Which Camera D200 or 30D?

[tomeddie]

First off I would like to say thanks for such an informative and usefull site. It has been a great help in spending my money ;) .

Well, I have a feeling I'm going to open a Pandora's box here. I'm upgrading to a dSLR and have the following requirements:

Budget:
Around $3500 including lens(es) through at least 200 mm (35mm equivalent) and misc. accessories.

Size:
not an issue

Features:
I'm looking for a camera that I will be able to use for many years to come. Eventually I would like to have my hobby as a sort of "perpetual motion machine" or better turn a profit. Since I have spent the past 10 years using a Pentax Spotmatic (from Vietnam War era), I'm not overly concerned with program modes and feel they won't be much help to me (I could be totally wrong).

Image Quality, Build, Manual Controls, Functionality, and Lens quality are probably the most important factors.

General Usage:
Mainly I shoot nature and landscapes. I would say that the majority of my shots are taken with a 35mm wide angle. The 55mm is used second most followed by the 70-210. I would definitely like to get into more telephoto work but have been restricted since my current camera has a screw mount and my lens selection is limited to what's in the counter at the local Photo shop.

As I mentioned before I'd like to generate some income from my hobby so I'll be printing some larger pictures. I'll definitely be decorating the house.

This will be a general purpose camera, used for everything from long night exposures to indoor to bright sunlight.

I would like to be able to cover the full range of ~35-350+ and still be able to pack it on a long weekend overnight hike.

Miscellaneous:
I'm going on a trip to Germany and France on Sept. 9. This will be my primary camera. I would like to get my hands on something ASAP to get some practice before then. I have no preference for any certain brand however I have pretty much narrowed my choice to two; the Nikon D200 and the Canon 30D.

Pros for the D200: Size, build, buttons/layout, menu options, 11 AF zones, AF assist lamp.

Cons for the D200: High ISO noise, more expensive

Pros for the 30D: Image Quality through high ISO, AF speeds

Cons for the 30D: Flash is AF assist lamp, lower pixel count

I appreciate any and all help on this matter. I've had a tough time deciding and would be greatfull for some expert advice.

Thanks in advance,
Tom

[timmciglobal]

well...

the 30D has it hands down for ISO 800+

If that matters to you, probably good to get 30D.

Tim

[Rex914]

$3500 is quite an extravagant starting budget. I would almost want to recommend spending $2000 of it now (camera + standard zoom) and then setting the rest aside, so you can evaluate your needs and see what you actually need, not what you think you need. ;)

If you are bent on spending all $3500 at once, you should go for 2 good zooms + the camera.

There are many, many combinations, so here are a few of the lenses you could be looking at.

Wide/Standard Lenses
17-40 f/4 L ($630)
24-105 f/4 L IS ($1100)
24-70 f/2.8 L ($1150)
EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS ($1100)
Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 ($450)

Telephoto Lenses
70-200 f/4 L ($580)
70-200 f/2.8 L ($1100)
70-200 f/2.8 L IS ($1600)
Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 ($800)

All of these are good choices, and it comes down to finding a pair that meets your budget and your expectations.

As for the camera itself, it's a close call. They're both good cameras, and I would be happy to have either one though as you might tell, I have more leanings towards Canon. The Canon will probably fit your needs better in the image quality department on the high ISO performance, but the D200 feels a lot more solid, and the controls are well laid out. Have you picked up both in the store to try them out?

[timmciglobal]

Having personally shot the 20D and owning a D200 let me tell you pixel count isn't THAT big a deal 8 v 10.

As far as canon goes..

30D - 1200
17-55 F.28 IS - 1200
70-200 F2.8L IS = 1500

4K there in 3 lenses probably best quality you'll find.

As far as Nikon goes:

D200
17-55 DX 2.8
70-200 F2.8 VR

4K again best 3 lenses you'll probably get.

Tim

[pagnamenta]

I would go the 30D route. Unless you will be doing a lot of cropping, the 30D's 8.2 megapixels will suffice. The ISO performance is also important. You can't beat the low noise performance of the 30D with a Nikon.

With you budget, I would set some money aside for a lens further down the road, like suggest already.

30D - $1300
Tokina 12-24mm - $475 (landscape shots)

One of the following:
Canon 70-200mm f2.8 - $1150
Sigma 70-200mm f2.8L - $800
Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS - $625

Save the rest for what you need. You'll find something you need as you go. Perhaps the Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 or the Canon 50mm f1.4 or f1.8.

[Warin]

You cant go wrong with either... so what you need to do is take a compact flash card to a shop that sells both, and try them out... then evaluate your photos.

I chose the D200 because I prefer Nikon ergonomics. The D200 is far more comfortable and easier to use than the 30D. Selecting AF and metering parameters is much quicker and more intuitive than the Canon. I rarely shoot over 800 ISO, so the difference in noise doesnt bother me at all.

But anything any of us say is just opinion. As I said above, your best bet is to try them... preferably in the same shop so you can photograph the same subjects.

[tomeddie]

For providing your insights and opinions. They along with the DC Resource page have been invaluable in my decision making process.

For anyone interested, I've decided to go with the 30D. After much deliberation it was the better choice for me; it was less money and the image quality (in my opinion) was superior to the D200. Also, Dell has a coupon available for $250 off with free shipping (found at techbargains.com). That brought the price down even further. I wish Nikon would have put a better sensor in the D200; it would have been a no-brainer.

Anyhow, now I'm shopping for lenses, cards, batteries, filters, etc., etc.

Thanks again everyone. I'll definately provide updates as I progress in the shopping spree. I'll also post some pictures from the "European Vacation"

Thanks again,
Tom

[Rhys]

Don't forget to look at Pentax dSLRs. You might find them easier to use.