Nikon D200 has a
10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Nikon D300S 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 D300S sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D200 and Nikon D300S Cameras
Nikon D200 and Nikon D300S have the same 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 D300S, it has potential to collect more light on pixel level hence have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Nikon D200 and Nikon D300S sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D300S has a better overall score of 70, 6 points higher compared to D200's score of 64.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Nikon D200
64
22.3 bits
11.5 Evs
583 ISO
Nikon D300S
70
22.5 bits
12.2 Evs
787 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Nikon D200
or the
Nikon D300S ,
including hyperfocal distance.
