Nikon D200 Digital Field Guide
by David D. Busch
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Book Reviews of Nikon D200 Digital Field Guide
Book Review: Not Really Useful for the Users of this Camera
Summary: 2 Stars
I picked this up based on the reviews here and prior to shooting with the camera. About half of this book contains beginning photography type information. I don't believe the owners of this camera are beginning photographers, and if they are there are better resources than this book. I also found the Nikon D200 user manual to be far more accessible and detailed and considerably more portable than this book. This book is written at too high a level to be useful in the field (and it's too big). It doesn't get deep enough into the menus, providing just a small paragraph overview. When you need to know how to quickly access menus, or discern what the menus allow you to do, the available options, etc., this book fails.
I put this directly to the test. I demo'ed the camera for a day. I bought this book one week prior to shooting with the camera. I read the book and I brought it with me the day I shot with the camera. The camera shop also gave me the Nikon manual (right out of the box) to take along. After several tries, I gave up trying to use this book to get anything done and relied entirely on the Nikon D200 manual. It was much quicker, far more productive and smaller.
If you're considering buying the D200, this book provides a decent overview, but it is not an acceptable field guide, nor is it an acceptable replacement for the actual manual.
Book Review: Much, much better than the owner's manual
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: Satisfying introduction to a wonderful digital camera
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: The best overall guide to the D200
Summary: 5 Stars
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.Book Review: What do you want for $12.99? -- This book!
Summary: 5 Stars
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.