Nikon D200 vs. Canon EOS 5D Head-to-Head Review

Overall Impressions
Advantage Chart: 

Value
Although the D200 and 5D are placed at different price points, the two cameras are advertised by the manufacturers in the same light – targeting advanced amateurs and hobbyists, along with budget-conscious professionals. Each camera offers double digit resolution, quick and reliable autofocus (though not quite pro level), extensive customization and about as good of a lens mount as is available. Both cameras provide an excellent value in their own right; however, considering the D200 is two thirds the price of the 5D, it should be more appealing to the true value shoppers.

The D200 also presents many advantages over the 5D: you get more speed, a pop-up flash, a better LCD screen, more logical layout and nearly equal image quality at lower ISO settings in a more rugged body. This makes a compelling argument for saving the extra $1,200 or so; however, the 5D’s price is justified in two primary respects – the full frame sensor retains the original focal length of all EF lenses, greatly expanding the range of wide angle lenses available, and the camera’s high ISO performance and dynamic range creates images competitive with each manufacturer’s top-of-the-line models.

At under $3,000 (now), the 5D offers image quality comparable to the 1Ds Mark II and D2X at a high-end consumer price point. Conversely, providing much of the 5D’s image quality in a far more favorable design, the D200, at well under $2,000, should be viewed as a breakthrough product in its own right.

Conclusion
We elected to debut our Head-to-Head review format with a comparison of the Nikon D200 and Canon EOS 5D - the latest designs by the two premiere DSLR manufacturers. Again, we chose the Canon EOS 5D and not the EOS 30D because the 30D internals are over a year and a half old, while the 5D much more accurately illustrates where Canon is in their developmental progression. In comparing these cameras, many core differences between Nikon and Canon’s approach becomes apparent. Canon has directed their efforts towards developing and engineering the camera’s internal components – manufacturing most of their own parts, particularly their sensors, and concentrating on high ISO performance, dynamic range, and obviously high resolution. Nikon on the other hand, has focused more on furthering the general design of the camera – engineering fast, reliable autofocus, flexible metering, logical control layout, and advanced flash capabilities. Both the D200 and EOS 5D have a lot to offer consumers: high resolution, strong dynamic range, fast internal processors, and extensive control at price points that would have been impossible just a year or two ago. However, neither presents a perfect camera.

The D200 is a much faster camera with a more logical ergonomic design. With the Nikon, users can turn the camera on and snap off a shot in a single motion - an action that would require two hands and far more time with the 5D. The D200 can also shoot 5 frames a second, while the 5D can only muster 3. This combined with the D200’s more robust body (not to mention its more affordable price tag), makes it a much more formidable alternative for photojournalists or casual shooters.

At lower sensitivity settings (ISO 100-400), the two cameras produce images of comparable quality in terms of noise, color, dynamic range and sharpness. While the 5D still retains a slight edge, the difference is negligible for the quality both cameras produce. However, once the sensitivity is pushed to ISO 400 and beyond, Canon earns the extra $1,300 tacked on the 5D’s price tag. At sensitivity settings beyond ISO 500, the 5D continues to create images of exception quality, while the D200 falters and produces results more consistent with consumer-level designs.

Most photographers will admit that timeless images and their relationship to the equipment that produced them has had more to do with the design of the camera than the quality of images it produced. However, image quality is where the EOS 5D justifies its price tag and pulls away from the D200, and depending on the demands of the shoot or profession, the additional quality may be necessary.

These two models stand to represent the leading DSLR manufacturers and indicate that professional-level quality is now accessible to general consumers. Nikon has voiced that they will remain with APS-sized sensors, alluding to less expensive models than Canons counterparts; while Canon will continue to develop their full-frame designs and at least for the time being, offer an advantage at high sensitivities. Although there is a significant degree of differentiation in these two particular models and each manufacturer’s current design ideology, both represent remarkable breakthroughs in their own right that continue to force the rest of the industry to play catch-up.