Nikon announcements - including the D200!

Geez, you go away on holiday for a week and you miss the big announcement... ;)

Last Tuesday, November 1st, Nikon announced the D200. As rumoured, the camera is a 10.2 megapixel, 5fps beast. It's an obvious replacement for my D100. :) It's superior in every way (except weight - it's 100g heavier). Price looks good too at US$1849.

With the pressure from Canon's 5D and 20D models Nikon had to release somethig good and, while there's no reviews yet, the specs and cost place the D200 in a strong position.

They've increased the ISO range, improved the autofocus and flash systems (1/250 flash sync - not as high as the outstanding 1/500 of the D70 but still good), battery, sensor...just everything is right - on paper. I hope it delivers a complete package because I'm drooling here! ;)

DPReview have a pretty comprehensive preview of the camera.

Nikon also announced a couple of new flash accessories and a new 18-200 f/3.5-5.6 VR lens. Of note is that the lens employs Nikon's second generation Vibration Reduction - with auto panning and tripod detection. And a new 'active' mode that is designed to minimize shake if you're in a bumpy environment, like a car. They claim up to a four stop improvement - which might make that slow lens usable!

While the flash announcement was welcomed I was initially totally unimpressed by the lens announcement. However the more I think about it the more appealing it is to me. Currently I carry around three lenses. My kit bag is heavy! I don't always need the faster (and heavier) lenses and this one lens actually gives me a wider zoom range than I can currently cover... Assuming that Nikon have kept the quality high (I'll be reading reviews closely!) and the price is right (may be challenging, it's a complex lens) it could be a winner. I know I would use this lens as my default "point 'n' shoot".

On whole, some great announcements from Nikon.