D80 vs. D200 ISO noise???

mrsollars · May 2, 2007

i may have the opportunity to move to the D200 from my D80 in the near future. i like the ideal of the heavier, metal body, etc. i am, however, sensitive to 'iso noise'. apparently it's a bigger deal to me than others.
i really don't like to shoot anything over 400 iso....if i have to go 800 i do....but 800-3200 on the D80, i can really see it.

i don't have a lot of sd cards so the move to CF isn't a big deal. all of my lenses are compatible. i like the heavier, metal, 'feel' of the D200.

so my question is.....

will the noise of the D200 be more than i can handle at 400+ iso??

matt

MontyDog · May 2, 2007

#1064 - You have an error in your SQL syntax;

mrsollars · May 2, 2007

yeah....i read that and i guess was looking for 'real world' opinions from everyday joes about the comparison.
i guess that the D80 has a bit of an advantage in the noise category....i just have to decide if the build of the D200 is going to be enough to make me trade up to it??

i saw another post where it asked about ''feel'' between the two. all of the D200 owners screamed 'GET THE D200' where as all of the D80 owners stated 'I LOVE MY D80'. i wonder why people make the upgrade from the D80-D200???

anybody who made the jump have a reasoning for moving from the D80-D200??

any other offerings are appreciated.

thanks
matt

MontyDog · May 2, 2007

#1064 - You have an error in your SQL syntax;

Clix Pix · May 2, 2007

OK, I have to jump in and add my tuppence.... :smile:

I have used them all: D40, D70, D80, D200 and D2Xs.... so I can offer my thoughts here. I went from the D70/D70s to the D200 and was thrilled. Why? Well, yes, the camera felt good and solid in my hands, and yes, there was a larger viewfinder and more megapixels, but what really excited me from the get-go was that there were more functions available on the body; I didn't have to dig around in the menu so often. A quick press of the button and a change could be implemented and I could get right back to shooting -- now THAT was exciting and made the price of that camera worth it to me. The D80 is more like the D70 in that it has more menu-driven functions. When using it I get a little frustrated sometimes, having become accustomed to the D200.

As far as ISO, I really haven't paid all that much attention, to be honest. As Paul mentions, there is the issue of "amp noise," but that is only under certain conditions. I haven't noticed much difference between the D80 and the D200 in terms of ISO one way or the other. The D200 is not going to be worse, I would say that...

mrsollars · May 2, 2007

thanks for the reply!
i would definitely say you are good source, having used all of those bodies.

so...as far as ''on body function controls''.....what controls, specifically, do you use the most that you have to dig through the menu to find and use on the D80??

thanks
matt

Clix Pix · May 2, 2007

Hm.....it's been a while since I've used my D80 so i can't remember right offhand! I do remember that this was one of the significant things I noticed right away when I first got the D200.....

jeremyInMT · May 2, 2007

Clix Pix said: ↑

I have used them all: D40, D70, D80, D200 and D2Xs.... so I can offer my thoughts here. I went from the D70/D70s to the D200 and was thrilled. Why? Well, yes, the camera felt good and solid in my hands, and yes, there was a larger viewfinder and more megapixels, but what really excited me from the get-go was that there were more functions available on the body; I didn't have to dig around in the menu so often. A quick press of the button and a change could be implemented and I could get right back to shooting -- now THAT was exciting and made the price of that camera worth it to me. The D80 is more like the D70 in that it has more menu-driven functions. When using it I get a little frustrated sometimes, having become accustomed to the D200.

As far as ISO, I really haven't paid all that much attention, to be honest. As Paul mentions, there is the issue of "amp noise," but that is only under certain conditions. I haven't noticed much difference between the D80 and the D200 in terms of ISO one way or the other. The D200 is not going to be worse, I would say that...
Click to expand...

As far as bigger view finder and more MP go, going from D70 to D80 would provide the exact same upgrades. It would be nice to have some more features be button changeable instead of menu. The D200 also has custom banks which the D80 does not. The D200 rips off 5 frames/sec while the D80 does 3fps. When you say the D200 is not going to be worse, it actually is slightly worse in noise than the D80. It may be little enough to not see much in real shooting, but it does exist.

I'd like to say to the OP that Thom Hogan really is an every day shooter, so his comments are from use, even though he does use some statistical measurements as well.

mrsollars · May 2, 2007

thanks jeremy.

hopefully i didn't come across as bashing thom hogan for being a 'pro' type. i, myself, am just nowhere near his level or many of yours for that matter. the issue of noise, i guess, is just one that i am more sensitive too...so i thought i'd ask the ''general'' population. :smile:

i am trying to find a good 3D feature to look at all of the extra 'buttons' on the D200 vs. D80, but i'm having trouble with my school's windows (ick-mac user) computer. shouldn't be a problem when i get home (imac).

thanks for all of the comments and help making my decision....keep it coming.

matt

mematsu · May 2, 2007

I just upgraded

Noise? Not too much different, especially if you stay in the 400-800 range.
Ergonomics? Main controls are mostly in the dials now. Shooting modes can be done with the pointer finger and thumb of your right hand.
Feel? I love it. Worth the dollars in itself. Some might not for the added bulk and weight.
AIS metering? Love it.

A great upgrade in my opinion.

Ming Thein · May 4, 2007

I used one of the early D200s (waaaaaaay back in Nov 05) and found it horrible in terms of noise performance, jpeg or NEF. Landed up getting a D50 to serve as my small DSLR; which was subsequently replaced by the D80. Though I loved the D80, I missed the heft of a larger camera; I was given another D80 and another D200 by Nikon here for a magazine review. Interestingly, the second D200 had 'D200(B)' on the bottom label - and it certainly performed very differently to the first one. Shortly thereafter, I swapped my D80 for a D200 - also a 'B' version - and haven't looked back. I think they are on par noise-wise, but the D200 is noticeably more responsive. I've had D200 exposures I had to look twice at the EXIF to check the ISO, they were that clean.

Ming

Nuteshack · May 7, 2007

Ming ....have u checked out the new Fuji s5 yet?

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