Upgrading Nikon Digital SLR Cameras from Amateur D70S to Prosumer D200

#212

December 8, 2017

Gentle reader,

To you, it may seem silly to go from a camera introduced in April 22, 2005 to one introduced only a few months later on November 1, 2005. Looked at that way, it is silly, since SO many better cameras have come out since then. Yet, aside from the costs involved in newer models, so many have features, such as HD video that I and others have no interest in. I have digital cameras that do HD video and I never use that nor their WI-FI or GPS capabilities.

Here's why. At first, I was looking at upgrading from a DX format, Nikon's name for APS-C sized sensor to a full-frame (35mm) or FX as Nikon calls it. The reason for that is all my film SLR lenses, especially the wide angle ones would create images the EXACT size of a film SLR since the FX sensor is exactly the same size as 35mm film's standard negative size. Also wide angle lenses which are 50% narrower on most digital bodies would be truly wide as designed.

Reality showed me that the older FX bodies that I could possibly afford if I sold a bunch of things on eBay would while having the larger sensor would in fact have about the same number of pixels per square millimeter. The reason I wanted to upgrade was to get better images than my D70S' 6.3 megapixel sensor could deliver. The D200 is over 10 megapixels. Which is nothing compared to newer ones, I know. I have a 14 megapixel camera with a Leica lens and 35mm equivalent lens from 25mm to 600mm. But it's lens, while quite capable is not very crisp. Plus, it's sensor while having 40% more pixels, they are much smaller sensors.

In my defense, it also never occurred to me to look at a timeline of Nikon DSLRs to see when each model came out and the megapixel count and features. As an example the latest top-of-the-line Nikon that just came out, the D850 is full frame with an amazing 45.7 megapixel count. That equals 35mm film as far as resolution. Of course it has WI-FI, GPS, 4K-HD video and a whole lot more stuff I would likely never use. Oh, and it's well over $3,000 for just the body. WAY out of my budget, seeing as how I'm retired and on a fixed budget. That last line is the real key. I sold some things on eBay to buy this body.

All images were made with my fantastic, but also several years old Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 with it's incredible Leica Summicron lens. An aside: Leica approached Panasonic as they decided to get into digital cameras. The deal provided Panasonic would create the cameras using their electronics and Leica would build and prove the lenses. Most of the cameras were available as a Leica AND a Panasonic. The Leica were on average 50% MORE expensive for exactly the same camera and lens! Why? You were paying for the Leica name and that little red Leica DOT on the front of the body. 
If you've ever shot extreme close-up photos, often referred to as Macro, you will find depth-of-field is extremely shallow. What that means in the distance from front to rear of the subject that you are shooting that will be in focus is usually less than one inch. Although the two camera bodies appeared to me to be both straight and lined up with each other, the images show they were not. See how the D200 is blurry and the D70S is not? 

In addition to the camera body I purchased separately the MB-D200 Multi-power battery pack which along with allowing two batteries in parallel, OR two sets of AA batteries, it also duplicates many controls on the body so that when holding the camera vertical, the shutter button and other controls are in the same place and it is much more comfortable to hold. 

That is why the D200 seems so much taller than the D70S. It is, slightly larger too, but not that much. I have a similar device under my N90S film camera. This makes these cameras appear like their professional much more expensive brothers which have the added height built-in.

Plus, there is the COOL factor. I mean look how cool it looks all tall and button festooned it is!

The rear views are even more telling as to the significant differences between these cameras that came out the same year. Display window alone is significantly larger. Unlike the D70S, there is not an Automatic-let-the-camera-figure-it-all-out-for-you button.

The learning curve will be steep. Fortunately, I found a 48 page user's guide on line on this model which will help. The factory manual I have, but it is physically small and fine print while the guide is 8 1/2 by 11 and I've put it in a binder.

Top view shows the other differences. Again, there is much to learn.

I've cropped the battery pack out of the photo above and made sure the photos are exactly the same size so that the comparison is easier. Something I see in the images that isn't so obvious on each camera to the eye, is in red by the eyepiece: FORMAT. I haven't looked it up yet, but suspect if one pulls off the rubber eye piece, there is a button to quickly format the Compact Flash cards. The seller included six 2 gigabyte name brand Compact Flash cards in lieu of a battery since he found it was bad. I formatted them all by finding it in the menu. 

Since I'm showing comparison photos, here below are the Prosumer Nikon Film camera verses Prosumer Digital film camera. I put flashes on both. The N90S has a Nikon brand unit and the D200 has an aftermarket makers. I had a Sigma unit for the D70S, but it's foot broke and my attempt to replace the foot with a new one was unsuccessful. Nikon brand Digital flashes are WAY more expensive than other makers are. And of course, Nikon made sure that their own FILM flashes would not work on their digital bodies.

What's surprising to me about this comparison is that the digital body is not narrower than the film body. One would think that since the film body has to house the film cassette (that's what they are called) on the left side (right side from the front) of the body, it would necessitate a little bit more width there. They are somewhat similar as far as controls on the front. The D200 is missing the little cover for the terminal on the top right side of the body. I'll have to see if I can find one.

The N90S and others, including my Voigtlander Bessa R, have this thin rubber coating on the film door which as you can see wears off. No removable rubber eye cup or adjustable diopter for the film camera. That little lever closes a flap to cover the eye piece for long exposures, such as fireworks. Digital body is very control laden compared to the film camera. And having adjustable diopter negates the need to wear glasses while shooting.

Tops are similar yet different. The light grey stripe above the name of the camera on the N90S is to let daylight in to illuminate something in the viewfinder. Shutter button on the film camera is harder to find by feel. They solved that in their digital bodies by having the on/off switch surround the shutter button on the digital bodies.

Now some group shots to round out the article.

Lenses are ALL film/digital except the one on the D200. It is digital only.  The are: left to right starting at the front: 50mm f1.8 "normal" lens which is equivalent to a 75mm on the digital body do to the APS-C sized sensor being 50% smaller than 35mm or FX full frame sensor. Next, made by Sigma but sold through Ritz Camera as a Quantaray brand. I do not know why a previous steward blacked out the name, is a 19 to 35mm wide angle zoom lens. Equal to 28.5mm to 52.5mm on the digital body. On the right to balance the image is a Sigma made, Spiratone branded T-mount 12mm f8 fisheye lens. Being SO wide and having a small maximum aperture, there is no need to focus the 12mm lens. On a 35mm camera it would be a very wide photo with curvature of straight lines near the left and right edges. On the digital body it is equal to 18mm but has a circular image due to the smaller sensor.
Back row contains, left to right a Tokina 100mm to 400mm zoom. I would have preferred an all black one, but they are more expensive. On the digital body it is equal to 150mm to 600mm, which is quite a long reaching lens. In the middle is a Sigma 70mm to 300mm lens that I found in a thrift store for $9.00! Equal to 105mm to 450mm on the digital body. On the right is a Promaster 28mm to 200mm zoom lens. Equal to 42.5mm to 300mm on the digital body. See how the "crop factor" negates wide angle number and view?

To the Tokina lens, I added a tripod collar. It is too big, so I had to come up with a spacer. While the lens is lightweight, using the camera's tripod mount is not a good idea for this long of a lens. A better quality long lens would be thicker, heavier and usually include a built-on tripod mount. Also, due to the weight of the collar/mount the lens would not stay zoomed out to it's 400mm length while standing upright. Below for informational purposes is a large manual focus lens I once had which has a built-on tripod mount. It is the one on the left and is manual focus. It would mount on the digital body just fine, but require more work to get good images.

It is on the left, the tripod mount is not visible, but the knob on the right side is to loosen the tripod mount collar so the camera/lens can be rotated from horizontal to vertical while mounted on a tripod or monopod. Note that it is 300mm at the long end but SO much larger and longer than the 100mm to 400mm next to it. Back when this all-metal lens was made, variable apertures (that let in less lgiht as the lens' internal elements move further away from the film/sensor) were rare, zoom lenses were constant aperture from smallest (75mm) to largest (300mm) end, or whatever their focal lengths were. This was due to a different design. The elements moved further away from each other inside, rather than ALL the elements moving further from the film/sensor. These type are still made but very expensive to buy and like that monster above, very long, thick and heavy.

While on the subject, take a look at the two in the back row on the right. Both are 28mm to 200mm zooms. In fact, the one furthest on the right is the same one shown above with the other AF (auto Focus) lenses. The one to the left of it is MF (manual focus) and also variable aperture, f4.0 to f5.6, but the design is completely different. The one on the right gets signifiantly longer physically as one twists the zoom ring. The one MF lens' elements inside move apart as the lens zooms, but the lens' body stays the same size. BTW: "elements" refers to the group or groups of different glass lenses inside the lens bodies. 

I hope you have enjoyed and perhaps learned some things from this article. It feels SO good to be getting back into photography. I've been concentrating on creating an amazing stereo system for years and the focus of that has been my main hobby and subject of this blog. Now that I am completely happy with that, time to get back into a passion that happily occupied me since buying my first 35mm SLR in April 1995. I was 38 then and now am 61. 

The world of photography has changed dramatically since the advent of digital photography and especially the proliferation of smart phones with cameras. Yet, now there is increasing interest in either going back to film or trying it for the first time. Analog is not dead by any means. To learn more about this exciting phenomenon, check out a book called The Revenge of Analog by David Sax. It very well get you as excited as it got me.

Thanks for looking,

Scott

December 8, 2017