Excellent for entry level 'Pro' or for the amateur

This is a very well designed, very well made rugged camera. For the first time, as a photographer I have purchased a camera that if I lost it, or otherwise needed to replace it, I would purchase another.

Why?

1. It is the cheapest camera that is weather resistant. It's competitors like the Canon 30D and 5d are not.

2. If I have a problem there is a large, international dealer network who know the product and can help me.

3. Image quality. This is far better than any similarly priced camera from any other camera company. It is a true 10 million pixel camera and not, like say the Fuji S5, a 6 million pixel camera pretending to be a 12 million pixel one. The Fuji S5 is good quality but it's painfully slow, and can't add a 'grip' with a second shutter release as you can with the Nikon D200.

4. You can customise the camera with different named settings for different occasions. I have one I've created for day time, long lens, night time with flash, portrait (for shooting model portfolios), and another 'vintage' photography...slightly soft monochrome etc etc.

5. There are a wide range of professional options like WiFi, GPS etc for specialist photography. I may not need the right now, but atleast I know that they are available.

6. A wide range of lenses for ALL occasions. I can use the 25 year old perspective control lens I bought on ebay, a Tokina ultra wide that fits my specifications, budget AND camera bag! Basically you have choice. I am not limited to lenses made by Nikon. Many old Nikon lenses, made as long ago as 1959 are still perfectly usable.

7. The colours are good and punchy....unless you don't want them to be. Flexible yet accurate colour reproduction.

8. Excellent through the lens flash metering. I used to use manual all the time, but since I have had this camera my flash photography has improoved. I can safely leave the camera to work things out evan in complex lighting situations! Well done Nikon.

Basically if you know what you are doing, driving the camera is a breeze, and it'll constantly give you quality results. It is not a toy but the manual is excellent and the are a number of ebooks on the web.

Spending the extra money over a D80 or a Canon 30D is definatly money well spent.

Make sure you buy the best quality lenses you can afford as at 10 million pixels, if the lens a budget one, the pictures will be noticably poorer. Avoid super-zooms!! (The nikon 18-200 AFS VR is super if want travel with only one lens but the sigma 18-125 is good too (but does not focus as fast, or have image stabilisation)