Nikon D200 Digital Camera Review

Model Design / Appearance (9.0) 

The Nikon D200 looks bulkier than the D70, although it's not much bigger. Like its predecessors, the D100 and the F100, the Nikon D200 is a bit more square – in spots where the D70 tapers, the D200 has filled-out corners. All Nikon DSLRs share certain stylistic touches, such as a small inverted red triangle towards the top of the handgrip, the leather-textured rubber body covering, and angular contours on the viewfinder hump. The D200 is no exception; it looks like a member of the family. 

 

The viewfinder profile of the Nikon D200 holds a pop-up flash, so it juts forward, like the D70s and D50 viewfinders. The D2X/D2Hs shapes aren't as pointy, though they do bulge a bit. In this respect, the gap between the midline Nikons and the top ones is visibly apparent.  

 

Size / Portability (7.25)

At 5.8 x 4.4 x 2.9 inches, the Nikon D200 has roughly the same maximum dimensions as the D70. The distance from bottom to top of the hot shoe is the same for both the D70 and D200, but the D200 fills out that space more completely. Weight proves it. Nikon says the D70 tips the scales at 600 grams, or 21 ounces, while the D200 goes 830 grams, or 29 ounces. This gives the D200 a denser feel than most 35mm bodies that don’t include a vertical grip. The D200 will probably feel heavy to some, but it’s a solid, stable type of weight, indicating the type of construction and build quality that went into the camera. 

Handling Ability (9.0)

We found the Nikon D200 easy to hold and operate. The grip is comfortable. The rubber covering is the same material that's on the D2H grip. It's stickier than the coating on the D70, which gives it a more secure feel. The media card door is not covered with rubber, unlike the D2X and D2H, but it's a much smoother contour than the D70 grip. The swooping thumb rest on the D200 is comfortable, and positioned well to allow the user to operate the four-way controller and the rear control dial. The gap created by the door's hinge is much less noticeable on the D200. The camera strap lugs on the Nikon D200 are up and out of the way, and the camera balances well. The right one is more or less on top of the camera, and won't get in the way of the user's hand. The left one is high, too, mounted near the junction of the front and side panels. The rubber covering extends to the left front and side of the D200, so users who find themselves gripping the camera, rather than the lens, with their left hands will still find a good texture to grip.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (9.25)

The majority of the control buttons on the Nikon D200 are large and mechanically very good. Their travel, and the slight resistance they exert against the finger, gives reliable tactile feedback to the user.

 

Nikon uses two jog dials for major shooting settings on all of its DSLRs except the D50. Like the other cameras, the Nikon D200's dials are at the back and front of the handgrip, placed for use by the thumb and forefinger, respectively. The Nikon D200's dials are large and made of a rubbery plastic, like the ones on the D2X and D2H. They are easy to turn, and an improvement over the smaller, hard plastic dials on the D70.

 

The four-way controller is large, and appears to be exactly the same as the controller used on the D2X/D2H. Its operation is quick and smooth. Pressing the center of the control prompts an action related to the current function of the arrows. For instance, when one is using the sides, top, and bottom to scroll around an image, pressing the center of the dial will scroll to the center of the image. The ring surrounding the four-way controller turns to disable it in some functions. In shooting mode, the lock prevents the controller from switching autofocus areas, but leaves it enabled for menu navigation.

 

The D200 has a customizable function button below the depth of field button on the front of the camera, a welcome feature it shares with the D2X/D2H. On the D200, the options for the function button include temporarily changing metering patterns and exposure options. We expect that most users will find access to their shooting shortcuts via this dedicated button quite useful.

 

The three buttons on top of the burst mode dial to the left of the viewfinder control ISO, white balance, and quality (image resolution and compression), providing convenient and quick access to key camera functions.

Menu (8.0)

Nikon continues to use tabbed menu interfaces, but they're getting prettier—the D200 features white type on black and dark gray backgrounds, with some yellow accents. The D200 menus are readable, even in bright light, and well organized. The sanserif text is large and well-rendered, with a vertical bar of tabs on the left side of the screen, a heading at the top, a list of settings in the middle, a narrow gray vertical bar on the right showing current statuses for each settings, and a very narrow scroll bar at the far right. The D200 has a contextual help system. Pressing the “?” key brings up text about whatever menu item is active.

 

Users of point-and-shoots or SLR-like compact cameras have gotten used to live views, which superimpose menus over the viewfinder image. Since this is an SLR, the D200 doesn’t offer this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A separate menu comes up in Playback mode.

 

Ease of Use (6.5)

The D200 offers an extensive list of customization options and was not designed as a beginners' camera; however, the major controls are easy to find and operation is straightforward. The camera offers a Program mode for fully automatic exposure, though it only goes so far; it doesn't offer the Scene modes that the D70, D70s, D50 or Nikon Coolpix cameras do.

 

On the other hand, the D200 offers manual overrides to tweak both its automated readings and its preset values. The overrides are easy to access, and can make pronounced changes in the final images. Also, the inclusion of a pop-up flash with commander mode makes it easier and more affordable to shoot with wireless multi-flash setups.

 

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