Upgrading, and i need some help

[CS]

I'm thinking about replacing my D200 with a D7200. no, it's not a D500, but it's only half the price of a D500, which matters to me. I've never used Live View, so can I rely on that to focus my 105 2.5 ais, or is that not a good solution? With my shooting eye suffering from macular degeneration I have to now use my right eye, and really need all of the AF I can get. Maybe Live View is a help there on the D7200, I dunno.

The D7200 appears to draw high praise, although 24 MPs will probably kill the use of my 18-200 and 12-24, so they will need to be replaced also. Being retired and living on  a fixed income means that i need to spend wisely, so I want to hear what the folks here think before I do something that I'll later regret.

[gryphon1911]

I think that a D7000 series upgrade from a D200 will be quite the revelation for you - in MANY ways.

I would not discount the current lenses you have.  I'm using a Nikon 18-140 on the D500 and it works quite well.   If you do get the D7200, test out your current lenses first, making sure to AF fine tune them (if necessary) and see how they fair.  I'm guessing they will do better than you think.  A lot of people put way too much emphasis on MTF charts.  Don't let them intimidate you about your current lenses.

A bigger issue in higher MP cameras is going to be shooting technique.  Be as stable as possible, use VR when needed.  The D7200 AF system should be plenty good for most people.  Honestly, when I upgraded from the D300 to a D500, it wasn't about the AF being an issue.  It was about the fact that the D300 was an aging body, met it's end of life for my business use and a higher usable ISO for lower light shooting.  The improved AF was just an added bonus.

[longzoom]

Hi, Carl! In some respects, the D7200 is still the best machine even today. Try E-Bay, you may got it for $750-800, from the very respectable sellers, brand new, with full USA warranty. Just be patient. Your 18-200 and 12-24 will serve you very well, do not make any rush, try them first. In my experience, both of those lenses will deliver even better resolution on D7200 sensor. Good luck!  LZ

[Ilkka Nissilä]

I'm thinking about replacing my D200 with a D7200. no, it's not a D500, but it's only half the price of a D500, which matters to me. I've never used Live View, so can I rely on that to focus my 105 2.5 ais, or is that not a good solution? With my shooting eye suffering from macular degeneration I have to now use my right eye, and really need all of the AF I can get. Maybe Live View is a help there on the D7200, I dunno.

Live view works great for focusing if your camera is on a tripod and the subject doesn't move much. For hand held shooting, I don't think it's so very practical. To focus, you need to zoom in the image and then you don't see the whole frame so composition can drift while you're focusing if the camera is not fixed in position.

Have you tried using the manual focus confirmation dot? I find it works well when focusing the 135/2 Zeiss.

The D7200 appears to draw high praise, although 24 MPs will probably kill the use of my 18-200 and 12-24, so they will need to be replaced also. Being retired and living on  a fixed income means that i need to spend wisely, so I want to hear what the folks here think before I do something that I'll later regret.

I don't think there will be any problems using the 12-24/4 on a D7200, though I haven't used that specific combination. 24MP DX can be excellent if your lens is up for it but the image quality doesn't become worse just because you increase the number of pixels - generally speaking in the worst case it can stay the same, or most likely become better as long as you view the final image at the same size and from the same distance.

The 18-200mm also should not be worse on a D7200 than it is on a D200.  I think it is always good to remember what the final print or presentation size is instead of worrying too much about the individual pixels. Still, if you're unhappy with the 18-200 on the D7200, there are now some alternatives e.g. you could get a 18-140 which has been recommended (I have not used it though); I would stay away from the 18-105 as that lens I don't like though. The older 16-85 is reasonably good and there is also a newer, but more expensive 16-80 with a faster maximum aperture. The Nikon professional 17-55/2.8 DX is suprisingly inexpensive in the used market and it is an excellent lens you may want to consider, if you can find a nice clean copy which hasn't been banged around. You may need some fine tuning of the AF to make the best of this lens.

I know it is more expensive but the 70-200/4 Nikkor is an outstanding lens which I really like a lot, it gives a very pleasing image, is lightweight, and you can shoot it wide open without any significant drawbacks. Focusing is excellent as well.

The D7200 AF system should be a revelation, coming from the D200. 

So money permitting I would perhaps replace the 18-200 with the 17-55/2.8 Nikkor used and the AF-S VR 70-200/4 if you find one available at a suitable price. I would keep the 12-24/4. If these are too expensive then perhaps some lenses with smaller apertures would be suitable, but I would first try to find these lenses used.

I think the D7200 will be seen as a classic due to its balanced feature set and image quality.

[Jan Anne]

Whatever your choice might be you are going to be in for an enormous bump in IQ, ISO and Dynamic Range

The D200 was my first DSLR and did many things right but could never please me in the ISO department, remember accidentally shooting an early landscape at ISO 400 which caused a lot of green noise destroying the image completely. Also remember taking bracketing shots because the DR performance was a joke.

Both are now issues of the past with current cameras broadening the ability to explore new ventures beyond expectations.

[CS]

Unless something unforeseen happens t will probably be a couple of days before I buy. We're heading out of town for an overnight stay very shortly. So, when we get back I'll have more time to look into it, Meanwhile, I am appreciative of the responses so far, very helpful. 

[Bent Hjarbo]

I use the old 105/2.5 on 36mpx without problems, so I guess that it should work fine on the d7200

[CS]

I use the old 105/2.5 on 36mpx without problems, so I guess that it should work fine on the d7200

It's not the MPs that give me problems with that lens, it's focusing it with the lousy D200 viewfinder. FX viewfinders are better for it, which is why I'm interested in Live View with a DX body.

[elsa hoffmann]

I agree with the rest - you are going to LOVE a new camera. Quite an upgrade - go for it

[Bent Hjarbo]

It's not the MPs that give me problems with that lens, it's focusing it with the lousy D200 viewfinder. FX viewfinders are better for it, which is why I'm interested in Live View with a DX body.

I thought you were afraid that the old AIS lenses did not give sharp images on the higher pixel count cameras.

[armando_m]

The  confirmation focus dot works well enough on the D800+105 f2.5, I would think it will also work well on the D7200

You'll be blown away with the raw files from the D7200 vs what you get with the D200

The higher resolution does need better technique when shooting handheld in order to get sharp images

[Akira]

Carl, you should enjoy your D7200.  The AF system shared with D750 is very good.  The camera is much lighter than D200 and is thus less burdensome to carry.

[David H. Hartman]

Live view for focusing hand held works but as Ilkka notes it's not particularly practical. I've used it a few times to focus a 20/2.8 AIS. I really needed a tripod but I could not use one where I was. I've setup my D800 so I press the center button in the multi-selector to change form the full frame to 100%. It's a toggle so pressing again moves back to full frame. Using Live View while hand held with a longer lens like a 105mm at 2-3 meters probably would not work due to DoF. Anyway it worked with the 20/2.8 and it was a bit of a pain.

Dave Hartman

[Matthew Currie]

For reasons I have not entirely figured out, of a large number of old manual lenses I've used on a D3200 and a D7100 (whose finder is much like the D7200, and vastly better than the 3200), the 105/2.5 is one of the easiest to focus.  I don't know why this is, but I find it easier to get sharp than a similar age 85/1.8 or a 135/2.8, and a good bit easier than any 50.  For some reason the ancient 200/F4 is also fairly easy to hit.  I would not worry prematurely.  Try it first.

If you really have trouble, the DK-21M magnifier can help a little, though it reduces eyepoint so that you can't wear glasses, and must mash your eye pretty well in to get the full frame.  I used that routinely on the D3200, but have not bothered on the D7100, as I notice little difference. On the D3200, whose positive diopter only goes to +.5, the added positive diopter was very helpful, but on the D7100 and 7200 it goes to +1, which is all right. 

I had to change eyes a few years ago after an accident actually changed my dominant eye in a split second.  It takes some getting used to, but it can be done.

I have just recently gone to a D7100, after my wife upgraded to the 7200 mostly for the better buffer, with the added high ISO capability along for the ride.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[CS]

Carl, you should enjoy your D7200.  The AF system shared with D750 is very good.  The camera is much lighter than D200 and is thus less burdensome to carry.

Less weight is  to carry around is appreciated.