Mood: "Happy" New Year
Listening to: ♥
Reading: Stephen King/Richard Bachman
Watching: No time to watch one right now :(

First, the images. Scroll down to get my "review" on the first impressions.



The "Big Brown Truck" pulled up to my house as I was about to leave. The driver was bearing gifts from afar.

So now, I am trying out the D200 coupled with the MB-D200 vertical battery grip.

First impressions? Well, to be blunt, it makes the D70 feel a bit like a plasticy toy. Not that the D70 is a toy mind you, just that the D200 is very stout in it's handling and construction. It is made with magnesium alloy and all of the joints, doors and such are environmentally sealed. The LCD is HUGE!!! Just compared to what I am used to, it seems enormous. I like the fact that you can see the LCD from any angle as opposed to the narrower angle when using the D70.

Another thing that is apparent right away is the big bright viewfinder. It is very natural and is easy to get used to.

There are soooo many buttons, options and features. I believe it will take me a couple of days, maybe weeks to get a handle on what settings I want to use and how to access/change them.

Back to the feel, I love the way this camera feels in your hands. It has very "grippy" er, um, grips. You feel confident with this thing in your hands. All of the controls are easy to use and it just feels well made and, well, professional.

NO, this camera will not make me a better photographer. That is left up to me. But, it will be much more satisfying to use and work with. Right out of the box I can tell that the images are sharper, brighter, and have better color and contrast as compared to the D70.

And hey, it's got ISO 100!!! Finally. Bye-bye grain!! Another heaven-sent option is the ability to select RAW-JPEG Fine. Previous cams only gave the option of RAW-JPEG Basic. Nice. Another interesting feature which I have not tried...Black and White mode. I'm interested to see how that performs.

Oooohhh, don't forget...5fps. I tried it. Scary. Very cool.

So, if you can get your hands on one of these, get out there and do it. You won't be disappointed.

I will upload pics as soon as I have some processed.