D80 vs D200

[JerryPH]

However the D300 is about £1000, thats' £500 more than a D80!! A big difference, seems to me that the D200 would be more of a option to alot of people who want more than the D80 can offer.

It is easily worth that upgrade cost over a D80. It is that much better of a camera... if you can take advantage of the things that the D300 offers.

Another recent little tidbit I learned about the D300... did you know that the write speed of the D200 is about 9mb/second and that the D300's is a little over 25mb/sec? am not talking the transfer speed of the USB interface to dump files, but the actual write speed of the camera from it's internal processor to the internal buffer and to the CF card.

It makes a major difference when you want to take more pics in a shorter time. That is not the main point, though. It means that the entire camera internals have to be able to move that much faster to support that speed increase effectively.

 

[Mav]

Current US prices from B&H

D80: $730
D200: $1300
D300: $1800

Dunno. If you're not partial to needing the high ISO performance of the D300 which actually has more noise at mid-ISOs than the D200 does and just need a solid tool to work with that's more serious than the D80, I'd say the D200 is still a pretty smart choice. You still get the more rugged build. You still get the weather sealing. You still get the ability to meter with older AI and AI-S lenses. You still get the shooting banks, direct access buttons, bigger finder, and superior fast control abilities than the D200 gives you. At $1300 new or $1000 or less used (US) they're as cheap and as new as they're going to get.

 

[JerryPH]

When the D300 came out, suddenly every D200 on the planet started taking crappy pictures. Strange. There is a conspiracy out there, I say! :lmao:

For that $500 more, you do get a better camera, thats true. Speaking for me only, if I was in that market today, I would get the D300 over the D200, if purchasing new. If I needed a D200, I would definately not purchase a new D200, but a relatively low shutter D200 instead and save at least $400-$900 putting some of those savings into some high quality glass and use that for a year until the D400 comes out in about that time.

By the time The D400 comes out, I will be ready for an upgrade... it could be to a D3 or a D3X or a D4, whatever... or it could be to a D400. If I don't think that the D400 is improved enough to challenge me by then, I go full frame.

 

[Fate]

Im going to buy a second hand D200 soon i think... there are hundreds going up on ebay as people upgrade to the D300 and you can pick up a nice bargain!

 

[Mav]

When the D300 came out, suddenly every D200 on the planet started taking crappy pictures. Strange. There is a conspiracy out there, I say! :lmao:

Yeah, funny how that works.

 

[Garbz]

The D300 came out? Didn't notice, I was too busy taking photos with my "crappy" D200

 

[JerryPH]

Me too!!

Honestly, don't get me wrong, I love like my D200!

Garbs, your post count... 3333, and even more mysterious, MAV, you are a few posts away from 666... I *told* you there is a consipiracy out there, but no one believes me!

 

[Eastw77]

It is easily worth that upgrade cost over a D80. It is that much better of a camera... if you can take advantage of the things that the D300 offers.

I didn't mean it wasn't worth the extra cash as It is an outstanding piece of kit. I meant if someone was thinking of going for a D80 it would be alot easier to stretch to a D200 compared to a D300 as the gap in cost is higher than you were suggesting..

 

[PushingTin]

I love my D200, got a good second hand deal on ebay and dont regret it at all. My D50 stays now as a backup and havent yet touched it since the D200 arrived.

The D300, yeah sure one day - until then I am clicking away with my beloved D200. Much better than the D80 as I have played with both!

 

[passerby]

Garbs, your post count... 3333, and even more mysterious, MAV, you are a few posts away from 666... I *told* you there is a consipiracy out there, but no one believes me!

Err that scary synchronized numbers .

3333 :greendev::greendev::greendev:

666

 

[Mav]

 

[Stranger]

The noise levels must come from my inexperience... I was seeing noise shooting at ISO 400 :-X..

I probably underexposed though. Oh well, I am definitely a huge fan of the D200 and the results i can get with it .. Still need to print something though

 

[pm63]

There shouldn't need to be a debate here. Why are you even considering D200 vs. D80? It should be something like D60 vs. D80, or D200 vs. D300.

They are completely different cameras. The D80 is a nice amateur cam, whereas the D200 is a true pro body (well, semi-pro... but pro by my standards!).

You really shouldn't be judging which camera to get by the memory cards it accepts. ANY card is dirt cheap on Amazon, memory is cheap these days. You should be more concerned with things such as if your bag and tripod will take the size and weight of the D200!

And as others have said, if you are considering the D200, look into a D300. Whilst I cannot comment as I have never compared the two, the general concencus seems to be that the D300 is a big step up.

 

[BuZzZeRkEr]

Thanks guys for all the helpfull input!

I did infact end up going with the D200 and believe I have made the correct choice. I did consider the D300, but instead I purchased the D200 and with the money saved bought an SB800 and a few other essential items.

I'm completely blown away but the ease and versitility of the D200 compared to my D40. Most of the buttons are right there instead of going into menu screens....and having an LCD read out on top of the body?! GREAT! I can't begin to praise the D200 enough...I love it! By the time a superior DSLR body comes out above the D300 I'll be ready and use my D200 as a back up.

I'm only 200 exposures into my D200, but I did try and stretch the limits of my new equipment by shooting a water droplet setup firing my SB800 using a blackbox. Here is a sample....thanks again!

 

[RKW3]

Nice choice!