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Nikon D200 vs Nikon D300

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Nikon D200

10 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CCD Sensor

Nikon D200
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Nikon D300

12 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon D300
Nikon D200 vs Nikon D300 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing D200 and D300, two Semi-Pro DSLR cameras by Nikon. Both cameras have APS-C sensors but Nikon D200 has a 10.0 MP and Nikon D300 has a 12.0 MP resolution.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Nikon D200 and Nikon D300 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D200 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2006-02-23
  • 10MP - APS-C CCD Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 1600 ( expands to 3200)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 2.5″ Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 920g. 147 x 113 x 74 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Nikon D100 Compare

Nikon D300 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2008-03-12
  • 12MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 200 - 3200 ( expands to 100-6400)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3″ Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 6 fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 925g. 147 x 114 x 74 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Nikon D200 Compare

Nikon D300 was replaced by Nikon D300S. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D300S vs Nikon D300
Nikon D300S vs Nikon D200

Reasons to choose Nikon D200 over Nikon D300
Weight 920 g vs 925 g 5 g lighter
Color Depth 22.3 vs 22.1 higher color depth
Sensor Pixel Area 37.14µm2 vs 30.54µm2 21% larger pixel area
Reasons to choose Nikon D300 over Nikon D200
Max Sensor Resolution 12 MP vs 10 MP 19% more pixels
Max ISO 3.200 vs 1.600 100% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size 3″ vs 2.5″ 0.5 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution 922k dots vs 230k dots 300% higher resolution screen
Viewfinder Coverage 100% vs 95% More accurate viewfinder
Continuous Shooting 6.0fps vs 5.0fps 1 fps faster
Dynamic Range 12.0 vs 11.5 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO 679 vs 583 better High ISO performance
AE Bracketing Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
AF Micro Adjustment (Fine Tune) Yes vs No Adjust each lens for more accurate focusing
Common Strengths of Nikon D200 and Nikon D300
Built-in Flash Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Continuous Shooting 5.0fps vs 6.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Environmental Sealing Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording Yes vs Yes creative shooting
Top LCD Display Yes vs Yes Help viewing and changing settings easily
Flash Sync Port Yes vs Yes Connect off-camera flash
Common Weaknesses of Nikon D200 and Nikon D300
Image Stabilization No vs No No Built-in stabilization
Articulating Screen No vs No No flexible viewing angles
Nikon D200 vs Nikon D300: Physical Specs Comparison

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D200 and Nikon D300.

Nikon D200 vs Nikon D300 Camera Size Comparison - Front View

Nikon D200 vs Nikon D300 Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon D200 is 5g lighter than the Nikon D300 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Nikon D200 and Nikon D300 have the same APS-C sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D200
D300
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Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D200
D300
Min
Average
Max
Nikon D200 vs Nikon D300: Sensor Comparison

Nikon D200 has a 10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Nikon D300 has a 12.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor.

Below you can see the D200 and D300 sensor size comparison.

Nikon D200 vs Nikon D300 Sensor Size Comparison


Nikon D200 and Nikon D300 have sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Nikon D200 has 21% larger pixel area compared to Nikon D300, it has potential to collect more light on pixel level hence have less noise in low light / High ISO images.

What types of Photography are Nikon D200 and Nikon D300 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D200 and Nikon D300 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon D200 for Portrait Photography
AVERAGE

Nikon D300 for Portrait Photography
GOOD
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon D200 for Street Photography
AVERAGE

Nikon D300 for Street Photography
AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon D200 for Sports Photography
GOOD

Nikon D300 for Sports Photography
EXCELLENT
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Focus Points
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
51 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 1000 shots
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon D200 for Daily Photography
AVERAGE

Nikon D300 for Daily Photography
AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
920g
Body Thickness 74mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
925g
Body Thickness 74mm
Read the details

Nikon D200 for Landscape Photography
AVERAGE

Nikon D300 for Landscape Photography
AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Live-view
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Nikon D300 vs Nikon D200 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. Nikon D200 and Nikon D300 have the same Nikon F lens mount and currently there are 302 native lenses available for these cameras.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 88 lenses with Image stabilization for Nikon F mount.

Lens Type # of Nikon D200 Lenses # of Nikon D300 Lenses
Standard Zoom 33 33
Standard Prime 20 20
Wideangle Zoom 32 32
Wideangle Prime 46 46
Telephoto Zoom 51 51
Telephoto Prime 42 42
SuperZoom 30 30
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 8 8
Macro Prime 25 25
Perspective Control Prime 11 11
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 1
TOTAL 302 302
Nikon D200 vs Nikon D300: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon D200 and Nikon D300, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon D200 and Nikon D300 scores compare:

Nikon D200
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #64 out of 93 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #463 out of 1175 in all Cameras
Nikon D300
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #52 out of 93 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #282 out of 1175 in all Cameras

Nikon D300 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon D200 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Nikon D200
Nikon D200

Nikon D300
Nikon D300

Nikon D300 vs Nikon D200 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon D200 Nikon D300
Brand Nikon Nikon
Announced 2006-02-23 2008-03-12
Body Type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type CCD CMOS
Size APS-C APS-C
Dimensions 23.6 x 15.8 mm 23.6 x 15.8 mm
Area 372.88mm2 372.88mm2
Megapixels 10 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 3872 x 2592 4288 x 2848
Max Native Light sensitivity 1,600 ISO 3,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 3200 ISO 6400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 200 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity - 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points n/a 51
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon F Nikon F
Number of Available Lenses 302 302
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 2.5″ 3″
Resolution 230k dots 922k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.63 0.63
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 12.00 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync 1/250s 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 6.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution None None
Video Formats n/a n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 920g 925g
Dimensions 147 x 113 x 74mm 147 x 114 x 74mm
Battery Life n/a 1000 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Optional Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 64 67
DxO Color Depth 22.3 22.1
DxO Dynamic Range 11.5 12.0
DxO Low Light ISO 583 679
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