Back in the days when film cameras were king, Nikon was top of the tree. The brand was synonymous with the SLR camera and Nikons were toted by the rich and famous, as well as fashion photographers and journalists chronicling the Vietnam War – front-page stuff.

Then along came the digital photography revolution and those pesky upstarts at Canon started taking serious bites out of Nikon’s traditional market. Canon has been so successful at winning market share that Nikon has had to do some serious rethinking. One result of this rethink is the new Nikon D200: a digital SLR that offers professional features at a price that’s within the grasp of keen enthusiasts.

Wrought from tough magnesium alloy, the Nikon D200 feels like a serious piece of kit the moment you pick it up. Its controls and construction are second to none, reflecting the professional heritage that the D200 has garnered from Nikon’s flagship D2X model so beloved by working photographers.

At the heart of the D200 is a DX-sized 10.2-megapixel CCD sensor. This is the standard chip size used by Nikon, and results in a crop factor of 1.5x. In essence, this means that a traditional 28mm lens – as used in 35mm SLR cameras – behaves more like a 42mm lens. Nikon’s archrival Canon has recently launched a second full-frame 35mm sensor digital camera, but this is a path that Nikon so far refuses to take. Controversially, Nikon also opting for a CCD (charge coupled device) sensor, rather than the CMOS type in the D2X.

Apart from the small difference of chip type and resolution, there are many features that the D200 shares with its far more expensive sibling. For instance, the processing chip in the D200 is identical to the four-channel chip used in the D2X. The processor produces a level of tone and detail that is stunning for a camera of this price. However, don’t expect pictures to pop out of the D200 like holiday snaps. The processing has been conservatively tweaked and that’s a feature that sometimes disappoints beginners who are beguiled by garish and vibrant digital photos. To its credit, Nikon has resisted this, although a series of user profiles with custom levels of image processing can be set.

To the rear of the camera is a brand new 2.5in LCD screen that is illuminated by LEDs rather than traditional CCD light sources. This produces a far more faithful rendition of an image’s true colours and should please the professional photographers who may well be considering the D200 as a second body.

As an action camera the D200 acquits itself well. With a continuous shooting rate of five frames per second, it has enough stamina and buffer capacity to shoot for up to 32 frames without a break. Couple this with a maximum shutter speed of 1/8,000th of a second and you have a camera that’s made for sports or wildlife photography. Nocturnal photography isn’t a problem either, as the D200’s sensor can comfortably rack up to ISO 1,600 sensitivity without suffering much digital noise. It’s not as good as Canon’s full-frame EOS 5D in this respect, but it’s close.

Other features worthy of mention include the 11-area auto-focus system, which has an uncanny knack of locking on to just the part of the image that you want to be pin sharp. This is the same focus system as found in the D2X and with Nikon’s legendary 3D colour matrix, metering for superbly exposed shots under almost any conditions.

What’s not to like?
So far it’s a glowing report card for Nikon’s new boy – but surely there must be some downsides? The D200 is winning a lot of friends, but if there are grumbles, it’s in the battery life offered by the new intelligent battery technology that promises 1,800 shots between charges. Early users report around 500 shots instead, but that figure may be due to the usual unfamiliarity that occurs when using a new camera.

It’s hard to find anything to dislike about the D200. The price, performance and design are all simply superb. While this may hit the sweet spot for amateur photographers in the way that the Canon 350D has, for those looking to advance from that camera, it’s the best value.