Pulling out the stops: Nikon D200

We've always been fans of the Nikon D70, and for a while there it was the only camera in the Nikon range that combined semi-pro performance with a body small enough to consider lugging around for casual use. But those clever shuttermonkeys are at it again and Nikon is set to release the Nikon D200 within a month. This is a camera that comes close to the specs of the lardy Nikon D2X, but retains the portability of the D70.

Considering that the D2X is the mainstay of many professional newspaper photographers, the similarity between this model and the lighter D200 will raise a few inky eyebrows. The D200 is likely to appeal to pros and enthusiasts who need a relatively lightweight body without sacrificing the fast auto-focus and image clarity of the higher end models.

The D200 can deliver a 10.2 megapixel image and the camera can also shoot 5 frames per second. We've been doing a lot of gig photography recently with the D70, and found that the auto-focus sometimes fails to lock onto subjects in low light at critical moments. For situations like this, where your equipment needs to be light but accurate, the D200 looks set to fill an important gap in Nikon's range. -CS