Looking for D200 vs D7000 skin tones comparison

[UniquePortraits]

I've been using D200's for almost 5 years, during which time I've tried every other camera Nikon has manufactured. I still find that the D200 renders the most neutral & pleasing skin tones of any Nikon camera up to ISO 400. I've not had the opportunity to test it against a D7000, has any long term D200 user made the switch to D7000 and taken comparison images? I understand the D7000 is superior in almost every way to the D200, but my main concern, my main bread & butter are portraits, so any input regarding skin tones is greatly appreciated.

 

[trenchmonkey]

Loved the D200 at ISO 100/200 but moved on to the D300 for fps/battery life (shoot events/sports)
The D7K is infinitely adjustable to tailor colors to your taste. My D2Xs is gorgeous, my D3 using the
D2X Profiles I and III the same. After some tweaking my D7K is right there with them in terms of ze skin, SOOC :wink:

D7K ISO200 f2.8 200mm

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[e_No]

There's been a lot of scuttle about the D7K not having "pleasing" skin tones, and reading the OP, he hasn't been satisfied with other cameras beside the D200. To that I have to say it comes down to tone curve and other Picture control settings, along with correct WB. "Normalize" those settings, and there's little apreciable difference among cameras. Though I didn't use a real human being, here is a test I ran that shows that there isn't much difference among the D700, D300 an D7K -- and all I did was ensure proper WB.

http://imagesbyeduardo.com/main/?p=2780

http://imagesbyeduardo.com/main/?p=2807

 

[Pa]

Loved the D200 at ISO 100/200 but moved on to the D300 for fps/battery life (shoot events/sports)
The D7K is infinitely adjustable to tailor colors to your taste. My D2Xs is gorgeous, my D3 using the
D2X Profiles I and III the same. After some tweaking my D7K is right there with them in terms of ze skin, SOOC :wink:

D7K ISO200 f2.8 200mm
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg31/rvrsbnd/53f77eea.jpg

Beautiful image, Will. Could you elaborate on the "tweaking"? Or maybe that's your "special sauce" :wink:.

 

[trenchmonkey]

Thanks, Jim...sent ya a PM :wink:

 

[UniquePortraits]

Loved the D200 at ISO 100/200 but moved on to the D300 for fps/battery life (shoot events/sports)
The D7K is infinitely adjustable to tailor colors to your taste. My D2Xs is gorgeous, my D3 using the
D2X Profiles I and III the same. After some tweaking my D7K is right there with them in terms of ze skin, SOOC :wink:

D7K ISO200 f2.8 200mm
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg31/rvrsbnd/53f77eea.jpg

Trench Monkey

Thanks for your insight, beautiful image

 

[camerapapi]

I seldom have a different opinion than that expressed by Will. We could be thinking alone the same line!
With the introduction of Picture Control there has been a significant change in the way the photographer approaches color. With cameras like the D200, well known for it beautiful color rendition, we were assigned a color mode and to depart from that we had to tweak colors with the software in use, not always to our satisfaction. Picture Control has changed all that.
Like Will, I use the "colors" of the D2X with my D300 for portraits but I admit that using Nikon's Portrait setting in Picture Control, if I am not in the ball park I am pretty close.
I also designed a custom color emulating the colors of the D200 that works pretty well.
I find myself using that along with the D2X Mode III for landscapes although at times I need to use Standard or even Neutral, depending on the lighting conditions and the subject.
So useful Picture Control has been for me that even if I shoot with my old cameras I always edit the RAW files with ViewNX2. Many times I can select Standard or Neutral for more pleasing colors, something I could not do in the past.
In short, today, Picture Control allows the photographer more control over the colors of the photographs and it is just a matter of fine-tuning those colors to where they are pleasant to the eye, like Will very nicely did in that portrait of the child.

William Rodriguez
Miami, Florida.

 

[bruce rubenstein]

After using a D200 for 5 years I recently added a D7000. Out of camera JPGs of people look better from the D200 using similar camera settings. The D7000 does have the ability to tweak the Auto WB setting and I set it to A2 to closely match the D200. When it comes to RAW the D200 & D7000 can be processed to look the same.

 

[GolferChris68]

Loved the D200 at ISO 100/200 but moved on to the D300 for fps/battery life (shoot events/sports)
The D7K is infinitely adjustable to tailor colors to your taste. My D2Xs is gorgeous, my D3 using the
D2X Profiles I and III the same. After some tweaking my D7K is right there with them in terms of ze skin, SOOC :wink:

D7K ISO200 f2.8 200mm

Thanks for sharing this wonderful shot. Beautiful skin colors, especially considering that your shot is SOOC. Can you share your settings? Just picked up a D7000 recently, and have been trying to get things tweaked as much as possible in camera, so as to minimize time in Lightroom and CS5. After 20 years of shooting as a hobbyist, I'm trying to minimize computer time, and maximize time behind the camera.

 

[Thorsten]

Thanks, Jim...sent ya a PM :wink:

If you could share a few pointers here of what adjustments worked for you, I'd be very interested, too, and probably many here. Thanks!

 

[dengar]

If you could share a few pointers here of what adjustments worked for you, I'd be very interested, too, and probably many here. Thanks!

Yes I would like some special sauce as well please :biggrin:

 

[camerapapi]

It is not my intention to tell others what Will does to obtain such colors in his portraits, that is something that only he can address but in several occasions, in other posts, he has stated that he favors the colors of the D2X and in Picture Control he uses for portraits the D2X Mode I.
Like you and others, I am also eagerly waiting for his tutorial.
William.

 

[Jaynometry]

Enlighten us please, Will!

 

[e_No]

Well, D2XMODE1 is not supported for the D7000 in VNX2 or CNX2, so you're bound to be disappointed.