Review: I purchased my first SLR - A Nikon D200 - about 6 months ago. I had read all the reviews and even though I knew I didn't NEED a D200, I knew I could grow with it.
I have not regretted this purchase at all; the D200 will take great shots straight out of the box. But after you learn how to do adjustments (the manual is not the easiest to understand) you can accomplish many new and exciting features. Want a double or multiple exposure on purpose? It's super easy on this camera (once you learn how to maneuver the menus) and what about image overlay? I have had lots of fun with this
feature. Do you like soft, smooth photos or bright, vivid colors? Once again, you can easily change from one style to the other through the menus. The only thing I miss from my old Fuji S7000, is the ability to see playback photos in the viewfinder.
The layout of the buttons on the outside of the camera help you choose many different settings with a quick twist or push of the button. VERY EASY for quick changes.
I would suggest you find the cheapest body on sale and then purchase an 18-200mmVR lens. I bought a kit with 2 other lenses and was never really thrilled with them. I now have the 18-200 and LOVE it. Such a great range of wide angle and telephoto all in one lens. Nikon has a few “stupid” things in their menus – like naming 2 different sets of banks with the same A, B, C & D names – and having a default that is backwards to what it should be; but other than those few things, I am perfectly happy with this camera.
If you decide on this camera be sure to check out this site “kenrockwell.com” for a free manual on his personal settings and why he uses them. This site has been so much more helpful than anything else I have read. This is a heavy camera, but I haven’t had a problem carrying it around – my husband recently bought the Nikon D40X and it is a lot lighter and has a lot of the features of the D200 – I thought I might want to exchange with him – but I don’t!!! I like the extra features the D200 has that the D40X doesn’t have; but the pictures from the D40X are just as good as the D200 – just not as much to experiment with.
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