Whenever Nikon makes a new introduction, you can rest assured it will being something special. Take the Nikon D200 digital SLR for example, a camera that towers over its predecessor, the D100. It isn't just a higher resolution, the Nikon D200 digital reflex camera offers such a staggering amount of new features, that one should truly regard it as a remarkable digital revolution.

First, even though it is not necessarily the most important asset of a camera, the resolution virtually always remains a prime interest. With 10 megapixels, the Nikon D200 raises the bar another notch for digital SLRs in this class. The sensor, made by Sony, is a CCD type image sensor. Most digital camera manufacturers can be divided in two camps: one opting for the newer CMOS technology, the other prefers to stay with the CCD sensor.  One isn’t necessarily better than the other, it often depends on the other components used for differences in these two types of sensors to make a difference.

The most revolutionary features of the Nikon D200 however, are its new housing and specifications. While Nikon chose to remain with the design of the F80, a true consumer camera, for the D100, the designers have delivered a piece of considerably improved quality with the Nikon D200 dSLR. The main handicap of the D100 body was the fact it wasn't particularly suited to frequent professional use. However, this was exactly what the D100 was often used for, especially as the price-class of the D100 did not exactly offer a lot of choice or competition in those days. The new design does differ and is perfectly suited to handle frequent professional use. This is not only shown by the camera's robust metal body, but also from, for example, its water and dust resistance features. The Nikon D200 can easily withstand a rain shower, perhaps not with the same results as a professional D2X, but certainly better than its direct competition or even the (more expensive) Canon EOS 5D.

Yet another revolutionary feature is the viewfinder. Until the arrival of the D200 digital reflex camera, photographers had to settle for a smaller viewfinder than they were used to with a 35mm camera. Occasionally the viewfinder even resembled a tunnel. The Nikon D200 is equipped with a viewfinder that clearly reminds us of the ones to which we had become accustomed with film SLRs. This means Nikon instantaneously put an end to the pre-conceived opinion that the viewfinder remains uncomfortable due to the DX sensor. It also signals that it remains unlikely we will see a full-size sensor on the Nikon models; especially now that they have freed themselves of one of the largest disadvantages whilst the advantages of the unambiguous focal length multiplier of 1.5x are still standing strong.

The settings on the Nikon D200 give it a distinctly professional air. This camera can be set entirely to the user’s own preferences. This is certainly a must for the professional photographer that wants to prevent time-loss caused by attempting to figure out just how to set one thing or another. The photographer’s favorite settings can be saved, making them easily accessible. 

Just as is the case with the D2X, the Nikon D200 has eleven focus areas. The division is slightly different, yet offers a nice coverage. Studio photographers will certainly appreciate the lowest value of ISO 100, especially as the D100 only had a lowest value of ISO 200. The adjustability of the current flash boxes does make it possible to work with this, but you will now have more creativity in the exposure possibilities. Naturally, the Nikon D200 dSLR is equipped with a pleasantly large screen back of the camera. This is particularly handy when looking back at your images and when working in the menu. Additionally, the D200 comes with a very generous information display on the top of the camera body.

An entire article could be dedicated to all the settings on the D200, particularly the auto focus settings. Besides the familiar continuous, single or manual focus, the Nikon D200 also comes with a Dynamic AF and gives the user the options to combine focus areas, handle the Lock On (this decides how the camera will react if something comes between it and the subject), use all eleven or just seven areas and much, much more. As previously mentioned, each user can create and save their own preferred settings.  A studio photographer for instance will require an entirely different setting than a photo journalist. The Nikon D200 offers the user to set the camera to one's preference.

Even though the Nikon D200 comes with a significant amount of buttons, it is likely you will have to resort to the menu frequently. The menu itself has been clearly and logically arranged. The enormous amount of available settings might however cause some confusion. The menu is easy to read on the large screen and the help function that can be accessed with a many of the menu settings, which is particularly useful as there are so many options to remember.

The image quality produced by the D200 is really superb.  The images come out crisp with great color quality and little noise at all ISO levels.  There is some color noise depending on your settings and the white balance with fluorescent light is also slightly unsatisfactory, but this can easily be avoided by photographing in RAW.  Overall, the Nikon D200 is an excellent, user-friendly digital SLR with great image quality at a reasonable price.

Recommended: Yes

Nikon D200 Features

• 10.2 megapixel sensor
• Nikon DX format (1.5x angle of view crop compared to 35 mm film format) CCD sensor 23.6 × 15.8 mm
• Nikon F-mount lenses
• Magnesium alloy weather sealed body
• Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus module with 11 sensors in normal mode, or 7 in Wide AF area mode; Single Servo and continuous Servo focus modes, advanced focus tracking modes, selectable Single Area AF, Dynamic area AF, Group Dynamic AF, and Closest Subject Priority Dynamic AF
• 5 Frames per second continuous shooting for up to 37 JPEG or 22 RAW images
• 3D Color Matrix Metering II, including matrix, center weight, and spot metering with AI and AIS manual focus lenses produced since 1977
• Large, bright viewfinder with 0.94× magnification with 50 mm lens, 95% frame coverage. Optional Magnifying eyepiece DK-21M provides additional magnification by a factor of 1.17× to a total viewfinder magnification of 1.10×.
• 2.5 inch (64 mm) 230,000 pixel LCD display for easy image review
• Similar controls to the D2X
• 10-pin remote and flash sync terminals on camera
• GPS compatible with MC-35 GPS cord
• Advanced battery technology - New EN-EL3e lithium-ion battery 7.4V/1500 MAH offers up to 1800 shots per charge, according to Nikon's measurement methodology; advanced battery information available in camera menus, status in one percent increments plus overall charge life indication. Five segment battery meter on top LCD.
• Optional vertical grip MB-D200 holds one or two EN-EL3E lithium-ion or six AA batteries in holder tray, provides vertical shutter release, command dials, and AF-ON button; Vertical grip/wireless transmitter WT-3 available Spring 2006.
• ISO 100-1600, selectable in 1/3, 1/2 or 1 stop increments, up to about ISO 3200 with available Hi Iso Boost (selectable Hi 0.3/ISO 2000, (Hi 0.5/ISO 2200 for 1/2 stop increments), Hi 0.7/ISO 2500, Hi 1.0/ISO 3200). Selectable high ISO noise reduction in camera Off/Low/Normal/High. Noise reduction applied in post processing for RAW files.
• Built-in Speedlight offers balanced fill-flash with Nikon's I-TTL flash system, and can fire in commander mode for wireless off-camera firing of other speedlights (SB-600, SB-800, SB-R200), controlling up to two groups of speedlights with individual exposure compensation, can also contribute to the actual exposure.
• File formats include JPEG, NEF (Nikon's raw image format compressed and uncompressed), and JPEG+NEF (JPEG size/quality selectable)

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