I took copies of 3 NEF files (along with a couple of 8x10 glossy prints at ~200% crop) that show banding from my D200 to Nikon in El Segundo, CA early this week.
Farsi, the Nikon technician, said it looked to him like there was a problem. But, this was the first D200 that had come to them and that there was a Japanese tech that was the person to examine the images and camera who would be back in the office after the first of the year. Farsi said that, at first, he thought there might be something set wrong in the camera, but he found nothing wrong there nor in the information stored in the NEF files.
The three shots that show the banding included a chandelier at the top edge of the frame with about a dozen light bulbs (25 - 35 watt each?) that are, of coures, blown out on the images. The banding is most noticeable in smooth, dark areas (dark hair, gray wall, dark wood table, deep maroon cloth table napkins) below those bulbs.
I have examined other images taken that night at 200% with blown out Christmas tree lights in the background (but not on any edge) and have found no indication of banding.
It'll be interesting to see what the Nikon says next week when I bring the camera back in to them.
- Tom