Anybody tried the Nikon D200?

[ush flynn]

Ive heard very little on this forum of the D200, looks like a superb machine that can outshoot the canon 20d. Is it not very popular around here? I guess its probably a bit more expensive that the 20d but then the advantages of magnesium body of the d100 against the canons plastic! The original price of the 20d was somewhere up around 1200 so i dont think the D200 is set too high right now for that 10m pixels on nikon F mount. NICE

[Radiohead]

I got one just before Xmas (paid £1199 from AJ Purdy) and it's an absolute beast. Ultra well-built, image quality to die for, CAM1000 is excellent, 5fps RAW burst rate, three kings selection, double scroll wheels, fantastic LCD, huge viewfinder. I just love it.

I've since bought a battery grip for it (makes it even better), and a Nikkor 70-200mm VR.

Took these with it and the Sigma 30mm

[ush flynn]

nice shots man nice shots, they look crisp. Cant look any longer or ill end up buying one! ive limited myself to one camera this year and its gonna be a compact, a panny lx1 i think. Only got the nikon F5 3 months ago, think id be slaughtered if i tried to get a d200!

[Radiohead]

You know you want to!

[senu]

Lovely pics. You must have a 2g compact flash card! Is the ccd full 35mm size (24x 36mm) or does it have a multiplier factor for a "normal 35mm" lens?

I reckon this camera will be competing for the Canon 5D market rather than 20D.
Does any one out there have a 5D?

[Radiohead]

1 2GB card and another 2 of them arriving on Monday!

It's an SPS-C sensor, so the usual 1.5x factor applies. I ove that as it makes my 200mm a 286mm f2.8 for free and I can get ultra-wides now (next lens will be the Tokina 12-24mm). It's being tested against the 5D but I see them appealing to different markets, and the 5D is way more expensive.

[ush flynn]

yeah thats one of the beauties of the nikon, so much cheaper! yeah it doesnt have full frame but cant say im overly fussed about that... still gonna have to wait till next year though

[RimBlock]

Originally Posted by senu

Does any one out there have a 5D?

Now, now you should know the answer to that .

Without the full frame sensor the D200 cannot realistically compete with the 5D and it is priced far too low to do so. My 5D came in at £1,800 for body only and the 5d is 12Mp rather than 10.

I would guess that they are tring to push in another stage just above the 20D but still on the aps sensor size. The 20D has been around for a while and if / when Canon get around to bringing out a replacement I would expect it to be much closer to the D200's specs.

RB

[Radiohead]

Originally Posted by RimBlock

Now, now you should know the answer to that .

Without the full frame sensor the D200 cannot realistically compete with the 5D and it is priced far too low to do so. My 5D came in at £1,800 for body only and the 5d is 12Mp rather than 10.

I would guess that they are tring to push in another stage just above the 20D but still on the aps sensor size. The 20D has been around for a while and if / when Canon get around to bringing out a replacement I would expect it to be much closer to the D200's specs.

RB

Have a read of this week's Amateur Photographer for a head-to-head. It's not quite as straightfoward as MP count or sensor-size.

[RimBlock]

Originally Posted by Radiohead

Have a read of this week's Amateur Photographer for a head-to-head. It's not quite as straightfoward as MP count or sensor-size.

Depends on your needs. The 5D was about sensor size for me as with the crop factor I couldn't get the range on the short end in the space I have to work with.

One of the major selling points of the 5D is that it has a full frame sensor and therefore you do not get the crop factor and do not need to buy a 1d.

While it is not about Mp count either I do prefer to work on the highest I can as I tend to edit fine details and potentially print at a minimum of A4. I'll probably be knocking a few rpintes out in A3 & A2 soon.

That is just my view for the job I use the camera for. If I didn't need a full frame sensor then I probably would not have got the 5D. That was the driving factor for me.

Cheers
RB

[Radiohead]

I'm the opposite, and generally shoot longer than wider. The D200 gives me a 286mm f2.8 for free with my 70-200mm, and my 12-24mm takes care of the wide stuff with no vignetting. The inclusion of wireless flash on the D200 is a huge bonus, as is the higher fps burst rate (5fps vs 3fps).

The extra MP of the 5D works out at 1.5" on the long side, and 1" on the short at 300dpi.

My personal feeling is that the 5D is a lovely unit, but that Canon have overpriced it. They probably had to though to keep room for the 20D's replacement.

[RimBlock]

Originally Posted by Radiohead

I'm the opposite, and generally shoot longer than wider. The D200 gives me a 286mm f2.8 for free with my 70-200mm, and my 12-24mm takes care of the wide stuff with no vignetting. The inclusion of wireless flash on the D200 is a huge bonus, as is the higher fps burst rate (5fps vs 3fps).

The extra MP of the 5D works out at 1.5" on the long side, and 1" on the short at 300dpi.

My personal feeling is that the 5D is a lovely unit, but that Canon have overpriced it. They probably had to though to keep room for the 20D's replacement.

As you say if you are using the long end then it makes sense to keep with an aps sized sensor and squeeze a little more out of the lenses.

I am not sure they have overpriced it. It seems like a pretty good policy from Canons point of view. Half the price of the 1dmk2 and twice the price of the 20D. Seems to fill a center point between to two with better specs than the cut down 1dmk2's.

Wireless flash is def a bonus.

Don't get me wrong, for what it is I think it is very good but for me the comparison just doesn't stand against the 5D. They are both intended for different markets and tasks. Like comparing a mini and a lotus. The mini is great and just what some people want. The lotus is for someone who wants something a little different for other uses. They are both very good for what they are designed for but it is hard to directly compare.

If I were to choose to buy again now then I would still go for the 5D just because it offers me what the D200 cannot. If that was not a requirement and I didn't have a number of Canon lenses then I would have probably have gone for the D200.

Horses for courses.........

RB

[senu]

RB,
For the ("younger" ie non 5 D ) Canons DSLrs, using the Speedlite 580 Flash gun does act as a master ( and slave) for wireless flash photography ( does it not ?) .I am saving up for one. I saw wireless flash and transfer of images ( to a remote "server") at Eurodisney via the D70 Do you know how this is achieved?

However I would be interseted in your comments on This Article in the light of your preference for full or almost full frame sensors.

I am also curious as to why for digital a full frame ( 1Dmk 2 ) is considered almost equivalent to the medium format film cameras which seem to be getting extinct .
Lastly reggarding the pixel count isnt everything debate ,If 2 cameras have near identical lenses and image processing surely a few more captured pixels is desireable.

[richard plumb]

580EX (and I think 550EX if you can find one) will work as a wireless master. but it needs to be on the camera so your uses are limited (you could use a hotshoe adapter + cord I suppose).

I have a 430EX. If I find I want more control I'll try the off camera via cord route first. Then if I need another flash I'll get a 580EX to give me flexibility.

[RimBlock]

Originally Posted by senu

RB,
For the ("younger" ie non 5 D ) Canons DSLrs, using the Speedlite 580 Flash gun does act as a master ( and slave) for wireless flash photography ( does it not ?) .I am saving up for one. I saw wireless flash and transfer of images ( to a remote "server") at Eurodisney via the D70 Do you know how this is achieved?

However I would be interseted in your comments on This Article in the light of your preference for full or almost full frame sensors.

I am also curious as to why for digital a full frame ( 1Dmk 2 ) is considered almost equivalent to the medium format film cameras which seem to be getting extinct .
Lastly reggarding the pixel count isnt everything debate ,If 2 cameras have near identical lenses and image processing surely a few more captured pixels is desireable.

Hi Senu

Yes as Richard has said the 580EX works as a master flash and will trigger slaves if connected directly to the camera. This can be in the cameras hot shoe or via an offboard adaptor and a PC cable. Having a 580 and a couple of 430s makes a pretty portable (if battery hungry) flash setup. I use studio flash and have contented myself with the PC link but have been playing with the idea of a wireless trigger as the cable can be a PITA sometimes. The wire is also not the best fit on the camera end.

The options I have looked at are the 580EX but after buying the 420EX it seemed a large amount of money for a lot of stuff I really am not going to be using. There is the infared remote trigger but again it seems very expensive for what is just an infrared flash or a wireless (radio) trigger which sounds the best option although I already have a wireless network at home and a set of video senders and fear that they are all going to start causing problems for each other (mind you I am unlikely to be using the internet and watching tv in the back room while taking photos ).

I would guess that the D70 wireless transfer is via WiFi. There is an adapter for Canon cameras but the cost is higher than that of buying a laptop. Stupid money for what is essentially a Wifi adapter and inbedded file server. i believe some of the new Nikkon cameras have this function built in now but I could be wrong as I don't usually read up on them. I think Canon have really blown a chance here. Even some of the compacts have the function.

I really have not ventured into the realms of medum format cameras as it is the lack of external processing and wastage for digital that has attracted me. SLR's tend to be more portable and cheaper at a digital level. To be honest the quality I am getting with the 5D is enough for me. If I was to go into this as an occupation then maybe I would look again but not at this stage.

I would tend to agree about pixels and the more the better but as Radiohead mentions, the more pixels just equates to a larger picture not a more detailed picture. When you start talking about 10 vs 12 the size starts to become minimal as the volume of pixels needed to give an extra inch in size becomes much greater. Saying that, as every guy (and girl) knows, an extra inch can be desirable every now and then

For me the biggest difference I saw when starting out was when I got the external flash unit. This made a much bigger impact that a new lens (or reasonable cost) and I would recommend it as a first though when getting a new camera. I was using the flash for fill when in Thailand on bright sunny beaches and although I felt a little silly the resuilts were noticably better.

I'll have a quick look at that link you posted as I have not had the chance this morning... work is getting in the way again

RB