Complete Guide to the Nikon D200- P4 doc

The charger just charges the battery—more sophisticated battery systems sometimes use extra connections to tune or balance cells within the battery, which the MH-18a doesn’t do—so the MH

Digital converters (ADC) These converters have a relatively simple job, which is to evaluate the number of electrons they see at each photosite and convert that into 12-bit digital values that are then passed on to the rest of the camera’s circuitry

Another wrinkle enters into play here, as well: Nikon is

adjusting for white balance while the signal is still in the analog domain (i.e., before the ADC does the conversion to digital) Nikon calls this “color preconditioning.” More on that

in the section on White Balance (see page <H272>)

Tip: For a fuller discussion of how sensors work, see

http://www.bythom.com/ccds.htm

Power

The D200 uses two batteries, only one of which is

user-accessible The main battery is an 7.4V, 1500mAhF

37 Lithium-Ion EN-EL3e pack, which is similar to but not the same as the EN-EL3 used in the D50, D70, D70s, and D100 Each EN-EL3e battery weighs about 2.6 ounces (75g), which makes carrying multiple batteries painless

The differences between the EL3e and the previous EL3 and EN-EL3a are:

EN-1 The EN-EL3e stores more mAh than the EN-EL3

(1500mAh versus 1300mAh; the EN-EL3a was also 1500mAh)

2 The EN-EL3e has a third connection terminal that the camera uses to monitor the battery condition

It’s this third connection that makes it impossible to use older EN-EL3 and EN-EL3a batteries in the D200: the camera will

37

What’s mAh mean? That stands for milliamp hour In other words, the battery could provide a constant 1500 milliamps of current for an hour Since the camera at idle draws less than 3mA, which would mean that the camera could be left on for over 20 days before the battery would go dead Of course, once you start taking pictures and using the many powered features of the camera, that number drops considerably

not operate at all if it can’t get information about the status of the battery However, note that an EN-EL3e battery works in a D50, D70, D70s, or D100

To keep the confusion to a minimum, EN-EL3e batteries—the ones that work in a D200—are gray instead of the black color

of the earlier, incompatible batteries Bottom line: gray Nikon batteries work in the D200, gray or black Nikon batteries work in the D50, D70, D70s, and D100

Note: Like all EN-EL3 type batteries, the terminals are exposed, so

the risk of shorts that can cause battery damage, explosion,

or generate heat that could start a fire are a small issue while carrying batteries without the protective cover Keep the protective cover on the battery when it is outside the camera or charger, if possible

In the United States, the battery and MH-18a Quick Charger are supplied with the camera; in other parts of the world, the battery and charger may need to be purchased separately In any case, you’re most likely going to want a spare EN-EL3e

The charger is light (3.6 ounces, or 100g) and modestly sized The battery

“docks” in the charger by sliding it into the charging position (don’t worry, you can’t do it wrong) The AC power cable is removable

The design of the EN-EL3e battery makes it impossible to insert it incorrectly into the D200’s battery compartment, so never force it The same is true of putting the EN-EL3e into the

charger The MH-18a Quick Charger can fully charge a fully

depleted EN-EL3e battery in a little over two hours The

MH-18a is fully compatible with 120 or 240 volt, and 50 or 60Hz outlets

Another point of confusion for D200 purchasers coming from older consumer Nikon DSLRs will be the MH-18 versus MH-18a charger It shouldn’t be Technically, the MH-18a is the charger designed to work with the 1500mAh batteries (EN-EL3a and EN-EL3e) while the MH-18 is designed to work with the older 1300mAh batteries (EN-EL3) But either will charge

a D200 battery The only real difference between them is that the older MH-18 is a little bit bigger than the MH-18a

supplied with the D200 For those of us who travel a lot, that was a welcome change

The fact that the charger only has two connection terminals while the battery has three also confuses some users The charger just charges the battery—more sophisticated battery systems sometimes use extra connections to tune or balance cells within the battery, which the MH-18a doesn’t do—so the MH-18a only needs the two power connections That

third connection on the battery is only used by the camera,

and it specifically is used to report the status of the internal power cells in the battery

Note: Unlike the NiMH batteries used for the D1 series, the

Lithium-Ion EN-EL3e used with the D200 shouldn’t have to

be “conditioned” prior to use

Still, it has been observed by many that new EN-EL3e’s seem to improve slightly with use, which means that they may have some storage or initialization effects that need to

be rectified

I would suggest, therefore, that you fully exhaust the battery (<10% charge remaining) the first two or three times you use it and make those first charges thorough ones, waiting until the battery cools before removing it from the charger (i.e don’t pop it off the minute the light stops blinking; let it continue to trickle charge for another hour or so)

Changing Batteries

õ The EN-EL3e battery is inserted into the camera as follows:

1 On the bottom of the camera, push the small indented button (green arrow points to it) on the Battery

Compartment door towards the center of the camera (towards the PacMan-like symbol) The door should pop open

2 Slide the EN-EL3e into the camera

3 Once the battery is fully inserted, push the door closed You should hear the door retainer click into place

õ To remove the battery:

1 On the bottom of the camera, push the small indented button on the Battery Compartment door towards the center of the camera (towards the PacMan-like

symbol) The door should pop open

2 Hold the camera so that the battery slides out of the camera Don’t worry, it won’t fall to the floor; there’s

a retainer on the side of the battery compartment that only allows the battery to stick 3/8” (1cm) out of the camera

3 Firmly grasp the edges of the battery and pull it from the camera You’ll feel a bit of resistance at first, but the retainer should let go of the battery if you tug firmly

Note: The camera power switch should be in the OFF position

before removing (or inserting) an EN-EL3e battery pack If you change batteries and forget to turn the power OFF while doing so, the D200 sometimes thinks a new card was inserted and a new folder may be created Multiple folders

on a card are a problem that may cause you to forget to transfer images (you may have images in folders other than the current one)

Charging Batteries

õ To charge the EN-EL3e:

1 Remove the battery from the camera

2 Plug the MH-18a charger into a wall socket

3 Slide the EN-EL3e battery into the cut-out on the top

of the MH-18a The status lamp on the MH-18a should begin blinking, indicating that the battery is charging

Note: The legend next to the light on the charger confuses some

people If the charge light is blinking (Ñ), the battery is charging If the charge light is in a steady on state (•), the battery is fully charged

Note: You do not have to completely discharge the EN-EL3e

before charging it Lithium-Ion batteries do not usually exhibit the “memory” effects that NiCad batteries did, and thus can be “topped off” at almost any time without

consequences That said, generally you’re better off not charging the battery if the level is at 90% or higher, as doing so repeatedly can reduce the overall capacity slightly Likewise, you’re best off if you don’t run the battery down

to <5% all the time, as repeated deep charges tend to reduce the life expectancy of the battery slightly Neither is

of enough concern to worry about, but if you’re trying to fully optimize your battery life, only charge it when it’s between 20 and 80 percent capacity if you can

The battery charger can’t be used to power the camera, as is the case with some other cameras This is a serious design flaw, in my estimation, adding extra cords and gadgets a D200 photographer shouldn’t need to deal with (It doesn’t help matters that D1 series models used different chargers and batteries than the D50/D70/D100/D200, which use different chargers and batteries than the D2h/D2x This proliferation of battery/charger/AC adapters is a very frustrating aspect of using Nikon DSLRs while traveling.)

Battery Storage

If you’re not going to use an EN-EL3e for a long period of time (several weeks or more), you should make sure that the

battery is neither fully charged nor almost empty In the case

of the former (fully charged), storing it for a long period may cause it to lose some of its capacity (a couple of deep

charges—from <5% capacity to full—on the charger might restore that, but not always) In the case of the latter (empty), the battery could discharge too deeply and be damaged by that

Thus, always store the EN-EL3e battery with a mid-range amount of charge left in it

Clock Battery

The D200 also has a small, internal battery for keeping the date and time This battery has an expected charge life of about three months Keeping the camera powered for two days (either with a EN-EL3e battery in it or by connecting the camera to the AC Adapter) fully recharges the internal clock battery

When this battery depletes, a & symbol appears on the top

LCD and two other symptoms appear: the Interval shooting

method doesn’t work properly, and image files no longer have

a date and time stamp

To recharge the clock battery, simply make sure that the camera has a fully charged EN-EL3e in it for two days

Note that charging the clock battery is one of the reasons why D200 users reported that their battery life improved after the first uses of the camera Once the clock battery is fully

charged, it needs only trickle charge energy from the EN-EL3e

to keep it healthy

Alternate Power Sources

As an alternative source of main camera power, you can use

the EH-6 AC Adapter, which plugs directly into the DC In

socket on the left side of the camera The AC Adapter

provides the camera with 13.5 volts at 5A (i.e any third party

battery or adapter that would connect to the DC In socket

would have to supply the same voltageF

38)

Here’s the weird thing: the D200 uses the same battery

technology (EN-EL3 series) as the D50/D70/D100, but uses

38

You’d also need to find the right connector which, unfortunately, is yet another Nikon-proprietary one Here’s the trick to get around that: buy the EH-6 Cut the cable from the EH-6 to the camera in half Wire the cut cable ends with a standard male/female connector set of your choice, and then use the same set on your external

battery supply You must be very careful to keep the voltages and polarities on pins

correct Failure to get these correct could fry the electronics of your camera, making

it inoperable Please read the legal disclaimer on the Copyright page before

attempting to make your own external power supply

the same AC technology (EH-6) as the D2 series It’s an important detail for those of us who travel with and own multiple Nikon cameras Personally, this was good news for

me, as at the moment I shoot with a D2x and D200, and the choice reduced the number of power gadgets I travel with by one (two chargers, one AC adapter instead of two chargers, two AC adapters) But it does mean that someone

transitioning from a D50, D70, or D100 will have to buy a new AC adapter for their D200

Note: Note that when running the D200 from the EH-6 without a

charged battery in the camera, if you accidentally “pull the plug” during shooting, any images in the internal buffer are lost, and the CompactFlash card may be corrupted due to

an incomplete write cycle I generally recommend that you always have a battery in the camera when using the AC adapter

Note: The camera power switch should be in the OFF position

before removing or inserting any connection to the DC In

slot Nikon warns that the internal circuitry can be damaged

if you unplug the EH-6 while the camera’s power switch is

in the ON position, so this may be true of external batteries,

as well

The D200 can also be powered by a variety of batteries in the optional MB-D200

The optional MB-D200 comes with a tray that allows you to use six

AA batteries to power the camera Alternatively, you can use one

or two EN-EL3e batteries

The MB-D200 can hold two EN-EL3e batteries or six AA batteries (alkaline, NiMH, or lithium)

õ To use the MB-D200:

1 Mount the MB-D200 to the D200 body

a Remove the Battery Compartment door on the D200 Open the door to about a 60 degree position from the body and pull on it with a steady force It should easily snap out of its restraints Do not force!

b Remove the cap covering the contacts on the MB-D200 and place the Battery Compartment

door in the slot on the part of the MB-D200 that sticks into the battery chamber This ensures you don’t misplace the door while the MB-D200 is on the camera

c Remove the EN-EL3e battery

d Slide the contact end of the MB-D200 into the D200 battery compartment As you do this, make sure that the tripod socket and outer alignment tab on the MB-D200 are going into

the D200 correctly Do not twist the MB-D200

in relation to the camera

e Use the large, knurled knob on the MB-D200

to secure the MB-D200 onto the camera

2 Open the MB-D200’s battery compartment by lifting

up the Battery Door Latch handle and then turning it counter clockwise

3 Remove the AA battery tray by pushing the two white plastic Battery Tray restrainers apart and pulling out

the tray

4 If you wish to use AA batteries in the MB-D200:

a Place six AA batteries into the tray in the orientation etched at each tray position (four batteries insert into on one side, two on the other side of the tray)

b Push the battery tray back into the MB-D200 Note carefully the white orientation arrows on the top of the battery tray; these point to the side of the tray that goes into the MB-D200 first (and they should be facing up where you can see them)

c Set CSM #D8 to the type of AA batteries you’re using (I recommend using NiMH rechargeable batteries of at least 2000mAh.)

5 If you wish to use one or two EN-EL3e batteries in the MB-D200

a With the AA battery tray removed, push a battery into either the left or right position in the MB-D200 The proper battery orientation is the curved side down with the connectors up

on the side that goes into the camera first

b If you wish to use two batteries (recommended

if you have two), put the other into the second position, same orientation You don’t need to make any custom settings to tell the camera that you’re using one or two EN-EL3e batteries

6 Close the battery compartment door on the MB-D200, turn the Battery Door Latch handle clockwise, then fold the Battery Door Latch handle back against the MB-D200

Note: The left-hand EN-EL3e battery (as you look at them with the

door open from the back) is used by the camera first, and then the camera seamlessly switches to the right-hand battery

Battery Life

You’ll probably be surprised to learn that the D200 uses very little energy when it sleeps between shots (<3mA) When turned OFF, it uses almost as much (typically <2mA) Thus, it makes little sense to turn the camera OFF between shots (unless you’re using a Microdrive; see “Microdrives” on page

<H116>)

But the D200 is the first Nikon camera since the D1 series that has a power consumption pattern that needs some careful explaining To put it succinctly: if you shoot NEF images (or NEF+JPEG) you’ll get less than half the shots per battery

charge you would if you shoot JPEG only

Nikon’s manual gives two figures: 340 shots using flash and

1800 shots without it (there are some other small variables that change as well; I suspect Nikon was trying to suggest this

as a likely range you might encounter) More rigorous testing produces some more useful data:

• Shooting any form of NEF reduces shots per charge by half

or more This is an unexpected result and unique to the

D200 The only explanation I can think of is that

something in the write-to-card mechanism is drawing power unexpectedly But it’s clear and repeatable: the minute you begin to shoot NEF your shots per charge

reduces significantly This is not a manageable parameter;

if you shoot NEF, you get reduced battery life, period

• A full image review on the color LCD reduces shots per

charge by about half If you have Image Review set to

On and the Monitor Off time (CSM #C5) set to the 10s

and don’t manually turn off the image on the color LCD after the shot, you’ll reduce your shots per charge by about half This, however, is a manageable parameter, and the curve is predictable Cut your image review down from 10 seconds to 5 and you reduce the battery impact

by half (i.e you’d get a 25% reduction in shots per

charge)

Note: Most D200 users use the color LCD to review the

histogram, but there’s still a trick you can use to preserve a bit of power After you’ve reviewed the shot for exposure, press the shutter release partway to activate the metering and autofocus systems The camera thinks you’re getting ready to take another picture and turns the color LCD off (normally, the image would stay on the color LCD until the LCD time-out is reached or until you pressed the ² button

to turn it off)

No other factors are as critical to shots per charge

performance as the two just mentioned However, here are some additional tips on power consumption with the D200:

• Use of autofocus lenses doesn’t significantly contribute to power drain That’s because it’s a short draw of power

The peak may be over 500mA, but since it’s normally such a short time during which this load occurs, it isn’t a big deal (as long as you aren’t repeatedly using autofocus

between shots) The difference in power consumption using AF and AF-S lenses is negligible But VR (vibration reduction) lenses reduce battery life by another 10% or more when the vibration reduction feature is used (the vibration reduction in the lens is powered by the camera) Since many users tend to keep VR active by holding the shutter release partway, VR use can shorten battery life

• Power consumption is highest when the camera is

“active” (metering [200+mA], focusing [500+mA], taking

a picture [1000+mA depending upon settings],

transferring images to the CompactFlash, etc.) Reducing the amount of time the camera is active (metering and focus active) is another key to reducing power

consumption Thus, you’ll get fewer pictures per charge if you leave the camera active for longer periods You can cut the active timeout to 4 seconds via Custom Setting

#C3 (see “Meter/Camera Active Time” on page <H446>)

• Power consumption is also high when the camera is connected to a computer or to a PictBridge printer This is

one of the reasons I recommend using an external card reader for transferring files While the camera is

connected to the computer via the USB cable and the camera is ON, the camera consumes significantly more power than normal It’s not unusual to see the battery indicator go from full to half or half to empty when

transferring from multiple, large cards or shooting tethered for a long period The same is true for PictBridge sessions: the camera is drawing significant power the entire time it

is connected to the printer, so remove the connection when you’re not using it Printing just 16 images with a Sony PictureStation printer connected dropped my battery power by almost half, for example

• The WT-3 Wireless Transceiver draws significant power from the camera While the D200 is relatively smart about

keeping the WT-3 in low-power modes when not active, if you’re using this option you will consume batteries much faster than without it Unlike the D2h, where the file sizes are small, the D200 has the additional attribute of keeping the wireless transmitter active longer while transmitting a

single picture (at least at maximum resolution) Thus, if you’ve used a D2h with the wireless transmitter, be

prepared to get fewer transfer images per battery charge with the D200 That’s because the USB port and its

associated circuitry, when connected and communicating,

is drawing power You can minimize the battery hit by shooting smaller image formats (JPEG instead of NEF, which take less time to transmit), keeping the camera inactive except when shooting, and keeping your monitor review time to a minimum (the WT-3 is active when the color LCD is active)

• The Lithium-Ion batteries of the Nikon D200 do not lose capacity over short periods of non-use If you store the

battery for a long period of time, it will probably lose some charge, though It takes very long periods of time to see significant power reduction on a battery not being used (a month or more) See “Battery Storage” on page

<H96>

On the other hand, the D200 isn’t completely quiescent

when the Power switch is in the Off position In

particular, the D200 uses an LCD overlay mechanism in the viewfinder, which requires a small, but constant power source This overlay supplies the AF sensor

markings, the grid lines and warnings (if enabled) You can verify this by looking through the viewfinder while removing the battery: the display will get darker without the battery in the camera

The consequence of the LCD overlay needing power is that if you store a D200 for a month, at the end of that month you’ll have either a discharged or low battery Moreover, you’ll likely be running the battery fully down, which as I’ve already mentioned, is not the way to leave Lithium Ion batteries if they’re not going to be used for a period of time Remove the battery from the camera if you’re not going to use it for long periods of time

• Microdrive storage uses more power than a standard CompactFlash card A Microdrive is a miniature hard