Nikon D200 banding -- how to tell if you're buying a good one?

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Roy Smith - 12 Apr 2006 20:54 GMT

A local dealer has a D200 in stock, at a reasonable price. Is there a
serial number range I should check for to discover if it was manufactured
before the banding problem was fixed?

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tomm42 - 12 Apr 2006 21:16 GMT

> A local dealer has a D200 in stock, at a reasonable price. Is there a
> serial number range I should check for to discover if it was manufactured
> before the banding problem was fixed?

Nikon says there will be a minor ammount of banding nest to grossly
overexposed areas, I don't notice it on mine at all. I think you'll
find anyone you buy new will be fine. There have been reports of
banding in new units so I would buy from a store that has a good return
policy. Chances are you'll be fine but just in case, remember the vast
majority of D200s had no noticable banding. I would not buy a used one
on EBay.
Early models had the worst banding US serial numbers were 300xxx.
European and Asian numbers were different. The camera sells so well
that those models are long gone.

Tom

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Don Wiss - 12 Apr 2006 22:25 GMT

>A local dealer has a D200 in stock, at a reasonable price.

You mean less than $1700 for the body, which is the street price.

Don <www.donwiss.com/pictures/> (e-mail link at page bottoms).

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Roy Smith - 12 Apr 2006 22:49 GMT

>>A local dealer has a D200 in stock, at a reasonable price.
>
>You mean less than $1700 for the body, which is the street price.
>
>Don <www.donwiss.com/pictures/> (e-mail link at page bottoms).

Yes, for very small values of "less than". $1699.

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Don Wiss - 12 Apr 2006 23:08 GMT

>>>A local dealer has a D200 in stock, at a reasonable price.
>>
>>You mean less than $1700 for the body, which is the street price.
>
>Yes, for very small values of "less than". $1699.

No one is willing to sell it for less. What you can do is to ship it across
state lines to avoid sales tax. And I was able to get it shipped for free.

Don <www.donwiss.com> (e-mail link at home page bottom).

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Jeroen Wenting - 13 Apr 2006 19:11 GMT

>A local dealer has a D200 in stock, at a reasonable price. Is there a
> serial number range I should check for to discover if it was manufactured
> before the banding problem was fixed?

They're all good, some are just better than others for photographing burning
lightbulbs ;)

The ones with problems are very rare and far between, and will all have been
either sold or recalled and fixed by now.
And if not Nikon will fix it for free for you.

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