I convinced my wife that since I'm starting to do more portrait/wedding stuff, I was in need of something with a few more MP than my D2h. I ended up finding a slightly used (non noticable) D200, and I picked up 2 spare batteries (soon I'll be getting a 3rd), 2 chargers, and the MB-D200 battery grip for about $1100.

I took it out for a quick walk around the apartment complex. Then the next day I took a few shots of the boy. He makes a great subject to practice on.

Scott I have the D200/D2h comb and they are a wonderfully complementing pair. Your going to love the D200 it is a very capable piece of equipment.

Congrats! Love the baby shotsl What a smile!

Thanks!

OT, seeing a couple of your shots both sports & portraits helped fuel my choice of which body to get.

Here is one more from tonite. There is a pretty decent wildfire in the hills, and we got treated to a beautiful (yet wierd) sunset. Outside it was like you had an orange filter over your eyes. The sky wasn't just orange, everything around you had an orange tint.

I just put the battery pack back on my D200. It feels really good. It's been tough trying to decide when to use the D300 and when to use the D200. Finally I've gone back to the D200 for use in the studio. I'm used to shooting at 100ISO which the D300 can't do, plus I like the big focussing spots. The D300 is for outdoors, getting the hang of this Active D-lighting stuff now.

I just put the battery pack back on my D200. It feels really good. It's been tough trying to decide when to use the D300 and when to use the D200. Finally I've gone back to the D200 for use in the studio. I'm used to shooting at 100ISO which the D300 can't do, plus I like the big focussing spots. The D300 is for outdoors, getting the hang of this Active D-lighting stuff now.


Since you have the D200 and the D300 it would be great if you would do a little comparison post maybe in the Nikon forum. I am very interested in the D300, how is it preforming in high ISO settings?

Charles, have you tried using the Lo-1 sensitivity on the D300? I've only used it a few times, as I rarely need ISO 100, but at the expense of perhaps a tiny bit of dynamic range, it's very usable.

OT, have you checked out the sample images from the D300 review? There are a few in there at high ISO, and I would be glad to provide you with more and full sized samples in a gallery on my website.
IMHO the D300 is fantastic in low light, and if I didn't have the D3 to spoil me, I wouldn't have any reservations about it in low light. Clearly a significant jump from the D200 in noise control. I still have a D200 body floating around here that I never got around to selling, so maybe I'll run a comparison for you.

I like my D200 . so what are some of your custom settings? I do find that when I out the sigma lens on the camera the light meter is way off.

Very nice! Congrats on the new toy.

OMG your baby has grown so FAST!!! He's a cutie!!!

Charles, have you tried using the Lo-1 sensitivity on the D300? I've only used it a few times, as I rarely need ISO 100, but at the expense of perhaps a tiny bit of dynamic range, it's very usable.

OT, have you checked out the sample images from the D300 review? There are a few in there at high ISO, and I would be glad to provide you with more and full sized samples in a gallery on my website.
IMHO the D300 is fantastic in low light, and if I didn't have the D3 to spoil me, I wouldn't have any reservations about it in low light. Clearly a significant jump from the D200 in noise control. I still have a D200 body floating around here that I never got around to selling, so maybe I'll run a comparison for you.

I tested the D300 vs. the D200 when I was deciding what to buy and after looking at low iso (<400) photos I conclude that the difference is only discernable at huge enlargements or when you're looking really really closely. Above 400 you start seeing the difference and at >800 the D300 is a beast of its own. For me, anything above 400 is just about useless since I never shoot in really dark conditions that nescessitate higher iso's anyhow. The D200 is a great camera and will give you great shots-- just remember that its the photographer that counts. I've seen better shots from a D70 than some rich amateur with a D3. The pictures you posted were great, keep them coming and welcome to the D200 club!

I like my D200 . so what are some of your custom settings? I do find that when I out the sigma lens on the camera the light meter is way off.

I pretty much have the camera setup the exact same way as my D2h. AF-ON activating the autofocus, 4 different banks setup so switch between night shooting/sports/studio work.

I did a couple shots at ISO 1600 for fun in my warehouse, and I was quite impressed. Hopefully next week I'll be able to make my friends roller hockey game, and I'll have a chance to shoot at 1600 and probably higher since the place is a dungeon. I've mostly shot with my 50 1.8 & 12-24 on it. Probably next week I'll be using my Sigma 28-70 on it to see how it looks.

I also ordered a used D70 for my wife, along with a new 18-55VR lens that I'm stoked about. I bought it for her camera, but if it works really good and the images come out great, I'll probably steal it & give her the 28-70 :)

IMHO the D300 is fantastic in low light, and if I didn't have the D3 to spoil me, I wouldn't have any reservations about it in low light. Clearly a significant jump from the D200 in noise control. I still have a D200 body floating around here that I never got around to selling, so maybe I'll run a comparison for you.

That is the info I wanted right there Harrison. I do a lot of high ISO sports and have been drooling over the reports about the D3 but just can't justify the numbers on it. I needed to know from someone that had used it if the D300 was a significant improvement over the D200.

It is, however improper exposure or shooting RAW then converting with certain non-Nikon software can easily negate that advantage. So it's important to remember that. If you shoot JPEG or use Nikon ViewNX or Capture NX/2 to convert your NEFs, you'll be assured of good results if you did your part properly :)