Rangefinder Magazine
July 2006

First Exposure by John Rettie
Nikon D200: Exceptional Consumer/Pro Camera

The Nikon D200 makes an ideal “walk-around” camera with the 18–200mm VR zoom lens attached

IN MANY WAYS Nikon can be credited with popularizing the modern digital SLR camera when it introduced the original D1 in 1999. It was the first affordable camera designed from the ground up as a digital camera rather than being a modified film camera. True, it maintained the same basic format and layout of a 35mm film camera body, but this is an ideal design for those switching from film to digital. It is also the form that is still used by all pro-level digital SLR cameras to date.

The D1 quickly became popular not only with Nikon users, but also with others who saw the value in the camera’s price, size and image quality. Some photographers even switched brands to Nikon to gain the benefits of the camera.

Anyone familiar with Nikon’s arrangement of buttons and dials will quickly feel at home with the D200.

Sadly, until last year’s introduction of the D2X, it seemed as though Nikon had fallen behind its main competition; its cameras delivered slightly lower image quality and, in some cases, fewer features. Of course, Nikon loyalists might vehemently disagree, and many would quite rightly argue that there is much more to a camera system than just the body, which brings us to the D200, introduced at the end of last year.

The D200 fills an important position in Nikon’s lineup of digital SLR camera bodies, falling in between the D50 and D70s models, which are aimed at amateur photographers on a budget, and the D2H and D2X, which are aimed squarely at professionals (and amateurs with no budget worries!).

Officially, the D200 replaces the D100—a decent camera, but one that is barely adequate for professional users. The D200 is a substantially better camera in many ways, and represents much more than just an upgrade in resolution.

The large 2.5-inch rear LCD is great for clear menus and ease of reviewing captured images.

For starters, the D200 sports a 10.2- megapixel CCD in place of the 6.0MP CCD in the D100. It has the same physical size as the sensors in all other Nikon DSLRs, meaning it has more densely packed pixels than all but the D2X camera. As nearly everyone knows, the whole issue of the number of pixels, the size of the sensor and the type of sensor are all controversial areas for discussion. Surprisingly perhaps, the D200 reverts back to using a “traditional” CCD instead of a CMOS sensor (which can be found in the D2X and all Canon DSLR cameras). I’ll leave it to the engineers to discuss the pros and cons of these variables.

There’s no denying that Canon cameras produce the best images at high ISOs. If you compare a 1600 ISO image shot from an EOS-5D with one from a D200, the D200 image will be noisier. In most cases though, it’s still perfectly acceptable, and running a noise filter can take care of much of the noise, such that a proficient image editor can produce images that will be absolutely fine. I even found that images shot at 3200 ISO were acceptable, especially in poor lighting conditions.

Take an image shot at 400 ISO or less, and you’ll be hard pressed to see any visible noise.

Las Vegas model Brianna Dunlop poses for John Rettie as he tries out the Nikon D200 with a White Lightning studio flash system (1/250 at f/11, 100 ISO, 120mm on 18– 200mm VR lens, Normal optimization mode).

Like most modern cameras, the D200 has a large array of settings that can be utilized for different shooting environments. For example, the Vivid setting can transform a landscape shot on a dull day. I accidentally left the camera on this setting during an indoor portrait shoot with studio flash, and the images were far too saturated and over-sharpened. Fortunately, I shot several of them in RAW and was able to adjust the settings after the fact to produce decent images without heavy Photoshop processing.

I don’t normally shoot RAW, but I did shoot some images in RAW+JPEG on the D200. It did not appear to slow down the camera at all—even though each RAW image was 15MB, and the accompanying Fine JPEG files were around 3MB each. Thanks to my good fortune in using a 8GB SanDisk Ultra II CompactFlash card, I was able to get over 400 images on a single card.

The D200 has a buffer that allows one to shoot about 20 exposures in RAW. Even when shooting some motor racing in rapid sequences, I did not overflow the buffer. All in all, from an almost instantaneous startup to its 5-fps shooting speed, the cameras should be fast enough for most users.

The Kodak EasyShare/Amp'd Mobile/ SIRIUS DORAN JE4 Ford No. 77 ran as high as sixth in the Crown Royal Grand American Challenge Rolex Series race on the streets of Long Beach, CA, in April. Pan photo captured by John Rettie on the Nikon D200, which proved to be plenty fast enough for sports-action photography (1/125 at f/18, 200 ISO, 42mm on 18–200mm VR lens, VR on, Vivid optimization mode).

Speaking of sequence shooting, the D200 has a couple of unique features that some might consider superfluous, but I am convinced we will see in most DSLR cameras in the future. First, the camera has a built-in intervalometer. It is set in a menu that allows hundreds of exposures to be shot at intervals from a few seconds to several minutes. It’s a feature that could be utilized for automated shooting of a time-lapse scene, such as the progress of a construction site.

I tried producing a short “video” of my dog on a bed in my absence. Unfortunately, I guess he didn’t like the noise of the camera because he left the bed after 20 minutes. The camera continued shooting until the battery went flat and I got over 200 perfectly exposed shots of an empty bed!

Another feature is multi-exposure. The camera can take up to 10 images of the same subject and adjust the gain of each exposure so the final single image is correctly exposed. Obviously, this is a feature that one could do with a film camera, and a similar effect can be achieved in Photoshop, but it’s certainly nice to have it done automatically by the camera.

Eight handheld exposures captured while zooming out from 200mm on a bunch of red flowers. Optimization mode set at High Vivid.

A feature I have not yet tried is image overlay, which makes it possible to superimpose one image over another and adjust the gain to make a single image. Again it’s possible to do this in Photoshop, but in many circumstances it might be preferable to do it in the camera. I can see this being useful, for example, when shooting a magazine cover and a logo needs to be superimposed over the image.

The new feature that I have found most useful in my photojournalism and sports photography is auto-adjusting ISO. I’m not talking about the automatic setting where the camera adjusts speed, aperture and ISO automatically. Rather, this is a unique feature that operates in shutter and aperture priority settings. One sets the camera so that if the lighting changes and the speed drops below a preset level, the ISO is bumped up as needed to a preset maximum. Likewise, if the aperture drops to a predetermined level in shutter priority, the ISO is boosted automatically in compensation. This is most definitely something that could not be done in a film camera, so it’s good to see Nikon adding this feature.

I’ve used it on several occasions at the end of the day when the light has been fading, and it’s proved very useful. Again though, I left it on once and could not figure out why my shots were being taken at 1600 ISO with a flash. The camera was taking an available light reading first and boosting the ISO before firing the flash.

A small pride of lions enjoys the shade at the end of a hot day in the Shamwari Game Reserve near Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Photo shot by John Rettie on the Nikon D200 with a 18–200mm VR lens at 82mm (Yes, he was that close, and he was shooting from an open Land Rover!) (1/125 at f/5.6, 200 ISO, VR on, Normal optimization mode)

Of course, once one has mastered all these different functions it’s possible to preset them in custom banks so they can be quickly recalled for use again in different conditions. Unlike most pro-level cameras, the D200 has a pop-up flash, which for some reason many people consider a very unprofessional feature. I totally disagree. There are many times when I am shooting and only have occasional need for a quick flash for fill. Rather than getting out an external flash or having one mounted all the time, it’s so easy to just pop up the built-in flash.

Beyond that, the pop-up flash on the D200 serves a far more valuable function—it can be used as a commander flash to control several external flashes wirelessly. Nikon has garnered a lot of praise for the versatility of its CLS flash system. The top-of-the-line SB800 flash has a sophisticated commander control system that can adjust the output of remotely located SB flashguns. This same functionality is also offered in the SU-800 flash control module for other cameras. But on the D200 it is built right in the camera as part of the flash system. I have used it on several occasions. In case you’re wondering, it’s also possible to crank the pop-up flash down to 1/128-power so it does not produce much light of its own, but still triggers several remote flash guns. Essentially it means you have a built-in SU-800 commander unit, saving about $250.

The magnesium-alloy D200 body is well built and feels solid. It is a little heavier than the Canon 30D, which is Canon’s nearest competitor. The D200 also features weather-sealing, making it a better camera for use in bad weather or dusty conditions. It has a very good viewfinder that does not have the tunnel-like feel that has been prevalent in cameras with small sensors. I found it to be considerably easier for framing than my old Canon EOS-10D and slightly better than the newer 30D. A useful gridline scan also be superimposed over the screen. As an aside, this surely means that a variety of gridlines for different aspect ratios, such as 8x10 gridlines, could be made available without much effort.

It’s easy to set up minimum speeds or aperture along with maximum ISO for auto-adjusting ISO in variable lighting conditions.	The built-in intervalometer makes it easy to set up the D200 to capture many images at set intervals.

Other features that have been improved on the D200 include a noticeably larger 2.5-inch LCD for chimping. There’s also an option to tell the camera to not rotate vertical images when viewing on the camera’s LCD, but still have them set to rotate when viewed on a computer—a very useful tweak.

I used to think it was important to add a vertical grip and extra battery holder on these types of cameras to give them more bulk. Nikon does offer a MB-D200 grip for the D200 that will accept two rechargeable or AA batteries. I never use the vertical shutter button on cameras, and nowadays I find the added weight for balance less appealing, especially since lenses such as the 18–200mm zoom have gotten so small and lightweight. Additionally, batteries last much longer nowadays, so there is really less need for the additional battery storage.

Incidentally, although the EN-EL3e battery is identical in size to the batteries used in the D100, D70 and D50, it has extra electronic circuitry in it, and consequently, batteries from the other cameras will not work in the D200. The battery readout menu offers far more accurate information, including the number of images shot and the exact amount of battery power remaining as a percent.

The versatile built-in pop-up flash can be set up as a commander to control several remote SB flashguns in one or two groups.

Overall I am impressed with D200, so much so that I purchased one myself, along with the 18–200mm VR zoom lens. Anyone who enjoys using a Nikon body will be delighted with the responsiveness of the D200 and the high-quality images it produces. If you’re enamored with the ability to easily use new features, such as the intervalometer, multi-exposure and true auto ISO adjusting, you’ll appreciate these new avenues for producing images.

Unless you are still convinced you have to own a camera with a full-size 24x36 sensor, you’ll like this camera because it gives the same field of view that you’ve come to expect from all models in the Nikon range of DSLR cameras, making it an ideal backup camera or a main camera. There’s no denying that the smaller DX (APC-S) size sensor is a real boon to users of long lenses. What’s more, it is no longer a problem for wide-angle shooting, thanks to the increasing number of wide-angle lenses designed specifically for DX camera bodies. It’s tough for anyone to disagree that this is the best DSLR camera on the market priced under $3000. Indeed, its $1699 street price makes it tremendous value for the money.

John Rettie is a photojournalist who resides in Santa Barbara, CA. Readers can contact him by e-mail at john@johnrettie.com or by snail-mail c/o Rangefinder.