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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> D200 or D80?
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01/06/2007 09:32:57 AM · #1
Ok I'm probably exposing my level of ignorance here, but why is the D200 $500 more than the D80? I want to buy myself a decent SLR and have been comparing these two Nikon's and the Canon 400D and I am utterly confused!

01/06/2007 09:38:44 AM · #2
//www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=nikon_d200%2Cnikon_d80%2Ccanon_eos400d&show=all

//www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond80/
//www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond200/
//www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/

I got the D80 and I love it.
01/06/2007 09:44:12 AM · #3
Originally posted by yann:

//www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=nikon_d200%2Cnikon_d80%2Ccanon_eos400d&show=all

//www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond80/
//www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond200/
//www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/

I got the D80 and I love it.


just to parse URLs
01/06/2007 09:51:35 AM · #4
Big differences:

• hot-sync connector
• Heavy duty Magnesium alloy Body, seams weather-sealed
• Metering on 1000 pixel CCD vs. 420 pixel
• GPS enabled
• 5 Frames per second vs. 3fps

The 1000 pixel ccd seems trivial, until you talk to people who have one and they rave about it's almost magical ability to expose pictures perfectly.

Message edited by author 2007-01-06 09:53:05.
01/06/2007 09:54:43 AM · #5
If you are also interested in the Nikon 18-200 lens, get the D200 with it in the kit. The lens is almost impossible to find at regular retail - big shortages and markups over normal pricing either on ebay or secondary dealers are a few hundred.

In other words the D80 and 18-200 would cost you about 2000 street and you can have the D200 kit with the 18-200 for about 150 more
01/06/2007 10:14:28 AM · #6
I got the D200 a couple of months ago...I am a photography nut, researcher, addict and pro. And honestly, I think this camera is just absolutely phenomenal, even if you grade it just on quality of image.
01/06/2007 10:28:19 AM · #7
Thanks for the feedback. I really like the idea of getting the D200 kit which includes the 18-200 lens...
01/06/2007 10:31:41 AM · #8
The D200 also does multiple exposures.
01/06/2007 11:09:34 AM · #9
The D200 is now only $400 more at B&H. The D200 has a metal frame compared to the D80's plastic one. It also weather sealed. One of the most important benefits is the 10-pin terminal, which enables more external accessories such as a wired remote, connecting a GPS, etc. The D200 has much better control layout and userbilty such as dedicated ISO, white balance, and quality buttons and has a 9 position rocker switch with center enter button (opposed to 4 with no center button). The information displayed in the finder and the top LCD is much more detailed. The D200 is faster with 1/8000 second top shutter speed (not that useful actually), a larger buffer and faster card write speed. The D200 has custom shooting banks that make changing from different shooting styles without going thru the menus.

But IMO the most important benefits of the D200 over the D80 are mirror lock up and Ai lens support. Those two features alone make the $400 difference a no brainer especially considering all the other stuff.

Message edited by author 2007-01-06 11:10:04.
01/06/2007 11:35:08 AM · #10
Originally posted by hyperfocal:

The D200 is faster with 1/8000 second top shutter speed (not that useful actually)


Imagine a very bright day and you want to shoot something with the lens wideopen. That means that you either have to use ND filters and/or up the shutterspeed as much as possible.

For Example (and ignor ISO settings):
You measure f/8 1/1000s
You want to use f/2.8 because of DOF or whatever.

The D80 will not allow you to shoot at f/2.8 without blowing out the shot by one stop. For a correct exposure at it's maximum shutterspeed of 1/4000s you can only use f/4 (f/8 @ 1/1000 = f/5.6 @ 1/2000 = f/4 @ 1/4000).

The D200 would allow you to set it up the way you want to because it can do 1/8000s so you can set f/2.8 as the aperture.

Fast shutterspeeds are not always about freezing motion.
This example is not that crazy, because when you have a fast lens like a f/1.4 or f/1.2, f/2.8 is 2 stops down already.
01/06/2007 01:00:00 PM · #11
Originally posted by Azrifel:

Originally posted by hyperfocal:

The D200 is faster with 1/8000 second top shutter speed (not that useful actually)


Imagine a very bright day and you want to shoot something with the lens wideopen. That means that you either have to use ND filters and/or up the shutterspeed as much as possible.

For Example (and ignor ISO settings):
You measure f/8 1/1000s
You want to use f/2.8 because of DOF or whatever.

The D80 will not allow you to shoot at f/2.8 without blowing out the shot by one stop. For a correct exposure at it's maximum shutterspeed of 1/4000s you can only use f/4 (f/8 @ 1/1000 = f/5.6 @ 1/2000 = f/4 @ 1/4000).

The D200 would allow you to set it up the way you want to because it can do 1/8000s so you can set f/2.8 as the aperture.

Fast shutterspeeds are not always about freezing motion.
This example is not that crazy, because when you have a fast lens like a f/1.4 or f/1.2, f/2.8 is 2 stops down already.


I've had access to 1/8000 speed since I bought my N8008 when it came out in late 1988, and I don't think I've ever made a shot at 1/8000 sec until I found out that the D70 could flash sync at that speed. If you were in a situation that required f2.8 (or even 1.4) @ 1/8000 it would make more sense to lower the ISO for better quality instead of selecting such a high shutter speed. Of course I have less flexibility with Nikon digital in that the min ISO is 100 (200 with D70). Having spent the last couple of decades shooting Velvia (ISO 50) and Kodachrome (ISO 25 & 64), the lack of anything slower than the current ISO have forced me to use ND filtration more than I'd like.
01/06/2007 06:05:37 PM · #12
Originally posted by hyperfocal:

The D200 is now only $400 more at B&H. The D200 has a metal frame compared to the D80's plastic one. It also weather sealed. One of the most important benefits is the 10-pin terminal, which enables more external accessories such as a wired remote, connecting a GPS, etc. The D200 has much better control layout and userbilty such as dedicated ISO, white balance, and quality buttons and has a 9 position rocker switch with center enter button (opposed to 4 with no center button). The information displayed in the finder and the top LCD is much more detailed. The D200 is faster with 1/8000 second top shutter speed (not that useful actually), a larger buffer and faster card write speed. The D200 has custom shooting banks that make changing from different shooting styles without going thru the menus.

But IMO the most important benefits of the D200 over the D80 are mirror lock up and Ai lens support. Those two features alone make the $400 difference a no brainer especially considering all the other stuff.


In favor of the D80, it's almost half the weight of the D200.
01/06/2007 07:03:39 PM · #13
Originally posted by yann:

Originally posted by hyperfocal:

The D200 is now only $400 more at B&H. The D200 has a metal frame compared to the D80's plastic one. It also weather sealed. One of the most important benefits is the 10-pin terminal, which enables more external accessories such as a wired remote, connecting a GPS, etc. The D200 has much better control layout and userbilty such as dedicated ISO, white balance, and quality buttons and has a 9 position rocker switch with center enter button (opposed to 4 with no center button). The information displayed in the finder and the top LCD is much more detailed. The D200 is faster with 1/8000 second top shutter speed (not that useful actually), a larger buffer and faster card write speed. The D200 has custom shooting banks that make changing from different shooting styles without going thru the menus.

But IMO the most important benefits of the D200 over the D80 are mirror lock up and Ai lens support. Those two features alone make the $400 difference a no brainer especially considering all the other stuff.


In favor of the D80, it's almost half the weight of the D200.


If you ever drop it more than a couple of feet, you'll find out why. Yes, plastic IS lighter than metal. Unless you're an avid backpacker it's not really that big of a deal, IMO.
01/06/2007 08:14:28 PM · #14
Originally posted by wavelength:



If you ever drop it more than a couple of feet, you'll find out why. Yes, plastic IS lighter than metal. Unless you're an avid backpacker it's not really that big of a deal, IMO.


I am an avid backpacker, and that is another reason to favor the D200 with its tighter weather sealing, etc. With backpacking weight is vitally important, but even more so is durability.
01/06/2007 09:00:40 PM · #15
If you ever drop it more than a couple of feet, you'll find out why. Yes, plastic IS lighter than metal. Unless you're an avid backpacker it's not really that big of a deal, IMO. [/quote]

But why would you drop the camera in the first place? ;)

Anyways, I find the D80 heavy already so yeah...

But yeah, the D200 seems like a really good deal right now.
01/06/2007 09:02:16 PM · #16
Metered AIS/AI lens support was one of the deal breakers for myself.
01/06/2007 09:13:30 PM · #17
D200 Everytime!
01/06/2007 09:15:27 PM · #18
pick them up & look through the menus ...
the d200 menus go on & on
d80 seem truncated

for the D200 ai support & being a CLS Master
01/07/2007 01:15:42 AM · #19
Originally posted by ralph:



for the D200 ai support & being a CLS Master


I thought the D80 could act as a master or is it limited like the D70?
01/10/2007 05:48:18 AM · #20

hmm.. check also some noisy images:

//highiso.net/nikon/nikon-d200.html

or

//highiso.net/nikon/nikon-d80.html

D200 is not so good than should be.
01/10/2007 06:00:26 AM · #21
Originally posted by wavelength:

Big differences:

• hot-sync connector
• Heavy duty Magnesium alloy Body, seams weather-sealed
• Metering on 1000 pixel CCD vs. 420 pixel
• GPS enabled
• 5 Frames per second vs. 3fps


What is a camera doing with GPS capabilities? Does it save the location in the EXIF file?

Message edited by author 2007-01-10 06:01:49.
01/10/2007 06:13:39 AM · #22
Originally posted by skylercall:



What is a camera doing with GPS capabilities? Does it save the location in the EXIF file?


Yes, but the cable to connect a GPS costs $95 :-(, so I haven't used the feature yet. I'll try to get one before my next backpacking trip in spring.
01/10/2007 06:44:11 AM · #23
I saw the D200, the D80 and the 400D standing next to eachother today.

Even though the 400D was standing on a grip... it just looked like a toy next to the D200. I couldn't help it but I just had to laugh at it.
01/10/2007 06:47:41 AM · #24
I say buy yourself one of those disposable cameras and save the headache... ha!

I got the D80 since I'm not smart enough to know what the hell all of that other crap means. I love my D80!
01/12/2007 02:44:54 PM · #25
Thanks for the great advice. I ordered my D200 this morning. Now all I have to figure out is what to do to stop from going crazy while waiting for my new toy.
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