Popular Photography D200 Review
Charles
http://www.SnortingBullPhoto.com
http://www.sportsshooter.com/cherskowitz
"There's no reason to hurry on this climb...as long as you keep the tempo at the right speed the riders will fall back."
http://www.SnortingBullPhoto.com
http://www.sportsshooter.com/cherskowitz
"There's no reason to hurry on this climb...as long as you keep the tempo at the right speed the riders will fall back."
0
Comments
They've got a little news 'podcast' on that page. The guy says this is THE best camera they've ever tested in the sub $2,000 range. Good news for Nikon
I meant to check that out...anything else interesting? Normally I don't take much stock in magazine reviews but I remember reading Pop Photo's review parameters a while back and it was pretty serious...definitely not just a guy taking a few pix and regurgitating the spec sheet.
http://www.SnortingBullPhoto.com
http://www.sportsshooter.com/cherskowitz
"There's no reason to hurry on this climb...as long as you keep the tempo at the right speed the riders will fall back."
"But the real surprise is that the D200 captures images with slightly higher resolution and color accuracy than Canon's full-frame 12.8MP EOS 5D ($3,000, body only)."
I wish they would have explained that statement a little more completely, so I could believe it. I find it hard to believe because both the gross pixel count and pixel density work against it (against the Nikon D200 versus the Canon 5D.) If this is proven true, this is a major advance for Nikon and a major blow and threat to Canon.
ziggy53
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
http://www.SnortingBullPhoto.com
http://www.sportsshooter.com/cherskowitz
"There's no reason to hurry on this climb...as long as you keep the tempo at the right speed the riders will fall back."
That could be true, but the Canon 5D is almost twice as expensive as the Nikon D200. That difference could buy some serious Nikkor glass.
Makes me think?
ziggy53
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
But whichever is better, it is still no secret that the difference between the D200 and 5D image quality is small, at the lower ISO's. And that, given the huge price difference, automatically points low-ISO shooters to the D200 without a doubt, unless one already has a few thousand dollars invested in Canon lenses.
For high ISO shooting however, and while the D200 does perform well at high ISO, the 5D beats it by a decent margin.
The only problem is, the 20D offers a very similar margin above the D200 as far as high ISO, but costs even less than it.
So, FF still wouldn't win for me being on a budget or not I would still want to put my money where it works the hardest for me. If I want high ISO, I'd be more than satisfied with a 20D or 30D and a 17-55 IS, and if I want professional features and ruggedness, I'd get the D200 and a DX lens, or heck I can even use the old manual focus indestructible lenses save wide angle, though my new Tokina 17mm f/3.5 is wide enough for me at 25.5mm FOV. And the 12-24 Tokina is just $450 yet sharper in the corners than anything FF can offer aside from exotic Zeiss glass.
I don't understand why people are jumping at FF so soon when the advantages of it don't yet fully surpass the price premium dis-advantage. Hopefully someday we'll see sub-$2000 FF DSLR bodies, and I'd LOOOOVE to own one and reclaim a nice big viewfinder, but until then I think it's a stretch to spend $3000 on a 5D when the D200 is at least such a close 2nd, whether or not this PopPhoto review's particular statement is believable.
-Matt-
My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
Is this what you're looking for?
http://www.popphoto.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=1714
PDF: http://www.popphoto.com/assets/download/PP1205_HowToReadCameraTest.pdf
1) Resolution. The IT-10 test target helps us determine the maximum number of individual horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines that can be resolved by a camera. It also reveals the extent of color moiré problems in fine details, and provides the first indication of a camera's contrast and noise levels. We average the three line counts and use this number to give the camera a resolution rating based on the scale shown below. As of this month (Dec 2005), our resolution ratings have been updated to reflect today's higher-megapixel sensors, making it tougher for a camera to earn top honors. Under our new scoring system, an average of 1700 lines or higher now earns an Excellent resolution rating; previously it was 1500 lines or higher.
2) Color accuracy. We use the GretagMacbeth ColorChecker DC test target to determine color accuracy. The camera's white balance is set manually to match the color temperature of the Dedolight HMI lights (usually 5600K), and we perform separate field tests to help us determine the accuracy of the camera's white-balance system. Software analysis of the 177 color patches on the ColorChecker DC target results in an average Delta E for all the patches.
Delta E is an international standard measurement of color difference, corresponding to the perceptual color sensitivity of the human visual system. Generally, a Delta E value of 1 corresponds to a color difference between two samples that would be noticed only by an expert under strictly controlled lighting, while a Delta E of 3 can just barely be seen by most viewers with good color vision in a brightly lit room. Our ratings are based on the scale shown above. In addition to determining color accuracy, readings from the same target can be used to create a 3D gamut map, which gives us another indication of the camera's color reproduction capabilities.
I can see no advantage in the samples shown almost daily at DPReview for the 5D. Many have claimed to have used both and/or have access to both but not one has backed up that claim with anything other than words.
The fact that you think the 20D offers a margin over the D200 makes me very suspect of everything you've written in this thread. I've tested a 20D in the past and will have a D200 in my hands within the next two weeks hopefully. If I cannont see a CLEAR advantage then the D200 WILL go.
It's all relative. If I were to take that literal then I'd think you'd shoot film still.
I have to say I've not entirely been impressed by my Tokina 12-24 so far on two different D100 bodies or a D70. I'm pretty sure it will be out of my collection pretty soon as a matter of fact.
Concerning your 17-55IS comment, do you have a copy of this lens? I was thinking it wasn't readily available yet so the actual IQ was still an unknown.
I wonder what it is people really want exactly? Who cares about FF. Crop DSLR's don't have to have poor VF's. Plenty of cameras exist that show this to be the case. More MP? Bigger photosites? To what purpose? I want more DR and that's it at this point. I want a superclean 3200ISO eventually but not having that isn't killing me.
Seems like Pop Photo made a *little* faux pas in their reporting...
See here:
http://www.popphoto.com/article.asp?section_id=5&article_id=1881
Here's a snippet:
"When we're wrong, I'll admit it
Unfortunately, 2310Hx 2220Vx 2080 Diagonal lines weren't the figures listed for the EOS 5D in our December, 2005 test report. Those figures were 2050V x 2000H x 2025 Diagonal, for an average resolution of 2030 lines. That's 170 lines less, or about 8% less resolution. Why the difference? It seems that the Pop Lab technician who ran the tests on the EOS 5D (and the Nikon D2X, also about 10% lower reported resolution compared to recent tests) made a measurement error that skewed the results downward. To prevent this from happening in the future, we have added safeguards to our testing procedures.
Why bother correcting this 8% error in tested resolution for the EOS 5D, when it didn't actually lower the camera's Excellent resolution rating? Because little errors have a way of snowballing into bigger ones—which is exactly what happened when I used those inaccurate resolution figures to compare the new D200 to the EOS 5D and Nikon D2x. In that report, I noted that the D200's average resolution of 2075 lines was equal to the D2X, and slightly higher than the EOS 5D. In fact, there's a much larger margin between the D200 and D2X (which has been updated to 2440 lines). And at 2200 lines, the EOS 5D shows an obvious advantage in resolution over the D200. All other test results remain the same as reported, with the D200 showing higher color accuracy than the EOS 5D."
Quoted from Robert J. McNamara's "Beware the Ides of March" column.
Apparently, that "cheaper dx ccd" was the little train that couldn't outresolve the 5D cmos sensor.
Glad they corrected it.
For $1,700 and the test results it did get - I'll take it
Yep, it's all about 'pride'....
Nothing to do with-
integrity
truth
accuracy
false claims
poor journalism
advertising revenue
Nope, it's really only about 'pride' :cry
Actually, it's about the thousands of Nikonians celebrating their 'win' over Canons "bogus FF overpriced darling" having their noses rubbed in it. That's what it's really about
(note: I don't own a 5D...and I could care less 'who wins'...)
Sincerely 'In Jest',
Mongrel
My 100% truthful thoughts on all of this...
1. Popphoto's lens reviews are worthless. Less than worthless actually. I've seen them give plenty of glowing reviews to lenses that were nothing short of optical dogs without even mentioning obvious flaws. The Sigma 24-60 2.8 DG EX comes to mind. Poor sharpness wide open, poor contrast, and one of the worst Sigma's for color. The Sigma 18-125DC is another. Strong vignetting anywhere near wide open. I'm not a stickler for that but it was so bad even I couldn't stand it.
2. The last place I'd look for info on a camera is Popphoto. I'm sure there camera reviews are probably just as accurate as the lens reviews they publish.
3. I just think it's funny that...
a. Canon shooters would get so up in arms over the results of that review.
b. Nikon shooters need a review in one of the poorest magazines bar none to tell them how good their camera is.
4. I find it amazing that people would assume though that the 5D would blow the lowly D200 out of the water. That's even considering the huge price difference between the two. They should look around online to actual user experience to see the myriad of problems that the 5D has.