D80 or D200

Can't make my mind up on which first DSLR to go for

I went to the store today with the D80 & 18-70 lens kit in mind. Heard lots of good things about this camera. It felt good, but smaller than I had anticipated and felt a bit plastic but good nonetheless.

Then had a look at the D200 & 18-70 lens, which felt like a whole different class above, especially build quality. I have quite big hands so the camera felt superb.

Tough choice is the price, The D80 kit was £749 and the D200 £1079. Is the extra £330 between the two worth it

Which is the better camera to go for guys ?

 

I'd say if you can stretch to the extra £300 to get the D200 - I was waiting for the D80 to come out (when I had my D50) & picked up a mint used D200 in the Forums here - IMHO the D200 is in another league (one look through the viewfinder & review of the huge LCD convinced me!) - As you noticed yourself the mag/alloy body of the D200 gives it a real professional feel & not that I recommend you try I'm sure if you dropped it you still have a camera to pick up rather than a pile of camera related bits
HTH - Paul

 

camerapricebuster are selling the D200 body for £832 with a discount code, and the 18-70mm lens for £179, or you can get the sigma 17-70mm f/2.8 for about £220, if i had to make the choice it would definately be the D200 no hesitation, it's a far better model.

 

Thanks guys. Thing is I can only get it from this shop at their price. £1079 with the 18-70 doesn't sound unreasonable looking at camerapricebusters.

What it is I bought a small Nikon S4 compact camera when the shop had a deal on as a Xmas present for somebody 3mths ago. Thing is they no longer want a camera as a present so have got them something else now instead. The shop has been really good and said they would take the S4 back even though it's outside of their 30 day policy and I could use the £200 credit against anything else.

The choice I narrowed it down to was D70s & 18-70 refurb at £429, D80 & 18-70 lens at £749 or the D200 &18-70 lens at £1079. There were other cameras such as the Canons etc but I like the Nikons.

In a way cos I've already spent £200 3mths ago it will only "feel" like spending the extra on any camera if you know what mean, so the D200 lens kit would be £879 effectively.

My main concern was that the D80 effectively is the D200 but in a smaller body and a lot cheaper. Seeing as this is my first "real" camera moving up from Nikon Pro-sumers I just wanted to make the right choice.

The D70s seemed great as well but the shop said the D80 was far better and worth the extra spend. From the D80 to D200 they said it's upto me but the D200 is far more professional level but the quality of the pics is very close between those two.

Still not sure

 

I guess it's whether you would use the additional functions the D200 has to offer. If you are in it for the long haul then spend the extra now and get the D200, if you decide to upgrade in 6-12 months it will cost you alot more. The camera should set you up for a long while allowing you to focus on glass etc.

If you are undecided then the best advice is to hang fire and consider the decision. I normally don't bother buying until I'm sure it's what I want and need then I go for it. Also have a look at the various reviews on DP Review etc and see if the body seems it's worth the extra £'s to you.

All well and good me saying drop the extra £300 but it's you who has to be happy with the decision. I personally would be it that helps to sway you either way LOL.

 

I liked the D80 but it was certainly smaller than the D70s and I personally didn't think it was as solid as the D70s.

The guy then brought over the D200, which was like OMG My first impressions were, well if I'm going for a good camera then this beast is it.

Really wish he hadn't show me it though

 

Be aware that the D200 wants good glass to make the most of it - the spending has only just begun.

 

Is the stock 18-70 Nikon lens ok ? I hope so as otherwise I cannot afford anymore than that at the moment !

 

I think you have to get the D200.
I've done comparative reviews and find dpreview site excellent as they do side by side comparisons.
http://www.dpreview.com/

They say the D80 is, in some ways equal or better than the D200.
However, the D200 wins out in the end for the more experienced user.
I've got the D80 and think is is a great camera, but I am very much a novice at the moment.

My original comment about you having to get the D200 is based on my own mentality. If I had tried two products and prefered one, I know I would have to have it or I'd regret it later.

On the other hand, your best investment is always the lenses. The good ones stay with you, but camera bodies, especially Digital, will get changed every year or two as the technology improves. And the D200 has just had its first birthday

 

I just got the D200 Going to play around with it a bit tonight.

Had a good go on the D80 at the shop but the D200 felt in a different league altogether (and a bit more complicated by the looks of it). I would only have regretted it otherwise because I wanted a "real" camera this tme out.

The bloke in the shop summed it saying the D80 will take as good pictures in many respects and it's got point and shoot modes as well which are better for the novice. On the other hand the D200 will unlikely outgrow you and with the recent discounts it's an exceptional product if you are into photography.

Of the build quality the D70s and D200 felt superb. The D80 and D40 were not as good.

The way I saw it I had a £200 credit anyway and the thing only cost me £879 this time out with an 18-70 Nikon lens. I thought sod it, D200 it is and he chucked in a £40 bag for free and I got invited to a D200 users seminar

 

Great stuff........say goodbye to your bank balance! (unless you're already heavily in the red)

 

Well I got a bonus out of the blue from work so I'm still in the green I'll build on the lenses in good time but this one will do me for now.

 

The D200 is a great body - you made a wise move there.

 

Thanks Radiohead, it was actually some of your comments in other threads that swayed me a bit on this one.

 

nice choice mate, i'm seriously thinking about this early next year, let us know how you get along with it, and be sure to post some pic's

 

Not really interested anymore, just like others i will hide in the back ground and keep comments to myself.

 

quite about that comment mate, as i don't recall anyone in this thread running down the D80, i think anyone who did would be a bit dumb to do so, as it is an excellent piece of kit, we where just making comparisons with camera's the D200 is clearly a better model because of the build and extra feature's, and obviously the manufacturer's think so that's why they charge an extra 300 quid, but no one is taking away anything from the D80,as it's great in it's own right.

 

Erm, nothing to do with that at all. Want a chip for both shoulders? Mind you, it was only 2 weeks ago you were telling everyone how marvellous your E-500 was. Now you have a D80 and, what, there can't possibly be a better camera out there?

True, to a point. And only to a point. More expensive bodies allow you to do things cheaper ones can't. They're more expensive for a reason. Try a D2x and you'll see what I mean.

 

That's the most ridiculous thing to say....equally as ridiculous would be the least expensive camera tries to big it up over the more expensive.

Nobody is knocking the D80 which would frankly be silly as it is an awesome camera without question....however the D200 is just a total beauty....

Clearly I had a choice out of the two and my preference was to "spend the least" money as I could for the quality I wanted. The D80 was and is fantastic but I felt the D200 was in touching distance that I would only regret it later on that I should have got it. Considering the prices the D200 was going for not so long ago I think it represents an outstanding bargain at the moment and I am thoroughly pleased with it. The build quality is bombproof and it makes you feel like a pro just holding the damn thing ! Even as a DSLR novice I have got to grips with so much of it already tonight and coming from Nikon pro-sumers navigating the menus and settings makes sense to me. Now I just need the practice

 

Well said (& likewise from Beachy & Radiohead) Methinks someones been at the Christmas booze already
Paul
PS - The D200 ROCKS! (as do all Nikons )

 

To be fair, nobodys running down any camera in the thread. Generally in camera bodies you get what you pay for, so its quite obvious the ranking is D40, D50, D70s, D80, D200...

At the time (i.e. before the price drop!) i couldnt stretch to the D200, and probably dont use my camera enough to really appreciate its quality (and the fact that i dont spend that much on glass).

As a general rule you wont go far wrong with ANY Nikon or Canon DSLR from the past couple of years, they are all stunning in their different ways.

I love my D80, adore its bright large viewfinder... im less ecstatic about its iffy metering system, which is irritatingly worse than the D50 and the D70.

 

Furthermore I don't consider myself as a serious photographer and a few weeks ago would not have considered spending much over £500 (even that!) for a camera as I just couldn't justify it.

However, I do appreciate quality and the D200 inspired me immediately. Straight away look, feel & touch screamed serious quality. Whilst it is not "cheap" in any sense of the word it certainly represents a tremendous bargain at the moment with it's recent price drops.

The LCD, the viewfinder, the display, it is all utter logic. One hell of a camera, worth every penny

 

HEAR HEAR

 

Some pics from today...all I've done is resize them, no funny stuff in photoshop or anything. I like this camera, it's great fun experimenting and I'm only a novice !

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/9707/funfairmq1.jpg

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/5263/pythonsk9.jpg

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/7831/treeat4.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/70/hughgrantuk3.jpg

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/1982/crumplerax6.jpg

 

Some crackers there Ekko Star

... more like Hugh(ie) Green if you ask me

Paul

 

where ??

 

they were there earlier - hence my reply - maybe he's given the camera back & wiped out all the photos taken
Paul

 

added links back

 

I like a man who loves his kit and knows his own mind

The costlier cameras are so for a reason: Comparing and discussing these reasons doesn't amount to running down the less costly ones

That is true, it is also the case that better bodies and glass help you get there more easily, and perhaps, faster:
each to his own.

However it is unfair to accuse people extolling the virtues of their better ( and costlier) purchase of pseudo snobbery:
All the kit are tools to take pictures

I'm a Canon owner with a 350D and 30D with some cheap and cheerful as well as serious glass (Id love a 5D too!!) but and Im a bit ..... I've really not read a single anti-80D post in this thread

 

Welcome to the D200 club It really is an awesome beasty, and I'm afraid it was love at first sight for me too.

Just to address the "D80 bashing" issue though. I went for the D200 with eyes wide open. I know I paid over the odds for a relatively small list of extra features. There's absolutely no doubt that the D80 offers MUCH better value for money, and in terms of image quality in some respects is superior to the D200 (very slightly lower noise, and no banding as it only has 2 channel output). However, I love the ergonomics of the D200. I had a Nikon 5700 for years, and never ever felt at home with the controls. The D200 is an instant hit for me.

Just out of interest though, apparently we generally make the emotional decison to buy something, then come up with the rationalisation later. I think this is definitely the case with boys toys (cameras, cars, home cinema kit etc). The key is to spot youself doing it, and stop yourself when you can't afford it, and indulge when you can. We have 2 cars - one runabout town car, and a 2 seater sports car. Both get me from A to B, but the indulgent over-specced sports car puts a smile on my face when driving it.


btw, DSLRs really are money pits though! My xmas present was a decent tripod and geared head, as the D200 shook as soon as you touched it on my old cheap aluminium legs, particularly with some heavy glass mounted.

I'm not sure why someone mentioned the D200 in particular needing good glass. Since it has practically the same sensor as the D80, I would've thought that this would be true about both.