Help! Nikon 200? (actually D200)

I am finally buying a slr up from my 8700 coolpic-please any thoughts on this

camera vs the cannon 30d-would be appreciated-and I would also like to get the

18-200 lens-thanks so much!

Bob

Bob, you have a trail of threads on this topic since March.

 

Short of you giving someone the cash and telling them to "buy what you think I'll need",

you're going to have to pull the trigger some time.

 

The Canon vs. Nikon debate will never end. I doubt if your threads will either.

You have waited this long you might as well wait and see what the 30d replacement will be in September. I'm sure it will be better than the D200. If you have to buy right now then the D200 is the best in it's class.

>>> You have waited this long you might as well wait and see what the 30d replacement will be in September. I'm sure it will be better than the D200. If you have to buy right now then the D200 is the best in it's class. <<<

 

No doubt that the D200's replacement will be better than the D200 as well.

I've personally never heard of a Nikon 200? Must be a new model :)

 

The real question is why you think you need a 200 or a 30D for that matter. Got any manual focus lenses or need to shoot at 5fps? Do you want to carry around a large heavy magnesium body? If the answer is anything but a resounding yes to any of these questions then maybe a 40/80 or 400D might be more applicable and cheaper.

I always feel that it is counterproductive to speculate on future DSLRs. In fact Canon's 30D (February 2006) was announced about 3 months after the D200 (November 2005).

 

When the D200 was announced, it was fairly clear to most people that it was superior to Canon's 20D. Given that the D200 was quite a bit more expensive and newer, it was expected to be better. However, those people also believed that the up-coming 30D would in turn trump the D200, but it turned out that the 30D only had somewhat limited improvements over the 20D.

 

Technology has improved to a point that you'll likely only see limited improvements from one generation of DSLRs to its immediate successor. The days that we used to see drastic improvements every 12 to 18 months are a bit in the past now.

My fast answer to your question: buy the D200.

 

My most reliable source, a group of experts testing almost all the products in the market, all Canon EOS1D and 5D users, scores the image quality (color, sharpness, tonal range) of the D200 over the D30. The difference is not so huge but clear. They prefer also the D200 in terms of handling and ergonomics, construction quality, etc.

 

BTW, they consider the next step over the D200 is the EOS5D, which cannot be compared to the D200 because it has a clearly higher image quality, better noise control and FF with the availability of a lens system backed by Canon pro market-leading cameras.

 

(Please, don`t spit out to me, Canon users: I`m trying to help).

Second part of my advice: don`t buy the 18-200, I hate that Pinnochio lenses. You can knock anybody`s head when zooming! *;>O

Another thought to add or to remove confusion: they consider each camera as a buy, regardless of brands, affections, etc. In their opinion, they best buy for the money is the 5D. If you want to spend less money, then the D200. If you want to buy almost for nothing (!!) buy the D40X.

P.D. I have already read that the D200 is TIPA award on 2006. The 20D-30D never. Sorry.

If you want the 18-200, your choice is clearly Nikon (either D200, D80, D40x, or D40). The deciding factor about what DSLR to buy is based on what kind of shooting you plan to do, so for sports and fast paced wildlife that means a D200 or 30D, but it also means faster glass.

 

Both the 30D and the D200 are about equally good and both Canon and Nikon have a lot to offer you as your finances and abilities grow. If I had the money for a 20D when I bought a D70, then I think I would be as perfectly happy today with that camera and a 5D as I am now with my D200 and hopefully a D2x in the near future.

 

I doubt that either company will leap ahead of the other over the next few years in DSLRs. Therefore, just get a camera and stop worrying about making a wrong decision; you will not go wrong with either choice.

"I'm sure it will be better than" - look like we have a fortune teller ?

 

What are next lottery numbers gonna be ?

Addendum to my previous post:

 

I should have said that the D200 and 30D are equally good values. The D200 is has a larger buffer, is better built, and I personally prefer its UI.

Go into a store, handle both and buy whichever one handles better.

Huge upgrade! From a coolpix to a D200... What about a D40x + 18-200? Same feeling of your P&S with enhanced features.

Get a D40 with the 18-135! The pictures from the d40 with the 18-135 will look pretty much the same as pictures from the d200 with the 18-200. And you will have a bunch of $$$$ left in your wallet for other accessories you may need - flash, filters, additional lenses, a vacation!