D200 or D300

Gambino7 · 23rd March 2009

Hi Viewers out there,

Need some opinion. Which should I get D200 or D300??
Few factor that i had gathered. (dun know if true or not)
- D300 is not as sharp as D200
- D300 auto focus is much slower compare to other nikon body
- Plus point of D300 compare to D200 is the live view. (but i heard that the live view is not very good even comparing to Canon 40D

Or some says get a D90. I am currently using a D80 so I am not sure if upgrading to D90 is justifiable. As it's almost the same except for the live view and video mode.

Thanks in advance...

Cheers

lamergod · 23rd March 2009

Well my friend said that the battery on the d200 is very weak just 200 plus shoots with grip 500.And im getting d300(in 2 years LOL)

szeping · 23rd March 2009

I'm an owner of D200 and D90, trying to give some opinions:

Originally Posted by Gambino7

- D300 is not as sharp as D200

I have tested D300. Not sure where did you find the statement of this?

Originally Posted by Gambino7

- D300 auto focus is much slower compare to other nikon body

If your "other" means even higher end like D3, then I have nothing to say. Else, I can say D300's AF is faster than the rest of lower end bodies.

Originally Posted by Gambino7

- Plus point of D300 compare to D200 is the live view. (but i heard that the live view is not very good even comparing to Canon 40D

No comment on the LV on D300 & never try a Canon 40D. But D90's live view focusing is so slow that it takes around 1~2 seconds to focus on an object with reasonable contrast under sunlight. But despite that AF, live view is clear and you can zoom in to check whether the object is in focus or not.

Anyway IMHO, it all depends on your budget and "roadmap" of development. With price difference around 600~700 for both used bodies... see what you need the most.

And yes, the battery life for D200 is really a big headache for me (being an user of D70 before that).

BenWAH · 23rd March 2009

Originally Posted by szeping

I'm an owner of D200 and D90, trying to give some opinions:

I have tested D300. Not sure where did you find the statement of this?

If your "other" means even higher end like D3, then I have nothing to say. Else, I can say D300's AF is faster than the rest of lower end bodies.

No comment on the LV on D300 & never try a Canon 40D. But D90's live view focusing is so slow that it takes around 1~2 seconds to focus on an object with reasonable contrast under sunlight. But despite that AF, live view is clear and you can zoom in to check whether the object is in focus or not.

Anyway IMHO, it all depends on your budget and "roadmap" of development. With price difference around 600~700 for both used bodies... see what you need the most.

And yes, the battery life for D200 is really a big headache for me (being an user of D70 before that).

Hahaha..100% agreed what you said...

prolensdreamer · 23rd March 2009

Latest technology is always better than the old one.My take is go for D300.

erictan8888 · 23rd March 2009

get the D300... much better than the D200....
D300 has 15 cross sensors compared to only one in D200
51 pts focus versus 11 pts focus...
ISO in D300 is SO much better than D200.....
and many more....

so, D300 is better than D200.... haha

btw, i using D200 and not D300... ha ha

geraldkhoo · 23rd March 2009

I moved from a D200 to a D300, so I can safely say that what you read about D300 being not as sharp and focusing is slower is not true.

The D300 does less in-camera editing to a picture than the D200, and it has also more pixels (pixel density is higher). What I did was to increase sharpening to +3 and also to AF Fine Tune my lenses, and wah lah! The D300 is far superior to the D200 in many many ways!

The AF is also fast... sorry I can't measure the micro or nano seconds... but what I can say is that when I was buying a lens from someone, he tried out my D300 and was surprised at the focusing speed with the Tamron 17-50 (w/o in-built motor). He was using a D80. The D300 has a more complex focusing ability with 51 AF points, and what you read may be a particular setting of AF, e.g. 3D tracking... but I use single-point AF 99% of the time... and it does not loose out to the D200 in anyway.

Gambino7 · 23rd March 2009

many many thanks to viewer out there that replied to my threat.

Simon_84 · 24th March 2009

no need to think, d300 is a better choice between the 2.

juzsyah · 24th March 2009

well, seems the answer is obvious, go get yourself a d300!

luntut · 24th March 2009

i think those that told you D200 is better then D300 is just trying to console themselves that their cameras are still the finest in the nikon lineup...

An drew · 24th March 2009

The D300 is much better but it is also more expensive.

ChongK · 24th March 2009

D300 focusing system is superior to other cameras like D40-D90. Thats what i feel

danpecs · 24th March 2009

I guessed those "myths" are being cleared here

, if still in doubt, maybe you should try both the D200 and D300. To me, D300 is the obvious choice

Die Hard · 24th March 2009

If not wait for the D400 then

narofx · 24th March 2009

Originally Posted by Gambino7

- Plus point of D300 compare to D200 is the live view. (but i heard that the live view is not very good even comparing to Canon 40D

Hmm.. i personally dun like Live View cos there's a lag when u take the picture.. its good if u ask passer-by who are not used to DSLR to take pictures for u.

bruggink · 24th March 2009

There is no way D300 can lose out to D200. If so, Nikon wont have go ahead with the production.

It's true that the battery life of D200 sux but no big deal. Bring one more battery along and problem solved! One not enough then bring two..

To me, Live View is something good to have but not necessary. Already we complain about short battery life of D200, I'm sure most of us would rather not use Live View to prolong the battery life.

D300 is the way to go. No doubt.

Madmax · 24th March 2009

I don't have D200. I went from D100 to D300.

I am not too concerned about the 51 pt AF. I normally use the centre cross-hair anyway.

There are 2 things about the D300 which I like:
- The automatic sensor cleaning (which kept most of my pics dust free during my 3 weeks holiday in US)
- The superior performance when taking pics in higher ISO. I could take pics in low light.

bruggink · 25th March 2009

Originally Posted by Madmax

I don't have D200. I went from D100 to D300.

I am not too concerned about the 51 pt AF. I normally use the centre cross-hair anyway.

There are 2 things about the D300 which I like:
- The automatic sensor cleaning (which kept most of my pics dust free during my 3 weeks holiday in US)
- The superior performance when taking pics in higher ISO. I could take pics in low light.

Automatic sensor cleaning is really something good to have BUT.. after cleaning the sensor, where do all the dust end up at? I guess it's still in the body itself...

bigpond · 25th March 2009

Agree with posts above that D300 is better than 200 in many ways. For me, there are two things that stand out in favour of the 300:
a. AF fine tuning capability (no such feature in D200)
b. Better high ISO performance (by about 1-2 stops).

At low ISO, say ISO 200, I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between the 2 cameras as far as IQ goes.

23rd March 2009	#1
Gambino7 New Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Sembawang (north) Posts: 38	D200 or D300 Hi Viewers out there, Need some opinion. Which should I get D200 or D300?? Few factor that i had gathered. (dun know if true or not) - D300 is not as sharp as D200 - D300 auto focus is much slower compare to other nikon body - Plus point of D300 compare to D200 is the live view. (but i heard that the live view is not very good even comparing to Canon 40D Or some says get a D90. I am currently using a D80 so I am not sure if upgrading to D90 is justifiable. As it's almost the same except for the live view and video mode. Thanks in advance... Cheers __________________ \|Nikon D200 \| Nikkor 50mm f 1.8 \| Sigma 17mm-70mm f2.8 \| Nikkor 70mm-300mm \|

23rd March 2009	#2
lamergod Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Shunfu Posts: 1,037	Re: D200 or D300 Well my friend said that the battery on the d200 is very weak just 200 plus shoots with grip 500.And im getting d300(in 2 years LOL)

23rd March 2009	#5
prolensdreamer Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 397	Re: D200 or D300 Latest technology is always better than the old one.My take is go for D300.

23rd March 2009	#6
erictan8888 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 2,225	Re: D200 or D300 get the D300... much better than the D200.... D300 has 15 cross sensors compared to only one in D200 51 pts focus versus 11 pts focus... ISO in D300 is SO much better than D200..... and many more.... so, D300 is better than D200.... haha btw, i using D200 and not D300... ha ha __________________ Hope to learn from everyone here.... http://s28.photobucket.com/albums/c229/TanEric/

23rd March 2009	#7
geraldkhoo Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: The Tiny Red Dot Posts: 2,031	Re: D200 or D300 I moved from a D200 to a D300, so I can safely say that what you read about D300 being not as sharp and focusing is slower is not true. The D300 does less in-camera editing to a picture than the D200, and it has also more pixels (pixel density is higher). What I did was to increase sharpening to +3 and also to AF Fine Tune my lenses, and wah lah! The D300 is far superior to the D200 in many many ways! The AF is also fast... sorry I can't measure the micro or nano seconds... but what I can say is that when I was buying a lens from someone, he tried out my D300 and was surprised at the focusing speed with the Tamron 17-50 (w/o in-built motor). He was using a D80. The D300 has a more complex focusing ability with 51 AF points, and what you read may be a particular setting of AF, e.g. 3D tracking... but I use single-point AF 99% of the time... and it does not loose out to the D200 in anyway. __________________ A picture tells a thousand words... make yours speak a million! My Flickr \| My Blog

23rd March 2009	#8
Gambino7 New Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Sembawang (north) Posts: 38	Re: D200 or D300 many many thanks to viewer out there that replied to my threat. __________________ \|Nikon D200 \| Nikkor 50mm f 1.8 \| Sigma 17mm-70mm f2.8 \| Nikkor 70mm-300mm \|

24th March 2009	#9
Simon_84 Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: bukit batok Posts: 1,333	Re: D200 or D300 no need to think, d300 is a better choice between the 2.

24th March 2009	#10
juzsyah Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 54	Re: D200 or D300 well, seems the answer is obvious, go get yourself a d300!

24th March 2009	#11
luntut Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Toa Payoh Posts: 1,344	Re: D200 or D300 i think those that told you D200 is better then D300 is just trying to console themselves that their cameras are still the finest in the nikon lineup... __________________ Fast Camera. Fast Lens. Slow Me. Sigh. My Flickr

24th March 2009	#12
An drew Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,145	Re: D200 or D300 The D300 is much better but it is also more expensive.

24th March 2009	#13
ChongK Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: West Side Posts: 272	Re: D200 or D300 D300 focusing system is superior to other cameras like D40-D90. Thats what i feel __________________ \|K's Photography\| \|Nikonian\|Nissin Di622\|

24th March 2009	#14
danpecs New Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 9	Re: D200 or D300 I guessed those "myths" are being cleared here , if still in doubt, maybe you should try both the D200 and D300. To me, D300 is the obvious choice

24th March 2009	#15
Die Hard Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 388	Re: D200 or D300 If not wait for the D400 then __________________ D3\|D700\|14-24f2.8\|24-70f2.8\|70-200f2.8VR\|85f1.8\|105f2.8VR\|24-120VR\|70-300VR\|TC1.4EII\|2 SB-900

24th March 2009	#17
bruggink Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 381	Re: D200 or D300 There is no way D300 can lose out to D200. If so, Nikon wont have go ahead with the production. It's true that the battery life of D200 sux but no big deal. Bring one more battery along and problem solved! One not enough then bring two.. To me, Live View is something good to have but not necessary. Already we complain about short battery life of D200, I'm sure most of us would rather not use Live View to prolong the battery life. D300 is the way to go. No doubt. __________________ D200 \| Tamron 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 \| Nikon 50mm f/1.8 \| SB-800 \| Phottix Cleon II

24th March 2009	#18
Madmax Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 758	Re: D200 or D300 I don't have D200. I went from D100 to D300. I am not too concerned about the 51 pt AF. I normally use the centre cross-hair anyway. There are 2 things about the D300 which I like: - The automatic sensor cleaning (which kept most of my pics dust free during my 3 weeks holiday in US) - The superior performance when taking pics in higher ISO. I could take pics in low light.

25th March 2009	#20
bigpond Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 243	Re: D200 or D300 Agree with posts above that D300 is better than 200 in many ways. For me, there are two things that stand out in favour of the 300: a. AF fine tuning capability (no such feature in D200) b. Better high ISO performance (by about 1-2 stops). At low ISO, say ISO 200, I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between the 2 cameras as far as IQ goes.