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Top Nikon D200 Camera Reviews
LetsGoDigital wrote a review of the
Nikon D200 and said: "The
Nikon D200 is a truly superb camera to work with; it is fast, works intuitively
and will rarely disappoint the user. All of this is emphasised by the results.
Good colours, that can be altered to your heart's content, and an excellent auto
focus ensure countless hours of fun in photography. The matrix metering will
generate perfectly exposed images in virtually every case. In addition, the user
has the option to choose a spot metering or centre-weighted metering for
exceptional light circumstances."
Ken Rockwell
reviews the
Nikon D200
and said: "The resolution difference isn't important. What is important is
that the D200 offers numerous little improvements in convenience, speed and ease
of use, like more buttons dedicated to individual functions. For instance, the
Three Kings, which serious photographers reset almost shot-to-shot, QUAL, WB and
ISO, now have dedicated new buttons on top (see photo below) instead of being
shared with playback buttons on the back as they are on the D70s."
PC Magazine wrote a review of the
Nikon D200 and said: "Perhaps the smartest innovation
in the D200 is its ability to control an external flash wirelessly
from the built-in pop-up flash. Controlling an external strobe
usually requires another full-size one to be plugged into the
camera's hot shoe. Some cameras, like the D70s, let you control the
external unit from the camera but don't let you use the pop-up
simultaneously."
Imaging Resource wrote a review on the
Nikon D200 and said: "The
relatively minor (in my view) issue of the "corduroy" streaking
aside, the Nikon D200 is simply a fantastic camera to shoot
with, and its other image-quality parameters are absolutely
first-rate. We'll have our usual in-depth review with detailed
image analysis posted eventually, but the early results show
that Nikon has come up with another real winner. There's a lot
of sophistication in the D200's operation and available controls
that just aren't available in the market at less than twice its
price."
Bjorn Rorslett reviewed the
Nikon D200
and said: "The price puts the D200 firmly in reach of a huge
customer base, much more so than the case is for the
professional-targeted D2X. I'm certain many of the potential
customers will be more than a little intimidated by the sheer
complexity of all the menu settings and subtle nuances of these
options. Set to default values, however, the D200 churns out
very respectable image quality, and as you gain experience with
it, the diversity of options takes on a more understandable
meaning."
Nikon D200 Best Price:
Nikon D200 News Release Summary:
Nikon launches its powerful, feature-packed D200 digital SLR
camera, delivering a high-precision, high-performance package
and creating a new class of camera between entry-level and
professional digital SLRs.
The Nikon D200 combines the solid look and feel and advanced
camera operation of Nikon’s D2 professional series with the
approved user-friendliness and stunning image quality that are
the hallmarks of all Nikon digital SLRs.
The D200 has been crafted to connect a range of newly developed
Nikon technologies with advanced features inherited from the
Nikon D2x, ensuring an ultimate shooting experience with
exceptional and versatile imaging performance, high speed and an
instant response. The result is a blend of superb features, high
quality components and fantastic results.
This combination makes the D200 perfect for passionate,
dedicated amateur photographers, business users in fields such
as the police, dentistry and museums and professionals or
semi-professionals looking for a second camera to complement
their Nikon D2x or D2Hs.
Solid look and feel
The D200 boasts a lightweight, yet durable and robust magnesium
alloy body and an advanced sealing system that protects the
camera from moisture and dust, making it suitable for a range of
rigorous and challenging assignments. The integrated
double-bladed shutter, which incorporates a refined mirror
balance system, has been tested to well in excess of 100,000
cycles.
Advanced operation
The D200’s camera operation is inherited from the Nikon D2x, and
boasts more than 40 well organised custom settings, so it is
ideally suited to the user’s needs and preferences. The large,
bright viewfinder offers a great 0,94x magnification and 95%
frame coverage both horizontally and vertically to guarantee
exceptionally detailed viewing control.
A 2.5 inch high resolution LCD screen provides an ultra-wide
170° viewing angle from all directions. Images on the D200 can
be magnified by up to 400% so users can check for fine detail,
adding to the rich and varied experience.
The top LCD panel is the largest in the industry, containing a
wealth of data such as shooting mode, battery condition, card
information, gridline display, shutter speed, F stop and shots
remaining. A new colour-coded menu display facilitates easy
viewing, supported by intuitive keywords to assist speedy
navigation.
The newly-developed high-energy EN-EL3e rechargeable lithium-ion
battery delivers enough power to the D200 to support the
shooting of up to 1,800 images on a single charge, which takes
no longer than 2.5 hours. Battery status can be checked through
a real-time fuel gauge system, found in the menu. An optional
MB-D200 battery pack extends shooting capability, using AA-size
batteries (six are needed) or two NE-EL3e’s.
Ultimate shooting experience
The D200 is ideal for capturing unexpected or fleeting moments,
thanks to the 0.15 second power-up, a speedy shutter lag time of
just 50 milliseconds and a shortened viewfinder blackout time of
105 milliseconds.
The D200 is also capable of ultra high-speed continuous shooting
of five frames per second, capturing up to 37* pictures in JPEG
or 22* in RAW format. A newly developed and highly flexible
Multi - CAM1000 Autofocus features a pinpoint 11-area AF system
inherited from Nikon D2 series as well as a 7-wide area AF to
focus on larger moving objects easily.
*When using a SanDisk SDCFH (Ultra II) or SDCFX (Extreme III)
1GB CF card.
Another feature inherited from the D2X is the 3D-Colour Matrix
Metering II, which delivers optimised exposure using new
technology developed for the Nikon 1,005 pixel RGB exposure/Colour
Matrix Metering sensor. This system evaluates seven parameters
in every shot – including brightness, colour, contrast, selected
focus area, camera-to-subject distance - and references this
data against an on-board database of over 30,000 actual
photographic scenes to instantly and accurately calculate the
final value.
Professional results
A fundamental feature of the D200 is a newly developed 10.2
effective megapixel Nikon DX Format CCD image sensor that
captures high level sharpness and colour at 3,872 x 2,592 pixels
size – delivering the right resolution to support significant
image enlargements and enable greater freedom for creative
cropping. The highly sensitive new sensor covers an ISO range
from 100 – 1600, rising to 3200 in Hi-1.
High speed image processing is inherited from the Nikon D2x,
guaranteeing fine colour gradations and smooth transitions. A
new Optical Low Pass Filter helps prevent moiré, colour fringing
and shifting to get even greater colours.
For added control, saturation and highlights of a shot can be
controlled easily using the D200’s RBG histograms on the LCD
monitor.
In addition, new image optimisation modes enable D200 users to
produce results that more closely match their intended results,
with the ability to optimise sharpening, tone and contrast,
colour, saturation and hue in choices including Softer, Normal,
More vivid, Portrait and Black and White in-camera.
Unparalleled possibilities
Like all Nikon digital SLR cameras, the D200 is compatible with
Nikon’s Total Imaging System which means it can be teamed with
over 50 high quality AF Nikkor lenses, including renowned DX
Nikkors as well as non-CPU lenses. It also opens up the creative
possibilities that can achieved with Nikon’s Creative Lighting
System thanks to a built-in i-TTL Speedlight which can serve as
master in Advanced Wireless Lighting systems.
The D200 incorporates an x-Sync terminal to connect to studio
lighting and features GPS support to record geographical data of
the shot, as well as wireless functionality for image capture
and transfer.
Nikon D200 Major features
Exceptional imaging performance
• Newly developed 10.2 effective megapixel Nikon DX Format CCD
image sensor with the power to capture exceptional sharpness and
faithful colour at 3,872 x 2,592 pixels size. Incorporates
high-speed 4-channel data output that contributes to 5fps
continuous shooting performance and employs a newly developed
Optical Low Pass Filter that helps prevent moiré, colour
fringing and shifting while improving resolving power.
• Incorporates the industry-leading advanced imaging processing
engine of the D2x, which allows colour-independent
pre-conditioning prior to A/D conversion to work in symphony
with advanced digital image processing algorithms to achieve
fine colour gradations with exceptionally smooth, consistent
transitions.
• Newly developed 11-area AF system packs the same number of
focus areas available for the professional D2 series into a
space-efficient system, with the photographer able to select
individual focus areas from 11-area wide and 7 wide-area AF for
Single Area AF, Dynamic AF that delivers precise Continuous
servo AF mode operation for moving subjects, Closest Subject
Priority Dynamic AF and also Group Dynamic AF. All these AF
options are supported by refined lens-controlling algorithms
that realize improved focus precision, better subject
acquisition capability, keener subject tracking ability and
overall improved system response.
• 3D Colour Matrix Metering II (AE) – as used in the D2x –
delivers optimized exposure through the use of new technology
developed for the Nikon 1,005-pixel RGB exposure/Colour Matrix
Metering Sensor. Evaluating brightness, colour, contrast,
selected focus area and camera-to-subject distance, this system
references all such data against an expanded onboard database
that has been created using data from more than 30,000 actual
photographic scenes to instantly and accurately calculate the
final value with high-level dependability during both automatic
and manual operation. Also offers variable size centre-weighted
metering which concentrates 75% of sensitivity within the
centre-weighted circle, as well as spot metering supporting each
individual sensor of both the 7 wide-area AF and 11-area AF
groups.
• New image optimization modes enable photographers to produce
results more closely matching the intended results, with a range
of choice comprising optimization of sharpening, tone
(contrast), colour, saturation, and hue, with choices from
Normal, Softer, Vivid, More vivid, Portrait, Custom and
Black-and-white optimization.
Impressively high speed
• Near instant power-up of 0.15 seconds lets photographers
respond to sudden opportunities.
• A mere 50-millisecond shutter time lag promotes fast handling,
while 105-millisecond viewfinder blackout realizes assured
control that’s especially useful during continuous shooting.
• Swift continuous shooting performance at 5 frames per second
enables the shooting of up to 37 JPEG (Fine-Large) images* or up
to 22 NEF (RAW) images*, with shutter speeds ranging from
1/8,000 of a second to 30 seconds.
*When using a SanDisk SDCFH (Ultra II) or SDCFX (Extreme III)
1GB CF card.
Further versatility
• Multiple exposure enables up to 10 separate images to be used
to create a single composite to produce imaginative and even
surreal results.
• Image overlay function creates a composite image in-camera
from two selected NEF (RAW) images. The original files remain
unaltered, opacity can be precisely controlled and the resultant
image can be saved in either RAW, JPEG or TIFF format.
• Connection to a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit via an
optionally available GPS Adapter Cord MC-35 enables the
recording of data including latitude, longitude, elevation and
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) along with conventional
shooting data for each image.
• A large 2.5-inch LCD monitor with a 170° viewing angle from
every direction assists accurate assessment of sharpness by
enabling image preview with up to 400% magnification. It also
offers RGB information as a single display or separate
histograms for each colour channel to enable better
exposure-related decision-making.
• The large top LCD panel makes it easy to read a wealth of data
at a glance, such as shooting mode, battery condition, card
information, gridline display, shutter speed, F stop and number
of remaining shots.
• A new colour-coded menu display features a colour scheme that
promotes easy viewing as well as the use of intuitive keywords
that assist speedy navigation. There’s also a Recent Settings
list that displays the last 14 settings selected from shooting
and Custom menus and playback options include single frame, 4-
or 9-image thumbnail display, zoom with scroll, histogram
indication and highlight point display.
• A chassis crafted from magnesium alloy gives the D200
lightweight resilience, while an enhanced sealing system helps
protect each and every exterior seam from potentially damaging
dust and moisture.
• A double-bladed shutter unit tested to well over 100,000
cycles ensures highly reliable, highly durable performance. The
shutter unit also employs a refined mirror balance mechanism
that allows the mirror to complete its motion cycle and reach a
complete stop with virtually no mirror bounce, providing the
extended viewfinder visibility essential for fast, accurate
focus tracking and continuous shooting.
• The newly developed high-energy EN-EL3e rechargeable
lithium-ion battery delivers enough power to support the
shooting of up to 1,800 images on a single charge, can be
recharged at any time and features a handy real-time fuel gauge
system display that shows remaining charge by percentage, number
of shots since last charge and overall battery status.
• The optionally available MB-D200 battery pack adds extended
shooting capability with an ergonomic design. Able to run on
either six AA-size batteries or two EN-EL3e batteries*, it also
features an additional command dial and alternative buttons for
shutter release and AF start that make for more comfortable
vertical shooting.
* Compatible AA-size batteries comprise alkaline, NiMH, lithium
and nickel-manganese batteries.
• The Wireless Transmitter WT-3* adds all the convenience of
IEEE802.11b/g capability, enabling cable-free image transfer to
a compatible computer while also supporting wide-ranging network
and security protocols for added assurance.
* Available only in countries that approve the use of thirteen
frequency channels.
Compatible with Nikon’s Total Imaging System
• Compatible with Nikon’s digital-exclusive DX Nikkor lenses as
well as Nikon’s 35mm/digital compatible AF Nikkor System.
• Compatibility with the Nikon Creative Lighting System allows
the D200 to work seamlessly with SB-800, SB-600 and SB-R200
Speedlights to deliver the benefits of i-TTL flash control’s
advanced monitor pre-flash, accurate measurement for bounce and
versatile wireless operation. SB-600 and SB-800 Speedlights also
offer a Wide-Area AF-assist Illuminator specially tailored to
the D200’s 11-area Multi-CAM 1000 AF Sensor Module.
• Nikon Capture 4 (Ver. 4.4) unlocks the extensive potential of
NEF (Nikon Electronic Format). Not only does it make smoother
fidelity for tonal and other colour corrections possible, but it
also empowers photographers to reprocess images at any time and
save the results to the original NEF file as a new Instruction
Set, or as a TIFF or JPEG file, while retaining the integrity of
the original data at all times.
• PictureProject Ver. 1.6 (complimentary with camera) empowers
the photographer with tools that help expand the enjoyment of
photography. These include tools for Organizing the images to
promote effective viewing, Automatic and manual options for
image editing, Design selections that help make multi-image
album and presentation pages, and tools to help photographers
share images with others through CD/DVD burning, slide shows,
muvee presentations and fast and effective e-mailing. In
addition to helping anyone enjoy their pictures, PictureProject
also provides the means to make sure that the computer’s hard
drive won’t turn into an “electronic shoe box” full of pictures
– instead they can be kept as neatly ordered as the user like.
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