Nikon D200 - Hands on Review at PopPhoto Magazine
Michael J. McNamara had his hands on the new Nikon D200 and wrote a review at Popular Photography Magazine. In conclusion he wrote:
“At nearly one-third the price, the D200 will attract pro shooters who don’t need all the bells and whistles found on the D2x, and D2x owners will treasure it as a lighterweight backup body. If the D200’s image quality and advanced features live up to expectations in our tests, we think the extra $400 this DSLR will cost over the Canon EOS 20D is well worth it. The $3,200 EOS 5D maintains a full-frame advantage over the D200, but wide-angle shooters can choose from several ultrawide-angle DX series lenses available from Nikon at a considerable savings. The game goes on!”
Sigma Lenses Exposure Problems
Service notice has once again been issued by Sigma. This time is regarding their exposure problems with some of their lenses when used with the new Nikon D200 DLSR
Sigma Service Notice:
Notice to end-users using Sigma’s Nikon fitting lenses with D200 camera
To our valued customers,
Combination of new Nikon 200 digital SLR camera with our following products can cause improper exposure. To overcome this we will be supplying a free upgrade to our customers. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused to our customers.
List of lenses require update for D200 camera:
Nikon ceasing production of film-based cameras and lenses
PRESS RELEASE: Nikon prepares to strengthen digital line-up for 2006
Wednesday January 11, 2006
Following the success of our digital line-up over the last seven years, which has resulted in more than 95% of Nikon’s UK business being within the digital area, Nikon Corporation has made the decision to focus management resources on digital cameras in place of film cameras. This decision will allow Nikon to continue to develop products that match the demands of an increasingly competitive market place.
Despite this growing competition Nikon Corporation has continued to outperform the market, and has recently reported positive financial results which saw group net profit climb by 20% in the fiscal first half which ended in September. Group sales also increased by 9.8% to 342.85 billion yen in the same period. Sales of high end digital SLR cameras and the success of products like the D70s and D50 have helped contribute to these positive figures.
Nikon D200 Banding Issues
Last Update (12.02.05): Nikon USA and Europe has officially responded to this issue. Go to Nikon D200 banding issue FAQs
Many users of Nikon D200 have reported some banding issues on their images. Here’s a sample of Nikon D200 banding in real life shot:
Click on the image to enlarge
Ken Rockwell has responded to Nikon D200 banding issue by saying:
“It’s such a non-issue I’d never have found it if I hadn’t tried to repeat it out of curiosity. I’ve made over 3,000 shots with my D200 and have never seen this except for when I tried to reproduce it.
Nikon D100 VS Nikon D200
Weston Hickey has posted a small review with some pictures comparing his old Nikon D100 and the new Nikon D200.
“PROS:
-It FINALLY feels more like my F100, than a plastic POS. THANK GOD! This was one of my biggest annoyances with the D100.
-The Auto WB is OH SO much better indoors than the D100. Altough I don’t have any indoor comparisons in this post, I’ll have some up later on my website with a full review….for now…trust me….it’s extraordinarily better indoors.
-The LCD is big and beautiful.
Nikon Coolpix P1 - Review @ Steve’s Digicams
Steve’s Digicams has recently posted their his review on Nikon Coolpix P1, a 8 Megapixels digital camera with builtin Wifi (802.11b/g-compatible) which will allow its users to immediately transfer images wirelessly to a computer or any PictBridge-enabled printer equipped with Nikon Wireless Printer Adapter.
In conclusion he writes: “Ergonomics are surprisingly good. Although it is very compact, what we consider an “ultra- compact”, the enlarged hand grip makes for a comfortable feel in you hands and its various controls are laid out well and easily accessed by your fingertips. The WiFi features were simple to setup and use. Using the supplied software it was easy to get the camera to talk to my D-Link 802.11g router and transfer photos. It really does work as advertised as long as you are within the operating limits of your router.
Nikon’s Coolpix P1 is a nice ultra-compact digicam that produces good quality 8-megapixel images and VGA sized movies; and lets not forget its 802.11 b/g certified. I liked just about every feature on this model, and was only annoyed when trying to capture spontaneous moments of friends and family indoors. However, outdoors or when shooting under very good lighting, it will keep up with similar models in its class.”
Nikon D200 - Review @ Ephotozine
Ian Andrews has recently posted his Nikon D200, a 10.2 MP DSLR, review on EphotoZine and writes:
” In summery, the positive points of the D200 are: Excellent build and good sealing, Fast and accurate 11 point autofocus system a good step up from the older CAM900, Good noise control (for a CCD sensor), Full range of easily configured controls, good metering and TTL flash systems, Much improved CF access, Excellent value for money.
The negative points are: RAW Software included is abysmal, Capture 4 is extra and still not good, Batteries not compatible with D70/70s, Viewfinder only 95% coverage (minor niggle)”
Nikon D200 - Review @ Digitalcamerainfo
Patrick Singleton & Alex Burack have recently posted their review on Nikon D200, a 10.2 megapixel DSLR with a 5 frames-per-second burst speed and a brand-new autofocus module, at DigitalCameraInfo. In conclusion they write:
“The Nikon D200 delivers excellent 10 megapixel images, and it’s easy for the experienced photographer to operate. It’s an excellent step-up camera for photographers buying a second Nikon DSLR, or for experienced film users who are finally jumping to digital (do such people still exist?).
The D200 combines advances and refinements that Nikon fans had every reason to expect: higher resolution, lower noise, faster autofocus, and a more polished interface. If there is anything shocking about the D200, it’s the fact that nothing is shocking about it. With the D200, Nikon delivers a solid performer. Canon, in contrast, keeps on delivering surprising cameras – the 5D has a full-frame sensor for less money than people expected. The 1D Mark II n cranks out 8.5 frames per second (and does it at 8 megapixels for a faster burst rate at twice the file size of the Nikon D2Hs), and the 1Ds Mark II brought photographers 16.7 megapixels at under $8,000.
In short, Nikon has delivered an excellent camera, but has still left the headlines to Canon.”
Nikon D200 Vs Canon EOS 20D
Norm, a Pbase gallery member, has posted some comparison shots of Nikon D200 and Canon EOS 20D in his gallery. Both cameras shot in the sRGB color space. nikon capture v4.4.0 used for the NEFs and canon’s basic EOS viewer utility for the CR2 conversions, both with all settable parameters to zero or neutral (see notes in each gallery for specifics). converted to best-quality JPEGs but compressed after uploading using pbase’s compression utility.
Please click on the image above to visit the Nikon D200 VS Canon 20D gallery
Nikon D200 Samples @ Camera Labs
Cameralabs did some tests on the new Nikon D200 along with Nikon D2x, Canon EOS 5D and Canon EOS 1Ds MK II. They wrote:
“Noise levels on the D200 are very usable up to 800 ISO and slightly better than the D2X, presumably due to the D200’s larger pixel pitch. The results of the Canon 5D and 1Ds Mark II though clearly illustrate the benefit of a larger sensor with a greater pixel pitch. Noise levels are much lower throughout, although especially so at 800 ISO and above. “
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