Nikon d200 used / need feedback / about to buy

[Genoks]

HI guys im new here and i wanted to get a feedback on some equipment im about to buy

D200 Camera Body (5k) actuations
battery pack (3) and charger
8GB memory card
Nikon Nikor 28-85 mm lens
Nikon Nikor 70-300 mm VR lens


for $900 am i getting a good deal?

im planning to use it for

• Wildlife shooting
  
• Birds up on the trees, close up on some flowers and bugs
  
• landscape ( as wide as possible ) - what do lens do i need for this?
  
• im going to be using a macbook pro via program called aperture for editing
  
• do i need a teleconverter too? are the lenses up there good enough

for what i want to do?


your inputs will be greatly appreciated!

thanks!

[Singletracklovr]

Hi Genoks,
That looks like a good price for those 3 items.
The 28-85mm is not very wide.
Remember you multiply the mm x 1.5 on that camera body.
So 28 becomes 42mm. The good new is the 300mm becomes 450mm

I have the 70-300 VR lens and ended up getting a 300 f4 with a 1.4x Teleconvert for more reach. On general walk-abouts for wildlife I do use the 70-300. For what I shoot it's my favorite lens and works very well if your subject is close.

hth

[mike_s]

I have the 70-300 VR lens and ended up getting a 300 f4 with a 1.4x Teleconvert for more reach. On general walk-abouts for wildlife I do use the 70-300. For what I shoot it's my favorite lens and works very well if your subject is close.

hth

so the 70-300VR works with a teleconvetor?

I could have sworn I read on the Nikon site that it didn't support a teleconvertor

is the 1.4x the only one it will support, or will it work with the 2.0x also?


what about on cameras that require AF-s, such as the D40, D40x, D60 ?


thanks. Mike

[Genoks]

thanks Singletracklovr,

that answers some of my question.

so 70-300 lens is both for flowers on the ground and birds up on the trees correct?

or is there any other special lens for really close shots and another for really accurate long shots.

about the landscape lens which one do i need to get as wide as possible and being clear at the same time?

[Genoks]

another important question i have is will nikon and nikkor award the warranty if i dont have the warranty card/proof?

really important please answer asap thanks guys!

[Singletracklovr]

Genoks]thanks Singletracklovr,

that answers some of my question.

so 70-300 lens is both for flowers on the ground and birds up on the trees correct?
That is what I use mine for.

or is there any other special lens for really close shots and another for really accurate long shots.
To get super closeups of flowers a Macro len is a good lens to have. Check out a nikon 105mm f2.8 macro lens

about the landscape lens which one do i need to get as wide as possible and being clear at the same time?
I use a nikon AF 18-135mm for my landscapes. Remembering 18mm really = 27mm. For my landscapes with sky and or water in them I also us a high quality multicoated circular polorizer or CPL filter.

hth

[jorgemonkey]

I don't think its a good deal. You should pass it up and forward me the information of where I can get it so you won't be tempted

I've got a D200 already & love it.

Nikon warranties are for the original owner only.

The 70-300 should work for closeups of birds in the trees. As long as you're a couple feet away you'll be able to get the flowers on the ground.

For landscapes you'll end up wanting something a little wider, but you'll get by fine with the 28.

[Dougjgreen]

Keep in mind that you can currently get a NEW Nikon D200 - with a Nikon Warranty at Best Buy for $599. I see used ones selling for around the same price, which means that people aren't aware of the fact that these new ones are available at that price.

[Genoks]

i was really going for the 75-200 af-s VR nikkor lens the package has.

i think it retails for about 500...

[Genoks]

what is the life expectancy of this body? i mean this unit im buying, with 5000 actuations should i be scared? coz its already out of warranty the guy owned it for a year now.

can i buy any extended warranty for it somewhere?

[Dougjgreen]

what is the life expectancy of this body? i mean this unit im buying, with 5000 actuations should i be scared? coz its already out of warranty the guy owned it for a year now.

can i buy any extended warranty for it somewhere?

It's pretty tough to get an extended warranty for a used camera. But the good news is that the camera is designed for around 100,000 actuations, so a 5K actuation body is is pretty close to new. If you figure that the body and the 70-300 VR lens are each worth at least $400, you get a pretty fair idea of value. The rest of the stuff is probably worth something like ~ $150-$200, but only if you actually want some or all of the rest of the stuff.

[another view]

i mean this unit im buying, with 5000 actuations should i be scared?

5k is nothing - just broken in. I wouldn't worry about that, but pay more attention to the condition of the camera. I don't know where the market is on D200's right now, but I bought mine used right after the D300 came out (from a friend who upgraded). The body only was $900 which was what we both agreed was the value at the time. I'm sure it's dropped since then but that still sounds like a great deal for the package (the batteries alone cost $50 ea).

One thing in your original post I noticed: "do i need a teleconverter too? are the lenses up there good enough" TC's don't make a lens better. You'll lose optical quality with them to some degree, and chances are with a zoom they won't work very well (unless the TC is specifically designed for the specific lens). Longer lenses than 300mm can get expensive quickly, but a prime like a 300 f4 with a TC could be a great option. I'm sure you meant "long enough" but I just wanted to make that distinction.