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Manual Control Options
The Nikon D200 offers a full set of manual controls: aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and focus. The D200 also offers manual settings for a variety of image parameters and a JPEG compression control.
Focus
Auto Focus (8.75)
The D200 is equipped with a newly designed TTL phase detection, CAM1000 AF system, fitting between the CAM900 system on the D70s and the CAM2000 system in the D2X and D2Hs. Users can select between an 11-area or 7-area AF array. The Wide-frame 7-area AF utilizes larger AF sites, which will remain on a moving subject for longer and provide increased accuracy when tracking moving objects.
There are two autofocus modes included to select from: Single-servo AF or Continuous-servo AF.
Users can also select the AF-area mode, using the small switch to the right of the LCD screen. There are four AF-area modes in total: Single-area AF which utilizes a single AF site that is manually moved around the frame with the multi-selector; Group dynamic AF, which isolates a section of AF sites for the user to move to a desired region of the frame (the frame is divided into five regions in total – top, bottom, center, left, and right); Dynamic-area AF, which also allows the user to select a portion of the frame to focus on, but retains information from the other AF sites to help focus on subjects that move beyond the manually selected region; and Dynamic-area with closest-subject priority, which identifies and focuses on the area containing the nearest subject to the camera. The D200 allows the user to choose from two sets of autofocus area groups via the custom menu.
In practice, the D200’s CAM1000 system performed impressively, clearly surpassing the capabilities of the D70’s AF system. However, the D200 system only contains one cross-type sensor in the center. This does show in vertical shooting when compared with the D2-cameras, but it still handles the rotation reasonably.
In low light, the AF was extremely sharp, requiring very little contrast and even less illumination to lock in. Focus was fast and accurate and for the most part, tough to fool. We did notice though that autofocus reliability fluctuated slightly with different lenses.
Manual Focus (8.5)
The focusing screen on the D200 is bright and full of contrast, so it's fine for manual focus. Many newer Nikkor lenses feature a focus mode switch to allow manual focus, or manual override of autofocus. The D200 has a focus mode switch of its own. In manual focus, the camera won't adjust the lens, but an icon pops up in the viewfinder to confirm focus.
Metering (8.5)
The D200 offers three metering modes in total. The overall metering mode is called 3D Color Matrix Metering II with applied type G and D lenses, color matrix II metering with other CPU lenses, and plain color matrix metering with non-CPU lenses. There is also a spot metering mode when more specific measurements are desired, which meters a 3mm circle (2% of frame), centered on the active focus area. The third metering mode is center-weighted, which defaults to 75% of the frame, although this can be adjusted in custom menu b6, which sets the center area from 6 to 13mm.
Metering modes are placed on a rotating button to the right of the eye cup, making it easy to switch without moving your shooting hand away from the shutter.
Exposure (9.25)
The D200 offers the basic exposure modes: Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Program Auto, and Manual. Exposure compensation is available in an expanded +/- 5 EV range that can be set to full, 1/2, or 1/3-stop increments. The +/- 5 EV range has become synonymous with Nikon’s higher-end products and provides far more exposure latitude than competing cameras that generally only extend to +/- 2 or +/- 3 EV beyond the metered exposure.
Exposure bracketing is also provided and can be manually set from 2-9 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, or full stops. Bracketing is easily engaged with a dedicated, “BKT” button, positioned on the upper left portion of the back of the camera.
To the right of the eye cup, there is also an Auto Exposure Lock (AE-L) button, logically placed aside the AF-ON button and jog dial, creating a row of exposure controls accessible with the user’s right thumb when in shooting position.
White Balance (8.5)
The Nikon D200 white balance system is typical Nikon, with 6 presets, fine-tuning, an Auto setting, a Kelvin scale, and 4 custom white balance settings. The 6 presets are: Incandescent, Fluorescent, Direct Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, and Shade. The fine-tuning option allows three steps above or below the set value. Except in the fluorescent setting, each step is about 10 mired, according to the camera manual. (A mired is a unit of color temperature.) Fine-tuning doesn't work with custom presets or with direct Kelvin settings.
White balance bracketing is enabled for 2 to 9 shots in increments of 1, 2, or 3 steps on the “fine-tuning” scale.
The Nikon D200's white balance system is flexible, accurate, and capable. Unlike the Canon system, it sticks to a straight linear model. Canons offer a two-dimensional fine-tuning system, allowing the user to adjust on both a green-to-magenta axis and an amber-to-blue axis.
ISO (9.0)
The Nikon D200 offers ISO settings from 100 to 1600 in 1/2 or 1/3-stop increments, plus an extended range with three “settings up to 1 EV over 1600,” according to the manual. Why Nikon isn't comfortable saying “3200,” we don't know. On the camera interface, they're called H 0.3, H 0.7, and H 1.0. Adobe Photoshop doesn't read an ISO setting in EXIF data, and Iview Media Pro shows an ISO of 1.
Shutter Speed (9.0)
The Nikon D200 offers shutter speeds from 30 sec to 1/8000, in 1/3, 1/2, or 1-stop increments, plus bulb. The maximum sync speed for conventional electronic flashes is 1/250.
Aperture (0.0)
The Nikon D200 controls aperture electronically, with the control dial at the front of the handgrip as the user interface for changing it. When an old, manual Nikon-mount lens is attached to the camera, the lens's aperture ring controls the F-stop, and the Nikon D200 can read the setting. The D200 is not marketed in a kit with a lens, though an 18-200mm VR zoom lens was announced simultaneously with the camera. That lens has a maximum aperture of f/3.5 to 5.6, from wide to telephoto.
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