Nikon D200 Review_ 1. Introduction_ Digital Photography Review

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Nikon D200 Review, February 2006, Phil Askey

Review based on a production Nikon D200

The Nikon D200 was announced on 1st November 2005, some three and a half years since Nikon revealedtheir 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 theD100. Just as the D100 the D200 has a CCD sensor, unlike the D2X which utilized a CMOS sensor. It's clearthat 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.

Nikon D200 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond200/ (1 of 9)03-12-2008 09:48:53

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1. Introduction
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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 thetable below as a summary of the major changes. The most immediately noticeable however is the buildquality, 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)



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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-p in remote terminal With battery pack (opt ional)

GPS Yes, NMEA 0183 with optional cable NoWireless 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)

Compared to the Nikon D2X

It would be fair to describe the D200 as a 'compact D2X', while some features have been removed to preservethe D2X's uniqueness you would be hard pressed to find a situation (other than high-speed crop continuousshooting) where the D200 couldn't stand up to its bigger brother.



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Compared to the Nikon D2X, major feature and specification differences

http://a.img-dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD200/Images/sidebyside02.jpghttp://a.img-dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD200/Images/sidebyside01.jpg


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Nikon D200 Nikon D2X

Sensor 23.6 x 15.8 mm CCD (DX format) 10.2 million effective pixels

23.7 x 15.7 mm CMOS (DX format) 12.4 million effective pixels

Image sizes 3872 x 2592 [L] 2896 x 1944 [M] 1936 x 1296 [S]

4288 x 2848 [L] 3216 x 2136 [M] 2144 x 1424 [S]

High speed crop No Yes (2.0x FOV crop, 6.9 MP, 8 fps)

File formats RAW (compressed / uncompressed) JPEG (3 levels)

RAW (compressed / uncompressed) TIFF JPEG (3 levels)

Auto focus 11/7 area TTL Multi-CAM 1000

11/9 area TTL (9 in High speed crop) Multi-CAM 2000

Settings lock AF Area Shooting mode (continuous)

AF Area Shutter speed Aperture Shooting mode (continuous)

Color space sRGB (2 modes) Adobe RGB

sRGB (2 modes) Adobe RGB (2 modes) sYCC

Sensitivity ISO 100 - 1600 Up to ISO 3200 with boost

ISO 100 - 800 ISO 1600 & 3200 with boost

Shutter speed 30 - 1/8000 sec

1/250 sec X-Sync speed

30 - 1/8000 sec

1/250 sec X-Sync speed

AI aperture ring Yes Yes

Continuous 5 fps 37 / 22 frames (JPEG / RAW)

5.3 fps 22 / 17 frames (JPEG / RAW)

Continuous(high speedcrop)

n/a 8.0 fps 35 / 29 frames (JPEG / RAW)

White balance Auto (metering CCD) Six presets Manual presets (four) Kelvin temperature Fine tunable

Auto (hybrid external and CCD) Six presets Manual presets (four) Kelvin temperature Fine tunable



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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, 6 levels Tone: Auto, 3 levels, Custom Color: 3 modes Saturation: Auto, 3 levels Hue: -9 to +9

Built-in flash Yes No

Voice record No Yes, up to 60 sec per image

Viewfinder Eyepoint 19.5 mm Frame coverage 95%

Magnification approx. 0.94x B-type Bright View Clear Matte II

Eyepoint 19.9 mm Frame coverage 100%

Magnification approx 0.86x B-type Bright View Clear Matte III Built-in curtain Interchangeable finder screen

LCD monitor 2.5 " TFT LCD 230,000 pixels Removable protective cover

2.5 " TFT LCD 232,000 pixels Tempered glass coating Removable protective cover

Wi-Fi WT-3 (802.11 b/g) WT-1 (802.11b) or WT-2 (802.11b/g)

Battery Lithium-Ion EN-EL3e (7.4 V, 1500 mAh) Lithium-Ion EN-EL4 (11.1 V, 1900 mAh)

Battery status Remaining charge (%) No. of shots taken since last charge

Battery life (5 stage)

Remaining charge (%) No. of shots taken since last charge

Calibration status Battery life (5 stage)

Vertical grip MB-D200 Built-in

Dimensions 147 x 113 x 74 mm (5.8 x 4.4 x 2.9 in) 158 x 150 x 86 mm (6.2 x 5.9 x 3.4 in)

Weight (no batt) 830 g (1.8 lb) 1070 g (2.4 lb)

Lens compatibility

Thanks to its new AI aperture ring connector the D200 supports A / M modes and metering with AI manualfocus lenses (essentially anything made since 1977). Click on the chart below for a bigger view. (Tablereproduced from Nikon brochure with permission).



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1. IX Nikkor lenses can not be used.2. Vibration Reduction (VR) supported with VR lenses.3. Spot metering meters selected focus area.4. The cameras exposure metering and flash control systems do not work properly when shifting and/or tilting the

lens, or when an aperture other than the maximum aperture is used.5. Electronic range finder can not be used with shifting or tilting.6. Manual exposure mode only.7. Compatible with AF-I Nikkor lenses and with all AF-S lenses except DX ED 12-24 mm f/4G and AF-S series ED

17-35 mm f/2.8D, DX 17-55 mm f/2.8G, ED 24-85 mm f/3.5-4.5G, VR ED 24-120 mm f/3.5-5.6G, and ED 28-70mm f/2.8D.

8. With maximum effective aperture of f/5.6 or faster.

9. If AF 80-200 mm f/2.8S, AF 35-70 mm f/2.8S, new-model AF 28-85 mm f/3.5-4.5S, or AF 28-85 mm f/3.5-4.5Sis zoomed in while focusing at minimum range, image on matte screen in viewfinder may not be in focus whenin-focus indicator is displayed. Focus manually using image in viewfinder as guide.

10. With maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster.11. Some lenses can not be used (see following page).12. Range of rotation for Ai 80-200 mm f/2.8S ED tripod mount limited by camera body. Filters can not be

exchanged while Ai 200-400 mm f/4S ED is mounted on camera.13. If maximum aperture is specified using Non-CPU Lens Data option in shooting menu, aperture value will be

displayed in viewfinder and control panel.14. Can be used only if lens focal length and maximum aperture are specified using Non-CPU Lens Data option in

shooting menu. Use spot or center-weighted metering if desired results are not achieved.15. For improved precision, specify lens focal length and maximum aperture using Non-CPU Lens Data option in

shooting menu.

16. Can be used at in manual exposure modes at shutter speeds slower than 1/125 s. If maximum aperture isspecified using Non-CPU Lens Data option in shooting menu, aperture value will be displayed in viewfinder andcontrol panel.

17. Exposure determined by presetting lens aperture. In aperture- priority auto exposure mode, preset aperture

http://a.img-dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD200/Images/lenscompatible.gif


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using lens aperture ring before performing AE lock or shifting lens. In manual exposure mode, preset apertureusing lens aperturering and determine exposure before shifting lens.

18. Exposure compensation required when used with AI 28-85 mm f/3.5-4.5S, AI 35-105 mm f/3.5-4.5S, AI 35-135mm f/3.5-4.5S, or AF-S 80-200 mm f/2.8D. See teleconverter manual for details.

19. Requires PK-12 or PK-13 auto extension ring.20. Use preset aperture. In exposure mode A, set aperture using focusing attachment before determining exposure

and taking photograph.

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into

this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, youshould read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.

Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in thebottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typicallyVGA) image in a new window.

To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to aparticular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from thenavigation bar at the top.

DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly wellaccepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make outthe difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. Werecommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference(at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C.

This article is Copyright 2006 Phil Askey and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any

electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author. For information on reproducing anypart of this review (or any images) please contact: Phi l Askey

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