Customer Reviews

Nikon D200 Digital Field Guide

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I normally don't write reviews, but this book is excellent! Being an avid film SLR enthusiast in my teens and early twenty's, I somehow ended up totally out of the SLR game for about 20 years. When my D200 came in, I was amazed at how bad the manual was and immediately went online to see if anyone had authored a book on the D200. The D200 Digital Field Guide was the first hit in Google and I preordered it immediately from Amazon.

Now I'm sure that for those who have been working with digital SLR cameras for a while, the manual was somewhat informative, but for me it was more of a pain. It explained how to set features, but not what they did or how they impacted the resulting photograph. For those who are just getting in (or back in) to photography and have the Nikon D200, this book is a must have. Look at it as a companion to, or better yet, an interpreter for the manual. Everything the manual left out is covered here in detail. And, for those few places the manual did cover things adequately, the author still touches on it for a bit of additional clarification. This book should have been shipped with the D200, as it provides clarity on how the camera handles things like metering, exposure, noise reduction and auto focus along with every other feature Nikon packed into the camera.

When book finally arrived from Amazon last week, I found that by the time I was a few pages in, the help I needed had arrived. By page 10, I was comparing the information presented in the book (which sat in the left hand) to the camera (which was in my right hand) as I was reading. Just a few chapters in and about an hour later, I was able to get much better results from the camera.

I really appreciate the author's comprehensive dedication to the subject. During the few months it took for the camera to arrive, I decided to evaluate current literature on the topic to prepare me for when the camera came in. I ended up buying Mastering Digital SLR Photography, also by David Busch. That was an easy, yet very informative read. When I purchased Adobe Photoshop CS2 recently, I headed back to the local bookstore and after sifting through the various books on the subject, settled on Photoshop CS 2.0: Photographers Guide, not realizing Busch had authored that book too. Busch presents the topics in each book in a great manner and I've been very pleased with all of them.

The Nikon D200 is a wonderful digital SLR, but may be a little daunting to those who are upgrading from one of Nikon's entry-level cameras, or another brand. It has many options and settings, and is more similar to the "professional" D2X than to the cameras priced more closely to it.

That is why I was pleased to see this excellent introduction to the D200 available so soon after the camera itself came out. This book does not cover all the most technical mumbo jumbo pertaining to the D200, although it does go into considerable depth. That's a good thing. New owners don't want to start right out with obscure settings and capabilities that they don't really use. Considering this book's modest price, I think it strikes just the right balance.

The D200 Digital Field Guide is very thorough where it counts, in the introduction to the camera's layout and its features, and descriptions of how to use the settings. It also has deep coverage of the most important photography concepts as they relate to the D200, such as use of lenses and lighting effects. There are many books that have 250 pages of good information in them, but, unfortunately, they are often 600 page books! This one has 250 pages of exactly the right information, with no fluff and no extraneous material. If you own a D200, you need it.

What a great book! I was apprehensive about buying this book, sight unseen, because too many of the third-party "user" guides are just rehashes of the manual that comes with the camera, and padded with filler that doesn't really apply to the model under discussion.

Not so with this book, which is crammed full of D200-specific information that describes the features and use of this camera in a great deal more detail than you'll find in the user manual. Instead of a dry listing of controls and settings, you'll find this refreshing approach invaluable:

* An introduction that puts the Nikon D200 in perspective, dipping back into history to explain Nikon's involvement in digital SLRs beginning in the late 1980s. This helped me better understand where the camera came from, and how it fits into the current Nikon product line.

* A "Quick Start" chapter that provides a fast introduction to the main features and controls I needed to know to go out and begin using my D200 (which is the fastest way to learn, compared to sitting around reading the product manual.)

* Chapter 1 is a guided tour of the D200. Like the rest of the book, it's in full color. My main beef with the manual furnished with the camera is that it is in black-and-white and points you to various controls only through a few line drawings with dozens of directional arrows pointing to the control. This book has both overall color photos of the camera, and close-up pictures from various angles, with clear labels that show you each of the controls and text explanations of what they do and how you might want to use them.

* Chapter 2 explains how to set up the D200, including the mysterious Custom Settings menus, again with full color renditions of the menus themselves. You might need to refer back to the user manual from time to time for a less common setting, but, out in the field, everything you need to know is right here.

The next few chapters explain how to use other features, work with electronic flash, select lenses, and other information, all dealing with the D200. The final chapter of the book is a general photography/composition chapter with examples of pictures taken under different situations. But even here there are specific references to using the D200's best settings for these pictures.

Because the D200 is a more advanced camera, I expected -- and got -- a more in-depth explanation than I've found in guides written for entry-level digital SLRs. The author clearly understands the audience for this book. I'd say that if you were using the D200 professionally, you probably wouldn't need the information in the last chapter, but still would find the controls and settings chapters very helpful. And anyone who is unsatisfied with the confusing information in the original manual will find that this book has more clarity.

I agree that this book is an amazing bargain at the price. My expectations weren't stratospheric when I ordered this, because how much can you fit into a 250 page book priced so modestly. I was certainly surprised! This is a full-color book, with hundreds of great illustrations, and information that is absolutely first-rate.

The approach really works for me. Most of the book is occupied by descriptions of the D200 camera and its features, with explanations of how to use the most important controls. There is a chapter on lenses and lighting, and others on setup and customizing your settings. Very little on software, which I like. This is all crammed into a book that fits inside larger camera bags so you can take it with you when you need it.

If you understand exactly what this book is intended to do, and what it is not intended to do, you'll agree that it does a very good job indeed. Nikon D200 owners who don't have the time to wade through the manual that is supplied with the camera will find this a great resource.

This is the first review I have offered for a book on Amazon, but I felt compelled to comment on the excellent quality of this Nikon D200 Digital Field Guide. Although I am new to photography, I felt that the D200 offered the most features for the money and I purchased it, not really knowing how to use the camera.

I got this book the same day. It has helped me learn about the camera very quickly, particularly all the buttons and dials that can easily confuse a new owner. There is also a large amount of information on photography with the D200, and examples of the types of photos you can take with it. I feel the length of this book is just right. It contains all that you must understand about the D200 camera, and additional information that will be of value once you have had more experience with the camera. It is a perfect match for the fine camera.

I tend to actually read the books I review, and in this case, after doing so, I find that the vast majority of the content in this book deals directly with the D200. No fluff. No wasted space, just good, solid information about a camera that can be mightily confusing for the new owner.

In my copy, the first six chapters, Quick Tour, and the Troubleshooting appendix all concentrate on the D200, in much more detail than the Nikon manual, and much more clearly, too! Even the menu illustrations, which are in full color, are more informative than those in the tiny manual. Chapter 7 is the only general photography chapter. It provides guidelines for shooting photos in 20 common picture-taking situations. Although some of the information is basic to intermediate photography in this chapter, the included tips are all specific to the D200. There is no comparison between this full-color book and the owners' manual at all.

If you are a professional photographer, you probably don't need this book. But, if you're upgrading from the D70s or D50, or another brand camera, you'll want to jump start your journey up the learning curve by taking advantage of the sage advice found here. The chapter on general photography is good if you need to brush up on your skills, too. I can't make silly comparisons between this book the the Magic Lantern edition, because it hasn't even been released yet. However, I suspect that the D200 Digital Field Guide will stack up very well against other publishers' black and white guidebooks, and most of the DVDs, too.

Highly recommended.

I did notice a couple errors in several of the figures, but I've read the book carefully, and I'd hardly say that a few mislabeled illustrations, and a couple typos qualify as "riddled." I prefer to have my informational glass 99 percent full, rather than claim it's partly empty, when the rest of the guide is so very good. I'm glad to see that the author accepts valid criticism with such good humor.

This book is extremely well organized. I like the way you're given just the information you need, when you need it, so you don't get overwhelmed with too much data when you're still learning to use a very complex camera. For example, in the brief Quick Tour, the author sums up everything you really must understand to get out and begin shooting with your D200.

Then, in the first chapter, he immerses you in a more complete examination of the camera and its controls, from every angle, top, front, back, and sides. I found the views of the D200 with the careful labeling of individual controls (except for the autofocus settings mixup) to be much more helpful than the coarse black and white drawings in the manual. As you progress through the book, you'll learn about metering, setting up your camera, and choosing from available lenses. (Only Nikon lenses are covered in any depth, but the guidelines apply to any other vendor's products, too.)

The last chapter provides discussions of shooting photos in various situations, with example photos and tips. There's enough detail to get you started, but the author obviously knows that the buyers of this camera won't need extensive hand-holding. The techniques are handy to have, and may even serve as a good reminder for more experienced D200 photographers.

All in all, I think this is a mostly excellent effort, with a surprising amount of information in a fairly brief book. There's a good attention to accuracy that easily makes up for minor lapses here and there. This is definitely a bargain.

About the only thing this book shares with the modest (but useful) manual furnished with the D200 is that both of them are dedicated to bringing you the facts you need to operate this sophisticated camera. The original manual is terse and basic, is illustrated with only line drawings and NO photos, and reads more like a reference book than an actual camera guidebook. The Nikon D200 Digital Field Guide, on the other hand, brings the camera to life with friendly, meaty explanations of camera functions and settings, all illustrated in full color, and with hundreds of brilliant photos.

Because the D200 isn't an entry-level camera, it justifies more than the just-the-basics treatment that it gets from other sources. That's what I found in this book. The fundamentals are there, but the author also diverges into other areas that will help make you a better photographer. I was particularly impressed that all this information is included in a book that's compact enough to take with you anywhere. If you understand the concept of "Field Guide," you'll know the purpose of this book. There's no fluff about software, padding that tells you how to post your photos on a Web site, and, best of all, like other books from this author that I have reviewed, none of the simplistic, condescending tone you often encounter. This one is a keeper.

Unlike the reviewer who uses a Spanish obscenity for his user name, I have read this book, and find it to be filled with solid information. The reviewer apparently gets his jollies from trashing authors, as all four of his reviews offer ridiculous criticisms of best-selling books.

On the other hand, I have actually purchased and read this book, and find it to be filled with useful information about the Nikon D200. It's clear, concise, and provides complete explanations of the D200's controls, menus settings, and features, along with advice on how to use this advanced camera to best advantage.

I enjoyed this author's earlier book on the D70, and now that I have upgraded to the D200 I am glad that a similar book with more depth has been made available for my new camera. If you own the D200, you need this book.

This is the best overall guide for the D200 available. It skips the manual mumbo-jumbo, assumes a general knowledge of photography (although it does a basic review of aperture/shutter speed settings) and leaps right into how to use this camera. This is the book that any new user of the D200 should read. It clearly illustrates the menu features, but spends half of the book on actual shooting conditions -- how to get the most bang for your buck in different shooting situations. Anyone who has used one of David's previous field guides will find that this is up to the same quality as expected. And as your needs grown, you will find the data in the book as well (I skipped the entire section on using multiple flash units - until I actually needed to do it, and lo-and-behold, there the information was!). If you have general knowledge of photography and want to leap right in, this is the book for you. If you want another manual, then the Magic Lantern Guide (manual) will be for you. If you are a beginner and need more than just the basics on camera usage, look at the Short Course in D200 Photography book. For most users, this is the best resource for what you need.