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The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum Presents:
First Impressions of the Nikon D200 by Jeremy Parker

Managing Editor: James Morrissey
Associate Editors: Cynthia Parker, Michael Parker, Betsy Parker and Mary Jo Farrell
This article and the images in this article are copyright 2006 by Jeremy Parker, and may not in part or in whole, be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior written permission from Jeremy N. Parker. This article and images in this article have been licensed to James Morrissey and The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum for the purpose of this article in its entirety on www.nwpphotoforum.com.

Biography
Jeremy Parker has been been a photographer most of his life. He became much more serious about artistic image making in 2001 - 2002 when he moved to Southern Nevada and purchased a Nikon D100 digital SLR. With open desert and mountain areas at his doorstep and a digital darkroom at his fingertips, Jeremy entered a new world of creative photography.

Primary Equipment
Jeremy’s primary photography equipment, which fits snugly into a Lowepro Orion AW Camera Beltpack, includes the following:
Camera bodies: Nikon D200, Nikon D100 (one body fits in beltpack)
Lenses: 12-24mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S DX, 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF, 50mm f/1.4D AF and 85mm f/1.8D AF (all Nikon)
Support: Gitzo Mountaineer Carbon Fiber tripod, Arca-Swiss B1 ballhead, Really Right Stuff L-plates for all camera bodies and applicable lenses
Miscellaneous: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight, SC-17 flash extension cord, , SJ-1 color filters for flash, MC-30 remote shutter release, 4 gigabyte SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash card, several spare 512 megabyte CompactFlash cards, lens cleaning supplies, plastic/metal hoods for all lenses, polarizing filters, Singh-Ray split neutral density filters, Cokin P filter holder, spare rechargeable batteries

The last three months have been big. Real big. My first son was born, the Nikon D200 was released, and I was given my first photography writing assignment. In case you're wondering, that assignment was to write a field review of the Nikon D200 for The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum.

There is very little overlap among the people who care about my son being born and those that care about the birth of the D200. In fact, the population that was enthused about both included only my brother and my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law was excited because it meant that I was distracted by the pre-release forum mania so she got to spend more time with her first grandchild. My brother was excited because it enabled him to borrow my D100 for an extended period of time.

According to my eight year old cousin, Jeremy has "too much camera equipment." I'm sure most people I know have the same thought, but it takes the guts of an eight year old to say it to your face. So, if I already had too much equipment, why did I call nearly every camera store in Southern California and Southern Nevada looking for a D200 before eventually finding one at a mall camera store? The answer is quite simple, really. The D200 has a 10.2 megapixel image sensor, true mirror lockup, weather seals and an ultra tough, yet small body. Translation: I can get tack-sharp poster sized prints of images created in harsh conditions with a camera that is small and light enough to take just about anywhere in the world.

There are a number of websites and magazines that will give you a technical account of how the D200 stacks up against its predecessors and competitors. My goal is to give you a nature photographer's perspective on the experience of using the D200 as a tool to make images. Immediately upon picking up the camera, I noticed that the D200 feels just right in my hands. The surface texture makes the camera really easy to hold, even in cold weather. The body feels perfectly balanced with every one of my lenses.

Several days after purchasing the D200, I drove up to Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains for a ski vacation with the family. Big Bear Lake was created when the first of a series of dams was constructed in the 1880s along the Santa Ana River. Sadly for some of the members of my traveling party, the only snow in the vicinity was produced by snowmaking machines. As far as I was concerned, that was good news because all I wanted to do was get to know my newborn son, go hiking with the dog and family, and, of course, see what the D200 was made of. On a couple of mornings that week, I coerced my father into joining me for a 5:30AM adventure to photograph the sunrise over the lake and surrounding mountain peaks.

With the D200 solidly attached to a tripod in roughly 30 °F clear weather, I captured a series of images using mirror lockup in conjunction with the optional Nikon MC-30 remote shutter release. With this setup, I obtained tack-sharp images. The image below was captured on the second of those mornings from a spot near the East end of Big Bear Lake.

Technical data: Nikon D200, Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S DX at 12mm, f/10, 1/30 of a second, ISO 640, Singh-Ray Graduated Neutral Density Filter, Gitzo Mountaineer 1228 Carbon Fiber Tripod, Arca Swiss B1 Ballhead, Wimberley Universal Camera Plate. Copyright Jeremy N. Parker 2006.

A feature of the D200 is that you can quickly change ISO, white balance, exposure mode and a host of other features without leaving shooting mode. For instance, you simply press the ISO, Quality (RAW, JPEG, etc.), or White Balance button with a finger or thumb on your left hand while rotating the main command dial with the thumb on your right hand to achieve the desired setting. At any point, you can press the shutter-release button to take a picture.

This flexibility has led me to change ISO more frequently than I had previously done on the D100. When I woke up before the light of dawn, I unfortunately forgot to switch ISO back from ISO 640 to ISO 100, which I normally use for landscapes to maximize color rendition and image sharpness. While you can change many settings after the fact with a NEF file (Nikon's RAW format), ISO can only be adjusted prior releasing the shutter.

I learned two important lessons that morning. First, the D200 is capable of producing excellent image quality at high ISOs with a properly exposed image (e.g., the image above was taken at ISO 640). I can imagine that in some situations, even when using a tripod, it might be worthwhile to bump ISO in order to gain depth of field while freezing action, such as ripples in the water. While I haven't yet done a scientific ISO performance comparison of the D200 and the D100 (my brother still has the D100… hint, hint), it appears that noise from the D200 at ISO 100 to 200 is significantly lower than from the D100 at very slow shutter speeds. Furthermore, I am confident taking portraits at ISO 640 to 1000 whereas with the D100, my comfort level was in the range of ISO 400 to 500. In fact, I am happy with ISO 1600 or higher if required to obtain sharp existing light images. The second lesson is that you should always, and I repeat, always, check your ISO setting before an important shoot.

I clearly did not learn my lesson very well the first time as a couple of weeks later I took the image below at ISO 1600. Fortunately, while there is some noise, the image quality is much better than I would have expected with this level of light sensitivity. A few shots after taking the sunset image below, I realized that something was amiss when the D200's matrix meter was reading 1/640 of a second at f/11, allowing me to return to my standard landscape setting of ISO 100. Incidentally, the meter has consistently performed exceptionally, whether in matrix, center-weighted or spot mode. Many folks with lots of old Nikon glass in their closets will be pleased to know that the D200's metering system is compatible with many of the Nikkor manual focus lenses.

Technical data: Nikon D200, Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S DX at 17mm, f/11, 1/640 of a second, ISO 1600, Singh-Ray Graduated Neutral Density Filter, Gitzo Mountaineer 1228 Carbon Fiber Tripod, Arca Swiss B1 Ballhead, Really Right Stuff L-Plate. Copyright Jeremy N. Parker 2006.

Below is another image of Big Bear Lake, this time composed in a vertical orientation. The D200 has an optional feature which automatically rotates an image taken from the vertical position to a vertical position on the LCD playback. Personally, I prefer not using in-camera rotation because it necessarily causes the image to shrink in LCD. However, I appreciate the fact that the auto rotation occurs when I transfer images to the computer because it saves time in my post shooting workflow.

Technical data: Nikon D200, Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S DX at 12mm, f/8, 1/40 of a second, ISO 640, Singh-Ray Graduated Neutral Density Filter, Gitzo Mountaineer 1228 Carbon Fiber Tripod, Arca Swiss B1 Ballhead, Wimberley Universal Camera Plate. Copyright Jeremy N. Parker 2006.

If you look closely at the rocks, which appear to have been placed at this lakeside setting to protect against erosion, you might see what looks like a piece of paper. Unfortunately, I didn't notice this until I got home and, with help from the D200's 10.2 megapixel resolution, was able to verify that this was, in fact, a piece of paper. Incidentally, you can see a substantial amount of detail before even getting to your computer by zooming in up to 25x on the D200's large 2.5 inch LCD screen. While I wish I had noticed and relocated the paper before tripping the shutter, I can envision using this image to illustrate the relationship between humans and their environment. It turned out that this first photo expedition was successful, user error notwithstanding.

The next test would be closer to home where the land meets the Pacific Ocean near the southern border of the United States. Here, I can often be found balancing my tripod (and myself) on the rocks surrounding tide-pools. Sometimes, I am even shin-deep with saltwater waves breaking against the carbon fiber legs of the tripod, and rain or saltwater hitting my equipment from other directions. While Nikon's weather sealing gives me confidence using the D200 in inclement conditions such as these, I typically use a rain hood to keep body and lenses dry. The owner's manual says that the D200 should be operated in "less than 85% [humidity] (no condensation)," so, either follow Nikon's instructions or risk the consequences.

The image below is of one of my favorite local subjects outside of the wildflower season, the tide pools at The Scripps Coastal Reserve. I had to be very careful not to disturb the delicate ecosystems residing in these pools as I walked to this spot and found solid footing for my tripod.

Technical data: Nikon D200, Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S DX at 24mm, f/9, 30 seconds, Singh-Ray Graduated Neutral Density Filter, Gitzo Mountaineer 1228 Carbon Fiber Tripod, Arca Swiss B1 Ballhead, Really Right Stuff BD200-L quick release plate. Copyright Jeremy N. Parker 2006.

To capture this image, I attached the D200 to the ballhead and tripod using an L-plate from Really Right Stuff. The advantage of the L-plate is that you can shift the camera from horizontal to vertical orientation without having to reposition the ballhead. For a few brief moments I was concerned that the L-plate would not be compatible with the MC-30, Nikon's 10-pin cable release, because it sticks out from the left side of the camera and threatens to interfere with a knob on the ballhead. By sliding the camera in from the left, this issue is resolved. Though this image was made with existing light, several other shots that evening were made using the optional Nikon SB-800 off-camera flash and Nikon SC-17 extension cord (which has now been replaced by the slightly modified SC-28 cord), which work really well with the D200. Though the SB-800 gives me additional creative options, the built-in flash also has plenty of power and is quite handy when you want to travel light.

The beauty of the Orion AW beltpack comes alive when I start shooting. Unlike a backpack, I can access it from any position without placing it on the ground, whether standing, squatting, kneeling, or hanging from a tree. This is really important when balancing on slippery rocks as I had to do when taking the image of tide pools. The Orion AW also has a detachable mini-backpack which is useful when you need extra gear.

As I finished the shoot, waves began to drench my shoes and tripod with saltwater, making the walk back across the tide pools in the waning light a challenge. When I returned home, I cropped the image at the top and bottom for a panoramic view. Fortunately, given the D200's 10.2 megapixel sensor, this capture can be enlarged significantly since the cropped image is still 7.3 megapixels.

For wildlife and pet photography, the D200 has two distinct advantages over its predecessors: the image buffer and autofocus system. I spent two afternoons shooting my dog, Lucy, with this camera. In both sessions, the SanDisk Extreme III 4 gigabyte compact flash nearly filled up with RAW images much more quickly than I had anticipated, forcing me to switch back to JPEG. This is partly due to the camera's ability to shoot five frames per second and partly due to the fact that the buffer, which can handle 22 NEF files in continuous shooting, never filled up. I might have filled the buffer at some point had I been using a lower speed card, but I doubt it. Given that I often shoot in inclement conditions, I believe my risk of image loss through malfunction is reduced by using bigger cards that require less frequent changing. If you shoot wildlife or other action events and prefer to shoot RAW, get at least one 4 gigabyte or larger capacity card. Furthermore, if your finances are limited, I would recommend going for capacity over speed given the large buffer of the D200.

Technical data: Nikon D200, Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF, f/5, 1/800 of a second, ISO 640. Copyright Jeremy N. Parker 2006.

The D200 has a powerful but somewhat complex autofocus system with several different modes, most of which I have not yet mastered. On my first two attempts at shooting fast-moving animals (seagulls and my dog), I had trouble obtaining sharp images using the Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF. My initial thought was that I would need the AF-S version of this lens, though it turned out that what I mainly needed was better technique.

A black dog running towards the photographer is one of the most difficult subjects to focus on, especially in dynamic autofocus mode, because it is a low contrast subject and panning is of no help. By shooting the dog when her fur was wet and in direct sunlight, contrast on the subject increased dramatically and by pre-selecting the focus area, the D200 knew where in the frame to look.

The D200's strong performance at ISO 640 also was quite helpful in that it allowed me to shoot at 1/800 of a second, thereby freezing the action, and f/5, providing at least a moderate level of depth of field to account for the fact that there was little chance that the camera would be able to decide where Lucy's eyes were. Next time, I may try a slower shutter speed and smaller aperture since limited depth of field in conjunction with spot on focus seemed to have the greatest impact on sharpness. I clearly have a lot of learning to do with respect to the D200's powerful but somewhat complex auto-focus system.

Let me leave you with my opinion on three of the hottest topics in the forums lately with respect to the D200. First is the banding issue. Of more than 2,600 images made with my first batch D200, I have seen what is known as Type II banding in four photographs. Three of these images were of the same subject and were taken within 13 seconds of one another. They were all overexposed to bring out detail in a severely backlit subject and were shot at ISO 640 (in the other example, banding occurs in an area next to a light bulb when the ISO was set to 1250). In order to see the banding, I need to blow the image up to about 100% to 200%, though it is doubtful that I would have noticed it in either situation had I not been specifically digging through my entire library of D200 images searching specifically for the set of variables that lead to banding. A 200% crop of the area in question is included below. The first image is straight out of the camera with no adjustments while levels were tweaked significantly in the second image to accentuate the banding phenomenon. As you can see, the image is poorly exposed and banding becomes more prominent when significant post-processing is introduced to the workflow.

Technical data: Nikon D200, Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF, f/2.8, 1/640 of a second, ISO 640. Copyright Jeremy N. Parker 2006.

While I wish banding were non-existent in my D200, I am comforted that Nikon has issued a statement confirming that a solution is available that will minimize the effect at ISO levels above 100 and that no banding will occur at ISO 100. Though I am frustrated to hear Nikon say that for "images printed at … 11 in x 14 in. … or smaller this pattern … should have little impact on … printing", this is not particularly concerning since I typically shoot at ISO 100 when poster size prints are the intended output. Before sending my D200 in for repair, I intend to set up a test that reproduces the effect in a repeatable manner so I can be sure Nikon's fix resolves the problem. For a more technical review of the banding issue (not to mention some hilarious banter among interested parties), I suggest you read through the Nikon D1/D2/D100/D200 forum at www.dpreview.com.

With respect to the so called "encryption issue" regarding white balance, I was initially concerned about staying with Nikon because I was worried it would impact the usability of my images. I am happy to report that Nikon has assuaged my primary concerns by releasing a mini-SDK that allows Adobe and other software providers to offer the batch processing features that were in question. From my perspective, it would be really nice if the camera makers could agree on a standard RAW format even if it resulted in a slight decrease in functionality.

Regarding resolution, initially I was upset that the D200 was announced with a lower pixel count than the Nikon D2X. But, now that I have witnessed the extremely high level of image quality with the D200, even at higher ISOs, I am glad that Nikon has stayed with the APS sized image sensor in its top level pro cameras even at slightly lower pixel counts. It allows me to carry a much broader range of equipment in my beltpack than would be possible with a full frame camera such as the Canon 5D (which I understand is also a superb camera). From a 35mm equivalency perspective, I have the field of view of an 18mm lens at f/4 all the way up to the field of view of a 300mm lens at f/2.8 which is great for hiking. Imagine trying to carry a 300mm f/2.8 as part of this kit - it wouldn't work.

The image quality is so outstanding and the form factor is so superb for my requirements that I would not hesitate to recommend the Nikon D200 without reserve. While there are several other great cameras available with comparable image quality, the D200 is the one that allows me to carry body and lenses in a compact package when hiking along the beach at sunset with dog and baby in tow.

If you would like to see more of Jeremy Parker's work, please visit his website at www.jeremyparker.com.

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