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Take better shots with your Nikon D-SLR
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10-part guide to image editing with Nikon’s free Capture NX-D software
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INTRODUCTION CAMERA SKILLS
W
NIKOPEDIA
ith SLRs suitable for beginners as well as the most demanding professional, Nikon has long been one of the most sought-after brands by serious photographers. The beauty of these interchangeable-lens cameras is that they allow you to get really creative with your pictures, and end up with photographs that are far more than point-and-shoot snapshots. But getting great images from these sophisticated tools means far more than pressing the shutter and hoping for the best. An array of dials, menu options and information-packed displays have to be given proper attention. The Ultimate Nikon SLR Handbook is the instruction ur packed yo manual that should have come in for ge pa ck Turn to the ba k your disc is missing, as ur yo If ! the box. It doesn’t just tell you OM -R c CD your dis y can’t help, or if newsagent. If the ail em e what the buttons do – it shows as ged, ple is physically dama net.com ure fut ra@ me you how to use them to get us at digitalca hted to send and we’ll be delig great pictures! Our exhaustive t en em you a replac 11-lesson Nikopedia section (see page 56) provides a complete introduction to photography with a Nikon D-SLR – from how to change your lens, to how to master depth of field. Our tutorials (and the accompanying videos you’ll discover on your free CD-ROM) show you how to improve the pictures you take using Nikon’s highly-respected editing software. As you learn more about photography, you will be tempted to invest in more lenses and other accessories – but make sure you read our fact-packed group tests (on page 126) before making a decision about what to buy!
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Chris George, Series editor
2012 The Ultimate Nikon SLR Handbook 3
INTRODUCTION CAMERA SKILLS
Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA www.futurenet.com Tel: +44 (0)1225 442244 Series editor Design Disc editor
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Future is an award-winning international media group and leading digital business. We reach more than 57 million international consumers a month and create world-class content and advertising solutions for passionate consumers online, on tablet & smartphone and in print. Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne Non-executive chairman Peter Allen Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand Tel: +44 (0) 1225 442244 www.futureplc.com All information contained in this magazine is for informational purposes only and is, to the best of our knowledge, correct at the time of going to press. Future Publishing Limited cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies that occur. Readers are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers direct with regard to pricing. Š 2016 Future Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced without the written permission of the publisher.
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4 The Ultimate Nikon SLR Handbook
INTRODUCTION CAMERA SKILLS NIKOPEDIA
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER THREE
Nikon D-SLR crash course.......................... 8 Shoot it sharper with your Nikon............. 20 Learn all about lenses.............................. 32 100 Nikon SLR secrets..............................44
CHAPTER TWO
Nikopedia
56
Using your video disc 224
Essential kit
126
Budget telephoto zooms........................... 128 Ultra wide-angle lenses.............................142 Superzooms................................................ 156 Standard zooms......................................... 166 Macro lenses............................................... 178 Super telephoto lenses............................. 190 Tripods.........................................................202 Flashguns.....................................................212
The Ultimate Nikon SLR Handbook 5
VIDEO GUIDES
ON YOUR DISC
CHAPTER FOUR
ESSENTIAL KIT
Focal length............................................... 58 Autofocus................................................... 62 Depth of field.............................................. 66 Exposure..................................................... 70 Aperture......................................................74 Shutter speed............................................ 78 Shooting modes......................................... 82 Metering modes.........................................86 White balance............................................90 Digital processing..................................... 94 Contrast and dynamic range................... 98
Make basic image adjustments..............104 Quickly repeat changes...........................106 Tone up your shots...................................108 Correct lens distortions...........................110 Keep the noise down.................................112 Improve your compositions.....................114 Improve tones and contrast....................116 Take control of colour...............................118 Convert raw files......................................120 Editing and saving images...................... 122 Discover View NX-i....................................124
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6 Master Nikon software 102
Camera skills
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NIKON SOFTWARE
Page 20
Page 8
6 The Ultimate Nikon SLR Handbook
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CAMERA SKILLS
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Nikon skills
CAMERA SKILLS NIKOPEDIA
Page 32
Nikon D-SLR crash course..................................8 Shoot it sharper with your Nikon................. 20 Learn all about lenses....................................... 32 100 Nikon SLR secrets.......................................44
NIKON SOFTWARE ESSENTIAL KIT VIDEO GUIDES
Page 44 The Ultimate Nikon SLR Handbook 7
8 The Ultimate Nikon SLR Handbook
VIDEO GUIDES
ESSENTIAL KIT
NIKON SOFTWARE
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CAMERA SKILLS
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION CAMERA SKILLS
ISO and White Balance In tricky lighting, you might need to take manual control
Lenses explained How focal length works and how to choose the right lens
Shutter speed How shutter speed affects camera-shake and movement
Focus and Aperture Learn to control sharpness and introduce ‘creative blur’
The Ultimate Nikon SLR Handbook 9
VIDEO GUIDES
Exposure modes Which mode do you choose, and what’s the difference?
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what you’ll learn...
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Just got a new NikonD-SLR? Don’t be fazed by all those new options and controls. Our beginners’ guide will make everything clear and get you shooting fantastic pictures in no time at all…
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Nikon D-SLR crash course!
INTRODUCTION CAMERA SKILLS NIKOPEDIA NIKON SOFTWARE ESSENTIAL KIT VIDEO GUIDES
EXPOSURE MODES The basics Your D-SLR’s mode dial offers a whole host of different settings. But which one should you use, and why?
he mode dial on the top of your D-SLR is your camera’s nerve centre. It’s where you decide how you want the camera to work, and how much control you want to have. If you’re new to D-SLRs, don’t worry! All of Nikon’s ‘consumer’ cameras have a green ‘Auto’ mode that takes care of everything – even popping up the flash. ‘Scene modes’ take things a little further. Here, you tell the camera what kind
T
of subject you’re shooting, and it then chooses the best camera and picture settings for that subject. Sooner or later, though, you’ll want to take control, and this is where the P, A, S & M (Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual) modes come in. These give you much more control over the shutter speed and aperture, which is where you can start getting creative with your photography.
EXPOSURE TECHNIQUE Confused by P, A, S & M modes? Here’s our quick guide to which mode you should use, and when
Program AE (P)
Here, the camera chooses both the shutter speed and the aperture. This is quick and simple, and fine for most everyday subjects.
Aperture Priority (A)
You choose the lens aperture and the camera automatically sets the shutter speed. Use this when you want to control background blur.
10 The Ultimate Nikon SLR Handbook
Shutter Priority (S)
You set the shutter speed and the camera automatically sets the aperture. It’s ideal for action and capturing movement.
Manual (M)
In Manual mode, you set both the shutter speed and the aperture. It’s good for tricky lighting, but you have to check the exposure is correct.
What do the modes mean?
Close-up mode Full Auto mode This helps you get If you’re a complete the best shots of novice, this mode is small subjects. ideal because the Consider using a tripod to help camera takes care of all the reduce any camera-shake. settings automatically.
Live View lets you compose your picture on the LCD display. It’s what you use to shoot movies too
Make the most of Live View
How to compose your pictures on the LCD display View using a switch on the camera body or, with some Nikon camera models, by pressing an ‘Lv’ button. Autofocus can be slower in Live View mode, and it may be less useful in bright light. But it shows you a lot more shooting information, and previews the effect of exposure, White Balance and other camera adjustments.
Portrait mode The camera will use a wide lens aperture to throw the background out of focus, and softens skin tones.
Manual mode This is designed for experts. You choose the exposure yourself, though the camera still suggests settings.
Shutter Child mode Priority mode In this mode, the Use this if you camera keeps want to choose the backgrounds colourful, and makes skin tones shutter speed but make the camera set the aperture. soft and natural looking.
If you’re new to D-SLRs, don’t worry! All Nikon’s consumer cameras have a green ‘Auto’ mode that takes care of everything
Program AE mode Sports mode The camera still Ideal for fastsets the shutter moving action speed and aperture, where you’re happy but you get to control other for the camera to choose the settings. Ideal for general use. settings itself.
ESSENTIAL KIT
EXPERT TIP Scene modes and picture controls Both change the picture settings, so what’s the difference?
Scene modes change the camera settings
Picture Controls change the processing applied The Ultimate Nikon SLR Handbook 11
VIDEO GUIDES
Scene modes adjust both the camera settings and the picture properties. For example, in Portrait mode, the camera chooses wider lens apertures to defocus the background, and also processes the picture to produce softer skin tones. Picture Controls only affect the way the image is processed, so the Portrait Picture Control gives you the same skin-softening effect but without imposing camera settings. Picture Controls are more important if you’re shooting in JPEG, not RAW.
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Aperture Landscape mode Priority mode Designed for vivid Use this if you want landscape shots in to choose the lens daylight. The builtin flash is switched off because aperture but make the camera set the shutter speed. it’s not needed.
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Normally, the mirror inside your camera reflects the image up into the viewfinder, then flips up and out of the way when you take the picture. In Live View mode, the mirror is moved out of the way first, so the sensor is exposed and you can view the image on the LCD display instead, just as you can on a compact camera. You activate Live
Night Portrait Flash Off mode mode Ideal for museums, The flash fires to theatres or indoor light your subject, sports venues, where using a flash might get but the camera also captures the background lighting. you thrown out!
CAMERA SKILLS
The mode dial is the nerve centre of your camera. It’s where you choose the shooting mode you want to use. These range from automatic modes, for novices, to more advanced options where you take over some or all of the camera’s functions…
INTRODUCTION
Camera skills
INTRODUCTION CAMERA SKILLS NIKOPEDIA NIKON SOFTWARE ESSENTIAL KIT VIDEO GUIDES
ISO and white balance Sometimes you need to take control to get the colours and exposure exactly right. Here’s how it’s done… ight can change both in its intensity and its colour, and this is especially true when you’re shooting indoors. While your camera will attempt to adapt automatically, it’s often better if you take control yourself. The camera’s ISO adjustment is used when the light is too dim for normal handheld shooting, while the White Balance adjustment corrects any colour casts introduced by artificial lighting.
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Shooting TECHNIQUE White balance
When to use Auto White Balance and when to use the presets The camera has an Auto White Balance option that measures the colour of the lighting and then attempts to correct it if it thinks there’s a strong colour cast. This can work well, provided the light doesn’t deviate too far from normal. The strong yellow colour of artificial lighting is usually too much for the camera to cope with, though, and its correction won’t usually go far enough. In these situations, it’s best to use the White Balance presets, which tell the camera which correction to apply.
Auto White Balance
Auto White Balance copes well for everyday outdoor shots like this one. It’s indoors that you might need to take over.
12 The Ultimate Nikon SLR Handbook
Artificial lighting
Here, the Auto White Balance has failed to fully correct the strong yellow/orange cast of the artificial lighting in this mall…
Fluorescent preset
…but choosing an appropriate White Balance preset to match the lighting produces much more natural-looking colours.
Understanding the ISO Scale ISO 12,800 ISO 10,000
ISO 5000 ISO 4000
ISO 3200 ISO 2500
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ISO 2000
ISO 1600
ion
ISO 1250 ISO 1000
ISO 800 ISO 500
LESS NOISE
ISO 400 ISO 320 ISO 250
ISO 200 ISO 160 ISO 125
ISO 100
The ISO you need depends not just on the lighting but whether you’re using a tripod
But you do when you’re shooting handheld The Ultimate Nikon SLR Handbook 13
VIDEO GUIDES
You don’t need high ISOs for tripod shots like this
ESSENTIAL KIT
expert tip Choosing The ISO Indoors and after dark, light levels are very low, and your camera will adapt by increasing the exposure time. This can cause camera-shake, though, because the camera moves while the shot is being taken. However, if you increase the ISO, you turn up the sensitivity of the camera’s sensor, enabling you to use faster shutter speeds. Higher ISOs are often useful for handheld photography, then, but when you’re using a tripod, there’s no risk of camera-shake anyway. Here, stick to a low ISO setting for the best quality.
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LOW SENSITIVITY
ISO 640
Higher ISOs are often useful for handheld photography, but with a tripod, there’s no risk of camera-shake and you don’t need them
1/3 STOP
ISO 6400
MORE NOISE
ISO 8000
TWO STOPS
Histogram
CAMERA SKILLS
The histogram displays the tones in your picture as a bar chart on the camera’s LCD display. You can view the graph in Playback mode. What you’re looking for is a histogram that fits neatly within the scale. If it’s chopped off at the left-hand end, it means the image is underexposed and that darker areas will come out as a solid black. If it’s chopped off at the right, the image is overexposed, and brighter areas will just be a solid white. If the histogram is ‘clipped’ in this way, use the EV compensation dial to increase or reduce the exposure, then reshoot the picture and check the histogram again. EV compensat
ISO settings go up in fixed values, with intermediate settings available too. High ISOs can be useful in low light, although the ‘noise’ in the image increases.
ONE STOP
This is your best guide to judging exposure
HIGH SENSITIVITY
Check the histogram
INTRODUCTION
Camera skills