Nikon D200/D2hs or D300 ?

[paul cull-pearce]

I see that some people are parting with their Nikon D200 and D2hs cameras to make room for the new D300 body. So...is it worth it to wait for a new Nikon D300 camera and wait afew months till the bugs are ironed out or get a second hand Nikon D200 or a Nikon D2hs ?

Your thoughts ?

Thanks,

Paul

 

[Druid]

I think it's worth the wait. As far as I can make out the D300 is a somewhat improved D2Xs crammed into a D200 body. So the only competition is really a cut-price D2X and then only if you also need to be able to beat people to death with your camera as well as taking pictures with it.

Otherwise the D300 is an all-around better deal on paper.

 

[DiddyDave]

This is a bit of a 'Mondeo' (the car) type question

The outgoing Mondeo was pretty much top of its class for years with new ones costing up to £20,000 - a great car for the money

Now the new Mondeo is out, the old one's a real bargain. Yes the new one is fractionally better as it has more toys, looks better/newer, but which gets you to your chosen destination best?

The short answer is they both will, exceptionally well - 99% of the time there's no real difference

People will always want something new - whether it's 'better' or not often doesn't really matter. To say the D300 is better than the D200 may be true in a fraction of its uses, but for every normal tog, and most pros, the now cheaper & proven D200 will be a better bet for most

That said, the D300 will still fly off the shelves!

 

[Druid]

You do have a point Dave. I'm thinking the way I am because I already have a D200 and was seriously contemplating buying another one anyway. If you don't have one though, then a cheap D200 that you can have now is a lot more use for taking photos with now, than a D300 that you probably won't be able to get until March.

 

[DiddyDave]

I'm waiting until the D300 hits the shelves properly, then will almost certainly buy a D200 to back-up my D2Xs

When you can already count the dog's hairs on a 32"x32" print only those wanting prints instead of wallpaper need apply for 'better'

 

[Druid]

Well, I don't know. There's better and there's better. For example a D3 would be a significant improvement over the D200 or D300 in some crucial respects. E.g. making my various 90's 'portrait-length' nikkors portrait-length again and providing considerably improved dynamic range if the rumours are true. I think that the difference from a D200 to a D300 is unlikely to be as compelling as that to a D3.

Hopefully the D400 will continue the pattern and be a D3 in a D300 body because unfortunately, the D3 is a tiny bit on the pricey side for me (and anyway all other things being equal, I'd rather have smaller body with the same abilities)