Nikon D200 10.2 MP Digital SLR Camera - Black (Body Only)

A great step up from P&S cameras. This is an older pro camera now at an affordable price. The feel is great, the larger viewfinder and playback screen are great. Nikons last forever if you take care of them. HOWEVER, a few things to know: This takes an CF card , which is now antiquated and harder to find. Newer laptops and desktops wont have ports for them like SD cards. There is no auto popup flash. You have to turn it on and set it up. Make sure you get one with a Nikon battery,charger & CF card. Otherwise these will run you another $100 dollars. Low shutter count is key, and there are plenty of them out there with that.

It's a very good model to start out with because it's a cheaper, but older professional model.

It has good enough colors. It has good enough features.

The 1/8000 max shutterspeed is wonderful, the focus motor is awesome.

This lens a great start for anyone.

I work with many people who want to move from a point and shoot to a DSLR. The D200 is my top recommendation for those who want to be serious about learning the power of an SLR. The D200 has easy access to the power features of bracketing and ISO adjustment. Picture quality is great and the camera is extra durable.

The only complaints I have may be the size and weight and having no SD card slot. The camera is a bit heavy compared to a D3100. I have a SD slot on my computer and I prefer SD cards only because of that.

Don't get me wrong, I like the D300S better than any other Nikon I have used. The D300S is a bit more pricey and I like the D200 for a starter.

My wife and I had Nikon film SLR cameras for years, but were not sure how to proceed when digital arrived years back. We purchased a Coolpix 8400 which was one of the best point and shoot cameras they had at the time and although we liked the camera, it did not have the feel or creative capabilities of a SLR. Plus the speed from power on to exposure was awful.

When we decided to jump back into a SLR camera I started doing research into the new models available from Nikon. Although they have many great cameras, my budget did not allow me to get into the step up models that matched the capabilities of our film SLR that I had. On a whim, I started doing research looking into models that were a generation or two old and found the D200. Every review I read was very complementary with top ratings from everyone. We love our 'new' D200 and have had a great time getting to know its features and capabilities. As an added bonus we were able to use all our old AF Nikon lenses which had been gathering dust for too many years. Is it the latest and greatest? Maybe not, but it is still the camera of choice for many, and certainly is a great alternative when looking for a very nice camera on a budget.

Highly recommended!

Even though the rest of the world seemed to be going digital, I clung stubbornly to film, thinking no other camera could produce images that could touch the ones produce by my F5 and Fuji professional color film. The D200 proved me wrong. I used a rental D200 along with my F5 to do a wedding in October 2009. I was amazed at the results. The images were every bit as good as the F5 produced! Not only that, but the same great Nikon Lenses (105mm micro, 60mm micro and 24-120 mm zoom) worked as quickly and as smoothly on the D200, as they did on the F5. Another big plus; you can see your shot almost instantly; to see who blinked or made a funny face, instead of finding out when the film is processed. I used to take 4 shots of everything, to be sure I had one great shot. Now, I can save the film! As far as ease of use; the D200 is point and shoot simple or as creative as you want to be! On program mode you can punch out great shots all day long; especially if you're using an sb600 or sb800 flash or a Metz 54MZ4. I used all of them and they supported the Nikon ittl, flawlessly.
Controls are easy to reach and easy to use, and you'll soon be experimenting with shutter priority, (my favorite) aperture priority, or even full manual. I may be getting timid, or just tired, but at weddings I tend to go with program in most cases and I've found from the results that "the camera seems to know best". Depending on the mood I'm tryng to create, I will use shutter priority and aperture priority, but for the most part, I've come to worry about posing and let the image up to the camera; and it hasn't failed me yet.

Although not as heavy as the F5, the D200 does have some heft to it. I like that. It's all metal body feels solid and sounds solid. At 10.2 megapixels, it's not the max, but I just recently added a D90 to my collection, with 12.3.
While the D90 is awesome in its own right, the images produced aren't noticibly superior to the D200.

The D200 isn't cheap, but you can find a good used one for $600-$700 on ebay and when you combine it with a great Nikon lens, you'll be able to produce some really amazing images.

I was impressed enough with the D200 to part with 2 F5s, an F100 and F4s, film cameras all, in order to buy 2 D200s a D90 and, for family outings, trips, etc a D60. Thus far, I'm not at all sorry. I'm getting a positive response from my wedding clients, the certainty of knowing "I got the shot" and reliable performance from digital cameras that are every bit as tough as their film predecsors. If you're looking for something affordable, yet more advanced than the entry level digital cameras, thew D200 will get you professional quality shots while letting you enjoy photography once again!