Nikon D200, D300, D300s or D7000?

[MajaMolly]

I am beginning to shop for a new Nikon body. Currently, I have a D60 but would like a body that is more flexible with lenses and has more external controls so that I am not constantly having to go into the menu to adjust.

Any opinions between the D200, D300, D300s or D7000 will be much appreciated.

[Shadowman]

I am beginning to shop for a new Nikon body. Currently, I have a D60 but would like a body that is more flexible with lenses and has more external controls so that I am not constantly having to go into the menu to adjust.

Any opinions between the D200, D300, D300s or D7000 will be much appreciated.

I believe all of the above models have the same external controls. Which settings are you trying to change that cannot be done through the quick settings display button?

[Black Pearl]

2005
2007
2009
2010
Or chalk and cheese in other words.

What do you want from your camera and what is your budget? The D200 can be had for pennies these days as it is (in digital terms prehistoric) so if you want build quality and button functionality without spending much cash then its a great choice. If you want better high ISO's, smoother colours, more functions, a bigger, better screen and a 100% viewfinder then pay the few quid more and go for a used but loved D300. Do you want better performance still, dual slots and video...get a D300s. If you want the best actual chip performance, have the money, can find one as they are rarer than rocking horse s**t, can live with the lower build and AF performance then go hunting for a D7000.

[Andrew1]

I have the D300 and of course am biased about this great camera. A big improvement over the D200 and I had no need for video so the D300s wasn't considered. The link here will give you 20 pages of everything you need to compare.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond300/

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Very happy with my D7000 but it's the only one that I'm familiar with in the cameras you've mentioned. You can change almost every setting on the fly that I can think you might need to without lifting your head from the viewfinder with perhaps the exception of white balance and file type you're saving in.

Not sure if the D300s has it but the D7000 also has two user settings on the menu where you can set up the camera to how you want it so all you need to do is flick to U1 or U2 on the mode dial.

[MajaMolly]

2005
2007
2009
2010
Or chalk and cheese in other words.

What do you want from your camera and what is your budget? The D200 can be had for pennies these days as it is (in digital terms prehistoric) so if you want build quality and button functionality without spending much cash then its a great choice. If you want better high ISO's, smoother colours, more functions, a bigger, better screen and a 100% viewfinder then pay the few quid more and go for a used but loved D300. Do you want better performance still, dual slots and video...get a D300s. If you want the best actual chip performance, have the money, can find one as they are rarer than rocking horse s**t, can live with the lower build and AF performance then go hunting for a D7000.

Thank you. I think, the D300 sounds like what I'm looking for. A lot more camera than what I have but not spend a fortune.

[MajaMolly]

I have the D300 and of course am biased about this great camera. A big improvement over the D200 and I had no need for video so the D300s wasn't considered. The link here will give you 20 pages of everything you need to compare.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond300/

Very helpful, Andrew. Thanks.

[MajaMolly]

I believe all of the above models have the same external controls. Which settings are you trying to change that cannot be done through the quick settings display button?

With the D60, most settings have to be changed through the menu.

[Black Pearl]

The D300 is a great machine, prices on eBay run mid to high £600s - if you can wait I would hang on until after March. Nikon have serious issues with their D3100/D5100/D7000 supplies due to the floods in the far east. UK stocks are down to a few pieces so used prices are climbing and its having a knock-on effect on the prices of used bodies. Other thing to consider is the D300s is due to be replaced which will knock the used prices down even further as there's a rush to get rid of current cameras ready for the new one.

[MajaMolly]

The D300 is a great machine, prices on eBay run mid to high £600s - if you can wait I would hang on until after March. Nikon have serious issues with their D3100/D5100/D7000 supplies due to the floods in the far east. UK stocks are down to a few pieces so used prices are climbing and its having a knock-on effect on the prices of used bodies. Other thing to consider is the D300s is due to be replaced which will knock the used prices down even further as there's a rush to get rid of current cameras ready for the new one.

Thank you, Robin. I'm not in a hurry so I'll keep that in mind.

[Shadowman]

With the D60, most settings have to be changed through the menu.

Which settings?

[Shadowman]

Thank you. I think, the D300 sounds like what I'm looking for. A lot more camera than what I have but not spend a fortune.

Molly,

In your original email it sounded like your dissatisfaction with the D60 had more to do with ergonomics (having to use the menu to change settings) and lens compatibility (more flexibiity with lenses), now it seems you want a better quality camera. Have the original issues been addressed for you with the choice of the D300?

[dave keeley]

I went from D200 to D300s and frankly there is no comparison, the D300s is an amazing piece of equipment with which I will remain until I move to a full frame D700 or it's replacement. Looking at images from a fellow enthusiast obtained with the D7000 I am more than impressed, based on cost I believe that this is will present outstanding value for money for you but again they are not readilly available at the moment>
A bit of caution... it does not seem to me that the D7000 is not as robust as the semi pro series so again depending on your needs and how and where you use it it might be better paying extra for the D300s as it seems to me to be bomb proof.

[thequacksoflife]

the d60 has the same 10mp sensor as the d200. actually the d60 sensor has probably been tweeked.

the d200 will have better autofocus and build but.... image quality? not really.

the d300 and d300s are the same camera with the exception it has video. Autofocus is superb and image quality is a significant step up on the 10mp sensor (specifically high iso) - this is due for replacement (we assume) but there are no rumours on the d400....

the d7000 has a better autofocus than the d200 not quite as good as the d300 but more than good enough. image quality (specifically high iso) is a step up from the d300/s. build quality is improved from the d90 though its not a semi pro body like the d300/s. The area where the d7000 suffers to the d300 is the buffer - only an issue if you shoot wildlife.

Also consider the d5100 - it'll have better autofocus than the d60, same image quality as d7000. build of the d7000 is better tho.

check out these reviews.
http://bythom.com/nikond5100review.htm
http://bythom.com/nikond7000review.htm

and see the bits and the end "should you get a ......"

[Black Pearl]

Something else to consider:

Your D60 uses SD memory cards and I'm guessing you are used to being able to stick them in just about every Computer/TV/Bluray Player/Digital Picture Frame etc that you come across.

The D200 and D300 take Compact flash cards so you will need new ones and you may need to buy a card reader for them.

The D300s takes both...one of the reasons I went for it over the D300....which is a very, very useful feature. When I want out and out RAW performance I use the CF slot but most of the time I switch it over to the SD as my iMac has a SD slot in the side so there's no need to have my card reader cluttering the place up. One other benefit of the dual slots is you can choose to shoot RAW on one and jpegs on the other, use them sequentially to increase the total number of shots you can shoot without changing them and decide where to put the video files - separate to the image one to simplify your workflow. When I have mine configured to shoot RAW files to the CF slot I have small jpegs set to record to the SD slot so I can easily view them on my iPad when I'm still out shooting......I also have an Eye-Fi SD card too which is awesome, something you can't do with CF cards at present.
The D7000 has dual SD slots which can be configured in a similar way. There's no CF as it doesn't have the speed or buffer capacity to warrant them.

You will most likely still need new cards regardless of your choice as all the cameras benefit from todays high-speed cards being able to run faster and longer. In the case of the D7000 you will need fast ones to be able to shoot full HD movies.

[MajaMolly]

Molly,

In your original email it sounded like your dissatisfaction with the D60 had more to do with ergonomics (having to use the menu to change settings) and lens compatibility (more flexibiity with lenses), now it seems you want a better quality camera. Have the original issues been addressed for you with the choice of the D300?

Hi John,

The biggest reason for looking beyond the D90 is that I am interested in using the Lensbaby lenses...they don't meter on Nikon until you get to the D200. I have been working on using full manual mode, but it would be nice to have the camera do some of the work. I don't have a technical mind and am having difficulty wrapping my brain around all the settings to get the exposure correct in manual.

[MajaMolly]

Something else to consider:

Your D60 uses SD memory cards and I'm guessing you are used to being able to stick them in just about every Computer/TV/Bluray Player/Digital Picture Frame etc that you come across.

The D200 and D300 take Compact flash cards so you will need new ones and you may need to buy a card reader for them.

The D300s takes both...one of the reasons I went for it over the D300....which is a very, very useful feature. When I want out and out RAW performance I use the CF slot but most of the time I switch it over to the SD as my iMac has a SD slot in the side so there's no need to have my card reader cluttering the place up. One other benefit of the dual slots is you can choose to shoot RAW on one and jpegs on the other, use them sequentially to increase the total number of shots you can shoot without changing them and decide where to put the video files - separate to the image one to simplify your workflow. When I have mine configured to shoot RAW files to the CF slot I have small jpegs set to record to the SD slot so I can easily view them on my iPad when I'm still out shooting......I also have an Eye-Fi SD card too which is awesome, something you can't do with CF cards at present.
The D7000 has dual SD slots which can be configured in a similar way. There's no CF as it doesn't have the speed or buffer capacity to warrant them.

You will most likely still need new cards regardless of your choice as all the cameras benefit from todays high-speed cards being able to run faster and longer. In the case of the D7000 you will need fast ones to be able to shoot full HD movies.

Thank you for all the great info you are sharing. I definitely have some things to think about.