The Nikon D300 is a substantial upgrade. over the D200.
The D200 are D300 are two Nikon prosumer-level cameras. The D200 was introduced in 2005 and phased out in 2007 with the introduction of the D300. The two cameras have some similarities, but also some substantial differences in shooting functionality and speed. The D300 was upgraded to the D300S in 2009, adding the capability to shoot 720P HD video through the camera, and a slight speed boost.
Sensor
Both the D200 and D300 have a cropped DX-style sensor, meaning that any lens on it has a 1.5x magnification factor over what its listed focal length is. The D200 sensor is 10.2 megapixels, while the D300 was upgraded to 12.3 megapixels.
LCD Monitor
The LCD monitor on the D300 is a substantial upgrade over the D200. The D200 LCD is 2.5 inches diagonally, with a resolution of 230,000 dots. The D300 sensor is 3 inches diagonally with a resolution of 921,000 dots. The D300 LCD screen also supports live-view shooting through the screen, while the D200 does not. Both LCD screens have a viewing angle of 170 degrees.
Speed
Speed is measured in several increments, including frames per second, shutter speeds and ISO speeds. Both the D300 and D200 have the same shutter speeds, with a maximum speed of 1/8000 of a second and a top slow speed of 30 seconds. The D200 can shoot five frames per second. The D300 can shoot six frames per second, and, with the addition of the MB-D10 battery pack, that can be boosted to eight frames per second. The D200 has a better daylight ISO capability, with ISO down to 100 versus the 200 of the D300. However, for shooting in low light with no flash, the D300 is superior, with clean shooting up to ISO 3200 and boosts up to ISO 6400 that are still functional; the D200 has a top ISO of 1600, with a boost to 3200 that is very noisy.
Focus
The D300 substantially upgraded the focus system, going from an 11-point auto focus on the D200 to a 51-point auto focus with 3D tracking for better shooting of fast-moving objects in continuous burst mode.
Dust reduction
The D300 has a self-cleaning ultrasonic sensor that uses sound waves to keep the sensor clean, reducing the need for cleaning. The D200 sensor needs to be cleaned more frequently.
Editing
The D300 supports in-camera image editing, including Nikon's D-Lighting process to optimize underexposed or overexposed images, a red-eye reduction mode, color balance, and filter effects, including comparison between black and white and color versions of the same image. The D200 has no in-camera editing.
Body
Both the D200 and D300 weight 29.3 ounces and have a magnesium alloy frame for durability. Both cameras use Nikon's EN-EL3e battery. The D300 has much better battery life, getting 3,000 shots per charge vs. the 1,800 shots per charge on the D200. Both cameras save the image files to Compact Flash memory. The D300s also have an SD card slot.
Tags: D200 D300, frames second, auto focus, Both cameras, Both D200, Both D200 D300, D200 D200
