Is there still a shortage of d200's?

No

Cheers

I don't know what kind of game Nikon is playing, but here in Miami, Florida, I cannot seem to find a D200 anywhere. They did the same thing with the D70's when they first came on the scene, only now, with the D200, it's much worse. The D70(s)s are everywhere now, deeply discounted from their original prices, so I guess the initial feverish demand died out on that model.

I'm getting really tired of playing this catch-up game with Nikon: they build up the marketing hype for months (in this case nearly a year) then leave potential customers hanging while they sort out whatever technical or production issues they have, and, from what I've read, they seem to have had a number of issues with the D200.

Or perhaps it's part of a diabolical plan on their part: keep everyone constantly salivating for the next big leap in digital quality, that conveniently arrives every couple of years or so, ready to whip out their credit cards and drop a few thousand when they are fortunate enough to finally get the latest digital gizmo, only to repeat the same process again a few months after investing in the most recent "big thing". I'm fed up with feeling like a lab rat.

I've been wanting to handle the D200 before buying...is the viewfinder the same POS as the D70?...is the build quality the typical Nikon mass of cheap, textured plastic? It's not that things like "build quality" matter anymore with digital gear, what with the need to replace the stuff every couple of years, we all just buy the things anyway. Nikon just builds it well enough to last till the next must-have digital thing comes out.

I've tried all the local stores in the area, at least the ones that are still in business. Pitman Photo has a waiting list a mile long, and it's always the proverbial "you should have been here yesterday" excuse when you call or stop in. They claim they get a couple of kits (no body only deliveries, only D200 Kits, and I don't need/want another crappy zoom) every so often, but they go right back out the door to those lucky buyers on their list. They don't even have a demo or showroom sample available for inspection, and I'll be damned if I'll pay $1600+ without being able to handle the camera.

In the meantime I'm still using the D70 I so lusted after for many months. Only now, every time I take a shot, I wonder if my measly 6MP DSLR is really enough to achieve the level of quality I really need, and thinking that I just have to have 10MP so I can feel like a real photographer. And I'm sure that in a few months, after everyone has dropped their hard-earned cash on their spiffy new D200s, and when the much-heralded 13MP D-Whatever is being touted in all the digital photo rags and all the websites, I'll start to feel that way all over again...much to the delight of the Nikon marketing geniuses.

At least with film cameras you didn't have to feel that all the images you made last year, or ten years ago, were now totally inadequate and useless. Think about it...in ten years are we all going to be qualifying the images we made back in the day with our never-ending succession of ever-improving digital wonder cameras with apologetic phrases like "please pardon the quality...this shot was taken during my 4MP period (or 6MP, 10MP, 12MP or ?)"?

Sorry about the long rant...

This is a difficult one to explain. On the last two trips to my local Nikon dealer, a Nikon D200 was pressed into my hand to try out. You may want to search out an out of town dealer.

The viewfinder is definitely an improvement over the D70s and it has nicer layout of control buttons, with more options. While the D70s feels like a plastic prosumer body, the D200 has the build of an old Nikon F100.

Yes, there was a shortage a few weeks ago in Singapore due to the strong demand. I saw many posts in the local forum talking about it. I guess the shortage is already over now.

The shortage situation of buying a D200 will cease when the next generation digital SLR camera body hits the market.

Have you checked the Best Buy web site? Or Adorama's web site? KEH (in Atlanta) also sells 'new' Nikon equipment. It may be that B&H can't keep up right now....

Sergio - you obviously know how to use the internet. Why don't you solve your problems by using it! If you don't like the camera send it back - just use a reputable dealer. Itﾒs easy - I've had my D200 for months now.

Michael....obviously, you're right. But it was early, I couldn't sleep and I just had to rant and rave.

Mostly I've been holding off because I've been reading about some banding issues and other things, and I wanted them to get the initial bugs worked out before buying.

After checking in with my normal sources for months (B&H, Adorama, KEH, Beach) and visting three other camera shops in three different states, I couldn't find one that didn't require me to buy a lens I didn't want.

Walked in to my local Best Buy and Bam, they had several. The Nikon strategy seems to be to sell them through Best Buy.

Sergio - I got an early copy of the D200 and I can induce short banding if I take pictures with blown out highlights on purpose. However, on a recent trip to Seoul I took hundreds of shots with my new camera. I found some short banding on 2 to 3 shots. Out of curiosity I made a 13 x 19" print of one of these shots and could not see any of the banding. So I've decided itﾒs a non-issue for me. I really like the camera; it has a good solid feel to it. Consequently I just sold my F5 and F4s to KEH. That's how much I like it.

-- The shortage situation of buying a D200 will cease when the next generation digital SLR camera body hits the market. --

Which is, IMO, ridiculous - both from the standpoint of me as a consumer and Nikon as a company.

A company should never put themselves in the position of having their clientele find it difficult and ultimately frustrating to get ahold of their latest product - particularly months and months after it is released. And in no way should they have to wait until the companies next "upgrade".

Sergio, none of your comments wrt the D200 are justified (if you had tried it you'd agree). It had far fewer problems than the D70 (all of which focus poorly, have close to unusable viewfinders, and some of which completely stopped working because of a circuit problem - what is the D200's "banding" in comparison to that? Nothing!). But the expectations are high. This is one of the best built cameras ever IMO, ergonomics are superb and the viewfinder is great (for a DX camera). Even autofocus for the most part is good.

The only problem is that color fringing is common and Nikon isn't doing much to create high-end optics for the new cameras - they seem to be preoccupied with lenses to attract lazy people - e.g. the 18-200. I guess there is a greater audience for that kind of lenses than for lenses which can actually be used to take pictures of people without casting them in stone first.

FWIW, when I decided to buy a D200 on May 7th, I simply went to the B&H website and ordered one. No backorder, no waiting. So it's not like these have been on a continuous 'wait list' since release.

I have not had a chance to run more than a few dozen captures through it, but my first impressions are:

• Excellent ergonomics and 'feel', very much like an F100
• Viewfinder far superior to my D70, though not quite on par with my D2H. Usable with fast glass like an AIS 105/1.8
• High ISO performance not as good as the D2H, at least with 'straight from the camera' JPEGs (I'm not a big fan of post-proc)

I think I have discovered the problem at Nikon. The company has been taken over by the Hari Krishna gang.

The following quote is from the Nikon Corporate web page:

"We at Nikon Corporation have defined the leading concept behind our business, "Vision Nikon 21" in order to clarify the direction and goals of the Nikon group for the first decade of the 21st century. Emphasizing the philosophy, "Trustworthiness and Creativity," we have also established and enforced our corporate objectives that reflect the integrity of our mission.

Nikon: Is trusted and loved by people worldwide. Exists and prospers in harmony on all levels throughout the world.

Nikon: Creates new values by maintaining pride and faith in our business, and by encouraging an entrepreneurial spirit. Appeals to people all over the world and satisfies them with efficient and useful products and services."

Namaste, Nikon.

Try buying one in Australia. There is not 1 unsold d200 body in existence on the whole continent. I feel like buying from Hong Kong and moving there, just in case I have a warranty issue!

I bought one last week. I went down to my local store and my friend there said he was getting 5 in about a week. I paid for it and have been having buyers remorse ever since. I'm going to tell him to sell it to someone else when it arrives and keep shooting film for another year. I can't explain the sudden apprehension. It's not the money.

Buyers remorse? Cautious people regret every new decision. Get a few memory cards, shoot hundreds of frames without even thinking of film. Upload your files to one of many pro online labs (if you need that level of service) or send them to your local lab and have the pics back before you know it. Don't forget to burn your files to CD or DVD.

BTW Adorama has the D200 now. You have to buy it in kit form though