[Soupdragon]

Originally Posted by liljj323

the reason im looking at the 30d and d200 is that they have been replaced,and i know that they are both great cameras. the d300 is way too expensive for me.

i am 16 and in school, the d80 would be nice, but i think that by the time the d300 is on the shelves the d200 will be cheaper (maybe)... in short terms money is very tight!

OK:

In all honesty, with possibly the exception of high iso noise, the D200 is the better camera!

Look out, flaming about to start!

"Ouch! who threw that?"

[Sonsey]

Originally Posted by Soupdragon

"Ouch! who threw that?"

Me!

[P-E]

[stepheno]

Originally Posted by Soupdragon

In all honesty, with possibly the exception of high iso noise, the D200 is the better camera!

I regard that statement as ambiguous, highly subjective and not at all helpful to a prospective purchaser. All DSLR cameras on the market today will "do the job" and the difference in specification between the 30D and D200 amounts to a split hair. Much more important is how the camera handles and the lens and accessory system that one wants to be tied into.

[Soupdragon]

Originally Posted by stepheno

I regard that statement as ambiguous, highly subjective and not at all helpful to a prospective purchaser. All DSLR cameras on the market today will "do the job" and the difference in specification between the 30D and D200 amounts to a split hair. Much more important is how the camera handles and the lens and accessory system that one wants to be tied into.

Do I really have to use smilies in my posts?
Could you not read the post in the context in which it was written?
Has the mod team got it in for me here?

[stepheno]

Originally Posted by liljj323

i have seen many canon vs nikon arguments on this forum, and they all tend to end up the same way, around the end of the thread people just start saying things like 'nikon is better because i like it more' or 'canon is the way to go...'

basically i am starting this thread to partly help me decide between a 30d or a d200.

for all of you who want to start bashing the other company than your liking... dont. i only want to see positive comments on either side i.e. I have heard that nikon flash units seem to give better results...

Not at all Soupy but if you read liljj's initial post again you can see he is not asking for smilies or off-the-cuff remarks but objective help - like you mentioned with the ISO.

[Soupdragon]

I regard that statement as ambiguous, highly subjective and not at all helpful to a prospective purchaser.

Well here’s a few others you seem to have overlooked.

“Alternatively, buy a 5x4 and be a real photographer!”

“Ludicrous on/off switch on the 30D and the pathetic exposure compensation.”

“Because the sensor cleaning probably won't work and the auto ISO you probably won't use.”

“Canon had the better camera bodies at that time.”

[liljj323]

sorry i have taken so long to reply to the post,
i like the canon better in my hands, the 3 buttons on the top makes it so easy to change settings w/o taking my hand off the grip or lens. and as i have only used the 30d in a store i am not sure how the noise compares to the d200.

soup u have said above that besides the d200's noise performance it is better. well i think that a cameras noise performance is critical to the quality of the camera.

the exposure comp. (or lack there of) on the 30d can easily be fixed, use manual mode, but seeing as i constantly find myself bumping up the iso i need the low noise capabilities.

am i correct, or is what i have just said complete rubbish?

[VinnyP]

You don't say what kind of shooting you do. A lot boils down to personal preference. How does it feel in your hand, do you prefer the Canon rear dial? Most reviewers prefer the Nikon Menu system (with help) but I think it is what you get used to. Will you be bracketing your shots a lot? If so then the D200 has a dedicated button which is a joy to use that I wouldn't be without, the 30D has it buried in menus.

The D200 produces bigger files and is better built and weather sealed. The 30D is slightly smaller and a good bit lighter. As you have said it has better noise out of the camera and even usually slightly better noise after processing, if you dither the D200 files down to the 30Ds 8MP then the D200 is often ahead but it's more work. For low ISO shots of course the upside is that there is more scope to crop with a D200 and less need to upsize for stock agencies. The AF system on the D200 is slightly more sophisticated and accurate than the 30D but only really an issue on tracking moving subjects or in very low or bright light. The high end Nikon lenses are marginally sharper than the equivalent Canon lenses but the Canon lenses are cheaper. The Flash system on the D200 is slightly better if that is of any use to you. The D200 offers extra features some useful: Auto ISO, user settings, shooting banks and WB settings, custom button, grid lines and finally ISO in the viewfinder (huge omission on the 30D). Some less useful, intervalometer, use comments, focusing lamp 1ev steps, GPS support and more battery info.

[liljj323]

well vinny what i shoot varies wildly, i shoot football games and i also shoot portriats, it all depends, i usually never use the flash so thats not to important. and yes i do like the rear dial on the canon, really wat will make my mind is how much the d200 is going to cost when the d300 comes out.

is there any way to say rent these cameras to see wat they are like in the field?

[VinnyP]

There are a few places you can rent including some of which do rent before you buy. Calumet does this and I can recommend Fixation. Of course not many places will have the 30D for sale but a most will still have stock of the D200.