I just found out I am going to get to take part in a 2 week bicycle tour in Alaska going to Denali. Space is at a premium because it is a self supported tour and I will have to carry everything I need for camping on my bicycle. I have decided to take my 18-70 and my 70-300VR lenses but am undecided which body to take. I am leaning toward the D200 because it seems to be the most rugged of the 3 choices but would like to hear what others would choose and why.
I'd take the D7000. Much more capable camera than the D200 which I used to own. That is a really exciting bike trip! Wish I could do something like that while I still can!
Easy choice, D7000. D200 was a good camera for its time, but the D7000 is superior in every way, minus the build quality. But i doubt the weather is going to be that rough considering your going to be traveling by bike.
Nickyb21 wrote:
D200 is weather sealed although d7000 is a superior body. Really depends on how you travel with your equipment and how you plan to protect it.
I will be carrying the camera in a waterproof padded handlebar bag but a fair portion of the roads are not paved and the ones that are paved are likely to be pretty rough.
I might be tempted to go with a nice point 'n shoot and mini pod simply due to the weight factor. 2 weeks is a nice long trip and you'll be carrying a lot of other weight!
The D7000 is the best body by far and I doubt you'd use the 300mm lens enough to justify the weight and the space. I'd gues your shots will all be either scenics or people, not birds, sports or animals so a 70mm would be enough.
If you take the D200 on a bike trip you will need a trailer to cary the spare batteries
I picked the D7000 if that means you don't need to buy anything else. The D7000 IQ is better, battery life is better, and I think unless you really abuse your gear it should hold up just fine.
However, if you won't have time to setup on a tripod much, and want to minimize photography gear, I'd recommend maybe a smaller format camera. If you shoot a lot in daylight, something like an LX-5 or 7 would be great. One thing I really like about the premium P&S are that IQ is decent, and you get a lot of depth of field even shooting on large apertures, something that helps a lot in getting higher shutter speeds and still using a nice wide aperture.
Your trip screams to me for a m4/3 system, and if I had that option that is what I would do.
I hauled a D700 with a 24-70mm up Kilimanjaro and then later in the year hauled my D200 with an 18-70mm up to Everest Base Camp. I was just as happy with the D200 images, though almost all shots were taken outdoors in good light. The D200/18-70mm combo is also used on occasion when I'm cycling and as a field camera for my forestry field work. That kit is a great bang for the buck and I'm not as worried about destroying it in the field compared to my more "exotic" gear.
However, as others have said, the D7000 is great camera. You said you have a D200, but I can't tell if you have a D7000 or not. If not, then I would take the D200 instead of getting a new D7000.
turnert wrote:
I hauled a D700 with a 24-70mm up Kilimanjaro and then later in the year hauled my D200 with an 18-70mm up to Everest Base Camp. I was just as happy with the D200 images, though almost all shots were taken outdoors in good light. The D200/18-70mm combo is also used on occasion when I'm cycling and as a field camera for my forestry field work. That kit is a great bang for the buck and I'm not as worried about destroying it in the field compared to my more "exotic" gear.
However, as others have said, the D7000 is great camera. You said you have a D200, but I can't tell if you have a D7000 or not. If not, then I would take the D200 instead of getting a new D7000.
~Ted...Show more →
I do have all of the bodies in the poll so I wouldn't have to buy anything but am leaning toward the D200 simply because it's the most rugged and least valuable between the 7000 and 200.
Do you need rugged ? You'll be with the camera at all times and the camera will be in a padded bag. Chances are that you won't be shooting in the rain and it's not as if you'll be caught in the rain unawares away from the security of the camera bag.
I'd opt for the D7000 and reduce the payload.
I recommend that you invest in some insurance for your gear so that the value of the camera will then not be a concern during the trip.
I was playing around with gear yesterday checking out what fits best in the bag. In the process I threw my old 18-200 VR on the D7000 it fits perfect in the bag and leaves plenty of room for other gear, I think I have a winner.
12bar wrote:
I was playing around with gear yesterday checking out what fits best in the bag. In the process I threw my old 18-200 VR on the D7000 it fits perfect in the bag and leaves plenty of room for other gear, I think I have a winner.
