Doug has a D200..pretty sure about that and has a D70 or used to.  Now, the bug has gotten to me to get this camera. I currently use a D70.  The terrible backorder status of the D200 has kept my buying under control...

The question, for those who know the differences in the D70 and the D200, would you put your cash into the new camera before putting it into new glass and having to put the camera on hold?  Is the D200 worth it?

Except for having a stabilized lens, my small assortment of glass works pretty well for my photography. I am leaning the the camera direction and have some saved up to possibly get one.

Comments?  I have never been a "jump to the newest game" person and can wait..while twitching in my shoes thinking about it.            TomDart.

hi,

look that webside : http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond200/ and http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_d70.asp ....

hugs

I only have one word.
YES

Seriously Tom. This camera is  a classic.
Keep the D70 for a second, and go with the D200.
I keep a regular lens on the D70 for fast candid shots,

Get a fast lens and the D200 with a battery pack, and you will not regret it.
How many times do you go through this world.
Live it up. Points of interest.

• Outstanding image colours
• Frame speed is so fast you can get carried away.
• Best ergonomics I have felt in any camera, besides a D2X
• Large LCD screen.Every function easily accessed from fingers or from LCD menu
• Very easy to figure out what is what.
• Built in flash so you can use remotes .Saves buying more externals.
• Seals to keep out dust.
• Strong body
• List goes on

Thanks, Doug.  Yours is a "review" from a trusted user.  Thanks again. Thanks Valou...good links.

Tom.

I gotta say, what ya using it for to sell prints or just to make bigger prints? If so go ahead, but if all of your albums are still on the PC then get new optics and wait for the backorders and price to come down abit... My 2c...

PeeWee,  Sure I have lots of photos on the web and on my hard drives but the ones I like the best get printed.  There are few better ways to share a photo than as a print and that print...well, it tells the tale of how well the image is done(technically) right away.   To see a photo look good on the screen is one thing but in print has at least once made me go right back and try to fix the glitzes that don't come through on the monitor..a lesson learned.   I should be saving cash for picture frames, maybe more than a camera. LOL.

I have no choice but to wait a while..this is not pocket change and other stuff needs to be done first.    Thanks for your 2 cents.               TomDart.

Ok as you know I am not a Nikon man, but that is pretty irrelevant for the sake of what I am going to say.

I have had the same dilemma myself only in my case it is new glass or the EOS 5D, so pretty much the same situation.

For me the new glass comes first, firstly because the 5D is a FF sensor camera and will most likely show all the imperfections in lesser glass. Secondly because I am very happy with the 20D and can get prints beyond A3 from it.

Lastly and maybe most importantly I have seen the 5D price slide over the last few months (Almost 1k UKP less than the release price) whilst the glass will most likely maintain its price, so waiting for the glass is not likely to save me many £££.

I guess the bottom line is what you want more and what glass it is you want, bearing in mind that better glass will also mean better prints.

Simon

Tom,

I have to agree with Simon here.  The price of the D200 will come down in time.  Just look at any new camera and a year or so later and look at that same camera and the difference in price from when it came out.  I mean you are getting the same camera, just for less $$$.

Glass is just as important as the camera.  I would invest is some new quality glass for now, and when the price of the D200 is half of what it is today, buy it.  I guess I am more frugal than most, I tend not to purchase something when it is brand new on the market and the price is rather steep.

The Cynical One

good to know.. will soon be on the prowl for a DSLR myself.. haven't decided which yet.. :~/

If I might contribute my 1.5cents worth:

1. The D200 is clearly the better camera especially because of
   (i) the bigger+better sensor
   (ii) the weatherisation
   (iii)  the much improved auto-focus.

What is more, as mentioned above, the D200 will surely become substatially cheaper in the next few months as:
(i) other companies bring out models with the same 10MP sensor - Pentax and surely Sony?
(ii) Nikon brings out a replacement for the D70/D70s that surely will also use the same Sony-made 10MP sensor that shoulod become the industry standard, as the 6MP sensor in the D70 was until now (except for Can*n of course). My guess is that a D70s replacement will be anounced at Photokina (late summer).

Therefor, you must ask yourself to what extent you really NEED a better camera than your D70? IMHO, the 6MPs are perfectly adequate for amateur use, for RR & for prints up to A4 at least.
I would therefore go for the new glass (according to your needs/desires but I would only buy the really good+expensive models so that you will be able to go on using them with your better camera when you do trade up.

Sorry for going on at such length (professional disease I'm afraid)

Yours,

Charles

Charles, your post is not too long at all.  Thanks for the input.

I haven´t owned a DSLR prior to the Nikon D200 i have now...but i can tell you one thing though....OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!! That´s how much i love that camera! The speed is just phenomenal to mention one thing.

Well having just moved up to the 5D and found that hard to get hold of will add my 2 cents I would wait until you have got the best glass you can afford first if your lenses are top notch ok go for it if not there is more of a difference in lens quality than camera change The price will fall soon and the competition twixt Nikon and Canon is just good news for all of us..

I'd say with all the new dslr's being launched at the moment competition is really hotting up and it is not limited to Nikon v Canon either ! 

Nikon really need to get their supply problems sorted it was the major factor in me not going with a Nikon brand DSLR when I made a purchasing decision recently.

Hopefully the increased competition from: Pentax, Sony, Olympus, Fuji and the others, will shake up Canon too.

So many new cams announced or about to be announced at the moment.

Well, for the moment I certainly cannot afford both better glass and a new camera.   I have been looking at glass and seeing what is tempting. Unfortunately, I am leaning in the direction of something like the Nikon 70-200 F/2.8 ED-IF AF-S VR Lens, expensive pro level lens or perhaps the VR kit lens(18-200?) sometimes supplied with the D200.    I like the idea of the small size of the 18-200 and the wider angle allowed..even if build is not up to pro level the lens has good ratings overall in performance.   Big diffrence in price and some aperture is sacrificed with the smaller lens.    For me, somethng like the 70-200 could very likely be overkill, at least now in my stage of photography and less useful overall when carrying one camera body.  A wider lens is essential for many shots and easier to maneuver.  Oh well...wait and see what happens with the markets..sigh.

Well I have no idea about the Nikon glass, but from my experience most compact lenses with a large zoom range don’t perform as well optically as lenses with a lesser range. That is generally reflected in the price difference.

IS (VR Nikon) is at its most useful at longer focal lengths for obvious reasons, On the Canon lenses the there are two types of IS one is to reduce camera shake and one is to reduce panning blur, the higher spec lenses have both modes whilst some lenses don’t have the panning mode, I suspect that Nikon have a similar difference. (Speculation)

As you say though, a 70-200mm lens is somewhat limited in its versatility; I know that my 70-200mm was used less than any other lens in my kit.

I for one am having a blast with my AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-E.
I use it in a brad variety of photos. Yes even some candid portraits.
It makes photography fun.