Nikon D200 User Manual

Page 11

NOTE 2: If you have no cable release, you can use the Mup mode and wait 30 seconds.
30 seconds after you press the shutter and the mirror flips up the D200 gets tired of
waiting and fires the shutter anyway.

NOTE 3: At default the D200 needs perfect locked focus to take a picture in S mode, and
locked focus to start the Mirror Up or self timer modes. If you don't have perfect focus the
D200 ignores you in these modes.

Power Switch (right side):

Tap it past ON to turn on the LCD illuminator and the meter.

There's no need to turn OFF the D200 except to prevent accidental operation when
squashed in a camera bag. The D200 turns off by itself after a few seconds of ignoring it.

Exposure Mode Button (MODE, right side):

Hold it and spin the rear dial to select

among P, S, A and M.

P: Program

I use "P" for program auto exposure. In this mode the camera chooses the f/stop and
shutter speed for you. If I want different apertures or shutter speeds I rotate the rear
command dial, which selects alternate combinations of

f/stops and shutter speeds which

give the same exposure. Nikon calls this "Program Shift." An asterisk (

) shows up next

to the P on the top LCD to let you know you've chosen a different combination for
exposure. The asterisk doesn't appear in the finder, but you can see the apertures and
shutter speeds. The asterisk goes away when you return to the standard combinations.
The standard combinations are f/1.4 @ 1/8, f/2 @ 1/15, f/2.8 @ 1/30, f/4 at 1/60, f/5.6 @
1/125, f/8 @ 1/250, f/11 @ 1/500, etc.

An easy way to return to these standard combinations is to flip to a different mode and
back to P, or turn the D200 off and back on.

A, S and M Modes

If you want to use only one aperture or one shutter speed then use S or A mode and the
camera will automatically pick the other value.

If you want to set both the hard way, use M, manual, mode.

In these three modes you select the aperture with the front dial and the shutter speed with
the rear dial. You can reverse which dial does what in the

Custom Setting: Controls Menu

A Mode: Aperture Priority

In A mode you choose the Aperture and the D200 chooses the shutter speed.

S Mode: Shutter Priority

In S mode you set the Shutter and the D200 sets the aperture.