Nikon D200 Review

Nikon D200 Review

The Nikon D200 was announced on 1st November 2005, some three and a half years since Nikon revealed their first prosumer digital SLR, the D100. It's fair to say however that the D200 is a completely different beast altogether, it shares far more with its 'bigger brother' the the D2X than its earlier namesake. The D200 has the robust build quality of the D2X, a 10.2 million pixel CCD sensor and a compact design more like the D100. Just as the D100 the D200 has a CCD sensor, unlike the D2X which utilized a CMOS sensor. It's clear that this camera is aimed at the same kind of market as the recently announced Canon EOS 5D. From a features, control and performance point of view the D200 is closer to the D2X than any other model.

Compared to the Nikon D100, major feature and specification differences

Three years is a long time in the digital photography industry, a lot has changed since the D100, so treat the table below as a summary of the major changes. The most immediately noticeable however is the build quality, the D200 feels like a professional tool.

	Nikon D200	Nikon D100
Body	• Magnesium alloy • Body seams sealed	High-impact plastic
Sensor	• 23.6 x 15.8 mm CCD (DX format) • 10.2 million effective pixels	• 23.7 x 15.6 mm CCD (DX format) • 6.1 million effective pixels
Image sizes	• 3872 x 2592 [L] • 2896 x 1944 [M] • 1936 x 1296 [S]	• 3008 x 2000 [L] • 2240 x 1488 [M] • 1504 x 1000 [S]
File formats	• RAW (compressed / uncompressed) • JPEG (3 levels)	• RAW (compressed / uncompressed) • TIFF • JPEG (3 levels)
Auto focus	• 11/7 area TTL • Multi-CAM 1000	• 5 area TTL • Multi-CAM 900
AF area mode	• Single Area AF • Continuous Servo AF • Group Dynamic AF • Closest Subject Priority Dynamic AF	• Single Area AF • Closest Subject Priority Dynamic AF
Metering	• 3D Color Matrix Metering II • 1005 pixel CCD	• 3D Matrix Metering • 10 segment sensor
Sensitivity	• ISO 100 - 1600 • Up to ISO 3200 with boost	• ISO 200 - 1600 • ISO 3200 & 6400 with boost
Shutter speed	• 30 - 1/8000 sec • 1/250 sec X-Sync speed	• 30 - 1/4000 sec • 1/180 sec X-Sync speed
AI aperture ring	Yes	No
Continuous	• 5 fps • 37 / 22 frames (JPEG / RAW)	• 3 fps • 6 / 4 frames (JPEG / RAW)
White balance	• Auto • Six presets • Manual preset (four) • Kelvin temperature • Fine tunable	• Auto • Six presets • Manual preset (one) • Fine tunable
Image params	• Six preset looks • Sharpening: Auto, 6 levels • Tone: Auto, 3 levels, Custom • Color: 3 modes • Saturation: Auto, 3 levels • Hue: -9° to +9°	• Sharpening: Auto, 4 levels • Tone: Auto, 3 levels, Custom • Color: 3 modes • Hue: -9° to +9°
Viewfinder	• Eyepoint 19.5 mm • Frame coverage 95% • Magnification approx. 0.94x • B-type Bright View Clear Matte II	• Eyepoint 24 mm • Frame coverage 95% • Magnification approx 0.8x • B-type Bright View Clear Matte II
LCD monitor	• 2.5 " TFT LCD • 230,000 pixels • Removable protective cover	• 1.8" TFT LCD • 120,000 pixels • Removable protective cover
Memory banks	• 4 x Shooting • 4 x Custom functions	• 2 x Shooting • 2 x Custom functions
Timelapse	Yes	No
Remote	10-pin remote terminal	With battery pack (optional)
GPS	Yes, NMEA 0183 with optional cable	No
Wireless	Yes, optional WT-3 transmitter	No
USB	USB 2.0 Hi-Speed	USB 1.1
Battery	Lithium-Ion EN-EL3e (7.4 V, 1500 mAh)	Lithium-Ion EN-EL3 (7.4 V, 1400 mAh)
Battery status	• Remaining charge (%) • No. of shots taken since last charge • Battery life (5 stage)	3 level on LCD panel
Vertical grip	MB-D200	MB-D100
Dimensions	147 x 113 x 74 mm (5.8 x 4.4 x 2.9 in)	144 x 116 x 81 mm (5.7 x 4.6 x 3.2 in)
Weight (no batt)	830 g (1.8 lb)	700 g (1.5 lb)