Nikon D200 imminent

The page is gone, but here is a screen shot for those who missed it:

I merged the two D200 threads.

Cool, in Dave's screenshot, the specs show it has a magnesium body.

Going from 6 to 10 megapixels isn't that big of a jump, but the improved build quality and AF system is definitely worth the extra $1,000 over the D70s

Also notice the high speed crop mode control in the top-down view. I wonder if that's how you get the 5fps, or if you get 8 w/ the 2x crop like the D2x.

Cheers

James

James, where do you see the HSC mode in the top-down view?

I just had a chance to play with a D200/18-200DX VR for about half an hour.

However I was specifically asked not to post any spec of the camera on the internet yet

There will be an official announcement and specs available on the Japan site on November 1st so hold on

Some of the speculations are correct, some are not. I can't comment about the picture quality yet but feature wise, D200 should give a good run for the 5D. If Canon has a D30 waiting in the wing, it certainly will have to compete headon with the 5D as well as the D200.

My dilemma would be, do I want a smaller body for land use only or do I want a backup body for underwater as well.D200/housing won't be any cheaper than a D2X body.Hmmm decision, decision.

I'm broke....i hate this thread....

Snap

There is no way I'm buying one - no matter how good they are - until 2006. So there

There is no way I'm buying one - no matter how good they are - until 2006. So there

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If they are announced in november they will only become readily available in the first quarter of 2006, so that's good timing

Here is some more information (really speculation, but looking very real) that leaked on the net:

Viewfinder: 96% frame coverage, 0.91x magnification

Autofocus: 11 area TTL with 1 cross-type Multi-CAM1000

Shutter lag : 52ms

Shutter lags for comparison:

D2:39ms

1D:52ms

D1:58ms

20D:77ms

D70:124ms

300D:140ms

And the original Nikon flash file, copied and pasted on another site:

http://www.christianmusicianradio.com/d200/

  I'm broke....i hate this thread....

Ditto.

I finally have my D70 housed in TTL the way I want it with most of the critical lenses. I don't have the finances, or even the energy to start over now.

But the autofocus in particular on this camera looks great. I look forward to hearing others experiences with this camera. I'm also happy to hear that higher end features are comming to more moderately priced cameras. I think I'll sit this one out and probably the next one too. But I'm encouraged that prices keep falling with an improvement in quality, so that when the time for an upgrade comes I can get significantly more camera for the money.

P.S.

I just went to the flash site listed above. I noticed the new battery EN-EL3e that is supposed to have more energy storage than the standard. If its like the ELN-EL3a released with the D70s, it should also be compatable with the D70. So it looks like we could be getting a battery upgrade for our aging obsolete D70's.

What do y'all consider to be the major feature improvements in the D200 vs the D70?

Cheers

James

To me the main improvements are the autofocus (it appears), the LCD size and the build quality. I am waiting to hear more about the viewfinder, but I hope it is an improvement too.

I think the biggest improvements are the AF, LCD monitor (same as D2x) and some of the standard features of the D100 that were absent from the D70. I'm making some assumptions here:

1) Mirror Lock Up ()not UW related)

2) Rugged metal body

3) wired shutter release

4) Vertical grip (not UW related)

The new 18-200 lens looks interesting as well as the macro flash in the original picture.

But what is the diff between CAM 1000 and CAM 2000 on the D2 series?

Still no "rule of thirds" AF points--frustrating. I suppose the designers want to keep the AF points close to the center for accuracy. I don't really see the point of multiple AF points that are not farther from the center. Until I see a true rule of thirds layout I will always use the center point, hold down the shutter release and recompose.

Hi Luiz:

Here are some stats about the different Nikon AF systems:

A D70 has five sensors: 4 lines and a cross. Cam900

A D200 has eleven sensors: 10 lines and a cross* Cam1000

A D2 has eleven sensors: 3 crosses, 6 T's, and 2 lines. Cam2000

(* from spec leak)

So, the D200 gets you 6 more line sensors, but no more cross or tee type sensors. In addition, the AF sensor area only goes up from 900 to 1000, not a huge improvement.

So, it remains to be seen how much improvement we'll see - for underwater shooting - where we need more cross and tee type sensors. Line sensors are designed for above water shooting (IMO) where there are a lot of vertical and horizontal straight lines in the scene.

Cheers

James

James, I agree about the cross type sensors. Everyone was saying that the D200 was going to have a CAM2000 but I never believed that. If it did, with the 5fps, who would buy a D2h or even a D2x?

I am hoping that the AF engine is better on the D200. The N90, F80, D50, D100 and the D70 all have the CAM900, but I think the N90 focus faster of all, the dSLRs and F80 have slower AF motors I think. I used an N90 for a long time, and I thought the focus was ok but slower than the F100 (CAM1300). When I tested a D70 I thought it was worse, but maybe it was just me.

Luiz,

The problem is that the initial leak was a document about the D2x that one of the Nikon staff started editing for the D200 release. It got leaked evidently after the guy/gal had done a "find and replace" of D2x with D200, LOL!!! What a soap opera.

So that's where the rumoUr that it would be a 12 megapixel CMOS with Cam2000 came from. It will be a 10 megapixel CCD with Cam1000

Cheers

James

I was in a camera shop yesterday here in japan. they had a web printed page showing the D200 in the Nikon display case. comming soon was indicated but no actual date.

1) Mirror Lock Up ()not UW related)

2) Rugged metal body

3) wired shutter release

4) Vertical grip  (not UW related)

 

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Are 2 and 3 UW related?

Yes Herb. Metal body will rust after a flood while a plastic body will not.

Yes Herb.  Metal body will rust after a flood while a plastic body will not.

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yes quite true but the added weight of the metal will add the the paperweight quality!