# D200



## Rick58 (Sep 21, 2012)

I'm looking for a cheaper, but not cheap, DSLR to use with my AI Nikon lenses.
I don't need or would I ever use, all the bells and whistles found on most DSLR's.

I don't care about video
I don't care about outragous ISO numbers
I don't care about sub-machine gun frame rates
I don't care about program modes

I looking for a bare bones workhorse for manual shooting. I've been looking at the aging D200's. Any comments or thoughts?


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## pixmedic (Sep 21, 2012)

the D200 will certainly do what you are looking for. its well built, for sure. i see them on craigslist in my area around $550ish...but im not certain that for the same money, a used D90 wouldn't be a better deal. for $200 or less  you can get a D100 (we have one in our closet, still in excellent+ shape) the D200 is 10MP and the D100 is 6MP.  D200 does have faster FPS, larger viewfinder, better built, faster max shutter speed, so it might be worth the extra money.


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## manaheim (Sep 21, 2012)

The ONLY problem with the D200 is the battery life is pretty lame.  Like 900ish shots.  This isn't a showstopper so much as something to be aware of and cover for (extra batteries) if you need to shoot a lot with it.

Other than that, it's a great great all-around camera.


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## Rick58 (Sep 21, 2012)

pixmedic said:


> the D200 will certainly do what you are looking for. its well built, for sure. i see them on craigslist in my area around $550ish...but im not certain that for the same money, a used D90 wouldn't be a better deal. for $200 or less you can get a D100 (we have one in our closet, still in excellent+ shape) the D200 is 10MP and the D100 is 6MP. D200 does have faster FPS, larger viewfinder, better built, faster max shutter speed, so it might be worth the extra money.



The problem with the 100's is, they will mount, but without meter. For that reason I'd have to go with the 200's.


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## 2WheelPhoto (Sep 21, 2012)

Expect to lack some tonal resolution and dynamic range with the older models compared to the new sensors.


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## Rick58 (Sep 21, 2012)

2WheelPhoto said:


> Expect to lack some tonal resolution and dynamic range with the older models compared to the new sensors.



I'm not surprised. 13 years is a lot of technology. 
I'm following one with 4k clicks in mint condition $175. This means nothing since it still has almost 2 days to go with 18 people bidding. It seems $300-$400 is more realistic.


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## Rick58 (Sep 21, 2012)

manaheim said:


> The ONLY problem with the D200 is the battery life is pretty lame. Like 900ish shots. This isn't a showstopper so much as something to be aware of and cover for (extra batteries) if you need to shoot a lot with it.
> 
> Other than that, it's a great great all-around camera.


That's about what I've been reading. They claim 1000 without using the LCD. I'm still in film mode, so if I take 36 a day, I should be ok


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## manaheim (Sep 21, 2012)

Rick58 said:


> pixmedic said:
> 
> 
> > the D200 will certainly do what you are looking for. its well built, for sure. i see them on craigslist in my area around $550ish...but im not certain that for the same money, a used D90 wouldn't be a better deal. for $200 or less you can get a D100 (we have one in our closet, still in excellent+ shape) the D200 is 10MP and the D100 is 6MP. D200 does have faster FPS, larger viewfinder, better built, faster max shutter speed, so it might be worth the extra money.
> ...



Not that I'm suggesting you should get a D100... you shouldn't- the delta between the D100 and the D200 is STAGGERING- like on a rating of 1-10 with D100 being a 1, D200 is a 6 and D300 an 8... but what do you mean it won't meter?


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## Rick58 (Sep 21, 2012)

I'm not a digital guy, so I only know what I've been reading:

Nikon Lens Compatibility

it say here that the D100's meter won't operate, but the lens will mount.
I thinking you may have missed where I want to use my F2 AI lenses


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## manaheim (Sep 21, 2012)

Rick58 said:
			
		

> I'm not a digital guy, so I only know what I've been reading:
> 
> Nikon Lens Compatibility
> 
> ...



Oh ok I understand.  Yes, I missed that you were using specific lenses.  

Well, anyway... The D100 would be a lesser choice by leaps and bounds regardless.


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## nickzou (Sep 21, 2012)

I just got home from a long day of work yet again with a bunch of D200's shooting school photos. The kids sit about 5 or 6 feet from me, they don't move, the AF point is set on their eyes or their lips and the AF still hunts for proper focus. How do you feel about bad AF?


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## coastalconn (Sep 21, 2012)

If you can pick up a used d200 for mid 300's it is still a great camera with a great feature set.  The d300 is even better and the market is starting to flood with people upgrading to the d600.  I've seen d300 in the mid 500 range.


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## orb9220 (Sep 21, 2012)

Yep D300 seeing now for $600-$750 range. D90's in the $450-$550 range. D200's in the $300-$500 range. When I had mine picked up used for $375. And do miss it tho have a D90. Missed the build-feel more dedicated controls and that something-something that CCD gave over CMOS. The D200 gave warmer more natural tones than my D90. A D300 at a $600-$700 price point is now what I consider the most bang for the buck selection. But a $300-$400 D200 is sure enticing.

Still miss mine And am tempted by the price. Tho a D300 would go further.
As has fine-tune lenses feature and better dynamic range and higher iso ability.

and the D200 did pretty good even at 1250 iso with no post NR



Green 1250 Sooc 1 of 2 by Orbmiser, on Flickr
.


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## MK3Brent (Sep 21, 2012)

My backup body is a D200. 

I LOVE this dx. 
It hasn't ever failed me. 

Battery life is acceptable with a grip running 2x en el3e batteries. 

With this camera, I've done approximately 30,000 shots original shutter mechanism not a problem at all. 

I love my D200, however 1600 ISO is where you should call it quits.


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## Rick58 (Sep 21, 2012)

nickzou said:


> I just got home from a long day of work yet again with a bunch of D200's shooting school photos. The kids sit about 5 or 6 feet from me, they don't move, the AF point is set on their eyes or their lips and the AF still hunts for proper focus. How do you feel about bad AF?



All my AI lenses are manual focus, so Bad AF is just fine with me


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## Rick58 (Sep 21, 2012)

Thanks for all the insight folks. It sounds like the D200 might be what I'm looking for


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## panblue (Sep 21, 2012)

Rick,
The Fuji S5 Pro is another option. AI will meter on those I think. Wider dynamic range with the S5; 13.5 EV versus the D200's 11.5 EV. Also slightly higher resolution and 3200 ISO (versus the D200's 1600 ISO). The D200 has slightly better colour bit-depth and marginally better noise-control. Currently listing on ebay, one in the US for about $500, higher asking prices elsewhere for the others.


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## coastalconn (Sep 21, 2012)

FWIW, KEH has EX grade D300 for $551, looks like body, battery and charger.  D200 is 380-400 for EX grade.  They have a 14 day return policy and a 6 month warranty.  I got my D300 from them 3 months ago in "bargain grade" for 546.


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## Rick58 (Sep 22, 2012)

Nikon D200 Digital SLR Camera package w/ MB-D200 grip & extras + 4 batt, filters

8k clicks

Well I took the plunge....Here we go.


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## panblue (Sep 22, 2012)

Sorted


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## panblue (Sep 22, 2012)

Thom Hogan's hands-on review of the D200 is a good read.


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## Rick58 (Sep 22, 2012)

Yep, read it. It sounds exactly what I'm looking for. A decent camera I can share my film lenses with.


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## panblue (Sep 22, 2012)

Which AI lenses do you have, Rick?


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## Rick58 (Sep 22, 2012)

70 -210 3.5 Vivitar Series 1
28mm  3.5 Nikkor
35mm 2.8 Nikkor PC
55mm 2.8 Nikkor Micro
135mm 3.5 Nikkor
300mm Nikkor
300mm Kilfit (non AI)
Pk13 Nikon auto ext. tube


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## panblue (Sep 22, 2012)

Nice!


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## panblue (Sep 22, 2012)

I think I maybe had a Series 1 in Nikon mount. Also a 24mm (f3.5?) and a 4/20 AI conversion.


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## Rick58 (Sep 22, 2012)

Thanks.  I almost forgot my 50mm f2 "normal lens". I spent a lot of time and money building up the set.


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## panblue (Sep 22, 2012)

Kilfit; a marque for the gentleman connoisseur! I've never seen one, let alone used one.
But I'm well interested in vintage glass of all kinds.


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## Rick58 (Sep 22, 2012)

panblue said:


> I think I maybe had a Series 1 in Nikon mount. Also a 24mm (f3.5?) and a 4/20 AI conversion.



Times change I guess. A lot of the old "good names" don't mean much any more.


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## Rick58 (Sep 22, 2012)

panblue said:


> Kilfit; a marque for the gentleman connoisseur! I've never seen one, let alone used one.
> But I'm well interested in vintage glass of all kinds.



Beautiful lens. Comes in it's own hard case. with a set of glass resolution test plates unique to each lens. It's a stop down preset lens.


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## panblue (Sep 22, 2012)

Series 1 became just a name to be marketed, in the end. Not comparable to your earlier glass. 19-35..oh dear! Plastic Fantastic!


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## Mike_E (Sep 22, 2012)

nickzou said:


> I just got home from a long day of work yet again with a bunch of D200's shooting school photos. The kids sit about 5 or 6 feet from me, they don't move, the AF point is set on their eyes or their lips and the AF still hunts for proper focus. How do you feel about bad AF?




What's your process?  You shouldn't be having this problem at all.


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## Rick58 (Sep 26, 2012)

Well, my D200 arrived today, just as pretty as can be. 
Now, I just have to get a degree is Nuclear Physics to use it properly.


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## orb9220 (Sep 26, 2012)

Nikon D200 User's Guide from Kenny but he does help with good start user help.
.


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## Patrice (Sep 26, 2012)

Enjoy you D200. I had a couple from first launch until just last year. Great cameras!


(I'm waiting for a D2xs to find its way home to me)


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## Rick58 (Sep 27, 2012)

View attachment 21441
   Well, I couldn't wait to do it right. I just had to play with my new toy. So, I went out to the wife's rose garden a couple minutes before dark and snapped a picture just to make sure something came out the other end when I pressed the shutter. 
   Here's one from someone who currently knows NOTHING about digital. Didn't even play with any settings so I ended up with a 30th/sec jpg. It works so now let the learning begin...


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## gryffinwings (Sep 27, 2012)

Rick58 said:


> View attachment 21441
> Well, I couldn't wait to do it right. I just had to play with my new toy. So, I went out to the wife's rose garden a couple minutes before dark and snapped a picture just to make sure something came out the other end when I pressed the shutter.
> Here's one from someone who currently knows NOTHING about digital. Didn't even play with any settings so I ended up with a 30th/sec jpg. It works so now let the learning begin...



Wow, that actually looks pretty good for the older D200, what lens were you using to make it?


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## Rick58 (Sep 27, 2012)

Thanks,

Nikkor AFs 18-70


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## StreetView (Sep 27, 2012)

gryffinwings said:


> Wow, that actually looks pretty good for the older D200, what lens were you using to make it?



(facepalm)
To think a D200 can't take a good snap of a flower is absolutely ludicrous.

Rick, congrats on the purchase. Digital ain't as bad as it seems


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## orb9220 (Sep 28, 2012)

Congrats! Good start Rick. And yep don't understand low expectation or surprise on results from a D200? 
Always been a great performer even today.




Yellow Among the Stone by Orbmiser, on Flickr




Women On the Move &amp; Carefree by Orbmiser, on Flickr

I would be happy shooting one today if I didn't have the D90.
.


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## Rick58 (Sep 28, 2012)

Thanks a lot folks. Looking at all the bells and whistles, it appears I have a lot of learning ahead to use it properly. But at the end of the day, the fundamentals are the same as with film. It's just learning what buttons to push to get there.


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## gsgary (Sep 28, 2012)

You could look at the Fuji S2, version of D200 but better dinamic range it was a favourite with wedding photographers


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## gsgary (Sep 28, 2012)

Didnt go through all the pages look like i was too late


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## Rick58 (Sep 28, 2012)

Yeah a little too late Gary. So far my personal shutter count is 1 and I'm very happy with it's dependability 

I played with this sole exposure a little. Cropped to square, unsharpened a little and touched up the white blotch of the leaf. We are now open for comments...
View attachment 21481


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## supraman215 (Sep 28, 2012)

I like the original better. Looks a little grainy maybe too much sharpening. You think the camera is complicated, get Lightroom, your head will explode. lol I know because I just got it 6 months ago and I'm underwater lol.


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## Rick58 (Sep 28, 2012)

supraman215 said:


> I like the original better. Looks a little grainy maybe too much sharpening. You think the camera is complicated, get Lightroom, your head will explode. lol I know because I just got it 6 months ago and I'm underwater lol.




Ahhh, the good 'ol days. Aperture, shutter speed and focus. If you REALLY wanted to look like a pro, you could play with that little self timer dial
Now the back of the camera looks like the glass cockpit of an F-15

BTW, I might agree with you. The original was definitely softer which may look better with this type of photo


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## gryffinwings (Sep 28, 2012)

Rick58 said:


> Yeah a little too late Gary. So far my personal shutter count is 1 and I'm very happy with it's dependability
> 
> I played with this sole exposure a little. Cropped to square, unsharpened a little and touched up the white blotch of the leaf. We are now open for comments...
> View attachment 21481



This actually has me tempted to pick up one of these some time.


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## bhop (Sep 28, 2012)

I have a d200.  I think it's a good choice for what you were looking for.  I have since upgraded to a d300, but the d200 is more than capable of taking images with amazing quality.

D200 - a set on Flickr


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## gryffinwings (Sep 28, 2012)

bhop said:


> I have a d200.  I think it's a good choice for what you were looking for.  I have since upgraded to a d300, but the d200 is more than capable of taking images with amazing quality.
> 
> D200 - a set on Flickr



The prices aren't too bad either, you can get them body only for around $300. Not to mention this would open up my lens choices quite a bit.


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## gryffinwings (Sep 29, 2012)

Do you have any more photos shot with your D200?


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## orb9220 (Sep 29, 2012)

Have about 500+ shots taken with a D200. And would be happy to have it again matched with my D90. But alas woe no pennies in the Dr. Suess Savings Tin.
.


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## Rick58 (Sep 29, 2012)

gryffinwings said:


> Do you have any more photos shot with your D200?



I'm afraid not other then this one. I just got back testing my AIs Nikkor 55 micro. This is ISO 1600 @ 1/30 Tripod mounted
View attachment 21591


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## SamSpade1941 (Oct 1, 2012)

panblue said:


> Rick,
> The Fuji S5 Pro is another option. AI will meter on those I think. Wider dynamic range with the S5; 13.5 EV versus the D200's 11.5 EV. Also slightly higher resolution and 3200 ISO (versus the D200's 1600 ISO). The D200 has slightly better colour bit-depth and marginally better noise-control. Currently listing on ebay, one in the US for about $500, higher asking prices elsewhere for the others.





Only if you are shooting portraits that is where Fuji cameras shine over Nikon Cameras.


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## gryffinwings (Oct 3, 2012)

Does the D200 have the same AF indicator system in the viewfinder as the D90?


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## SamSpade1941 (Oct 5, 2012)

gryffinwings said:


> Does the D200 have the same AF indicator system in the viewfinder as the D90?




I do not think it does, I believe it is different since the D90 is a generation newer. I will say this in regards to the D200 as much as I wanted for for several years now , I probably at this stage of the game will not buy one. I have seen several recently come up for sale on the local CL in the $250 range for the body only and if they have the battery grip for around $350 .  I am currently seeing D300s cameras which many people consider to basically be a D3 light now showing up for around $500 give or take depending on accessories. Very soon I will have some money to expend on a new used camera and I will most likely purchased a gently used D300s and battery grip rather than purchasing a D200. I still think its an awesome camera and if I could get one nearly free right now I would probably take it. But I am not willing to give anyone $200 or $300 to help them finance their better camera by buying their now severely dated DSLR when I could get something a tad newer.


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## gryffinwings (Oct 11, 2012)

Well, I took the plunge and got myself at D200 for cheap on EBay, I look forward to getting it soon.


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## Rick58 (Oct 11, 2012)

I really like mine. Until I can do more then the camera, it's good enough for me, but I think that will take some time


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## gryffinwings (Oct 20, 2012)

So after using my D200 a little bit, I feel like maybe there is a film like quality to D200 shots.... maybe that's the wrong term, but it seems work like that, I think.


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## orb9220 (Oct 20, 2012)

Yep miss that warmer more natural results of my D200 CMOS sensor. Compared now to my cooler & colder D90 CCD results.
.


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## gryffinwings (Oct 20, 2012)

orb9220 said:


> Yep miss that warmer more natural results of my D200 CMOS sensor. Compared now to my cooler & colder D90 CCD results.
> .



You got in backwards, D200 = CCD and D90 = CMOS. But I know what you mean.


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## orb9220 (Oct 20, 2012)

Darn I'm now Techno-Dyslexic Too! Sorry about that! 
.


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## gryffinwings (Oct 20, 2012)

Another thing I like about the D200, is that it's not overly aggressive with raising the ISO setting, if you happen to have ISO set to auto. My D5100 would always set a pretty high ISO, which for me was kind of irritating.


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## gryffinwings (Oct 21, 2012)

Something I noticed while I went to shoot while it was bright.

1. The D200 was way more sensitive to the bright light outside, so when I had the aperture wide open, ISO auto set set camera to 200 and I was shooting at around a 1/1600th of second for shutter speed. Too me, this is far better than my Nikon D5100, to be honest, I'm not even sure the D5100 and D7000 can do this.


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## orb9220 (Oct 21, 2012)

> _"My D5100 would always set a pretty high ISO, which for me was kind of irritating."_



Well I believe in the menu for auto-iso you can not only set max. slowest shutter to use but also ceiling not to go above. I always set auto iso to 1600 as the ceiling on my D90 but mute as rarely shoot auto-iso anymore.
.


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