Nikon D200 best value?

[rustys pics]

<p>It may be old news to this forum, but currently the Nikon D200 DSLR seems to be the best value in used digital Nikons. I recently bought one off Ebay for $400 U.S. with extra battery & charger. The shutter seems to only have about 7,800 actuations. I used to own a D70 (Purchased new in 2004) and I've got to say the D200 is miles better in build quality and features. The ability to meter with Manual Focus AI and AIS lenses alone is worth the price. I've seen D200s sell in similar shape to mine on EBAY for even around $350 U.S. D80s are going for about the same or higher!<br>

I know it's a 2006 model camera, but for students, pros on a budget, or anyone looking for a solid Back-Up body the D200 seems to have the best cost/feature ratio.</p>

[rossb]

<p> Not sure about the best value thing but I have a D200 and it has always been a good camera. No problems with it in the years I have owned it. I have about 8000 actuations on it and bought it new. If I needed a new camera I probably would not buy another one however. </p>

[leicaglow]

<p>I second that. I bought two D200's and still use them, despite having a D700 and D3. My first one has almost 80,000 clicks with no problems except some funky pixels that show up in dark shots.</p>

[User_1172872]

<p>My opinion: unless you want low noise at high ISO, you are absolutely correct.</p>

[frank_skomial]

<p>D200 body alone goes for $764.<br>

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D200-10-2MP-Digital-Camera/dp/B000BY52NK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314424669&sr=8-1">http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D200-10-2MP-Digital-Camera/dp/B000BY52NK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314424669&sr=8-1</a></p>

<p>with standard kit lens for $1599</p>

<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-10-2MP-Digital-18-70mm-3-5-4-5G/dp/B000CRX6YI/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1314424669&sr=8-16">http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-10-2MP-Digital-18-70mm-3-5-4-5G/dp/B000CRX6YI/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1314424669&sr=8-16</a></p>

<p>with a bit better zoom lens goes for $1901</p>

<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-10-2MP-Digital-18-200mm-3-5-5-6G/dp/B000CRZCPO/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1314424669&sr=8-8">http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-10-2MP-Digital-18-200mm-3-5-5-6G/dp/B000CRZCPO/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1314424669&sr=8-8</a></p>

<p> </p>

[indraneel]

<p>My second body (after the D700) is a D200. Works great.</p>

[breogan_gomez]

<p><em> </em>In my case I switched from a D40x to a D200 two year ago and I couldn't be happier. What I love the most from the D200 is the ergonomics: size of the body, switches to all the important functions... etc.True it doesn't have the nice high ISO performance or the high end autofocus, but I can live with that.</p>

<p>In my case only a D300 would work for replacement so I guess the D200 is the best value body I can get.</p>

<p> </p>

[bjørn rørslett]

<p>I've acquired a lot of D200 bodies and put them to good use for specialised applications: Converted for UV, broad-spectrum, IR, or permanently put into underwater housings. You get a lot of quality for a modest price, and the camera handles very well. It even supports GPS which to me is a great bonus. Its main drawback, except for the not-so-good high ISO performance, is the tendency for the neoprene covers to work loose eventually to peel off. Can be fixed, but one wonders why Nikon haven't come to grips with such issues since it first occurred on the F5 back in the early '90s.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Still have one, still use it for certain things. In decent light, it always has and still makes great photographs. And it's a tank (I've been very mean to it).</p>

[howard_owen]

<p>D200s can be had used with low miles for $350-$450. I don't think there's a better photographic value on the planet. Higher ISO (1600) can be surprisingly usable if one exposes to the right. Sometimes NR is not even necessary.</p>

[rustys pics]

<p>I'm glad to see the D200 still has a dedicated following. I've used a borrowed D90, and although the sensor is great in lowlight fiddling with menus to change settings drives me crazy! The ergonomics of the D200 and its rugged feel certainly set it apart. I have an extensive collection of AI & AIS lenses and being able to use them is a huge bonus. Frank I'm not sure about the prices you quoted for the D200 being accurate. Even KEH.com is selling them for around $500 used. As noted the Ebay prices are substantially lower than that. Of course buying on EBAY is always a risk.... </p>

[rossb]

<p>I guess when it comes to the price of an item I really use KEH.com as the guide for bodies as that is where I would buy the camera. Just for myself of course as people shop where they like. I have not bought anything for a while but now they also have the 6 month warranty on items. The last purchase I made from them is a Nikon F100 about a year ago. I love the F100 and for myself think it's a great value in photographic equipment.</p>

[frank_skomial]

<p>KEH has D200 in EX condition at $599, and $616.<br>

The D200 is strong camera and many are listed in "EX" condition. Perhaps is hader but possible to abuse it to a good or bargin rating?</p>

<p><a href="http://www.keh.com/camera/Nikon-Digital-Camera-Bodies/1/sku-DN029990883770?r=FE">http://www.keh.com/camera/Nikon-Digital-Camera-Bodies/1/sku-DN029990883770?r=FE</a></p>

<p>On eBay and other auctions bidding prices start at $350 or $450, but during last minute of bidding usually winning prices go up.<br>

Owen must know a better/cheaper place for them...ask him.</p>

[williamchuttonjr]

<p>You paid a fair price.</p>

<p>The D200 is great for color work at ISO 400 or less. I like the B&W image look up to ISO 800. I did not think the D200 is appropriate for ISO 1600 or greater..<br>

Enjoy your new camera</p>

 

[jim_momary]

<p>I bought my D200 new in April 2006. The shutter button popped out after about 2 weeks. It was fixed & returned by Nikon within 10 days and has been a no-problems camera body since then (save for the loose rubber Bjorn mentioned).</p>

<p>So far it's been fired off some 44,000 times. I'll continue using it until I get something that will be able to do no noise at ISO 25,400 and cost me $100 (I won't hold my breath).</p>

 

[walterh]

<p>The major drawback of the D200 for me was the high noise already noticeable at ISO 400 or in dark areas at ISO 200 and the limited dynamic range. (Both compared to today's cameras. At the time the D200 was a big step forward. )<br>

If this is not a problem for your application the D200 is a great camera.<br>

One excellent application for example could be macro photography with artificial light, just to name one.</p>

[elliot1]

<p>The D200's dynamic range is actually pretty close to other newer, more recent bodies. According to the DXO Mark site, the D200 is rated at 11.5 Evs, while the D3s is rated at 12. (I believe these ratings are for base ISO.)<br>

By shooting RAW and using good post processing software, ISO 400 and ISO 800 shots can be made to look just as good as ISO 100 and ISO 200 and ISO 1600 is very, very usable if you get the exposure right..</p>

<p> </p>

[glockman99]

<p>I have a D200 as well as a D100 (both with Nikon battery grips) and I have to say that I LOVE these 2 old digital cameras!...(I DO wish I could afford to buy a D3X, tho...).</p>

[alex_zepeda]

<p>Elliot: Sure, if you only shoot at ISO 100, you'll be golden. But, yes, images get noisy by ISO 400, and getting a usable result past ISO 800 is tough. The dynamic range at high ISO simply isn't there compared to a D7000 or D3s.</p>

<p>Otherwise it's a great camera, but... compared to the newer bodies the battery life isn't great and the viewfinder is a bit small. I paid about $475 for a BGN D200 from KEH a few years ago. It looks like they currently want almost $900 for a BGN D300. At those prices, I'd say the D200 is a steal assuming you can live with the limitations.</p>

<p>FWIW, I sent my D200 in to Authorized Photo Service for a CLA and they replaced the sagging neoprene bits as part of the service. I believe you can just buy the pieces for about $10 from Nikon if you're so inclined.</p>

[walterh]

<p>A lot is published. But If you use the D200 in difficult light and need to go to higher ISO like 1600 there is a world of difference between the D3 and probably even a little more with the D3s and the D200. And a world of difference is more to me than 0.5. stop :-)<br>

I talk from experience and not from test data on the net.<br>

Also when I need to recover highlights or push dark areas in D3 images I can do things that are simply very different from D200 images.<br>

And NO! I will not trade my D3 with a D200 1:1 - but nice try :-P</p>

<p>Cheers<br>

Walter</p>

 

[rustys pics]

<p>"...in difficult light and need to go to higher ISO like 1600 there is a world of difference between the D3"<br>

Yes, about $5000 difference! :) It's interesting that in film days we pushed ISO 400 to 3200, and 3200 film to 12.500 and just accepted that there would be grain. To me it's the print that matters, and often all that noise gets lost in the dot gain ink produces on paper. However I'd gladly trade the D200 for a D3.... :)</p>

[dave_wilson1]

<p>I bought my pair of D200s new in Feb 09 when the price dumped out, and they've been great. I need more durable than high ISO, so they have been excellent performers. No, they're not the latest technology and super high ISO, but what they do, they do really well. They also work comfortably with some of my older lenses. Thanks Russ for the info.</p>

[juan_su]

<p>well I've been using my D200 since 2006 as well and I have to say, this has been one of my favorite Nikon so far. Though I've been tempted many times by the newer cameras like the D300, D700 or D7000 now, for my typical photography, the D200 is more than sufficient. I show RAW + JPG in fine mode. As long as I shoot 400ISO or below, I'm happy with the results.<br>

Now when it comes to low light situations, and I have to go beyond 800ISO, there is a good chance I will just not be happy at all, but then again... it's 5 year old camera technology!!! This camera has travelled all over the world with me and it's still good as new... I've recently replaced all the rubber grips as they were coming off, but glad to see that ppl are still selling replacements for it online. So now the rubber grips are good and make the camera feel and look good as new. <br /><br />Will I eventually replace it? Absolutely, when maybe the D400 or D800 come out eventually. But will I sell it off for $400? I think not! I think this camera would be an excellent back up or as a specialized converted camera.</p>