Nikon D300
Winner
Nikon D300

66

vs
Nikon D200

54

Nikon D200
Runner-up
     
 

Reasons to buy the Nikon D300

Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
922k dots
Live view
 Has live view
Preview your photos
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Focus points
 Many focus points
51
 

Reasons to buy the Nikon D200

Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second
 
Differences | Recommendations | Cast your vote | Similarities | Competitors | Appearance | Discussion

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D200
Color depth Better color depth 22.3 bits vs 22.1 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.2 more bits of color
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 200 ms vs 300 ms
Help
 More than 30% less delay when turning on
Lowest price Cheaper $653.94 vs $1,699.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,046 cheaper (2.6x less)
Nikon D200 Learn more about
the Nikon D200

Advantages of the Nikon D300

 Report a correction
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 922k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 4x higher resolution screen
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
 More than 20% larger screen
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
 Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12 EV vs 11.5 EV
Help
 0.5 f-stops more dynamic range
Focus points Many more focus points 51 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
 Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
Cross type focus points Significantly more cross-type focus points 15 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Viewfinder coverage Much better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
 Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Battery life Longer battery life 1000 shots vs 340 shots
Help
 Around 3x more shots per battery charge
Overall image quality Better image quality 67.0 vs 64.0
Help
 Almost the same
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 227 ms vs 270 ms
Help
 Around 20% less delay when taking photos
True resolution Higher true resolution 12.2 MP vs 10 MP
Help
 Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 679 ISO vs 583 ISO
Help
 The D300 has a slight edge (0.2 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6 fps vs 5 fps
Help
 20% faster continuous shooting
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The D300's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Nikon D300 Learn more about
the Nikon D300
vs

recommendations

Which camera do we recommend? Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Snapsort Recommends
Nikon D200 Nikon D200 54
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    Style
      Color
        You save

        vs
        66 Nikon D300 Nikon D300
        Retailer
          Style
            Color
              You save

              similarities

              Compared to recent DSLRs

              Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
              Lens availability Many lenses available Help
              205 lenses
              Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
              Shoot in extreme weather
              Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
              D200:200 ms
              D300:300 ms
              Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
              Pentaprism
              Thickness Thin Help
              2.9"
              Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
              1/8000 of a second
              Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
              External flash not needed
              Weight Heavy Help
              D200:920 g
              D300:925 g
              Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
              1
              HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
              You could do HDR manually
              Autofocus No video autofocus Help
              Manual focus only
              True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
              D200:10 MP
              D300:12.2 MP
              Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
              D200:3,200 ISO
              D300:6,400 ISO
              Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
              D200:1,600 ISO
              D300:3,200 ISO
              Movie format Do not shoot movies Help
              No movies
              Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
              Less flexible
              Sensor size Very small sensors Help
              APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
              Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
              You could stitch photos in post
              Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
              Risk of blur
              Overall image quality Low image quality Help
              D200:64.0
              D300:67.0
              Color depth Poor color depth Help
              D200:22.3 bits
              D300:22.1 bits
              Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
              D200:583 ISO
              D300:679 ISO

              Compared to recent pro DSLRs

              Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
              Size Fairly small Help
              D200:147x113x74 mm
              D300:147x114x74 mm
              Lowest price Inexpensive Help
              D200:$653.94
              D300:$1,699.99
              GPS No built-in GPS Help
              Missing geo-tagging
              Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
              D200:5 fps
              D300:6 fps
              Shutter lag Significant shutter lag Help
              D200:270 ms
              D300:227 ms
              Screen size Very small screens Help
              D200:2.5"
              D300:3.0"
              Viewfinder size Below average viewfinder size Help
              0.62x

              dxomark

              DXOMark

              competitors

              Shared Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages
              Nikon D90

              Nikon D90

              Entry-level DSLR

              $600 - $629 body only

              $816 - $830 with 18-105mm lens
              Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
              Movie format Records lower quality movies
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              Thickness Is thicker
              Compare the D90 vs the D200
              Compare the D90 vs the D300
              Nikon D7000

              Nikon D7000

              Entry-level DSLR

              $721 - $840 body only

              $930 - $990 with 18-105mm lens
              Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
              Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
              Thickness Is thicker
              Compare the D7000 vs the D200
              Compare the D7000 vs the D300
              Nikon D300S

              Nikon D300S

              Pro DSLR

              $1,569 - $1,699 body only

              $1,897 with 18-55mm lens
              Movie format Records lower quality movies
              Storage slots Has more storage slots
              Compare the D300S vs the D200
              Compare the D300S vs the D300
              Nikon D5100

              Nikon D5100

              Entry-level DSLR

              $437 - $520 body only

              $528 - $696 with 18-55mm lens
              Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
              Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              Thickness Is thicker
              Compare the D5100 vs the D200
              Compare the D5100 vs the D300
              Nikon D3200

              Nikon D3200

              Entry-level DSLR

              $497 with 18-55mm lens
              Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
              Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
              Compare the D3200 vs the D200
              Compare the D3200 vs the D300
              Nikon D3100

              Nikon D3100

              Entry-level DSLR

              $392 - $427 with 18-55mm lens
              Movie format Records higher quality movies
              Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
              Compare the D3100 vs the D200
              Compare the D3100 vs the D300
              Nikon D7100

              Nikon D7100

              Entry-level DSLR

              $1,147 body only

              $1,447 - $1,470 with 18-140mm lens
              Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
              Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
              Compare the D7100 vs the D200
              Compare the D7100 vs the D300

              Nikon D200 Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages
              Nikon D80

              Nikon D80

              Entry-level DSLR

              $970 body only

              $1,465 with 18-135mm lens
              Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag
              Size Smaller
              Weather sealed No weather sealing
              Dynamic range Less dynamic range
              Compare the D80 vs the D200

              Nikon D300 Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages

              No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D300.

              appearance

              Nikon D200 Nikon D300
              Nikon D200 Nikon D300
              Nikon D200 Nikon D300

              discussion

              Showing 2 comments

              Avatar for Robert K. Tsisey Robert K. Tsisey (11:40 AM, December 19, 2013)
              Great camera's, but preferred the D300 than D200. NIKON camera's are the best so far. Keep the good work up. Well Done.
               
              Alan (6:31 PM, June 12, 2013)
              I own both the Nikon D200 and the D300 and I find that there is a certain look to the colour from the D200 which I find more pleasing than almost any DSLR that I've tried and I have tried out all of the high end Canon and Nikon cameras including the Canon 5D mark II (a great camera).