I own four D200s, three in great shape and one just waiting for two parts to arrive and then it's back in service.
I'm thinking that no. 4 will be converted to wide spectrum, and use appropriate external filters so I can use it in the UV and IR ranges.
I got great bargains on my D200 fleet. I paid 150 for the first one, which needed a new ISO/QUAL/WB button/switch assembly, and in the process of finding and eventually buying a complete new top assembly for the camera for just 100 dollars, I ended up buying a second D200 in pristine condition with the box and all accessories, with just 1604 shutter clicks, for another 150 dollars. I call this camera no. 1.
And then, before that one even arrived, I scored yet ANOTHER D200, also in brand new condition, (but with more shutter clicks, I think it was about 7000) for just 75 dollars and the seller said he was having inconsistent results under some conditions. More on this later. I call this one camera no. 2.
Then I scored no. 4 for just 67 dollars, in need of just the knob that opens the CF card door. It spent its whole life in a portrait
studio so other than some wear to the bottom of the camera as it was mounted to a tripod quite often, it's also minty. Called camera 3, of course. The first one I got won't get identified as no. 4 until I finish fixing it.
I fixed the CF door knob problem on 3 quickly and put that camera on the shelf with the other two good ones, all three ready to go
at a moment's notice, each one set up with a different lens.
I was using 3 to set up an ebay auction and found even though I was taking virtually identical photos, one after the other in constant lighting, some of the pictures were darker than others and not by any small amount. This is what the seller of this camera had reported as the problem, which caused me to get it so cheaply.
To make a long story short, after some research and experimentation I found that doing a full reset on the camera solved the problem, and further experimentation points to the exposure compensation setting as the main problem.
If you're having any trouble with your D200 and erratic picture brightness, check and see if exposure compensation is turned on. Turn it off if so, then check it. If the problem persists, reset the camera. Hold down the two buttons on the top of the camera that are nearest to the two green dots and hold them until the LCD display goes blank and then comes back. (With the camera on, of course.)
I enjoy using the D200s, a lot. They're my first semi-pro grade cameras. I jumped on bargains (as I saw them to be) simply because
that's kind of what I like to do. I'll eventually end up reselling probably two of these cameras. I have a D800 on the way and need to try to recover some of the money I've spent lately.
I'm thinking that no. 4 will be converted to wide spectrum, and use appropriate external filters so I can use it in the UV and IR ranges.
I got great bargains on my D200 fleet. I paid 150 for the first one, which needed a new ISO/QUAL/WB button/switch assembly, and in the process of finding and eventually buying a complete new top assembly for the camera for just 100 dollars, I ended up buying a second D200 in pristine condition with the box and all accessories, with just 1604 shutter clicks, for another 150 dollars. I call this camera no. 1.
And then, before that one even arrived, I scored yet ANOTHER D200, also in brand new condition, (but with more shutter clicks, I think it was about 7000) for just 75 dollars and the seller said he was having inconsistent results under some conditions. More on this later. I call this one camera no. 2.
Then I scored no. 4 for just 67 dollars, in need of just the knob that opens the CF card door. It spent its whole life in a portrait
studio so other than some wear to the bottom of the camera as it was mounted to a tripod quite often, it's also minty. Called camera 3, of course. The first one I got won't get identified as no. 4 until I finish fixing it.
I fixed the CF door knob problem on 3 quickly and put that camera on the shelf with the other two good ones, all three ready to go
at a moment's notice, each one set up with a different lens.
I was using 3 to set up an ebay auction and found even though I was taking virtually identical photos, one after the other in constant lighting, some of the pictures were darker than others and not by any small amount. This is what the seller of this camera had reported as the problem, which caused me to get it so cheaply.
To make a long story short, after some research and experimentation I found that doing a full reset on the camera solved the problem, and further experimentation points to the exposure compensation setting as the main problem.
If you're having any trouble with your D200 and erratic picture brightness, check and see if exposure compensation is turned on. Turn it off if so, then check it. If the problem persists, reset the camera. Hold down the two buttons on the top of the camera that are nearest to the two green dots and hold them until the LCD display goes blank and then comes back. (With the camera on, of course.)
I enjoy using the D200s, a lot. They're my first semi-pro grade cameras. I jumped on bargains (as I saw them to be) simply because
that's kind of what I like to do. I'll eventually end up reselling probably two of these cameras. I have a D800 on the way and need to try to recover some of the money I've spent lately.