This Nikon D200 DSLR camera review offers an unbiased review of this upgraded version of the D100 digital camera. Keep reading to find out how the Nikon D200 compares to other digital cameras in price, autofocus, lenses, megapixels, LCD display, ISO and more.

The Nikon D200 is the much anticipated step up from their popular D100, which came out way back in 2002.  The D200 is a vast improvement on its predecessor, in many ways that make them almost incomparable.  Some of the new things on the D200 include a 10.2 Megapixel CCD, a larger 2.5” LCD display, and improved performance and battery life.

Currently there is only one D200 kit available and it does not include a lens.  The camera does come with the previously mentioned 10.2 Megapixel camera body, as well as an EN-EL3e lithium-ion rechargeable battery, battery charger, body cap, eyepiece cap, LCD protective cover, shoulder strap, USB cable, video cable, Nikon software, hard copy camera manual.  All of this for a retail price usually around $1699.  One thing to keep in mind is that a replacement or back-up EN-EL3e battery isn’t cheap (around $40) and the camera itself cannot use AA batteries at all.  Another option is to buy the optional MB-D200 battery grip, which uses two EN-EL3e batteries or six AA batteries.

The D200 is a fairly large digital SLR with excellent, sturdy build quality and feel in hand.  The camera body is made of magnesium alloy with a plastic cover on top and all of the seams are sealed for dust resistance.  The D200 is one of the heaviest D-SLRs on the market, so keep that in mind if having a hefty camera bothers you or if you have a hard time keeping a heavy camera steady (though there is built in stabilization).

The overall exterior set-up of the D200 has a lot in common with Nikon’s other D-SLRs.  The lens mount is an F-mount with with most “CPU” Nikkor lenses will work.  If you have some old Nikon lenses, you may want to double check before assuming that they’ll be compatible with the D200.  On the top of the camera body is the pop-up flash and for more flexibility, you can attach an external flash by using the hot shoe or flash sync port.  On the back of the body is the very impressive 2.5” LCD, which is one of the best that we’ve found on a digital camera.  The D200 LCD is big, bright, and very sharp.  Nikon includes a bonus LCD protector with the camera that comes in very handy.  Keep in mind that the LCD on a D-SLR is not meant for composing shots, you have the optical viewfinder right above it for that.

Like most D-SLRs, the D200 has a wealth of buttons, menus and dials.  Just to the left of the viewfinder, you’ll find a button that activates the D200 bracketing functions and another that deletes photos.  On the other side of the viewfinder, there’s the AE/AF lock and AF-on buttons as well as the main command dial.  Around the LCD you’ll find the following buttons: playback mode, menu, thumbnail mode, help/image protection, enter/playback zoom.  There are even more buttons on the D20 including buttons that adjust image quality, white balance, and ISO.

The D200 has no scene modes, but the mode dial does include four options: Program Mode (automatic shooting, access to all menu options), Shutter Priority Mode (you choose shutter speed, camera picks aperture), Aperture Priority Mode (you choose aperture, camera picks shutter speed depending on the lens used), full manual mode (choose both the shutter speed and aperture yourself).

The internal menu on the D200 includes a plethora of options from the following sub-menus: Playback Menu (slideshow, delete, etc.), Shooting Menu (file naming, optimize image, image quality, ISO sensitivity and more), Setup (LCD brightness, time, etc.), Custom Settings (autofocus, metering/exposure, etc.).

Macro images come out quite nicely on the D200, with accurate colors and good sharpness.  Night photos also come out sharp and clean.  Noise starts to creep in at ISO 800 and is pretty apparent at ISO 1600, with noticeable loss of detail.  In fact, the noise levels at ISO 1600 are disappointing and wouldn’t make a very good print at almost any size.  Otherwise, the quality of photos is excellent with the D200.  The images are well exposed with vibrant color. 

Overall, the D200 is a great D-SLR with few flaws.  The D200 is not aimed toward beginners and may be a little intimidating to new users.  Enthusiasts, however, will be thrilled with the manual controls and custom functions.  The performance of the D200 is also first rate, with no shutter lag or delay between shots.  Photo quality is excellent as well, the only problem being the noise levels at ISO sensitivities above 640.  The drawbacks of the D200 are the price and the software bundle, which is very lacking for use with a D-SLR, but if you own Photoshop CS2 then you probably wouldn’t use the software in the box anyway.

Recommended: Yes.

Key Features

-  10.2 MP DX-format CCD image sensor

-  Magnesium alloy body

-  5 fps high-speed continuous shooting

-  2.5” LCD monitor

-  EN-EL3e rechargeable battery

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