Welcome to Dgrin. I've owned the D2h and D2Hs as well as the D200.
The D2H was one of all my all time favorite cameras so I'm guessing I had better luck with it than you had. I'm currently using the D200 as the back-up to my D2X and I'm satisfied with it.
What made you unhappy with the D2H and what are you looking for in the D200?
Harry http://behret.smugmug.com/NANPA member How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Thanks everybody,but I have had the D2h for three years,and did have problems with it.I have sent it back for up grades and now it great.I have taken over 15,000 photos this year with it.What my question is,when I bought the d2h,it was billed as 5 mp,not so after about a year,Nikon said 4.1.I do a lot of shooting at nite,about 95% of the time,and want to buy the 200,but does it have a lot of noise at night?The d2h does.Most people do not shoot what I do,so its hard to explain just what I am talking about.I do dirt track race cars at nite,sometimes in very low light,if sometimes any.I need to get as much noise out as I can.Is this possible?Mack
Thanks everybody,but I have had the D2h for three years,and did have problems with it.I have sent it back for up grades and now it great.I have taken over 15,000 photos this year with it.What my question is,when I bought the d2h,it was billed as 5 mp,not so after about a year,Nikon said 4.1.I do a lot of shooting at nite,about 95% of the time,and want to buy the 200,but does it have a lot of noise at night?The d2h does.Most people do not shoot what I do,so its hard to explain just what I am talking about.I do dirt track race cars at nite,sometimes in very low light,if sometimes any.I need to get as much noise out as I can.Is this possible?Mack
The D200 does not do as well with noise as the D2Hs or the D80. The D80 probably handles noise best out of Nikon's current line-up. I'm waiting for the D3H which is rumored ot be coming out late next year.
Harry http://behret.smugmug.com/NANPA member How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
The D200 does not do as well with noise as the D2Hs or the D80. The D80 probably handles noise best out of Nikon's current line-up. I'm waiting for the D3H which is rumored ot be coming out late next year.
Thank you.So you think that the d80 would be better at this time to buy,and then waite till next year?Mack
Thank you.So you think that the d80 would be better at this time to buy,and then waite till next year?Mack
I'm not a big fan of the entry level cameras. I just feel that you are giving up too much for what you are getting and the D80 uses SD cards and not CF cards. IF you don't have a bunch of CF cards like I do its may be a non-issue for ya.
If you need a body that's good for action shots but handles noise better than the D2H then I would go for the D2Hs. The 4.1 MP is only an issue if you are going to be doing some heavy cropping on your shots.
I sold my D2Hs and went with the D200 for my back-up camera but that was more of a $ move. I prefered the D2Hs' handling and focusing over the D200's.
In the end it comes down to what you prefer and how you are going to use the camera.
Thom Hogan's reviews of Nikon cameras are the best around, IMHO. Check out his reviews of Nikon's current offerings here. http://bythom.com/
Harry http://behret.smugmug.com/NANPA member How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
I agree with Harryb. It was Hogan's review that swayed me towards the D200 (my 3rd DSLR) versus the Canon 5D. I felt the D200 offered what I was looking for less money.(i.e. easy of use, composition flexiblilty) I've taken approx. 5000 pics with the D200 and have enjoyed learning digital photography with it. Recommend highly.
i recently picked up a D200 + 18-200 VR lens kit. i liked it so much that i bought a second one and replaced my D70s as a backup camera. while it's true that the D200 does *NOT* handle noise as well as say D2X/D2Xs, it's also half the price. it has about 90% of the D2X functionality, and hell, i probably use less than half of all those anyway. i find moving between shooting modes and changing settings is easy on the D200; especially with the "recent changes" menu.
i have *1* intermittent problem that i discovered with one of my D200s, and i've yet to contact nikon about it (strange dark area creeps onto frame). oh, and battery life isn't a strong suit on this camera. i've got a couple of spare generic en-el3e batts i picked up and between those 2 and the original, i can shoot a long 12 hour wedding no problem
i've considered getting a D80 as a backup camera but figured, for about $400 more for the body, I could just get another D200, so I did.
We can all give you our opinion, but it will boil down to your choice. Each of us view the world through different lenses.
I had a D70 and a D2H when I bought a D200. I still have the D2H. It was my first digital SLR and I have taken thousands of pictures with it, mostly under stage or field lights. I use the D200 in the same way, both cameras have unique featurs that I appreciate. The D200 noise is much better than the D2H, but pictures from both are very acceptable, especially after application of Noise Ninja when necessary.
I don't feel I was ripped off with my D2H. It does what I bought it for. It is a camera for photojournalists and more affordable than many others. I take pictures of bands, dancers, and ball games and post them on the Internet. I don't use it for portraits.
The way I use the D200, it is a fine mid-priced camera. It may not do anything as well as others might, but with good glass mine has taken some great shots under lights, in the sun, and with a flash. It does what I bought it to do.
Digital cameras are an emerging technology. The state of the art today will be obsolete in a year. Whatever you buy (or bought) should be understood that way. The next generation will fix some problems, but there sill be new ones. Get over it.
Comments
Mack, welcome to dgrin, but if you want any useful info, I have to agree with above, take a second to type out some specific questions.
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The D2H was one of all my all time favorite cameras so I'm guessing I had better luck with it than you had. I'm currently using the D200 as the back-up to my D2X and I'm satisfied with it.
What made you unhappy with the D2H and what are you looking for in the D200?
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
The D200 does not do as well with noise as the D2Hs or the D80. The D80 probably handles noise best out of Nikon's current line-up. I'm waiting for the D3H which is rumored ot be coming out late next year.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Thank you.So you think that the d80 would be better at this time to buy,and then waite till next year?Mack
I'm not a big fan of the entry level cameras. I just feel that you are giving up too much for what you are getting and the D80 uses SD cards and not CF cards. IF you don't have a bunch of CF cards like I do its may be a non-issue for ya.
If you need a body that's good for action shots but handles noise better than the D2H then I would go for the D2Hs. The 4.1 MP is only an issue if you are going to be doing some heavy cropping on your shots.
I sold my D2Hs and went with the D200 for my back-up camera but that was more of a $ move. I prefered the D2Hs' handling and focusing over the D200's.
In the end it comes down to what you prefer and how you are going to use the camera.
Thom Hogan's reviews of Nikon cameras are the best around, IMHO. Check out his reviews of Nikon's current offerings here. http://bythom.com/
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
IF you shoot in RAW there will be little to no difference between the D200 and D80.
i have *1* intermittent problem that i discovered with one of my D200s, and i've yet to contact nikon about it (strange dark area creeps onto frame). oh, and battery life isn't a strong suit on this camera. i've got a couple of spare generic en-el3e batts i picked up and between those 2 and the original, i can shoot a long 12 hour wedding no problem
i've considered getting a D80 as a backup camera but figured, for about $400 more for the body, I could just get another D200, so I did.
- my photography: www.dangin.com
- my blog: www.dangin.com/blog
- follow me on twitter: @danginphoto
I had a D70 and a D2H when I bought a D200. I still have the D2H. It was my first digital SLR and I have taken thousands of pictures with it, mostly under stage or field lights. I use the D200 in the same way, both cameras have unique featurs that I appreciate. The D200 noise is much better than the D2H, but pictures from both are very acceptable, especially after application of Noise Ninja when necessary.
I don't feel I was ripped off with my D2H. It does what I bought it for. It is a camera for photojournalists and more affordable than many others. I take pictures of bands, dancers, and ball games and post them on the Internet. I don't use it for portraits.
The way I use the D200, it is a fine mid-priced camera. It may not do anything as well as others might, but with good glass mine has taken some great shots under lights, in the sun, and with a flash. It does what I bought it to do.
Digital cameras are an emerging technology. The state of the art today will be obsolete in a year. Whatever you buy (or bought) should be understood that way. The next generation will fix some problems, but there sill be new ones. Get over it.
John
http://www.imagengineer.smugmug.com/