A Fantastic Camera

This is my first Digital SLR. I've been a Nikon user for the last 15 years, starting off with a Nikon FM and slowly upgrading through to a F90x and now the D200. Given my investment in Nikon glass and my complete satisfaction with Nikon's quality, I stayed with Nikon when I switched to digital. I probably would've bought the D70s, were it not for the fact that the D200 came out just as I made the decision to buy.

I had a lot of trouble finding a body in Canada. They remain scarce even as I write this (Apr. 1, 2006). You can read the specs so I won't go into them. But my impressions are that this is a fabulous camera. The 10.2MP sensor gives incredibly sharp and detailed pictures. When enlarged to 400% the detail is amazing. The colours are very accurate and I have found the automatic metering and white balance to be fairly reliable. The camera resolves skin tones very well without the redness often seen in cheaper digicams. The built in flash is handy for fill or for commanding the SB-800/600 off the camera. I've used the built in flash in a pinch and have been very pleased with the results. The camera will sometimes overexpose flash pictures but generally gives a very pleasing result. Normally I use the SB-800 but find it can be overkill in some situations. So, I can see myself using the built-in flash. You will find that if you put a hood on your lens the hood cuts off the flash along the bottom portion of the image.

The build quality is excellent. The camera feels solid and is comfortable to hold. There is extra sealing which is visible around the battery door, CF card door, and other points of entry to the camera. I also have the MB-D200 grip and have been very pleased with the better handling, extra battery, and vertical controls provided by it. It also has some extra seals. I would only remove the grip if I needed to save weight or space.

There are some things a user must bear in mind. Although a very capable point and shoot SLR, I think a P&S user will be disappointed. I have found that because of the high resolution sensor, any flaws in your shooting technique will be obvious. For example, handholding at slow shutter speeds are likely to result in obvious softness and even blur to the image. Use a fast shutter speed, a tripod, a VR lens or all of the above. In addition, some post processing is necessary to get best results. I shoot RAW and find that I often need to apply a little bit of sharpening and will adjust the colour balance to get the results I want. That being said, the results out of the camera are very good. I have achieved astounding results right out of the camera using natural light, especially of people. But this is really a professional’s tool and requires some post processing intervention to get truly superior results.

I also found that my sample did exhibit some Type I or short banding during the light bulb test (i.e. shooting a very bright object against a dark background). It has almost never shown up in my regular shooting so I don't see it as a problem. I'll probably send it to Nikon before the warranty is up to be corrected, but in the meantime, I'm just enjoying this camera.

The battery capacity is not fantastic. I find that I average between 200 and 300 shots per charge. I shoot RAW and frequently check the image using the built in display. These factors contribute to the short battery life. A second battery is a must.

As a professional tool, however, you cannot beat the D200 at this price range. It will provide you with results that can be enlarged significantly and will easily compare to a D2x or Kodak Full Frame DSLR.