The Nikon D200 – Canon EOS 5D Head-to-Head Review marks the debut of our comparative review format. There's plenty of debate about whether the 10.2 megapixel Nikon D200, at $1700, and the $3200, 12.8 MP full-frame Canon EOS 5D even ought to be compared – the price and sensor size differences are often cited points. But here's why we think it's useful to look at them together: first, the D200 and the 5D are the latest cameras from the leading DSLR manufacturers, and are the results of big R&D efforts. As such, they ought to show where the two companies are going, and what they're capable of. Second, they are Canon and Nikon's step-down models to their flagship DSLRs – both the EOS 5D and D200 represent more affordable, scaled-down versions of their top of the line cousins, with the full-frame 5D a smaller iteration of the 1Ds Mark II, and the D200 a mid-level D2X. We've heard plenty of Nikon partisans argue that the D200 competes more directly with the Canon EOS 30D, but really, the 30D is essentially the Canon EOS 20D with an interface upgrade – the chip and image processor are unchanged – so technologically, the camera is over a year and a half old.
