D200 still a good buy?

[midget patrol]

So, first of all, it's been like two years or something since i posted on TPF. That would be the same timeframe as when i started college, by the way :thumbup:

Now, my trusty old D50 is starting to near the end of its life: the memory card door got broken off, there's a crack in the body, and the menu button doesn't work. The first two are no big deal, but no access to the menu button is a real pain. So, as this camera goes down, it's finally time to upgrade!

I've wanted a D200 since they came out (and have been replaced by the 300 and 300s). The sturdy construction, number of controls on the body, and the frame rate were (are) all attractive to me.

I got the D50 originally for about $600, with a kit lens i think. I can get a D200 body for about that now. Would the D200 be $600 well spent or would I be better off with something like the D90?

The things I'm looking for are: sturdy construction, at least 5fps, dedicated aperture/shutter controls (not on a single wheel, like on the D50) and pretty good high ISO performance.

(keep in mind i'm on a student's budget here )

 

[asherexplore]

I was recently in a similar situation. My D40 kicked the bucket.
I thought long and hard and I knew the d90 was the way to go.
D40 was a great starter. It was enough to let me know exactly how far I wanted to go with my photography. For me anything short of the D90 was just going to leave me too limited.
Only you can decide if its worth saving the extra money . Where do you want you photography to take you????

 

[Joves]

Well the D200 is still a very good camera but, where it is weak is in its ISOs compared to the newer models. The D90 is a plastic body so the construction is pretty much the same as the D50. The D200 is a tank as is the D300 series. So I would buy depending on the best you can afford. If the D200 you are looking at for $600 is in great shape then it is a deal I suppose. Too bad you didnt get in on the Best Buy sell off of them they were less than that new.

 

[djacobox372]

The d200 goes for around $500 these days on the used market. It's an excellent camera, better then your d50 in every way except for the sensor which is just about identical.

That said, I'd probably recommend a d90 over it, which sells for around $700 refurbished. The cmos sensor of the d90 is a significant improvement, and everything else is just about equal EXCEPT for build quality and compatibility with older AIS lenses.

The only reason I might recommend the d200 instead is if you were planning on pairing it with some high quality manual focus ais glass. A D200 with a nice set of fast prime ais lenses is a heck of a combination.

 

[JimmyO]

Really comes down to what you need


Toughness and speed = D200
High ISO and handling = D90

 

[KmH]

I think the lowest they got on BestBuy was $600. I bought one then, sold my older D200 for the same $600, but got a brand new camera and a fresh 1 year warranty. :thumbup:

The D90 definately has better ISO performance than the D200 but the D90's plastic body, only 3 auto backets, lack of mirror lockup and other entry-level features leaves me wanting. I have both and my D90 will be up for sale in another couple of days since I have a D300 enroute to replace it.

Amazon.com has a refurbished D300 from a seller for $1400! The ad says it comes with a 90-day Nikon warranty.

 

[midget patrol]

Only you can decide if its worth saving the extra money . Where do you want you photography to take you????

Generally my photography takes me places like up mountains and into canyons. I take my camera into nasty, nasty camera-habitats and expect it to survive just as well as i do, which is asking a lot, especially from a plastic camera. It goes rock climbing, hiking, mountaineering, snowboarding and to the beach. Rocks, salt and sand are all unforgiving

Well the D200 is still a very good camera but, where it is weak is in its ISOs compared to the newer models. The D90 is a plastic body so the construction is pretty much the same as the D50. The D200 is a tank as is the D300 series. So I would buy depending on the best you can afford. If the D200 you are looking at for $600 is in great shape then it is a deal I suppose. Too bad you didnt get in on the Best Buy sell off of them they were less than that new.

I would love to afford a D300. They're amazing. Unfortunately, it's about triple what I'd like to spend at the moment. Clearly, i need something more durable than my D50, seeing as i've broken it Yeah, it really is too bad i didn't get in on the bestbuy deal. how long ago was that?

The d200 goes for around $500 these days on the used market. It's an excellent camera, better then your d50 in every way except for the sensor which is just about identical.

That said, I'd probably recommend a d90 over it, which sells for around $700 refurbished. The cmos sensor of the d90 is a significant improvement, and everything else is just about equal EXCEPT for build quality and compatibility with older AIS lenses.

The only reason I might recommend the d200 instead is if you were planning on pairing it with some high quality manual focus ais glass. A D200 with a nice set of fast prime ais lenses is a heck of a combination.

I'm not gonna be using ais glass, specifically, and very very unlikely manual focus only.

The CMOS sensor over the CCD makes a big difference, definitely. That's what allows it to do so much better at high ISOs, right?

Really comes down to what you need


Toughness and speed = D200
High ISO and handling = D90

Toughness and speed, for sure.

I think the lowest they got on BestBuy was $600. I bought one then, sold my older D200 for the same $600, but got a brand new camera and a fresh 1 year warranty. :thumbup:

now that's just not fair. :meh:

The D90 definately has better ISO performance than the D200 but the D90's plastic body, only 3 auto backets, lack of mirror lockup and other entry-level features leaves me wanting. I have both and my D90 will be up for sale in another couple of days since I have a D300 enroute to replace it.

Amazon.com has a refurbished D300 from a seller for $1400! The ad says it comes with a 90-day Nikon warranty.

lack of mirror lockup? even the d50 has that. Though the D90 and D300 have self-cleaning sensors right? So i guess that could be ok... and that refurbished D300... B&H has it for $1350

 

[KmH]

lack of mirror lockup? even the d50 has that. Though the D90 and D300 have self-cleaning sensors right? So i guess that could be ok... and that refurbished D300... B&H has it for $1350

Sorry, not the same mirror lock-up. The D50/70/70s/80/90 have a mirror lockup for sensor cleaning, but not for making images like the D200/300 have.

I hate to tell you but a couple of days ago I bought a used D300 from a private party, with the original box and all that was included in it, under 14k clicks.....for $900. So if you keep your eyes peeled.....

 

[Joves]

lack of mirror lockup? even the d50 has that. Though the D90 and D300 have self-cleaning sensors right? So i guess that could be ok... and that refurbished D300... B&H has it for $1350

Sorry, not the same mirror lock-up. The D50/70/70s/80/90 have a mirror lockup for sensor cleaning, but not for making images like the D200/300 have.

I hate to tell you but a couple of days ago I bought a used D300 from a private party, with the original box and all that was included in it, under 14k clicks.....for $900. So if you keep your eyes peeled.....

Exactly that the only mirror lockup was for cleaning on those models. I believe that is the case as well for any modle below the D300 level.

Danny the BestBuy thing was quite awhile ago unfortunately. You might also look at B&H/Adorama and see if they have any refubished for a good price. They come with 90day warranties and, I think there is a place that will extend that for a nominal fee. If your buying used then you dont get anything.

 

[midget patrol]

Thanks for the advice on buying refurbished joves. I'll look into that.

KmH: where do you find these "private parties?" I can't find a d200 below $600 to save my life, let alone a d300 under $1000

 

[KmH]

Thanks for the advice on buying refurbished joves. I'll look into that.

KmH: where do you find these "private parties?" I can't find a d200 below $600 to save my life, let alone a d300 under $1000

This is not the only photography forum I am a member of.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

I love the D200, and i'd get a D200 before a D300 any day of the week because of handling.

The D200 just FEELS better. But the D300 is a better camera in pretty much every way besides that.

 

[PatrickCheung]

hey! i was in the exact same situation as you like three weeks ago.

i outgrew my d60, no AF motor = no use of all the AF lenses (85/1.8 mostly...) i wanted to use, 3 AF spots compared to the 11 in the d200 and d90 (i think) and, lack of Nikon CLS were my main gripes. i wanted to get into portrait photography btw... so those were important for me.

i had the choice between spending $500CAD on a D200 body and save the rest of the money towards that 85/1.8 i so desperately wanted... or save up for a bit and grab the D90. while the sensor in the D90 is much better, i decided that I'd take the 85/1.8 over my crappy tammy 28-75/2.8 (that always hunts...) anyday. plus, the metal body would come in handy since i tend to drop things a lot, im clumsy. loving the d200. it's so much easier to handle than the d60, image quality is about the same, but i'm not complaining, bigger viewfinder makes it way easier to manual focus my old manual focus lenses, metal body means i dont have to worry as much about dropping it, oh and Nikon CLS lets me use my strobes outdoors in broad daylight as it allows high speed sync. couldn't be happier! but i gotta warn you, get a new battery if you buy it used... that battery in the d200 prolly isnt the best considering the amount of use it's seen. mine barely lasts two hours of straight shooting.

 

[swoop_ds]

My vote is for the D90, its a great camera and is pretty cheap. The 'pro' features of the D300 are great but I don't know if it is worth the extra price (unless you can get it for a great deal as mentioned above).

As for the D200 - it's a great camera, if you can get it for cheap, and with few actuations, it's certainly worth considering. It feels a lot more like "a real camera" than the D50 or D90 and I've heard that it feels better than the D300 as well.

-Dave

 

[bhop]

I have a d200 and don't feel any need to upgrade at all. In fact, I just got the 17-55mm f/2.8 G lens this past week and it makes me like it even more.