New D200 or used D200 or used D300?

[Defy]

Just like the title says. I have three options right now new D200 from best buy for 599$, Used D200 for 400$ or a Used D300 for 1000$. All the used ones are in great condition but i get the warranty with the new one.

What do i get??? Right now i am leaning towards the D300 but will i really get 4-600 more dollars worth of features???

 

[Big Mike]

D300 :thumbsup:

 

[bhop]

I have a d200.. I love it, but I only got it over the d300 because I can't afford a d300.. or justify the cost of it anyway... so what i'm trying to say, is if you can afford to get the d300, do it.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Sell off your existing gear, get the used D200 and get a couple REALLY nice lenses, not lousy plastic mount toy kit lenses.

 

[bhop]

Sell off your existing gear, get the used D200 and get a couple REALLY nice lenses, not lousy plastic mount toy kit lenses.

Actually.. this is probably the best advice.

 

[AtlPikMan]

Sell your D60 18-55 & 55-200. Get the D300 and better glass.

 

[blash]

Sell off your existing gear, get the used D200 and get a couple REALLY nice lenses, not lousy plastic mount toy kit lenses.

Quoted for truth. Glass matters so much more than what body you use.

Even if you were to get the D300, get a used D300 instead. I very rarely buy anything new for photography anymore (except for stuff like film, obviously) because everything's expensive enough as-is and I almost never run into any tradeoffs worse than cosmetic.

 

[Defy]

Thanks for the advice. The D60 will stay as my back up / my wife's starter camera until she decides to upgrade.

As for the glass the 70-200 2.8 was my first dabble into nice lens and since i bought it i have only put the 18-55mm on once! I also have the new AF-s 35mm on preorder (hoping to get it this month). The next lens purchase will be the 12-24mm but that's a few months out if i buy a new body.

I will decide tonight and let ya'll know what body i am getting.

 

[schumionbike]

used D200 and get some nice lens or flash. That's 600 buck different, you can get other thing that improve your picture more than a D300 can.

 

[dEARlEADER]

You have to decide if the extra features of the D300 are worth it to you...

-cmos vs ccd
-more mpix to give you more cropping and pp freedom
-14 bit vs 12 bit NEF is more advantageous if you do scapes
-51 point 3d tracking focus engine vs 11 point is more advantageous if ur shooting sports.. .birding.. etc
-potential 8 fps vs 5 fps important if ur shooting fast action
-dynamic range control pre nef processing might be useful to you
-3200 vs 1600 ISO ... who doesn't want more ISO?

and then ofcourse the lessor but still useful luxuries

-Live view for your macro work
-3 inch 920,00 dot lcd vs 2.5 230,00 dot lcd
-100% viewfinder coverage vs 95% viewfinder coverage

also that fact that you don't need a knapsack of batteries to run a D300 all day might be handy...

There is no doubt the D300 spanks the D200... are any of these worth it to you?

 

[shivaswrath]

i'd opt for the D300 or even D90 just based on the new sensor alone. . .granted you loose a lot of control that the D200 would give you IF you went with the D90, but to me, less noise at higher ISO's is a A+ feature for me!!

 

[Jeff Canes]

I recently tried out the D300 for a weekend along with a 70-200 f2.8 VR lens. My first impression is that it’s a very fine camera. Liked how it has more switch for the different camera setting rather that menu style control setting that Canon uses. IMHO did not find the 3D Auto focus to be all that good but the 9 was very good and 10 good. Also the EV setting display is bit small.

 

[Joves]

I love my D300 but with a new D200 you have the warranty. I wouldnt get the used D200 over the new the price diffrence isnt that great.

 

[djacobox372]

D300 if you can afford it without skimping on lenses.

$400 is a GREAT deal for a used d200... heck I just sold a used d200 a few months ago for $750! The prices have dropped because of the best buy deal, but once they sell out expect the used d200's to jump back up to 500-600 again...

 

[Defy]

well i chose the D300! I should pick it up tomorrow and i will let you know what i think. I will also be picking up another SB600 so i can play with creative lighting. I have pre-ordered the new 35mm 1.8 AF-s DX lens and i will probably keep it so my wife can have a good prime that will auto focus on the D60. Next on my list is a good set of primes looking for a 12/35/50mm all in the 1.4-2.0 range. Then many month/years later i will look into selling my car and getting a 400mm and a 600mm I am slowly starting to see this lens thing never stops.....