First DSLR

[shroh]

Hey guys,

I am thinking of moving from point and shoot / film SLR to DSLR for the first time.

I have been looking at number of models and i went D80/90/200/300 and now i am down to D90 vs D200...

Ive read number of comparison/reviews and STILL debatting which one to get!


I will be doing hand held pictures / sports / weather related pictures including storm chasing, lightning shots, time lapse on cloud changes etc / a bit of low light shooting

and I wont be printing the pictures out... I will be saving them on my hdd/post online or put it on one of those digital frame
Thinking of doing a bit of editting on Photoshop or apature as well. (nothing intense)


I dont really need HD video and D300 will definitely get what i want but i just dont have money for it and i guess it might be too much for first timer like me


I am worried about D200 is the noise with high ISO... even with my point and shoot, i barely use flash...
With D90 its the weathersealing.

I would probably go for D90 because of better brain and functions but I do like to take my camera out in drizzley day to take some photos of the storms and all. Also taking shots early in the morning by the river. (Humidity and condensation is what I am worried about here more than rain here)

Eventually I will move on to better camera but for starter, Id like to find out if D200 will get me the picture quality I would be looking for or if D90 will be able to handle those weather conditions.


Thanks guys!

[Greg McCary]

I prefer a weather sealed body even though most DSLRs will take much more abuse than you can imagine. I am not a Nikon guy but bottom line to me would be IQ unless you plan to get out in severe weather or be in hazardous conditions. You say no prints but that could change once you see how good your pictures turn out. But the lens you use will be a bigger factor than body.

[shroh]

You say no prints but that could change once you see how good your pictures turn out. But the lens you use will be a bigger factor than body.

you are right, it could change and like you said, id rather spend extra money on lens rather than the body

[n8]

If you're between the d90 and the d200 and you intend to go storm chasing, i.e. out in icky weather, then you're going to want to go for the d200 as the d90 is not weather sealed (although it can handle a pint of beer being spilled on it).
The d200 is a generation behind the d90, and I've seen them going for rather cheap on ebay compared to the d90, as it's still a bit of a contender. This means extra cash for glass. Bear in mind that you will need CF cards rather then SD.

[Chris350]

Buy the d-90 and a rain cover? The D-200 is sealed but not that sealed. I assume you're buying used since both of these are discontinued models. The D-200 is fine up to about ISO 640 beyond that it's too noisy for practical usage. If you're not posting large images then you may never notice the noise.