I hope you'll find this book was well worth the wait. I'm pleased that I've been able to fill it with the kind of information you won't find other guides for this sophisticated camera. Whether you're a veteran dSLR owner, an advanced amateur who is switching to the Nikon D5200, a budding enthusiast who wants to learn all of the camera's great features, or an ambitious beginner who wants to learn the basics of photography while mastering the camera, sit down with me and we'll explore this camera together. You're in for a great ride!
At nearly 400 pages, this book is the most comprehensive guidebook available for the D52000, and the first of two books I'm writing about Nikon's pioneering enthusiast camera. I've organized my tips into three sections, so that, no matter what your level of expertise, you can quickly access the information you need to master the camera.
I know many books on the D5200 are being rushed to the shelves, but I've been stuffing mine full of things you won't find elsewhere, such as thumbnail descriptions of virtually every lens Nikon offers, including two lenses that I purchased while I was writing this book. They are the new, inexpensive 24-85mm mid-range zoom with VR, and -- surprisingly -- the new 18-300mm DX zoom that just might be your best bet as a walk-around lens for the D5200.
Confused by wireless flash? Nikon's Creative Lighting System really deserves a full book of its own, but I pack all the basics you need to get started in my lighting chapter.
Part I: Getting Started. These three chapters are devoted to letting you hit the ground running, with a quickie guide to exposure, autofocus, and other controls, a Streetsmart Roadmap that shows you what every component is, and how/when to use it, and a section listing my recommended settings. Nikon's default settings for your D5200 are nice, but mine are better.
Part II: Mastering Your Tools. The four thick chapters in this Part tell you everything you need to know about exposure (including my dismantling of the myth of the 18 percent gray card), autofocus, HDR, and other tools. With the Nikon D5200's full HD video mode, I needed a chapter to explain just what you need to know to get started. If you're serious about movie-making, this section will ready you for more in-depth study. As a bonus, you'll find one chapter where I evaluate most of the current Nikon lens line-up (and a few old favorites.)
Part III: Advanced Tools. Most guidebooks have a chapter near the front of the book that list all the menu options available, and what they do -- exactly like Nikon's own manual, only with more words. I explain these important options in three chapters -- 82 pages -- that not only tell you when and why to use each of the dozens of shooting, custom, and setup options of your Nikon D5200 - but when not to use them.
Then, I give you chapters explaining the nature of light, and how to use it, with detailed coverage of electronic flash (even the basics), and using the Nikon Creative Lighting System's wireless/multiple flash modes.
Can you tell that I am really excited about the Nikon D5200? If you're fed up with dry, boring camera guides that simply rehash all the confusing information in the manual that came in the box with your Nikon D5200, you'll enjoy exploring this great camera with me at your side. In addition to this book, I'm also offering
David Busch's Nikon D5200 Compact Field Guide, a spiral-bound digest for using the most important features of the D5200.