Another upgrade thread

maska

maska

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,462
Name
Nick
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all i currently have a Nikon D40X , but im thinking of upgrading to a refurbed D200 . The reason for this is i dont like the amount of noise i get above iso 400 & i find it sometimes struggles to find focus (i think this is called wandering ?) when shooting motor sport which is 90% of what i shoot .Will the D200 cope better with these issues ? The lens i use is a
Nikkor AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G IF-ED & can i use this on the D200.
Any advice greatley appriciated.
 
The D200 will give you better noise control, but not great above ISO400 either tbh, however the AF, metering and fps are much improved over the D40X. Yes the 70-300 will fit fine on the D200.

If higher ISO is a big need then the D300 is a leap over the D200 (and in price)
 
V8burble said:
The D200 will give you better noise control, but not great above ISO400 either tbh, however the AF, metering and fps are much improved over the D40X. Yes the 70-300 will fit fine on the D200.

If higher ISO is a big need then the D300 is a leap over the D200 (and in price)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice . Not sure i can stretch to the D300 though:'(
 
The lens is compatible. I don't think you'll notice much noise difference TBH, they're same size and res sensors and the D200's actually an older design than the D40x. I shoot a lot of motor sports on a D80 (much the same again) though, and don't have too much complaint about noise as long as it's the happy side of 1000 - perhaps you can get the results you want by changing camera settings and / or workflow, both of which can make a big difference to noise performance.

The focus should definitely be better - if nothing else you've got a better selection of focus points - and you'll have a faster frame rate. The D200 also has the advantage that it's got some weather sealing, so you don't have to worry so much about rain on its account. Don't know about the lens though.
 
eftpotrm said:
The lens is compatible. I don't think you'll notice much noise difference TBH, they're same size and res sensors and the D200's actually an older design than the D40x. I shoot a lot of motor sports on a D80 (much the same again) though, and don't have too much complaint about noise as long as it's the happy side of 1000 - perhaps you can get the results you want by changing camera settings and / or workflow, both of which can make a big difference to noise performance.

The focus should definitely be better - if nothing else you've got a better selection of focus points - and you'll have a faster frame rate. The D200 also has the advantage that it's got some weather sealing, so you don't have to worry so much about rain on its account. Don't know about the lens though.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input , really unsure now :thinking:thought the D200 would handle the noise better.
 
The lens will work fine but (as said above) the D200 is still fairly noisy at ISO400 and above. FWIW, I've used the 70-300VR on a D200 and a D70 for motorsport in good light and in poor and haven't had a problem with it hunting for focus or with it losing focus on continuous/predictive AF.
 
If I were you I'd go through the various in-camera NR settings (if shooting JPEG) on a deliberately lowish but realistic light level, shooting the same thing with different settings. Like I say, I don't normally find results of 1000 or less a problem with the same sensor - it may just be I'm less discerning ;-) but I think there's probably a combination of settings that'll give you a decent result.

Having said that, I still think the higher frame rate and more focus points of the D200 would give you an advantage. Whether it's enough to swing it or you'd be better off putting your money into something else is up to you knowing what you shoot, but the D200 wouldn't be a useless investment in the least.
 
Nod said:
The lens will work fine but (as said above) the D200 is still fairly noisy at ISO400 and above. FWIW, I've used the 70-300VR on a D200 and a D70 for motorsport in good light and in poor and haven't had a problem with it hunting for focus or with it losing focus on continuous/predictive AF.
Click to expand...

eftpotrm said:
If I were you I'd go through the various in-camera NR settings (if shooting JPEG) on a deliberately lowish but realistic light level, shooting the same thing with different settings. Like I say, I don't normally find results of 1000 or less a problem with the same sensor - it may just be I'm less discerning ;-) but I think there's probably a combination of settings that'll give you a decent result.

Having said that, I still think the higher frame rate and more focus points of the D200 would give you an advantage. Whether it's enough to swing it or you'd be better off putting your money into something else is up to you knowing what you shoot, but the D200 wouldn't be a useless investment in the least.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your comments, definately food for thought.
 
If you have to work to a tight budget get some better glass and learn how to use your camera. 4mp is good for A4 so a 40x should be fine. I've seen steller photos from D70. Check out what can be acheived at Pbase.com - search....nikon.. etc...
 
Beagletorque said:
If you have to work to a tight budget get some better glass and learn how to use your camera. 4mp is good for A4 so a 40x should be fine. I've seen steller photos from D70. Check out what can be acheived at Pbase.com - search....nikon.. etc...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the Pbase.com link interesting stuff.
 
Hmm, I wouldn't want to rely on 4MP for A4... 2MP at 8x6 was needed once years ago and the results were beginning to pixellate - and that'd be a higher DPI.

Ordinarily I'd say glass first is good, but the 70-300 VR you've already got has a good reputation. Next obvious options would be a 70-200 f/2.8 of some description, Sigma 100-300 f/4 or one of their 400 or 500mm zooms, but at the same sort of cost as the D200. Unless you particularly need the low light capability or extra reach, I think the better AF and frame rate will likely help more.
 
eftpotrm said:
Hmm, I wouldn't want to rely on 4MP for A4... 2MP at 8x6 was needed once years ago and the results were beginning to pixellate - and that'd be a higher DPI.

Ordinarily I'd say glass first is good, but the 70-300 VR you've already got has a good reputation. Next obvious options would be a 70-200 f/2.8 of some description, Sigma 100-300 f/4 or one of their 400 or 500mm zooms, but at the same sort of cost as the D200. Unless you particularly need the low light capability or extra reach, I think the better AF and frame rate will likely help more.
Click to expand...

Thanks , thats why i thought body upgrade . I bought that particular lens as it was recomended in DP magazine for motor sport ( think it got their gold award in its class) . Hmmm what to do :thinking:
 
eftpotrm said:
Hmm, I wouldn't want to rely on 4MP for A4... 2MP at 8x6 was needed once years ago and the results were beginning to pixellate - and that'd be a higher DPI.

Ordinarily I'd say glass first is good, but the 70-300 VR you've already got has a good reputation. Next obvious options would be a 70-200 f/2.8 of some description, Sigma 100-300 f/4 or one of their 400 or 500mm zooms, but at the same sort of cost as the D200. Unless you particularly need the low light capability or extra reach, I think the better AF and frame rate will likely help more.
Click to expand...

Thanks for you help, decided to bite the bullet and have just ordered myself
a D200 :woot:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top