Upgrading from Nikon D200 to D300s

[wildhorserunphotography]

I'm thinking about upgrading from the Nikon D200 to the Nikon D300s. I love my D200 for the quick acess to everything, but I also like the specs of the D300s. Opinions?

I mostly shoot families, weddings and Seniors.

[jfoureyes]

Everyone I know that has the D300s loves it, but they are mostly nature shooters...I'm going to get one or whatever the next generation Nikon makes if my ol' D80 will ever fail.

[tomdrink]

I also have a D200, but am going to wait to see what the next Nikon will be (D400?).
TomD

[wildhorserunphotography]

You both make good points, how often does Nikon normally put out new generation cameras?

[brewercm]

Seems to be about 2 year cycles from what I've seen.

I'm waiting myself to see what comes out for the next gen of the 300 series and the 700.

[mdparthum]

I have had the D200 and the D300 at the same time. I first bought the D300 and then the D200 came as a backup camera. They are both great cameras, but the one thing I found was that the controls etc. are in different places. Minor I am sure; however, when using both bodies I found myself hitting buttons on one camera where they were on the other body. Just got in the way of my workflow. I sold the D200 to a good home of a D200 user and bought the D300s. I think I am set for bodies for a while.

[ChristopherCoy]

Spend the extra $500 and get the D700.

[jeffclow]

Originally Posted by wildhorserunphotography

You both make good points, how often does Nikon normally put out new generation cameras?

Two things - all the "Nikon Rumor" sites say that the D300s upgrade (perhaps called a D400) will be announced sometime this year, so you might want to wait and see what that will bring. I bought the D200 a couple of years ago and then they announced the D300 six weeks later and the things it had - like auto sensor cleaning - made me regret my D200 purchase.

Secondly, if you'll check the specs (and the image output) - the new D7000 from Nikon is almost on par with the D300s at a price $500 less. You get more megapixels, a better HD video capability and a sensor that is brand new instead of two plus years old.

I've had all three cameras - the D200, the D300 and the D7000 - and the D7000 is the best value/feature combination of the three.

[Hanky]

Originally Posted by ChristopherCoy

Spend the extra $500 and get the D700.

I'm throwin in with my homie on this one.

[AncientPC]

I went from the D200 -> D300 and love it. Biggest difference is ISO headroom and battery life.

However I would either opt for the D700 or wait for the D400 if you can. Nikon just got Sony's next generation sensor and stuck it in the D7000. They'll likely use it to refresh the rest of their lineup.

[jfoureyes]

If I went out tomorrow and got the 300s you can bet the farm that the new one would hit the market in ten days...

[ChristopherCoy]

Originally Posted by jfoureyes

If I went out tomorrow and got the 300s you can bet the farm that the new one would hit the market in ten days...

Well could you go buy the D700 please... so they'll update that one?

[SurfaceIntervalMusings]

Originally Posted by ChristopherCoy

Well could you go buy the D700 please... so they'll update that one?

I second that request. LOL.

[Maggie Baldwin]

I agree on the D-200 (skip the 300) to 700 (700 has no video, if that is what you are looking for) but the DX/Fx, fps, and low light/high ISO make the extra money for the 700 a real bargain. 200 and 700 controls are pretty much in the same places. Also if you get the 700, go ahead and get the battery pack for extra long battery life and more fps.