Rob Galbraith just posted his preview on the new Nikon D200. He wrote:

“If the image quality is solid (managing noise at ISO 400 and above has been a challenge for Nikon in recent times) and the new autofocus system is reasonably capable, then the D200 may well be one of the most interesting digital SLR models the company will release in some time. At first glance, it looks to be an effective response to Canon’s slightly less expensive entry-level pro camera the EOS 20D, because the D200 will almost certainly have a more-capable flash system, it produces a higher-resolution photo and most of its other main specifications meet or exceed those of the Canon model too. We’ll wait to view the pictures produced by the D200 before declaring it the superior of the two, however, since the image quality from the 20D is really good, and it’s especially impressive at the higher ISO settings where Nikon’s other double-digital megapixel camera, the D2X, falters.”

Download File (4.5MB)

Camera Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON D200 Orientation Upper Left X resolution 300/1 Y resolution 300/1 Resolution unit inches Software Nikon Capture Editor 4.4.0 W Date/time 10/12/2005 5:33:46 PM YCbCr positioning centered Reference black/white (0,255,0,255,0,255) Image Image description Artist Copyright Exposure time 1/80 s F-number f/2.8 Exposure program Manual ISO speed ratings 100 Date/time original 8/21/2005 12:29:40 PM Date/time digitized 8/21/2005 12:29:40 PM Component config YCbCr Exposure bias value 0.00 EV Max. aperture value f/2.8 Metering mode Center weighted average Light source unknown Flash Flash did not fire. Focal length 60 mm User comment Subsec time 24 Subsec time original 24 Subsec time digitized 24 Colorspace sRGB Pixel X dimension 3872 Pixel Y dimension 2592 Sensing method One-chip color area sensor Scene type A directly photographed image CFA pattern (00,02,00,02,01,00,02,01) Custom Rendered Normal process Exposure mode Manual exposure White balance Auto white balance Digital zoom ratio 1 Focal length in 35mm film 90 mm Scene capture type Standard Gain control None Contrast Soft Saturation Normal Sharpness Soft Subject distance range unknown Miscellaneous Exif version 2.2 FlashPix version 1.0 File source DSC GPS Version ID (2,2,0,0)

Read more »

You can now download the Nikon D200 brochure in English and other 15 languages at Nikon Euro FTP site. Please follow the link below:

Download Nikon D200 Brochures

Dennis Hissink had his hands on the new Nikon D200 and wrote:

“Well what can I say.? I am enthusiastic… maybe this is not the right word,; I am excited is putting it more clearly and it expresses better the way I feel. Excited because I believe the Nikon D200 is just the right product for all Nikon fans waiting out there. Ok you could argue about the fact that it took Nikon this long to anticipate to the fast changing market, but hey.. it’s here now! I am sure that Nikon D100 users, myself included will react positively to this introduction and will upgrade to this new platform where Pro meets Entry-level… bridging the gap! I also see the D200 function as a 2nd body for Professionals using the advantages of the DX standard. The D200 has it all, I believe we are looking at an all-round D-SLR tagged with a very interesting price..”

Digitalkamera.de reviewed the pre-production Nikon D200 and wrote (page was translated with altavista):

” An important criterion with the image quality represents naturally also the quality of the exposure. Those might be raised over each doubt, there the D200 the same technology (3D-Color-Matrixmessung II) as the cameras of the D2-Serie for exposure measurement begins. 1996 weihte Nikon with the F5 the 3D-Color-Matrixmessung. Up to then cameras analyzed excluding the light distribution (depending upon number of messzellen more or less roughly) and could let the brightness and the contrast of a scene flow in this way into the exposure measurement also. The F5 and/or the 3D-Color-Matrixmessung revolutionized the exposure measurement to that extent that new factors with were included. That was first once the spatial situation of the main motive in the picture, which was determined over the AF sensors (vertical/horizontal position) and over a chip in each objective (to the transmission of the distance information). Therefore also the 3D in the name. But the true innovation was that “color came into the play”. On the basis a RGB sensor with 1.005 pixels (a kind mini CCD) the color distribution in the picture could be considered roughly. That was enough, around e.g. a scene with much blue (sky) and much green (meadow green, leaves o. ae.) to identify by comparison with a data base (those at that time already 30,000 reference situations covered) as landscape and adapt the exposure accordingly. All this can do also the 2. Generation of the 3D-Color-Matrixmessung, which refined now however algorithms for recognition as well as to the balancing of shade and lights in the picture possess and thus not only the gesamtkontrast in the picture, but also the contrast of the brightest and darkest picture portions into the exposure measurement also lets flow.”

Below is the size comparison between Nikon D2x, the ‘coming soon’ Nikon D200, Nikon D70 and Nikon D50

Click to enlarge

We’ve got an email from one of our readers who visited this page: http://www.nikondigital.com/main.html?page=d200 and found a flash site of the new Nikon D200.

The bad news is the page was only up for couple of hours..But we have found a person who has managed to put the flash file which was left in his temporary internet files back online.

Just click on the image above to see the Flash page

Eventhough DSLR with prices around 700 and up are booming lately, but still most people just don’t have that much camera budget. They want something that less expensive and able to take pretty good photos without worrying about buying expensive lenses.

If you’re shopping for a decent point-and-shoot digital camera for yourself or for your christmas presents, $400 may be the magic number. That amount will buy you a model that can capture good photos; offers a comfortable, attractive design; and doesn’t cut too many corners.

Read more »

Equipped with a powerful 10x Zoom-Nikkor lens, the COOLPIX S4 offers far more compositional freedom than other compact cameras. In fact, delivering outstanding 38-380mm performance (35mm equivalent), it makes it easy for the photographer to capture a much broader range of subject matter — moving in for tightly composed portraits, zooming further out for stunning shots of architecture, or pulling right out to capture the full beauty of expansive scenery.

REVIEWS (last update: 19.10.05)

Read more »

Fotolia has a list of 10 Nikon D70 Secrets which was re-published from Popular Photography’s Magazine, October 2005 issue. Here’s the first five:

Nikon d70 Secrets

1. Centerweighted Tip: Custom setting 11 in the menu lets you select 6, 8, 10, or 12mm for center weighted metering.
2. Hollow Battery: Hey, the hollow tube sitting in the D70 is not a fake battery. It’s a battery holder that accepts three CR2 lithium cells, and then fits into the camera’s standard battery compartment.

Read more »