Having never used a DSLR/SLR camera in my whole life, I was very skeptical whether to buy this camera or not. Then, I did lot of research on different cameras, especially with the NIKON and the CANON cameras. And atlast, I went with Nikon D200. It took some time for me to learn the basic features. But, once I learnt how to use the camera, then I came to know that this "piece of art" was doing some wonders. I'm actually enjoying the photography now. If you can afford to buy this camera then don't think twice. Go for it !!! One last thing, don't buy a crappy lens for this great camera. I bought Nikon 18-200MM lens and this one too is a great piece like the D200 body and I highly recommend it.

There's only 5 stars I can give this camera, but I would give it a 10!

This camera is my 3rd digital camera, my second DSLR, I also have a D-70. I recently went to Europe and decided to upgrade cameras for the trip. My decision was really a no-brainer, once I held this beauty in the Camera store. It just is the best piece of craftsmanship I have ever owned. Nikon truly rocks! I have shot ~4000 photos on my D200!

That said, what are the biggest reasons to spend ~$2000 for a camera?

1) Quality of pictures - bar none, you will be elated at your results. This camera will take the absolute best pictures you have ever taken in your life! That's the reason for buying any camera, and I'm telling you, you will not be disappointed!

2) Control. You own your images with this camera. Whatever you ask of it, it will deliver. Tough lighting, fast moving subjects, difficult conditions - it will not matter, you shots will consistantly of excellent quality.

3) Ease of use. Make no mistake, this camera is a wonder to use, but controls, settings and flexibility are still within your reach. It is too easy to take great shots with this camera. Way too easy. You will be completely surprised at the ease with which you fill up your CF card with hundreds of great images.

What more can I say? Oh, yeah... the negatives. OK, so here's what I can share:

1). If you are a novice digital photographer - this camera will work for you, but learn your tool. The book it comes with is 1/2 inch thick. There is a reason for it, so read it. If you don't/can't read manuals, buy a CoolPix and just be happy. This camera will work out of the box, but without knowing how things work, you'll still get great pictures, but you should take get great pictures on purpose, not by accident. I read my manual every few weeks.

2) It weighs 12-14 ounces. Join a gym, workout and buy a good camera bag. After a 10 hour day of sightseeing, you be glad you did. Accept the fact that this is a great piece of equipment, and don't worry about dragging it around with you. I have never regretting bringing my D200 with me, ever.

3) Do not, repeat, do not drop your D200 - ever. If your are inherently clumsy by a CoolPix and be happy. This camera is built out of magnesium and very durable, don't get me wrong - it can take some abuse. But the lens will inevitable hit the concrete first, and if it does, it will be toast. This is pretty much true of any camera.

That's it, no more negs on this camera, but I do have one suggestion. If you are an intermediate to advanced photographer and want to really learn to use the D200, the intricacies of it, the art of it and nearly instantly become a much, much better photographer, here is what I did:

On the net, there is a fabulous site that Ken Rockwell put up on photography, cameras, technical reference and comparisons; www.kenrockwell.com. Check out his site and I'm sure you'll agree. I have read all his content on the D200 and am much more "fluent" with my camera for it. He writes so you understand and enjoy reading it. He isn't selling anything and there's no product ads, so his site is truly a joy. Not to mention, he absolutely knows his stuff.

No kidding, it really is awesome.

So beg or borrow if you have to, but go to your favorite site or store and buy this camera! Honestly, you will be thrilled with your new Nikon and the unbelievable results you will get, over and over.

I would like to start out by saying that Nikon D200 is the finest camera that I have ever owned. I started out my Nikon adventure with the Nikon N70 film camera. I then moved up to the Nikon Cool PIX 950 then 990. Neither of these cameras had removable lenses and were toys. A couple of yeas ago I moved up to the Nikon D100. This is a very fine camera, but is too complex for the average user.

Out of the box the D200 has evolved in so many ways. Nikon has vastly simplified the camera user interface to where it makes sense. For instance, for general shooting the use can put the camera into the totally automatic shooting mode, "P." There are just four modes of operation. The first is, "P," which I just mentioned. The second it the aperture preferred, "A," mode. The next is the shutter preferred, "A," mode. The last is the total manual, "M," mode. All of these controls are right on the top of the camera by the right hand along with the E/V control and the two dials that control the aperture and shutter speed. On the other side are the controls for White Balance, ISO setting and Image Quality settings.

I use my camera mostly for still life, but have lately been shooting people. In gatherings like picnics under shelters or in rental halls it is advisable to buy the Nikon SB-800 flash.

My first test of this camera was taking some macro photos. I put a few of this on Flickr [...] to demonstrate the camera. These were taken with a Nikon Micro-Nikor 60mm lens and a Sigma 30-200 mm zoom. They are all hand held images and with poor outdoor lighting.

I have been having difficulties in taking large objects with too little room to shoot. I got a Nikon 18 - 55 mm wide angle zoom which now allows this camera to capture thins like cars that are behind a rope in a single frame. I also want to take pictures of a brand new Victorian carousel in the area. I needed a wider angle to individually photograph each animal without the fence around it. This as well as other Nikon cameras magnify the image size by 1.5 times. My new 18-55 mm lens is actually 27 - 82.5 mm. This was also true for the D100.

Ergonomically this is an excellent camera. I have extremely painful arthritis in my hands and fingers. I have just shot three events with this camera each even was from one and a half to three hours long. At the end of each shoot I never notice any extra pain from strain. I guess that they place all the dials and buttons in the correct place. I usually use the neck strap to carry the camera around my neck when shooting. I always hold the camera by my sit ready to shoot. It seams to have a very good balance / feel to it. I have not had a single pre-fire / miss-fire yet. However, I wish that they had put the lens mode selector in a different place. I have on two occasions moved the selector from single to manual. I do admit that I tens to gram more camera than I should. For my next test I am planning to try shooting through my microscope. My D100 works well with the microscope I believe that the D200 should work as well.

I believe that Nikon has a real winner with the D200. In all the ways that I like to use a camera it is working out quite well. If you have had some experience with other type digitals it should be very easy to switch over. If you have lenses form other Nikon cameras you will find that you can still use them. If you want a camera that does nearly everything that the top of the line professional cameras can then this one is a real winner.

I really didn't think that I wanted to spend this much money on a digital camera. I'm just an amateur who enjoys photography. I tried the Digital Rebel, Olympus E-500, Nikon D-50 and D-40: these were all fine cameras, but they still seemed lacking to me. I thought that the Canon EOS-30D was terrific with it's 5fps, build quality, and numerous options, but the price was still too steep. After mulling it over long and hard, I decided to spend even more money and get the D200. This is a camera that I won't feel is lacking for a very long time. It's at the sweet spot of the price/performance curve: after this point, I think that diminishing returns begin unless you're a professional who relies on their camera for a living. I am most impressed with the exposure meter and the LCD review screen: it seems to get exposures correct much more often than the other cameras that I've tried. I spent a lot of time changing settings on the other cameras to get the right exposure, but the D200 gets it right most of the time in Programmed Auto! The LCD screen accurately shows the picture that was taken; whereas, the other cameras' screens would show different results than would ultimately appear on my monitor or in print. One more great feature that the Canon EOS-30D didn't have is Auto ISO: this is awesome, and it works great!

I suggest that every newbie to this camera go to Ken Rockwell's site and download his free D200 user's guide: he explains the camera and all of its settings in straightforward language. He tells you how he configures his D200 and why he configures it that way. I found the manual much easier to comprehend after reading his guide. He also has a wealth of other info about the D200 and photography in general (such as how to use histograms), and it's all free.

The quality of this camera makes me "feel" like a better photographer: it inspires confidence. I love this camera.

This is my 2nd Digtial SLR. In the film days, I was using Nikon products. In my initial foray into digital photography, I switched to Canon (10D) just to see what's on the other side of the fence. After about three years, I switched back to Nikon because the Nikon products suits me better.

No, this is not a "Canon sucks, Nikon rules" review. One thing I learned about digital photography is that you should really decide not on the camera body itself, but on the whole lineup...including the lenses and accessories. For me, the Nikon lens line-up works for me better, not because Canon has worse line-up...I'm sure a lot of photographers find the Canon line-up much more sensible.

Now, on to the camera itself: I've own this camera for over a year and has sold a number of stock images using this camera. Suffice to say, I'm very satisfied with its performance; I'm not going to re-iterate the praises that's been said in the previous reviews.

What I am compelled to say are the not-so-great characteristics of this camera: in ISO400 and above, it is not very forgiving to underexposure. if you did not nail the exposure, even in RAW you will see noise in the shadow area when you try to correct the exposure in the RAW software converter. This is why you hear a lot of whining from D200 owners regarding "noise." Most of them don't nail exposure the first time and try to adjust in RAW converter...and then BAM! noise in the shadows.

Auto White balance becomes iffy as well in underexposure; everything becomes biased to magenta in underexposure; and this is very hard to correct even in post-processing.

The Nikon Creative Lighting System is I believe the feature that makes Nikon a little better than Canon in artificial lighting exposure. Basically, Nikon has designed their flash system with multiple flashes in mind.

The Nikon auto-focus engine is better than most Canon folks tend to evangelize. With AFS lenses I'm positive it's as fast as any Canons. If there's one thing I would like to change in future iterations of this product: I NEED MORE THAN ONE CROSS-TYPE AF POINTS! The newer Pentax DSLR has NINE out of its 11 AF points! This is beneficial to a more accurate focus.

So my recommendation...if you already have Nikon lenses, and thinking if it's worth the price difference to jump from a D40/D50/D70. It's unequivocably a "YES." If you're just starting with a DSLR system, I say look closely on what Nikon/Canon/Pentax/Olympus/Leica/Sigma has to offer as a whole system then decide. IF you decide on Nikon, you won't be yearning to own a higher D2-series model with this camera; it's almost the same feature set at a lower price.

The ergonomics: Perfect. The D200 is not completely rubber-encased. There's rubber where your hands need to hold it, and plastic where your hands rarely touch it. The hand grip is comfortable and nicely concave where the tips of your fingers can dig in.

The battery door and the memory card door are made of plastic, and hinge-pinned. A simple slide latch opens the battery door. The memory card door latch, however, uses a more secure 45 degree pivoting latch.

USB 2 and Video Out/DC-in doors are made of flexible rubber, and these doors extend into the body of the camera as the hinges themselves.

The English language operating manual is a work of art. Each operating concept is alpha' & numerically numbered at the pictoral diagram, and to the page where the function is explained in perfect English. The reader will quickly catch on to how this well thought out manual is organized.

I like the depth of field preview, the mirror lock-up, and the multiple-exposure capability.

The continuous servo autofocus does a better job than any human at following and focusing on any moving object.

If you have the old manual-focus, film-based Nikon SLR lenses from the '70's and '80's, except for a few rare exceptions, will fit on the D200.

Out of box, only two "tweaks" were needed: increase the color saturation by a factor of 1, and dial down the exposure compensation to minus 0.7 (-0.7 ev).

All these positive attributes remind me of the best, most highly-evolved film camera SLR's. No wonder so many photographers have been won over to digital media.

Nikon has always been the leader in photography/ camera/ lenses. Others have nobly tried but a Nikon remains the high bar that others only hope to reach.

When the shift from film to digital began, there was some speculation if Nikon could keep up with the competition. Well, rest assure that not only have they kept up, they continue to lead the way. The latest example of this is the D200.

Like the D70/ D80 - this is a solid piece of equipment. Just the feel of it tells you that you are holding an excellent piece of technology. But the proof will always be in the end results and again, the combination of the Nikon know-how and Nikon lenses lead even a beginner to come up with excellent pictures.

Gone is the "lag between shots". You can fire up and shoot multiple pictures in seconds so action shots are all yours. Without even "tweaking" a picture with a computer program, you can print top of the line photos at home.

People have cited the cons: Expensive. Yes. The camera does come with a hefty price tag but it should be kept in mind that this is a piece of machinery intended for serious photographers. If you are a "vacation and holiday" picture taker, then you should elect to buy a cheaper camera. The same is true with the difficulty of the multitude of small buttons, dials and switches. There are too many and they can be overwhelming but only to someone who is in the "point and shoot" school of picture taking. Anyone else will relish the options that Nikon has provided us with on the D200.

Room for improvement? Well, the battery life is nowhere near as good as the D70 which I upgraded from but that is a weak complaint as you can still get hundreds of shots on one charge. Also, it would be a boon if the flash would automatically pop up when needed like in former models.

So if you are serious about photography and always have one at the ready, this is the one for you.

I bought this camera as a back-up to my D2X and so I wouldn't have to change lenses as much on a trip I'm taking to Alaska this summer. Well let me tell you, the D200 with the 18-200mm VR lens is incredible. It is fast, quiet and a pleasure to use. I've read in forums that the 18-200 is a little soft. So far I totally disagree, the pictures I've taken have been very sharp. I wish this would have been available when I bought my D2X. If it had, I would own two D200's instead of one of each. Highly recommended !!!

I purchased this item from amazon.com 4 months ago. In that time I have used this camera extensively and I have to say that the body and the lens are nothing short of amazing.

Much has been said about D200 and I feel compelled to say that it is one of the best camera's out there right now. It will make a lot of people happy with its performance.

The 18-200 is a great lens, onw of the most versatile lens available right now, from any brand. It is sharp and the VR will definitely help in indoor shots or in any image taken in low light. The only problem is that this lens creeps, that is to say when it is pointing downwards and you need a bit of zoom, say 50mm, the lens will creep forward, zoom on its own accord if you don't hold it with your hand. Not such a big problem but definitely a negative side.

The first thing is, don't buy this camera without handling it first in a store - it's pretty big and quite heavy, though the impression it gives is one of solidity rather than bulk. The magnesium alloy body is impressive with a great textured coating that feels good to grip.

The Nikon D80 which has many of the same features is an alternative - it's cheaper, smaller and lighter - though not nearly as solidly built.

But the ergonomics of the D200 seem so much better to me: you can amend shutter speed, aperture, shooting mode, ISO, white balance, image quality, mirror lock-up, metering, auto focus mode, focus points, and focus method - all without entering a single menu. But the other menus are a joy to use, and easy to understand too.

The 230,000 pixel LCD is superb (the D80's is the same), though the method of viewing images is a little unusual and took me a while to get used to (as it can involve 3 buttons, the main command dial and the four-way controller). Without the manual at hand I found once I'd zoomed in an image, it was nigh-on impossible to leave it or view the exposure information. But once you've grasped it, it makes sense.

The viewfinder is excellent, and no problem for users like me who wear glasses, although as with a friend's Canon 400D you may have to peer lower down to see the exposure information (very clear) at the bottom of the view. One good thing is that the ISO setting is included here unlike most other dSLRs in this price range.

I couldn't get the diopter to magnify the viewfinder enough so I could use it without glasses though, so if this is your intention you'd be advised to check with a live camera.

It's very easy to move between single and high speed shooting (the latter either at a fixed 5 shots per second, or a programmable 2-4 shots per second in Low Continuous mode). The same wheel also operates the mirror lock-up function - though be careful not to do what I did and leave that on after using a tripod, so that I could have missed a shot.

The one thing I don't rate too highly is the bracketing function - which really has 2 problems. I rarely if ever use bracketing with my other cameras - and I think I'll be doing it even less with the D200, at least to begin with. First, Nikon's system is itself slightly unsatisfactory: for example you have to take the correct number of separate shots in the bracket sequence. So if you accidentally only take four instead of five of a sunny exterior, your next shot will be the last in the sequence, even if that exposure is 20 minutes later in a dark room. Result, a possible missed shot.

Second, the input for setting it up seems slightly weird, and not really intuitive at all (unlike the other functions which are logical to anyone with reasonable knowledge of digital cameras). For example, the default sequence for three shots at 1/3 stop increments would be 0, -0.3, +0.3. That order seems strange to me, though you can change the sequence. Even with the manual open I struggled with this. I understand that Canon's bracketing feature is much better so if it is something you use often, head off to your local Canon dealer.

But other than this small feature, this camera is a joy to use, and the results are very fine, as plenty of online reviews will tell you. Two useful features are the four shooting banks, which enable you to program settings for different subjects, and optional Intelligent ISO which raises the ISO when the parameters of optimum shutter speed and aperture (selected by you) are exceeded and would lead to incorrect exposure.

There are a plethora of in-camera tweakings you can do to images, though doing it later in post-processing may be a better idea. Low light performance seems very good up to ISO 800 with little visible noise, above 1600 some processing may be required I suspect.

The manual is better than I was expecting, it manages to explain some quite complex issues pretty well, and there are good indexes and references in the back.

I'll give this 5 stars as it's an excellent camera with a large number of useful features, and perhaps most importantly it has been well designed and well built, the slight niggles with bracketing notwithstanding.