Nikon D200 Users Manual

							21
Tutorial—Basic Photography
6 Take the photograph
Smoothly press the shutter-release button the 
rest of the way down to release the shutter and 
record the photograph.  The access lamp next 
to the card slot cov er will light.  Do not eject the 
mem o ry card or remove or dis con nect the power 
source until the lamp has gone out and recording 
is complete.
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							22
Tutorial—Basic Playback 
To delete  the  pho to graph  cur rent ly  dis played  in 
the monitor, press the 
 button.  A confi rmation 
dialog will be dis played.  Press the 
 button again 
to de lete the image and re turn to play back.  To exit 
without deleting the picture, press the 
 button or 
press the shutter-release button halfway.
Basic Playback
Press the  button to view photographs.  The most 
recent photo will be displayed in the monitor; addi-
tional pictures can be displayed by pressing the multi 
selector left or right.
To end playback and return to shooting mode, press 
the shutter-release button halfway.
Deleting Unwanted Photographs
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							Reference
23
Reference
Choose a color spaceColor Space:  50
This section builds on the Tutorial to cover more advanced shooting and play-
back options.
Use the menusUsing Camera Menus:  24
Take photographs in bursts
Reduce shutter lagChoosing a Shooting Mode:  26
Adjust image quality and sizeImage Quality and Size:  28
Raise ISO sensitivity when lighting is poorISO Sensitivity:  33
Make colors look natural
Take photos under unusual lightingWhite Balance:  35
Customize sharpening, contrast, color, satu-
ration, and hueOptimizing Images:  45
Shoot a moving subject or focus manuallyFocus:  51
Let the camera choose shutter speed and 
apertureExposure Mode P
(Programmed Auto):  63
Freeze or blur motionExposure Mode S
(Shutter-Priority Auto):  64
Control depth of fi eldExposure Mode A
(Aperture-Priority Auto):  66
Choose shutter speed and aperture manu-
allyExposure Mode M (Manual):  68
Make photographs brighter or darker or en-
hance contrastExposure Compensation:  72
Use the built-in fl ashFlash Photography:  76
Take photos with the self-timerSelf-Timer Mode:  83
Superimpose photos on one anotherImage Overlay and Multiple Exposure:  84
Take photos at specifi ed intervalsInterval-Timer Photography:  89
Use a non-CPU lensNon-CPU Lenses:  93
Record GPS data with photographsUsing a GPS Unit:  96
View photographsViewing Photographs:  98
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							Reference—Using Camera Menus
24
 Help
For help on menu options, press the  button.  A description of the currently selected 
option or menu will be displayed.  To scroll the display, press the  button while press-
ing the multi selector up or down.
 Locking and Deleting Recent Settings
The Recent Settings option in the setup menu ( 119) can be used to delete all 
items from the Recent Settings menu or to lock the menu at current settings, creating 
a customized menu of shooting and Custom Menu options.
Using Camera Menus
Most shooting, playback, and setup options can 
be accessed from the camera menus.  To view the 
menus, press the 
 button.
Choose from playback, shoot-
ing, Custom Settings, and 
setup menus (see below)
View recent settingsSlider is displayed if more op-
tions are available in current 
menu
Current setting for each op-
tion is shown by icon
Current menu item is high-
lighted If “?” icon is displayed, help for 
current item can be viewed 
by pressing 
 button.
Menu DescriptionPlayback Adjust playback settings and manage photos ( 133).Shooting Adjust shooting settings ( 124).Custom Settings Personalize camera settings ( 143).Setup Format memory cards and perform basic camera setup ( 115).
Recent SettingsLists the fourteen most recently used items in the shooting and 
Custom Settings menus.
The multi selector is used to navigate through the camera menus.
Move cursor up
Increase number
Display sub-menu
Make selection (selection can also 
be made with 
 button or center 
of multi selector)
Make selection (same as 
 button) Move cursor down
Decrease number Return to previous menu
Cancel (can also be performed 
with 
 button)
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							Reference—Using Camera Menus
25
21
3
54
76
8
 Exiting the Menus
Press the shutter-release button halfway to exit the menus and return to shooting mode, 
or press the 
 button once to highlight the icon for the current menu and again to exit to 
shooting mode.
To modify menu settings:
Display menus Highlight icon for current menu
Select menu
Position cursor in selected menu Highlight menu item
Display options Highlight option
Make selection•  Menu items that are displayed in gray are 
not currently available.
• When formatting memory cards and in 
other cases in which user confi rmation 
is required, a selection can only be made 
with the center of the multi selector or by 
pressing the 
 button.  A message to this 
eff ect will appear in the display.
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							Reference—Choosing a Shooting Mode
26
Reference: 
More on Photography
Choosing a Shooting Mode
Shooting mode determines how the camera takes pho to graphs: one at a time, 
in a continuous sequence, with a timed shutter-release delay, or with the mirror 
raised to enhance shutter response and minimize vibration.
Mode Description
S
Single frameCamera takes one photograph each time shutter-release button is pressed.  
Access lamp will light while photo is recorded; next shot can be taken im-
mediately if enough space remains in memory buff er.
C
LContinuous 
low speedWhile shut ter-re lease but ton is held down, camera records 1–4 frames per 
second.  *  Frame rate can be chosen using Custom Setting d4 (Shooting 
Speed;  158).
CHContinuous 
high speedWhile shut ter-re lease but ton is held down, camera records up to 5 frames 
per second.  *  Use to photograph moving objects or to capture a fl eeting 
expression on portrait subjects.
Self-timerUse the self-timer for self-portraits or to reduce blurring caused by camera 
shake ( 83).
M
UPMirror upPress shutter-release button once to raise mirror, again to take photograph 
(shutter will be released automatically if shutter-release button is not 
pressed for 30 s after mirror up).  Mirror will be lowered after shutter is re-
leased.  Choose this mode to minimize camera shake in situations in which 
the least camera movement can result in blurred photographs.  Note that 
autofocus, metering, and framing can not be confi rmed in the viewfi nder 
while mirror is raised.
*  Average frame rate with continuous-servo AF, manual or shutter-priority auto ex po sure, a 
shutter speed of / s or faster, and memory remaining in memory buff er.
To choose a shooting mode, press the mode dial lock 
release and turn the mode dial to the desired set-
ting.
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							Reference—Choosing a Shooting Mode
27
The number of im ag es that can be stored in the memory 
buff er at current set tings is shown in the ex po sure-count 
dis plays in the viewfi nder and con trol pan el while the 
shutter-release button is pressed (at image qualities of 
JPEG Fine, JPEG Normal, and JPEG Basic, the display 
will show 25 when the buff er contains space for 25 or 
more images).  This number is updated as photographs are transferred to the memory 
card and more memory becomes available in the buff er.  If 0 is displayed, the memory 
buff er is full and shooting will slow.Buff er Size
 Auto Image Rotation ( 119)
In continuous mode, the orientation recorded for the fi  rst shot applies to all photographs in 
the same burst, even if camera orientation is changed during shooting.
 The Memory Buff er
The camera is equipped with a memory buff er for tem po rary storage, allowing shooting 
to continue while photographs are being saved to the memory card.  When the buff  er is 
full, the shut ter is disabled until enough data have been trans ferred to the mem o ry card 
to make room for another photograph.  In con tin u ous mode, shooting will con tin ue to a 
maximum of 100 shots as long as the shutter-release button is held down, al though the 
frame rate will drop once the buff er has fi lled.
While photographs are being recorded to the memory card, the access lamp next to the 
memory card slot will light.  Depending on the number of images in the buff er, record-
ing may take from a few seconds to a few minutes.  Do not  re move  the  mem o ry  card  or 
re 
move or dis con nect the power source until the access lamp has gone out.  If the camera 
is switched off  while data remain in the buff er, the power will not turn off  until all images 
in the buff er have been recorded.  To turn the camera off  without recording the images in 
the buff er, press the 
 button while turning the camera off  (keep the  button pressed for 
at least one second after turning the camera off  ).  If the battery is exhausted while images 
remain in the buff er, the shutter release will be disabled and the images transferred to the 
memory card.
The approximate time required to write the entire buff er to a 1 GB SanDisk SDCFX (Extreme 
III) card is as follows (ISO sensitivity set to ISO 100 equivalent):
Uncompressed NEF (RAW) + JPEG Basic (Large) 50 s (19 frames)
Uncompressed NEF (RAW) 50 s (22 frames)
JPEG Fine (Large) 35 s (37 frames)
The buff er size shown in the control panel and viewfi nder is an approximation only.  The 
fi le size of compressed images varies with the scene recorded, producing variations in the 
number of images that can be stored.  See the Appendix (
 196) for more information.
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							Reference—Image Quality and Size
28
Image Quality and Size
Together, image quality and size determine how much space each pho to graph 
occupies on the memory card.
Image Quality
The camera supports the following image quality options (listed in descending 
order by image quality and fi le size):
Mode Description
NEF (RAW)Raw 12-bit data from the image sensor are saved directly to the memory 
card in Nikon Electronic Format (NEF).
JPEG FineRecord JPEG images at a compression ratio of roughly 1 : 4.
  *
JPEG NormalRecord JPEG images at a compression ratio of roughly 1 : 8.  *
JPEG BasicRecord JPEG images at a compression ratio of roughly 1 : 16.  *
NEF (RAW) + 
JPEG FineTwo images are recorded: one NEF (RAW ) image and one fi ne-quality 
JPEG image. 
NEF (RAW) + 
JPEG NormalTwo images are recorded: one NEF (RAW ) image and one normal-quality 
JPEG image. 
NEF (RAW) + 
JPEG BasicTwo images are recorded: one NEF (RAW ) image and one basic-quality 
JPEG image. 
* Size Priority selected for JPEG Compression (
 30).
Image quality can be set using the Image Quality option in the shooting menu 
or by pressing the QUAL button and rotating the main command dial.  Two op-
tions are available for controlling compression: RAW Compression for NEF 
(RAW ) images (
 31) and JPEG Compression for JPEG images ( 30).
 NEF  (RAW) / NEF + JPEG
NEF (RAW ) images can only be viewed on a computer using the supplied software or Nikon 
Capture 4 Version 4.4 or later (available separately; 
 182).  When photographs taken at 
NEF (RAW) + JPEG Fine, NEF (RAW) + JPEG Normal, or NEF (RAW) + JPEG Basic are 
viewed on the camera, only the JPEG image will be displayed.  When photographs taken at 
these settings are deleted, both NEF and JPEG images will be deleted.
White balance bracketing can not be used with NEF (RAW ) images.  Se lect ing an NEF (RAW ) 
option for image quality cancels white balance bracketing.
 Image Quality, Image Size, and File Size
See the Appendix for information on the number of pictures that can be stored on a mem-
ory card (
 196).
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							Reference—Image Quality and Size
29
The Image Quality Menu
1 Highlight Im age  Quality in the shooting menu 
and press the multi selector to the right.
2 High light  the  de sired  op tion  and  press  the  multi 
se lec tor to the right.  The shooting menu will be 
displayed.
The QUAL Button
Press the QUAL button and rotate the main command 
dial until the desired setting is displayed in the con-
trol panel (note that RAW Compression and JPEG 
Compression can only be adjusted from the shoot-
ing menu).
RAW
BASICRAW
NORMRAW
FINE
FINERAWNORMBASIC
 File Names
Photographs are stored as image fi les with names of the form “DSC_nnnn.xxx,” where nnnn 
is a four-digit number between 0001 and 9999 as signed automatically in ascending order 
by the camera, and xxx is one of the following three letter extensions: “NEF” for NEF images, 
“JPG” for JPEG im ag es, and “NDF” for Dust Off  ref photos (
 121–122).  The NEF and JPEG 
fi les recorded at a setting of “NEF+JPEG” have the same fi le names but diff erent exten-
sions.  Images recorded at a Color Space setting of AdobeRGB (
 50) have names that 
begin with an underscore (e.g., “_DSC0001.JPG”).  The “DSC” portion of the fi le name can be 
changed using the File Naming option in the shooting menu (
 129).
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							Reference—Image Quality and Size
30
2 High light the de sired op tion and press the multi 
se lec tor to the right.  The shooting menu will 
be displayed.  The selected option applies to all 
subsequent JPEG-quality images.
1 Highlight JPEG Compression in the shooting 
menu and press the multi selector to the right.
The JPEG Compression Menu
The JPEG compression menu off ers the following options for JPEG images:
Mode Description
Size Priority
(default)Images are compressed to produce relatively uniform fi le size.  Quality 
varies with scene recorded.
Optimal QualityOptimal image quality.  File size varies with scene recorded.
The eff ects of these options are most pronounced with high ISO sensitivity ( 33), 
complex scenes, basic-quality JPEG images, or heavy sharpening (
 46).
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