Nikon D80 or D200?

[MizzouTDJB]

I have used SLR cameras in the past, but I am now looking into getting the digital world. From the reviews I've read, it seems the d80 and d200 are great cameras. I mainly take pictures of landscapes, buildings and outdoor activities including sports. Mega pixels are highly important to me and also the ability to "manipulate" and edit the pictures within a photo shopping program is key - although I'm not sure the camera itself has anything to do with how well the individual pictures are photo shopped. Is it worth the extra $300 or so to get the D200 or is there another camera out there that I should consider? My budget is around $1,500.

[herc182]

there are few features the D200 has that the D80 doesnt. The main differences in favour of the D200 is:

1 - Metal body
2 - weather sealed body
3 - 5fps shooting? (not sure about this point actually).

HOWEVER, I think the images are noisier on the D200 than the D80.

What you are looking to shoot will depend on the lens you get and not the body.
Get the D80 (cheaper) and a better lens. You will want a fairly wide angle lens (say 18mm) for landscape and buildings. I too am looking to get the D80 with a wide angle lens and am still researching.

Imaging software ranges from cheap to very expensive. Photoshop CS2/3 is the daddy but will cost around £500-600 (correct me if i am wrong). You can get adobe elements tho which does a lot but for around £50.

hope this helps.