Nikon D200

CMoore · Sep 4, 2019

I am in a Long and Slow search for a Digital-SLR,
The only job it will do is to act as a modern day "Polaroid" in the studio, while i learn Lighting/Portraits with 35mm or 6x7 Film.
I need it to connect to a Windows 10 laptop.
Obviously, an older, cheaper body is attractive to me.
Is the Nikon D200, still a good consideration for this.?
Thank you

shutterfinger · Sep 4, 2019

I use a D300, save the images in camera raw, transfer from the memory card via a USB card reader but reading direct from the camera works well also but that require the camera being powered up using camera battery or an optional power adapter.
I convert the RAW files to Tiff and or Jpeg with Capture NX-D which is free on Nikon's web site. I edit in PS CS 5.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/c9photo beginning at the Lavender Lupine the shots are with the D300, Nikkor 35-135 f3.5-4.5 AF Zoom and a Micro Nikkor 60mm f2.8 D converted with NX_D,then resized in CS 5.

I took a quick look at the D200's specs on Nikon"s site and see no reason it won't do as well as the D300.

mshchem · Sep 4, 2019

CMoore said:
I am in a Long and Slow search for a Digital-SLR,
The only job it will do is to act as a modern day "Polaroid" in the studio, while i learn Lighting/Portraits.
I need it to connect to a Windows 10 laptop.
Obviously, an older, cheaper body is attractive to me.
Is the Nikon D200, still a good consideration for this.?
Thank you

I paid 1600 bucks for a new D200, it took great photos. If you find a nice used example cheap, it's a good place to start. Expect to pay 100 to 200 bucks for a very nice example.

CMoore · Sep 4, 2019

#2... #3

Thank You

RalphLambrecht · Sep 5, 2019

CMoore said:
I am in a Long and Slow search for a Digital-SLR,
The only job it will do is to act as a modern day "Polaroid" in the studio, while i learn Lighting/Portraits.
I need it to connect to a Windows 10 laptop.
Obviously, an older, cheaper body is attractive to me.
Is the Nikon D200, still a good consideration for this.?
Thank you

good choice; not very high in Mpixels but brilliant skin tones.

StepheKoontz · Sep 5, 2019

Download the D2X picture control from nikon, load this in a D200, use mode 1 and you will get GREAT out of camera jpegs without having to mess with shooting RAW, especially in studio lighting. It produces some of the best skin tones I have seen from a dSLR.

CMoore · Sep 5, 2019

Thanks for all the replies.
But just to be clear.....this camera is just so i can see, on my laptop, the changes in Strobes/Lighting.
Nothing will ever be saved or printed from this camera.
This is just a way for me to save film and learn a bit faster.
Thanks again

neeksgeek · Sep 5, 2019

Joined to reply. The D200 should be ideal for your purpose. You might consider tethered shooting, which would give you immediate feedback (instead of copying files from the card, they’re uploaded to the laptop as you work). I use an open-source tethered shooting app called Entangle, which is free, but only available on Linux. There must be Nikon software that will work. Edit: forgot link.

CMoore · Sep 5, 2019

neeksgeek said:
Joined to reply. The D200 should be ideal for your purpose. You might consider tethered shooting, which would give you immediate feedback (instead of copying files from the card, they’re uploaded to the laptop as you work). I use an open-source tethered shooting app called Entangle, which is free, but only available on Linux. There must be Nikon software that will work. Edit: forgot link.

Once again, i have failed at the art of communicating Via Text.

YES, that is exactly what i had in mind, but it seems i did not mention it.
BTW...Thanks for teaching me the proper phrase (it makes sense)..... tethered.?
I was going to say Rope the camera to my Windows Laptop.

bdial · Sep 5, 2019

It looks like Nikon's Camera Control Pro 2 can do this with D300's and up, but not the D200. Also, Camera Control isn't free. You can download it from Nikon's download center, and it will function without a key as a trial for 30 days.
link

I recently have been working with both a D200 and D300 for doing some studio work with a complicated lighting setup, but I only have a desktop computer, so I made test shots and uploaded them either from the card or the camera, then evaluated on the computer. A live view would have been easier, but initial evaluation on the camera then transferring images worked well enough for me.

Aside from live tethering, the D200 is a very capable camera, and I was able to use it and the D300 fairly seamlessly in conjunction with my film cameras. Though it would have been nice if my full-frame AF zoom had not died in the middle of the project. Had I been doing this "back in the day" with Polaroid, the film cost would have bankrupted me

shutterfinger · Sep 6, 2019

KEH.com has a D200 in Bargain condition with battery and charger for$94; D300 in bargain condition w/battery/charger for $149, in excellent condition with battery/charger for $218.

What matters is your laptop and how good your display is. I switched from a HP Probook 6460b refurbished with Win 10 Home to a Dell Precision M3800 with a high resolution display and Win 10 Pro. The main colors look the same on both but the subtle shades of late in the day sun are more distinct on the Dell. Use Windows built in display calibration tool to adjust the laptop display.
I bought my D300 from a camera dealer on ebay complete with accessories, kit lens, and accessories for a fair price.

Google search " tether a nikon D200 to a laptop " = https://www.tethertools.com/camera/nikon-d200/

Nikon D200

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