Comments about Nikon Nikon D200 Digital 10.2mp SLR Camera Outfit with 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AFS DX VR Zoom-Nikkor Lens, U.S.A.:

I started out 30 years ago with a Nikon FM. I couldn't afford this when I switched to digital...but finally worked my way up. It was worth the wait. Go for it. You won't regret it. Take the time to learn how to use it. It is amazing. Anyone who doesn't love it hasn't learned all it can do.

Comments about Nikon Nikon D200 Digital 10.2mp SLR Camera Outfit with 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AFS DX VR Zoom-Nikkor Lens, U.S.A.:

The review by mrdweeble compelled me to write. Noise in the D200 maybe a little more evident than in some Canon cameras but there is also more retention of detail due to less aggressive in-camera noise reduction. Most of my images are shot at ISO 400 and above and I find noise well-suppressed even at ISO 800. I've even used ISO 1600 on occasion without needing to use a third-party noise-reduction software in the processing of the image files. I do know other D200 owners whose cameras seem to exhibit more noise than mine but all agree that image quality at ISO 400 is nothing short of excellent, a very different finding from the one of mrdweeble.

As others have commented, the ergonomics and build of the camera are excellent, although it does result in it being a little on the heavy side. But when coupled with the 18-200 Nikkor lens, it forms a very versatile kit that replaces the need to carry 4 or 5 separate lenses and perhaps a couple of camera bodies. Hence the lens and camera become the ideal pairing for the discerning travel photographer.

Image quality from the 18-200 lens is good to very good, although clearly some compromises are necessary in a lens that covers an 11.1x optical zoom range. That said, the Nikon outperforms similar offerings available from independent manufacturers. Distortion is a little high, especially at the wide end of the zoom range where barrel distortion leads to straight lines becoming curved towards the edges of the frame. However, this phenomenon is found to a greater or lesser degree in all wide-angle lenses. The lens can also be a little soft at wide apertures but this softness, and the distortion, can be corrected easily in software such as DxO for those who are particularly demanding. The fairly small maximum aperture is offset by the excellent vibration reduction system built into the lens which allows far slower shutter speeds to be hand-held than would otherwise be possible. Sports photographers will however want a lens with a bigger maximum aperture that allows faster shutter speeds in poor or indoor lighting.

Finally, I have to disagree with mrdweeble about Nikon Capture NX. For those who want the ultimate image quality from this camera, shooting in RAW mode and processing in the NX software is a must. Capture NX brings out detail from the NEF files that no other RAW processing software can match. But it can be very slow to use on PCs featuring less than 1.5 GB of RAM.

Comments about Nikon Nikon D200 Digital 10.2mp SLR Camera Outfit with 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AFS DX VR Zoom-Nikkor Lens, U.S.A.:

Nikon came so close to having a winner in the D200, something that could finally compete against Canon's 20D, 30D. But they failed in the noise department. The D200 is basically an ISO 100 body with higher ISO options at the price of rapidly deteriorating image quality due to noise. Once you go above 400, the image is pretty much useless. Even from 200 to 400, it gets really bad in the shadows. The noise on this camera looks like something manufacturers were putting out in 2001; hey Nikon, this is 2007. With the introduction of the D3, D300, Nikon is finally admitting that the D200, D70, D2H (the noise machine) and D2HS were all bad cameras in the noise department and Canon was kicking their rear ends. These new cameras will make D200s a poor choice for any photographer unless they shoot a lot of brick walls in full sunlight.

To the camera's credit, it has good build quality, can produce excellent skin tones when you don't use its auto WB and use and Expo Disc to set WB and use RAW format processed in ACR. Don't waste your money on NX, just another income stream for Nikon.

Comments about Nikon Nikon D200 Digital 10.2mp SLR Camera Outfit with 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AFS DX VR Zoom-Nikkor Lens, U.S.A.:

The 18-200mm VR lens and the D200 is a great combination. It gives you the ability to travel with one lens that does a very good job. I like primes, but this is the lens that is on my D200 when I am just walking around.

Comments about Nikon Nikon D200 Digital 10.2mp SLR Camera Outfit with 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AFS DX VR Zoom-Nikkor Lens, U.S.A.:

One hell of a camera! I've used my F5 for many years and stepping to Digital Photography and the new D200, not too far from my F5...
Takes great pics and a very friendly user.
Just be patient and you'll get there too.