Does Nikon D200 and Nikon D300 have simple Auto Mode, such as the one on D40???

Question

I love NIkon D40 for its simplicity, and i shoot 99% in Auto settings which works great for me. Do the more expensive and advanced D200 and especially the D300 have simple Auto modes, where camera does everything that it thinks will work best???

Answer 1

I used a D50 and D70 for years, often relying on the many auto modes available.

When I moved up to the D200, I was surprised to find only S (shutter priority), A (aperture priority), M (manual), and P (programed) as the only four modes available.  There was no sports, portrait, landscape, closeup, night-portrait, or child modes that you'll find on the D40.

That being said, setting the focus to auto, and the exposure mode to "P" and you're set for most daily situations.

The test of your skills will arise when changing situations or challenging needs call on your acquired knowledge and experience.  For an experienced photographer, a camera like the D200 or D300 provides a vast toolkit of possibilities.

Here's some detailed reviews of the D40, D200, and D300 so you can compare.  I've set the links for the pages that describe the controls.  I've also thrown in the link for the D700, as well.

D40: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD40...

D200: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond20...

D300: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond30...

D700: http://www.dpreview.com/previews/nikond7...

I hope this is helpful.

Answer 2

I have to concur with the two answers – if you are going to buy a D300 for auto mode, you may as well buy a Rolls Royce to go buy pizza with.  

Yes, it has auto mode, and it’s adequate, as it should be, but if you want to take awesome photos, use the other modes.  (Personally I do most of my shots in aperture mode so I can play with my depth of fields without worrying about shutter too much).  If however you want to just take family-on-holiday photos, the D300 is just too much muscle for what you want to use it for.  

If you like the D40 for its simplicity – don’t go higher than that – the D300 is not simple.  It’s a complex and powerful machine that needs proper skills to bring it into top use.  

There’s more to life than auto – go try it, you’ll be amazed at what is out there!

Answer 3

They do, but it would be really really good for you to learn how to use the other settings.

You could shoot wonders with the other settings. If you just wanted a camera to shoot auto pictures, you should have gotten a cheaper camera.