D80 vs. D200

[blinsky]

After using each one in multiple weddings, I am still not sure which I prefer...each has it's advantages and disadvantages. I love the D200 for it's accesibility to all the basic options I need right at my fingertips and it feels like a solid body. I love the D80 because it does everything the D200 can do but in a smaller body size, plus it has some neat retouching and editing features built into the body that the D200 is lacking. The D200 has an annoying zoom feature for reviewing pictures, another point for the D80...I wish they both took the same memory card!

What do others prefer?

[Dr. WooD]

I was in the same situation not too long ago. I had enough cash to buy a
D200 with a kit lens, or a D80 with a good lens.

I decided on the D80 and a 80-200 f/2.8, been most happy.

[jdepould]

I prefer the 200 because of the 5fps, metal body, and weather sealing. The thing is a bloody tank.

[blinsky]

i love how the 200 feels in my hand...I just wish the 200 took the same memory card as the 80...

[drphotography]

I personally LOVE my D200 for reasons too numerous to list, but the main ones are:
1) Heavier body lets me shoot 2 stops slower than I normally could
2) Fast writing even with RAWs
3) Easy to change everything I need to (ISO, white balance, etc)
4) None of the auto exposure features that just take up space (plus I get to be a huge snob when people want to try out my camera and they don't understand exposure ;) )

Then again, SD is sooooo much cheeper than compact flash these days.

[grizely]

I'm not sure which one I would choose.

I'm in the market to purchase a digital SLR and have been looking at the D80 and the Canon 30D. I like the Nikon but I really like the shutter quickness of the Canon 30D for action photography. :confused:

[jdepould]

I'm not sure which one I would choose.

I'm in the market to purchase a digital SLR and have been looking at the D80 and the Canon 30D. I like the Nikon but I really like the shutter quickness of the Canon 30D for action photography. :confused:

Shutter quickness? Do you mean continuous frame rate? Both the D80 and 30D have max shutter speeds way in excess of anything you'll need, practically speaking.

[deckumdad@sbcglobal.net]

I've used the Nikon Line for many years. They were film cameras, 3fps (N70) & 4fps (N90S). I did not try to compare which of them I preferred because of the shooting situations that I engaged however the N70 had a distinctly quiet silent mode when releasing the shutter. I purchased a D80 that is also a quiet camera, a fast, forgiving, and technically a lot of camera for the money. It's going to take me awhile to learn all of its features. The built in flash is an ideal feature on the D80 that the D200 does not have. It also works great with the SB800 combination. So for the next few years I am hooked that the D80 is the way to go for my camera needs.

[blinsky]

I've used the Nikon Line for many years. They were film cameras, 3fps (N70) & 4fps (N90S). I did not try to compare which of them I preferred because of the shooting situations that I engaged however the N70 had a distinctly quiet silent mode when releasing the shutter. I purchased a D80 that is also a quiet camera, a fast, forgiving, and technically a lot of camera for the money. It's going to take me awhile to learn all of its features. The built in flash is an ideal feature on the D80 that the D200 does not have. It also works great with the SB800 combination. So for the next few years I am hooked that the D80 is the way to go for my camera needs.

SB800 also works just fine for the 200 and the 200 has a built in flash also...

[Lotus954]

Nikon was my film camera and, being a lens junkie, I stuck with Nikon for digital so I could use my favorite lenses. After trying the D70S, which I hated, I sold it and got the D80. I chose it over the D200 because it is an awful lot of camera for the money. It's almost a D200 in features at a much lower price. I'm small, so the camera is plenty heavy..especially with my new 18-200mm vr lens...which everyone should own! I'm absolutely loving this combo and the photos are awesome.

[gmarques]

I own a D80 and I'm very happy with it. Until now if some limitation exists is mine, not the camera.
But I would like to have the more expensive D200 for 3 reasons:

1 - Weather sealing. I like seascapes, and as you know there are allways those tiny salt water particles in the air that aren't so good to the equipment.

2 - The D200's spot metering is a little more precise than D80 ( 3mm vs 3.5mm area )

3 - The D200 has more fps than D80 ( 5 fps vs 3 fps ). Until now I have almost take photos of landscape, seascape and that kind of stuff, but in the future I would like to do some surf photography, so this is important when I want do get some sequences.

[cathyetta]

I have had my D200 for eight months now and I love it. I am not a very technical person or a real photographer for that matter. I went from a Nikon
5700 Coolpix to my D200. I love the weight of the camera and the way it makes that real cool sound when I take a picture. I have so much to learn about the camera and photography and that is why I am here. I learn something new everyday.