Nikon D200 Users Manual

							11
Introduction—First Steps
2 Insert the battery
2.1 After confi rming that the camera is off , open 
the battery chamber cover.
2.2 Insert a fully charged battery as shown at 
right.  Close the battery chamber cover.
The EN-EL3e shares information with compatible devices, enabling the battery charge 
state to be shown in six levels in the control panel and as a percentage in the setup 
menu Battery Info display (
 123), together with battery life and the number of pic-
tures taken since the battery was last charged.
EN-EL3e Rechargeable Li-ion Batteries
 Use Only Nikon Brand Electronic Accessories
Nikon cameras are designed to the highest standards and include complex electronic 
circuitry.  Only Nikon brand electronic accessories (including lenses, Speedlights, battery 
chargers, batteries, and AC adapters) certifi ed by Nikon specifi cally for use with this Nikon 
digital camera are engineered and proven to operate within the operational and safety 
requirements of this electronic circuitry.
T
HE USE OF NON-NIKON ELECTRONIC ACCESSORIES COULD DAMAGE THE CAM-ERA AND MAY VOID YOUR NIKON WARRANTY.  The use of third-party 
rechargeable Li-ion batteries not bearing the Nikon holo-
graphic seal (see right) could interfere with normal opera-
tion of the camera or result in the batteries overheating, 
igniting, rupturing, or leaking.
For more information about Nikon brand accessories, contact an authorized Nikon dealer.
 Removing the Battery
Turn the camera off  before removing the battery.  Replace the terminal cover when the 
battery is not in use.
Downloaded From camera-usermanual.com Nikon Manuals 
						

							12
Introduction—First Steps
Basic Setup
The language option in the setup menu is automatically highlighted the fi rst 
time menus are displayed.  Choose a language and set the time and date.
5
Highlight World Time.
2
Display language menu.
6
Display options.
7
Highlight Time Zone.
8
Display map of world time zones.
9
Select local time zone. *
* UTC fi eld shows time diff erence between selected time zone and Coordinated Universal 
Time (UTC), in hours.
10
Return to WORLD TIME menu.
3
Select language.
4
Return to setup menu.
1
Turn camera on and press  button.
Downloaded From camera-usermanual.com Nikon Manuals 
						

							13
Introduction—First Steps
11
Highlight Date. †
† If daylight saving time is in eff ect in local time zone, highlight Daylight Saving Time 
and press multi selector right.  Press multi selector down to highlight On and press multi 
selector right.  Time will automatically be advanced one hour.
12
Display DATE menu.
18
Return to WORLD TIME menu.
19
Return to setup menu.
16
Display options.
17
Choose order in which date is displayed.
14
Return to WORLD TIME menu.
15
Highlight Date Format.
13Press multi selector left or right to select 
item, up or down to change.
 Using Camera Menus
The language option is only highlighted automatically the fi rst time menus are displayed.  
See “Using Camera Menus” (
 24–25) for information on normal menu operation.
Downloaded From camera-usermanual.com Nikon Manuals 
						

							14
Introduction—First Steps
Inserting Memory Cards
Photographs are stored on CompactFlash memory cards (available separately).
1 Insert a memory card
1.1 Turn the camera off  before inserting or re-
moving memory cards.  Unlatch (

) and 
open (
) the memory card cover.
1
2
1.2 Insert the card as shown at right.  The eject 
button will pop up and the memory card 
access lamp will light for about a second.  
Close the memory card slot cover.
2 Format the memory card
Formatting memory cards permanently deletes all photographs and other 
data they may contain.  Be sure all data you wish to keep have been copied 
to another storage device before formatting the card.
2.1
Turn camera on and press  ( 
and ) buttons simultaneously for 
about 2 seconds until  blinks in 
control panel and viewfi nder.
2.2
Press  buttons again. *  Do not 
turn camera off  or remove battery 
or memory card until formatting is 
complete and control panel shows 
number of exposures remaining.
*  Press any other button to exit without formatting memory card. 
Front Direction of 
insertion
Terminals
Front
 Inserting Memory Cards
Confi rm that the memory card is in the orienta-
tion shown.  Attempting to insert cards upside 
down or backward could damage the camera or 
card.  Do not use force.
Downloaded From camera-usermanual.com Nikon Manuals 
						

							15
Introduction—First Steps
2 Turn the camera off  and open the memory card slot cover.
3 Press the eject button to partially eject the card (

).  The 
card can then be removed by hand (
).  Do not push on 
the memory card while pressing the eject button.  Failure 
to observe this precaution could damage the camera or 
memory card.
1
2
 Illustrations
In illustrations throughout this manual, indicators in the control panel and viewfi nder rel-
evant to the explanation in the accompanying text are shown in black.  Indicators not 
mentioned in the text are shown in gray.
 Removing Memory Cards
1 Confi rm that the access lamp is off .
Downloaded From camera-usermanual.com Nikon Manuals 
						

							16
Introduction—First Steps
Adjusting Viewfi nder Focus
Photographs are framed in the viewfi nder.  Before shooting, make sure that the 
display in the viewfi nder is in clear focus.
1 Remove the lens cap and turn the camera on.
2 Rotate the diopter adjustment control until the 
focus brackets are displayed in sharp focus when 
the shutter-release button is pressed halfway.  
When operating the diopter adjustment control 
with your eye to the viewfi  nder, be careful not to 
put your fi ngers or fi ngernails in your eye.
Focus 
brackets
At default settings, the viewfi  nder display and the aperture and shutter-speed indicators 
in the control panel will turn off  if no operations are performed for about six seconds 
(auto meter-off ), reducing the drain on the battery.  Press the shutter-release button 
halfway to reactivate the display.Auto Meter-Off 
Downloaded From camera-usermanual.com Nikon Manuals 
						

							17
Tutorial—Basic Photography1.1 Remove the lens cap and turn the camera 
on.  The control panel will turn on and the 
display in the viewfi  nder will light.  The mon-
itor remains off  during shooting.
1.2 Check the battery level in the viewfi nder or 
control panel.
Control 
panelView-
fi nder Description
—Battery fully charged.
—Battery partially discharged.
Low battery.  Ready fully-charged 
spare battery.
(blinks)(blinks)Shutter-release disabled.  Change 
battery.
Battery level is not displayed when camera is powered by optional AC adapter.
1.3 The exposure count displays in the control 
panel and viewfi nder show the number 
of photographs that can be stored on the 
memory card.  Check the number of expo-
sures remaining.
If there is not enough memory to store ad-
ditional photographs at current settings, 
the display will fl ash as shown at right.  No 
further pictures can be taken until the mem-
ory card has been replaced or pictures have 
been deleted.
Tutorial: 
Photography and Playback
Basic Photography
This section describes how to take pictures at default settings.
1 Turn the camera on
Downloaded From camera-usermanual.com Nikon Manuals 
						

							18
Tutorial—Basic Photography
Control panel
Exposure 
mode
Image size
Image
quality
Focus areaWhite balance
Viewfi nder
ISO sensitivity
2.1 Press the mode-dial lock release (

) while 
turning the mode dial (
) to S (single 
frame).  At this setting, the camera will take 
one photograph each time the shutter-re-
lease button is pressed. 
2.2 Rotate the AF-area mode selector until it 
clicks into place pointing to 
 (single-area 
AF).  At this setting, the camera will focus on 
the subject in the focus area selected by the 
user.
1
2
Option Default DescriptionImage 
qualityNORM
(JPEG Normal)Balance between image quality and fi le size is 
ideal for snapshots.28–
31
Image 
sizeL
(Large)Images are 3,872 × 2,592 pixels in size. 32
ISO
sensitivity100ISO sensitivity (digital equivalent of fi lm speed) 
set to value roughly equivalent to ISO 100.33–
34
White 
balanceA
(Auto)White balance automatically adjusted for natu-
ral coloration under most types of lighting.35–
44
Exposure 
mode
(Programmed auto)Built-in exposure program automatically adjusts 
shutter speed and aperture for optimal expo-
sure in most situations.62–
69
Focus 
areaCenter focus area Camera focuses on subject in center focus area. 53
2 Adjust camera settings
This tutorial describes how to take photographs at the default settings listed 
in the table below, using a type G or D lens.  See the “Reference” section for 
information on when and how to change settings from their default values.
Downloaded From camera-usermanual.com Nikon Manuals 
						

							19
Tutorial—Basic Photography2.4 Rotate the metering selector to  (matrix 
metering).  Matrix metering uses informa-
tion from all areas of the frame to determine 
exposure, producing optimal results for the 
entire frame.  A 
 icon appears in the view-
fi nder.
2.3 Rotate the focus-mode selector until it clicks 
into place pointing to S (single-servo auto-
focus).  At this setting, the camera will focus 
automatically when the shutter-release but-
ton is pressed halfway.  Pictures can only be 
taken when the camera is in focus.
3.1 Hold the camera as shown.
 Holding the Camera
Hold the handgrip in your right hand and cradle 
the cam era body or lens with your left.  Keep your 
elbows propped lightly against your torso for sup-
port and place one foot half a pace ahead of the 
other to keep your upper body stable.
3.2 Frame a photo in the viewfi nder with the 
main subject positioned in the center focus 
area.
3 Frame a photograph
Focus 
area
Downloaded From camera-usermanual.com Nikon Manuals 
						

							20
Tutorial—Basic Photography
 The Shutter-Release Button
The camera has a two stage shutter-release button.  The camera focuses when the but-
ton is pressed halfway; focus locks until the button is released.  To take the picture, press 
the shutter-release button the rest of the way down.
4 Focus
Press the shutter-release button halfway to focus.  
If the camera is able to focus on the subject in the 
center focus area, a beep will sound and the in-fo-
cus indicator (●) will appear in the viewfi nder (if 
the focus indicator blinks, the camera was unable 
to focus using autofocus).  Focus will lock while 
the shutter-release button is pressed halfway.
If the subject is dark, the AF-assist illuminator may 
light to assist the focus operation.
5 Check exposure
In exposure mode P (programmed auto), the 
camera automatically sets shutter speed and ap-
erture when the shutter-release button is pressed 
halfway.  Before shooting, check the shutter-
speed and aperture indicators in the viewfi nder.  
If the photo would be under- or over-exposed at 
current settings, one of the following indicators 
will be displayed.
Indicator DescriptionPhoto will be overexposed.  Use optional Neutral Density (ND) fi lter.Photo will be underexposed.  Use fl ash or raise ISO sensitivity.
Lock focus Take
photograph
Downloaded From camera-usermanual.com Nikon Manuals