well, you will lose some critical shots and you will not be getting the best of what this camera has to offer. To add to this problem, Nikon’s manual is horrible, providing only short and confusing instructions on the various AF modes and features. I recommend you buy Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200, which has something like 40+ well-written pages on the auto focus alone. There is also an excellent article on Nikonians which describes the D2X’ auto focus and the D200’s system is nearly identical in terms of features and usage. In addition, Nikon wisely chose to do minimal in-camera processing of the images. This gives the advanced photographer the maximum flexibility and power in post-processing the images the way he/she sees fit. This means that if you do not like to spend a lot of time processing your images, or if you prefer to shoot JPEG instead of RAW, then this camera is not for you. A D50 or D70s will better serve you.
In addition, this camera’s high ISO noise performance is actually quite good, but it is very easy to exacerbate the noise if you are not careful. You really need to make sure you do not under expose your high ISO shots, and you need to be extra careful with how you post-process the images. I find that Noise Ninja does a better job then the D200’s internal noise filter.
Finally yet importantly, 10.2 MPix in a small DX size sensor is a lot of resolution, with lots of very small and tightly packed sensor sites. This makes the D200 brutal in showing the deficiencies of second-rate lenses. The D200’s special resolution easily exceeds that of many average or second-rate lenses. It will definitely make any softness very visible. The tightly packed pixels also mean that chromatic aberrations that were not visible on say a D70, will now cover two or three pixels, making them much more visible. Therefore, unless you have top-notch glass, the D200 might not make you happy with your gear.
So overall, I am very impressed with this camera and it has definitely helped me become a better photographer. However, this camera is much closer to the professional end of the spectrum then to the consumer end. As such, it requires more skill and more effort to learn to use it properly, and it demands high quality glass. If you think you fall into this category, then I highly recommend the D200. I think it is the best in its class, and an excellent value.
Sylvain Duford
How well does it work with non-cpu lenses? I have several of these. I tried a micronikkor 100mm in store and the viewfinder image was crystal clear. I did not have a memory card at hand fo save the image. my tokina 35-200 zoom also looked excellent through the viewfinder.
thank you for any comments. I’m choosing this for its 10mpix sensor, and its ability to use manual lenses. i still may have to buy the 18-200 vr zoom.
thanks..
I do not own any non-CPU lenses so I can;t speak from first hand experience. But from what I’ve read it works quite well, but you do have to manually enter the focal length and maximum aperture through the menu system.
This is a late comment but I stumbled upon this. I have a D200 as well and have no problems with shooting JPEG when it’s called for. It’s quite easy to set the parameters in-camera to create punchy colours and contrast if that’s your bag. Sure, the standard settings are somewhat boring and soft, but I usually set mine to Mode III, Sat +1, More Contrast, Sharpening-OFF (done when resized or left alone if uploaded to Alamy, etc). Very Velviaesque. I stopped shooting RAW+JPEG when I realized that I usually ended up using my JPEGS for prints and any stock work.
Thanks for the comment Mark. My personal feeling is that RAW gives you so much more flexibility in what you can do with your pictures, that it is the only way to shoot.