D80 vs. D200? Advice for lenses, memory cards, accessories and software.

[JB9903]

In this forum in early April, I wrote that I won a D80 at a photography fair. Well, now it is time for me to “redeem” my prize. I’ll restate what I said in my previous thread – most of my pictures will be landscapes and architecture. The only action photographs I will take will be of my dogs and my kids. I’ll be taking very few photographs of professional or collegiate athletics since I’m not able to get to the games very often. With that being said, would it be more beneficial for me to go with the D200 for the 5fps when I do use the burst mode to catch my dogs and/or kids in action? The extra $500 isn’t a huge deal breaker since I also realize I’ll get a metal body, more features and weatherproofing with the D200. Although I’m not too sure how significant the weatherproofing will be since I don’t plan to shoot in the rain or in any other places where that could be helpful (i.e. the beach). But I'm not sure if the extra $500 is worth all of that. :confused:

After extensive research, I’ve decided to go with the Nikkor 70-300mm VR and the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8. I can’t decide if I should go with the Sigma 10-20mm or the Sigma 17-70mm. The 10-20mm may give me more “bang for my buck” when taking landscape photographs, but I’ll lose a little bit between 20mm and 70mm with only having the 50mm. Any suggestions?

This is my first big digital camera purchase, so I’m a little confused in the way of what memory cards and accessories I may need. When I go to the store or online to look at memory cards, I get a little overwhelmed at the vast selection. What brand, size and write speed will I need? I know the write speed will have to be fast in order to use the burst mode, but I’m not sure what to get. Once again: :confused: .

I’ve also looked at carrying cases/bags. I want something that is comfortable and not cumbersome. I was thinking a backpack type may be nice, but I won’t be traveling with a laptop, so that may be too much for my needs. Any suggestions?

What other accessories do you think my suit my needs (i.e. filters, tripods, etc.)?

Most importantly, I’ve been researching a lot of different photo editing software. From the opinions expressed here, it seems that Capture NX is a good product. My wife has had a lot of experience with Adobe Photoshop from her college days, so we were also looking at Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0. My budget won’t limit me in regards to what software to buy (with the exception of the full-blown Photoshop), but I wanted to hear everyone else’s advice.

If you were able to make it through this incredibly long post, I applaud you. I want to thank you in advance for all of your help!

[LR Max]

On the camera body question:

If possible, attempt to go for the D200. It is a far superior piece of equipment. The D200 feels more natural in your (my) hands and this allows me to concentrate more on the photograph rather than worrying about what shenanigans is going on with my camera. The D200 just feels better.

The D80 is also an excellent piece of equipment (I use a D70s) and if you are comfortable with it, then great! But go to the camera shop and play with the D200, just from playing with it, you'll find out why it costs more.

On the lense question:

For the gap, just look for a good ole 18-70 Nikkor lense. They can be had for a reasonable price used. Good, sharp, lense. For landscape that 10-20mm will be crucial, you should probably plan on this. There is also a 28-70 (something like that) sigma f/2.8 lense I have been seeing (saw used at KEH). If this focial range is where you'll be doing the action shooting at, then one of these lens might be good. However, I haven't actually seen one in person nor used one. Perhaps someone could chime in on this (looks good from my arm chair).

The 50mm lense, always a good decision.

For bags, I prefer lowepro. A friend of mine prefers Tamrac. Bags are like a pair of britches, you gotta go to the shop and find one that fits you how you want it. As long as you don't buy a cheapo bag, you should be good. For your application, a backpack might be what you need.

For memory cards, go onto www.buy.com to buy cards. They are always having some sort of deal on memory cards. I saw 3 1 gig SD cards for like, 30 bucks or something like that. Brand, read the fine print. I know sandisk has a lifetime warranty on theirs (had to use that a few times) and Kingston has a 5 year warranty. NEVER buy the "buy.com warranty" thing. Since the manufacturer offers a warranty, why pay more?

I use sandisk ultra cards. They are fast. I also have a transcend 80x which is fast as well. I'd say buying a ~80x or faster card will suit your needs. Buy a few smaller cards (either 1 gig or 2 gig) instead of one large card. I've had cards fail, but it isn't a problem when there are three others in the bag. Any brand will be fine, I just like sandisk and use it in everything (only reason for the transcend b/c it was free).

On the question about photo editing programs, go download all the demos. Thats what I did. Personally, I think photoshop CS2 is awesome (and what I am saving for!) but Elements is also a great program. You have everything you need and nothing you don't (clone tool, easy to use level adjusters, etc). Go download all the demos and that'll help you with your decision. I know a lot of people who use elements, but I know a lot more people who use photoshop CS2.

[fionndruinne]

Buy memory from Newegg! I can't emphasize enough how good they are for flash memory. Great prices, excellent cards, and super-fast shipping.

My 1GB card is an A-Data "Speedy" (not as fast as the newest models, but sufficient for my 2.5fps continuous mode) for only $10.50 + $5.00 for three-day shipping (which took two days). Fastest order processing I've ever seen for an internet retailer.

[Rooz]

only you can decide if the metal body and 5fps etc are beneficial to you. there is more to it than that though, i have shot with the d200 many times and i LOVE it. the feel of it, the positioing of the buttons etc. it's all just right. the only way to really tell is by holding both. the d200 is MUCH bigger than than the d80, keep that in mind.

that being said, you will not need 5fps to catch kids or dogs. if you operate on a budget i would be more inclined to be going towards a d80 and use the extra money for glass. and an external flash unit.

the sigma 10-20mm is a landscape and wide angle lens. it;s not really suitable for day to day use to take pics of kids and other "normal home use". i would get a sigma 18-50mm f2.8 to go with your body. great in lower light, fast, tack sharp and miles better built than the equivalent tamron.

btw: 2gb is a bare MINIMUM imo for either of those cameras. raw files are getting up to the 8-12mb mark per photo. 1gb is not enough.

[XaiLo]

A long time ago in a land far away there were two programs Swish and Flash.
Swish offered a small learning curve and a lot of built in functions. On the other hand Flash had a rather large learning curve and a high level of complexity, definately not for the faint of heart. So which one of these programs was better. That really depended on what you were trying to accomplish on the one hand Swish could put together some preprogramed stuff quite easily and with a quikness. Flash though was the only way to go if you wanted things done your way and not having to be limited by the program. And this quandry is pretty much the same you are faced with unfortunately what might be true for you today may not be the same tomorrow. If your a techie type and love being able to control all aspects or your environment then I would say in the long run you will in all likelihood prefer the D200. If you really are not into the management aspect of technology then the D80 will be a better choice.

I tend to prefer shooting with a long tele lens. I'm currently using a 70-200mm most of the time. It's typically going in and out of my bag as I move around. I don't like neck straps so this process needed to be as simple and unobstrusive as possible. I was going to go with a sling shot type until I figured out that it actually put the camera in harms way. it was just to difficult trying to mange the camera, the bag road high on my chest which made accessing it a pain. I stumbled onto the Tamrac Pro 5 which turned out to be a great fit, it doesn't scream camera bag, it also is not obscenely wide and they kept the depth under control. The cover does not give rain an access point to just flow into the bag. It has severval nice and useful compartments.

I'm going to keep this short and say CS2 or 3.

[T06]

The bottom line is how often will you use it. For both you will need familiarity of use to get the best out of what you have. I could say 'YEAH' D200 & the lenses that I have are the ducks nuts, but if it's a must to have a DSLR & you plan to use it moderately D80. The D200 needs to be used just so you can remember exactly what all those buttons do:confused: :D j/k, I know what they do but the idea is intentional.;)