| Re: D200 v's D300 ISO 100
Some interesting feedback on this topic from shooting some extended family photos on July 4th after my local parade project. Since I used both the D200 and D300 on the parade, particularly with the 12-24 f4 Nikkor, I found the D300 results more vibrant and focused than the D200 with the same lens. I ended up also using the D300 for the family shoot, but with the 17-35 f2.8 Nikkor for the group and portraits. I then processed the RAW images, using my normal PS custom sharpening actions, and printed the best ones for distribution with custom profiles, all business as usual. When the results reached my youngest daughter, a college student recently home for the summer, who has grown up with my photography using her as a frequent subject, her immediate reaction was "Too sharp Dad! You need to make the portraits softer or smoother like you did for my high school graduation. Those were really super!" Guess which body I used for that event! The D200 of course!
With the wide access to glamour photography, as well as the custom work of portrait photographers, the younger generations particularly are much more critical of "people" photos, as evidenced above. They expect flawless skin with perfect color tones, and any evidence of overly sharp renditions that may reveal or accent blemishes is "taboo"! With the D200, I was able in most situations to achieve results that "passed muster" by my afore mentioned daughter. But it's been trickier with my D300 to achieve the same level of approval, unless I am very careful with color balance and the final sharpening stages for printing. As Bill has expressed, in my experience, the CCD rendering of the D200 seems to be more natural "out of the box" than the CMOS of the D300 when it comes to skin tones, etc.
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