I have just purchased through amazon, nikon d200 digital field guide,which I found very helpful,information and layout is excellant,a well written book,recomend it to anyone

With an important shoot looming and the camera in shipping I was panicking. I received this book on Mon. Read furiously. Unpacked the camera Tues. evening and was on the shoot Wed. at 6AM. Backed it up the first day with film cameras. I got such good results that by Thurs. I had abandoned the film backup. This was all due to the answeres I got from this book every time I looked up something I didn't understand. The manual is thorough but in fine print and very complex. This book will give you a detailed overview in a logically organized manner.

I'm not a professional, my D200 was my second digital - my first D-SLR. I was lost with the manual - it was hard to read, hard to understand, and way too small of print. I even printed a 81/2x11 copy of the owner's manual from Nikon. That helped - BUT, when I started reading this book, I was so glad I bought it. It not only goes through everything in the manual in a more concise way - it also gives you practice ideas to help you put your knowledge to work. I give it 5 stars! I've bought more books and more DVD's in the 1 1/2 years I've had my D200, but this is the only book I carry with me everywhere! That's proof to me that it has what I look for!

I have purchased (4) instruction books for my Nikon D200 Camera. By far David Busch's Field Guide Book is the best ever. It is easy to understand, thorough, easy to locate specific topics while in the field. It never leaves my camera bag wherever I'm on a photo adventure. It you have a D200 you must have this book.

Great for my needs being a D200 novice, good flow and explanations and step by step as needed at times. I am a writer so to me "step by step" guides are always best as you can go step by step or skip around the things you already know or picked up along the way.

Great for my needs being a D200 novice, good flow and explanations and step by step as needed at times.

This is an excellent guidebook, with inspiring photographs and a very good mixture of Nikon-specific information with tips on how to improve your photography. It should satisfy any Nikon D200 owner.

I actually have a Nikon D300, but purchased this book because nothing is yet available for my camera. It has done a pretty good job of explaining my camera, as many of the controls and menu settings are identical in the Nikon D200 and D300. It doesn't cover features like Live View and automatic sensor cleaning, of course, but the chapters on lenses, and optimizing exposure have been particularly useful for me. The author obviously understands the Nikon camera line well, and even though the book is intended for Nikon D200 owners, it makes a good stopgap for D300 users as well.

I have wasted my money in this book so you don't have to. Look for other options. This book is purely marketing gimmick... This is not a camera guide, but a beginner's guide to photography with some tips on how to use a D200..

This book was not very impressive. Little technical information provided and the author rambles around quite a bit. I expected higher technical level and it truly is just a thin overview of the camera.

This book really goes into a lot of depth in covering the Nikon D200 without needlessly rehashing the user's manual that comes with the camera. Instead, the author provides a much more comprehensive discussion of each of the camera's features and controls, including setup options, choosing Nikon lenses, and working with autofocus and flash.

I'd previously thumbed through some of the other Digital Field Guides in the series, particularly the same author's Nikon D80 book, and found them to be excellent tools for beginner photographers. I was very pleased to discover that this D200 book, written for this more advanced camera, took an appropriately higher level approach. Many people who purchase the D200 are far from beginning photographers, and they expect a little more meat than they'd get from a guide to an entry-level camera. That's what they get in the Nikon D200 Digital Field Guide. Although a similar list of topics are explored, they are covered in more depth. When it comes to digital camera guides, one size (and one style) does not fit all. This one is perfect for the D200.

The large full-color illustrations were helpful, and made navigating the camera easier. The explanations of Nikon's lens features (especially the part that tells what all those funny letters like AF-S and G and ED mean) cleared up a lot of confusion for me.

Buyer Beware! This slick-looking D200 guide is merely a generic guide to photography with a few early chapters shoved in that tell you very, very basic information about the particular model. It's about has helpful as pressing F1 during a windows application (i.e. "select one of the four options then press ENTER").

This is not the camera guide you need. It doesn't matter whether you're a newbie or very experienced, there are better books out there. The people that put these books together do some sort of assembly line operation where every time a new camera comes out, they rewrite the first few chapters and bundle a majority of prewritten pages that have nothing to do with your camera. Don't expect the specific portions relative to your camera model to be helpful either. The manual clearly states it doesn't intend to re-cover material in the original Nikon manual, so basically, it's like hearing Cliff Claven from Cheers tell you how your camera works. Utterly useless.

This is a GREAT guide -- well organized, well illustrated, and thorough. Since manufacturers of almost anything (including Nikon) don't furnish manuals that will really, really help you get the most out of their products, publications like this are invaluable. This has been a help to me.

I question the cliche of "this is what should've shipped with the D200!" comments. While this book is certainly more user-friendly and easier to read than *any* boxed camera manual, this is a field guide. It is NOT a comprehensive manual. That means literally 50% of the content of this book, is not specific to the D200 but to photography in general. Composition, lighting, etc. Now if that's what you want: a book that is about half camera tips and half photography tips, you can't go wrong here.

Just realize that the portion of the book that covers the camera, covers the most important functions, but at a very high level. In fact it is the perfect example of "mile wide, inch deep" WRT to using the actual camera. Rather than than being a field guide in the sense of "When you see this type of scene, try these types of settings on these functions within the D200 menu"... you more or less get a section in the front that says "this setting does this, that setting does that", and then in the second half of the book it's: "compose this way or expose that way", without reference or screenshots of how that's actually done on the D200. The only exception is that there are many specific points made about Nikon lenses and few about flash accessories in the second half of the book, otherwise though it's mostly general photography tips that apply to any DSLR.

If you are a serious photographer and want a really detailed account of D200 features and operation, the only real option IMO is the D200 Guide by Thom Hogan. Note however, that Mr. Hogan's manuals are in PDF format, are VERY dense with information, and somewhat short on illustration... and though written nicely enough, are very technical in some respects. If you want to be picky, HIS guide is what Nikon should ship with the camera... it just requires more time and dedication to get through than most people are willing to spend.

The D200 is classified as an advanced amateur/semi-professional camera. So buying this guide I thought it would also be aimed at this market. I was disappointed to find that the technical side was less than half the books content, whilst basic techniques on how to take pictures took up the rest.

If you have a reasonable amount of experience in photography then I feel this book may be a waste of money. If you are a novice and haven't read any books on taking pictures or photography techniques then this may be the way to go.

I would have given it three stars or more if it was for a simpler camera such as the D40, but this is a complex camera and the guide in my opinion doesn't do it justice.

I have been through the manual many times to locate items of interest but it does not read like a book but more of a reference. This guide has all the manual information but practical uses and setting to use in each case. The Digital Field guide also shows more detail to the specific capabilities of the Nikon D200. A much easier and detailed view of this professional camera. I am still enjoying it.

Nikon D200 owners, this is a gotta have it book. Outlines what you need to know

I have the book that came with the camera, another that I bought, and this one. This one is by far the best. It's a little too big to keep in the bag. The guy who wrote the book gives great simple tips for shooting in various situations, but is also able to talk in detail. A good read. A good reference tool.

This is a great addition to the manual that comes with the camera, only it is easier reading than that fine print manual.

Excellent publication, easy to read,very well written .Like the colored pictures.

this book is way better than the Nikon manual.
but if you already have your camera for some time, no much use for this book

Best manual I could find for the D200. However we still need a manual that explains how to use the camera not what the camera is capable of doing.I would still reccomend this guide until a more detailed guide is published.

Disappointing product. Does not give any insight. Merely expands and blows up the descriptive content already in the owner's manual.

This is a useful attractive full color format book with excellent diagrams of the D200 controls and explanations of how they are used.

I am happy to have it in my D200 Library.

This field guide offers precious little over Nikon's manual. It really comes across as an opportunistic regurgitation of the manual. I was hoping for explanations of why, when, and where to use some of the features, but the book, like the manual, primarily discusses how to turn options on and off. A better guide, and one that you can download for free, is available from Ken Rockwell's website. He goes beyond listing which options you can toggle on and off to providing suggested D200 settings, their effects, and why you would want to use them--something I was hoping to find in the Digital Field Guide.

Excellent description of the various functions of the D200 plus a review of imperfectly remembered photographic basics. Good one.

Here it is short and sweet, If you want to learn all about the D200 and don't need to be spoon fed this is the book for you.

Unfortunately, this book did not hit the spot for me. I wanted a book that would go beyond the manual, with more depth and concrete examples. About 2/3 of the content speaks to photography techniques without much --if any-- relevance to the specificities of the D200. The other 1/3 is quite good and well illustrated, but in fact does not explore the D200 in as much detail as the manual does.

This is a great piece for the point-and-shoot photographer jumping from basic PS digital camera to the D200 (brave and wealthy folks). For seasoned film SLR photographers with basic digital experience, I would abstain from this book.

You guys!This book is a MUST have for all D200 owners that are new to the dslr game. Even if you are familiar with dslr's, it still would be an asset to have this book. The manual that came with my D200 might as well have been in chinese..........it is very hard to understand and very confusing unless you have had an extensive education in photography and know all of the lingo. I carry this book wherever I go. The reason I bought it is because of the reviews here on amazon.com. You HAVE to buy this book. No ifs and or buts......I bought it used and it came to me looking brand new. This is the second book by David Busch I bought about the dslr game, and I reccomend "Quick Snap Guide to Digital SLR Photography" by David Busch. Both books are a MUST if you don't know, but want to know about DSLR photography.

When you buy a really good camera you need a manual or guide to match it. While the manual supplied by Nikon with the D200 is technically complete it leaves a lot to be desired in readability. The "Digital Field Guide" on the other hand is a dream to breeze through and see nicely managed illustrations of the camera. But at the end of the day the guide does not inform the reader in an effective way. One example is the constant use of the expression "in the next chapter you will see how to......" and in subsequent chapters you are surprised to see, once again, "in a previous chapter such and such was explained in greater detail." Sorry, you can't have it both ways Mr. Busch.
One specific technical detail in the guide that is treated inadequately is the interrelationship of ISO Menu Setting vs Auto ISO operation. What the manual should say quite clearly is that if you are going to manually set ISO but generally use Auto ISO you had better set the camera at ISO 100 so that all ISO's up to the max. set point will be available. This is because if ISO is set at say 400, and you later switch to Auto ISO the camera will not "automatically" select any ISO below 400 even when that makes sense. This is not a bad camera feature it is simply something that is underexplained in the guide.
What would be really nice for a guide to cover, and it isn't in this one, is "why" a user might use any one of the dozens of operating modes and features the D200 offers. This is a camera still waiting for a guide to match its excellence.

I liked this little book...it is like a manual except it us more useful and easy to read..this is what should be "In the Box" with the camera.

I bought this book along with the magic lantern guide for D200 because reviews were very confusing and I wanted to find out for myself which book is better. I am an amateur photographer so I want to know more about the camera and the tricks it can do. Right from its presentation of the camera's format I find this book more appealing to read. I find the tips on various shooting modes and events much more interesting. The Magic Lantern guide book to me was like a better version of the manual that comes with the camera. Overall, I would suggest this book as better than the magic lantern. While I am interested to know how to use the camera I also wanted to know how best to use it in different situations and this book has a good balance of both! If you are an amateur photographer GET THIS BOOK!

This is a great book if you are new to Digital photography or Nikon SLR cameras. D200 features are explained clearly with some tips on how and when to use them. All graphics are in large color and much easier to read and look at than the D200 manual that comes with the camera. Later chapters have good general photography tips. If you are new to Nikon SLRs or digital photography I recommend this book. If you are a professional and maybe already owned the D100 then you can most likely skip this book and stick to the D200 manual.

This was a good book and easier to understand than the manual that came with the camera.

It's as good or better than I could have hoped for. I guess I'd have to say that it's a must-have for Nikon D200 owners. The owner's manual is written by technicians, not photographers. This book bridges the gap between the two. It is one of those rare buys these days where you feel that your money couldn't have been better spent. It's a winner, and I'm glad Amazon offered it to me. In business it should be as good for the goose as it is for the gander, but in our increasingly selfish and immature society, that is unfortunatly not always the case. This book, however, is that rare exception.

Interesting book for semi advanced photographers.
I also recommend Tom Hogan's e-book

With any new camera, it becomes difficult to try and understand all of the features and functions. The manual that comes with the camera just does not seem sufficient to give all of the details. The Nikon D200 Field Guild is a great companion to the owners manual as it provides details and real world examples of how features should be set or at a minimum what they do. After a few frustrating picture taking experiences, I decided to purchase this book. Since reading it, I feel my understanding of how the camera should be set has been dramatically enhanced as has my confidence. If you are new to the Nikon D200 or if you are just not sure what all the capabilities are for this camera I would suggest picking up a copy of the Field Guide. I think you will appreciate the ease of reading and the depth of content it provides. Ultimately it will increase your confidence in using the camera which should result in better pictures.

Found this guide to be lacking in a lot of areas. It has got the benefit of color images. However, I found the Magic Lantern Guide for the D200 to be much more comprehensive, easier to follow and also much easier to find answers to any questions I had. I would rate the Magic Lantern Guide a 5 star

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.

This is without a doubt the best info available on this camera. It takes a new owner into the realm of the pro's without a lot of confusion and jumping around from section to section in the Nikon furnished manual.
I don't leave home without it!

Don't buy this book. The Magic Lantern Guide, late though it is, is a much more comprehensive book.

The book's title is misleading. It's not a "field guide." A field guide would be a book dedicated to fully categorizing and explaining each of the camera's operating modes, controls and menu selections. This book simply regurgitates what's in the manufacturer's manual and then goes to boilerplate on how to make better photos. The things unique to the Nikon D200 are largely done by page 72. The remaining 178 pages is largely a generic digital photography volume.

All of the current DSLR cameras are amazingly feature-rich. They have complex architecture and much hidden capability. They also have capabilities that can actually get in the way if not properly understood and they have gee-whiz features that are most often best left alone. The manual that comes in the box explains each feature as if that feature were co-equal in importance with every other feature.

The fact is, some of the camera's feautures are very important. Some are less so. And which ones often depend on the type of photography being done. A good book on this camera would offer real-world explanations and advice with respect to the long list of capabilities represented by this camera.

The reality is that there is little to be gained from this book that is not available from the camera manual and from the photography books that you probably already own.

I had always used the Magic Lantern books for specific cameras and when I bought my D-200 I tried to order the MAgic Lantern guide and it was not ready, it took until late october to ship. I ordered the Field Guide thinking it would tide me over until the other went to press and what I found was an all inclusive book that covered all of the bases. It is easy to follow and is presented in a logical order. I recomend this book highly for those who want to learn all there is to know about their d-200.

For those of you who own the Nikon D200 know that the user's manual covers only the basics. The Nikon D200 Digital Field Guide is a great companion to any of you who own this great digital SLR! David covers each feature in-depth and how one can achieve the best end result...awesome photographs!

This volume has been a great resource for me to make more effective use of the Nikon D200 digital camera. The complexity of this camera for me as a long time film camera user was somewhat challenging, and the factory documentation while complete was not always clear or helpful. This volume has greatly improved my learning curve, and enabled me to learn to use the more sophisticated features of the D200 quickly and efficiently. This volume will not be for everyone, and is written "below" the level of the experienced digital camera user. I would unhesitatingly recommend this as a first volume for any user of the D200, unless they experienced digital camera users.

If you sre looking for a guide for the use of the Nikon D200 there are better ones available. As the title says; this is a "field guide". The book is more on how to shoot digital pictures (and there are much better books available)than on how to use the D200.

I own a D200,am dissatisfied with the Nikon instruction booklet, ( hard to read because of the smal type!) this Magic Latern guide starts with an index of about 240 subjects, every imaginable action you can perform with this wonderful camera is described, just check the page number and have the info you need! How simple life can be!

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.

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.

Superb. I recommend this to anyone with a D200. I of course own the manual, I also bought Thom Hogans CD book (which was pretty good), but this one is the best. Really.

Through expatiations of the entire camera and all the many settings. I don't think you'll be disappointed with this one.

Good job on writing this one! Thanks

There isn't much about this little guide to dislike. It's clear, concise and ultra easy to follow. Not only that, but it's a great size - you can stash it in your camera bag and carry it with you! I'm a dSLR newbie, so this wee guide was a relief. Loving it. Buy it.

Mr. Busch I have one word to describe your Field Guide..... Excellent!!! Throw away the useless Nikon manual and don't wait for the Magic Lantern Guide. It's clear, to the point with easy to understand explanations for an amature as myself and absent the usual technicial garbage you get from more expensive CDs. If your a pro, you should know this stuff already. If your new to the digital camera world, own this camera and want to know how it works,,,, Buy this Book!!!!!!!!!!!!! You won't be disappointed!!!!!!!