The Nikon D200 is clearly an advanced DLSR that will please many photographers. It is clearly aimed at professionals since it has no fully automatic mode and no scene modes. Its unique selling points are a 10 megapixel sensor and a 5 FPS continuous drive mode. Recall that with a 10 megapixel sensor, perfect 13"x19" prints are possible. With a 27 JPEG image buffer which can sustain 5 FPS, this camera has matched the sports performance of the Canon 20D.

In terms of performance, the Nikon D200 shows excellent image quality with very little sensor artifacts, excellent metering, accurate focusing and fairly good color. Colors are slightly warm by default rather than being accurate, but this can be compensated in-camera. By default, this camera produces somewhat soft images, but again this is just a camera setting. The D200 is also very fast when taking pictures but is a bit slower than average when playing back images. The camera itself is highly ergonomic with well positioned buttons for all important functions. It is solidly built and sealed against dust, thus placing this camera above the Canon 20D in terms of target audience.

This camera does have some flaws but we had to nit-pick in order to find most of them. Its most serious flaws are its below average battery-life and the fact that manual mode does not lock the ISO setting when in auto-ISO. The former flaw can be corrected by purchasing some additional proprietary batteries, while the latter may cause undesired results in manual mode. As for the slightly warm colors, the D200 has enough image parameters to correct this in-camera once and for all. Finally, we noted that the viewfinder coverage is only 95%, this is exactly the same coverage as every lower priced DSLR and even the Canon 5D. Some higher-end full-frame DSLR cameras however have 100% coverage which still distinguishes them as higher-end devices.

Competitively, the Nikon D200 finds itself between the full-frame 12 megapixel Canon 5D and the 8 megapixel Canon 20D. Even though the resolution is exactly in between, we would say this camera is closer to the Canon 5D market than the 20D. Mainly, the D200 matches or exceeds the 20D specifications in every way but adds dust-sealing and a more ergonomic design. The Canon 5D may have a full-frame sensor but its only measurable advantage is not having a focal-length multiplication factor. Yet, the D200 can accept full-frame lenses and take advantage of using only the best part of the lens, the center! Finally, the 5D doesn't have a built-in flash and its continuous drive runs at 3 FPS. For a high-end camera, we would therefore recommend the D200 above the Canon 5D in most cases. The fact that the D200 is substantially cheaper than the Canon 5D makes choosing it even easier.