Nikon D5100 Experience - Douglas J. Klostermann Photography
Contents
1. Nikon D5 100 Experience The Still Photographer s Guide to Operation and Image Creation with the Nikon D5100 an eBook by Douglas Klostermann 3 KS Me dk E SE VT NIT SACH Ze emie en D Zei 3 m Le PESES aF d CN P ge i a ot ee resin oe a ey Ev D5100 ful stop pood writing for better photography Nikon D5100 Experience Nikon D5100 Experience The Still Photographer s Guide to Operation and Image Creation with the Nikon D5 100 by Douglas J Klostermann Full Stop good writing for better photography Nikon D5100 Experience All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronically or in print without expressed permission from the author The author takes no responsibility for the use of any of the materials or methods described in this book or for the products Internet web sites or links mentioned Douglas Klostermann is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon com All contents including cover design text and photographs Copyright 2011 Douglas J Klostermann Nikon D5100 Experience The Still Photographer s Guide to Operation and Image Creation with the Nikon D5100 by Douglas J Klostermann Version 1 0 April 2011 www dojoklo com Author s blog hittp blog dojokl2. change it please read the User s Manual where it will tell you to press the 1 Button twice highlight the focus mode options press OK and then choose the AF S focus mode As you can see there is a lot to make sense of regarding terminology and controls so I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the controls and displays of the camera body as shown on pages 2 7 of the D5100 User s Manual and pages 1 10 of the D5100 Reference Manual see Figure 2 as well as read through the manuals and attempt to understand as much as possible Yes much of it may be complicated and confusing at first but this ebook guide will explain the uses of the numerous buttons controls menus and settings and concentrate on the essential ones to get you started taking great images Nikon D5100 Experience contrast situations with a wide range of lighting Some differences however are that you need to hold your camera still for both shots so that the two frames line up and are not cropped when combined and that it is not recommended for moving subjects Use Active D Lighting for action situations See the High Dynamic Range HDR section below for further information Long Exposure Noise Reduction This is used obviously to automatically correct noise in long exposures over 8 seconds Leave this Off until you are intentionally taking long exposure images then determine if you wish the camera to do this correction or if you wish to do it yourself with
3. use Center Weighted Metering mode Another time to use this is when there is a wide range of light in your scene such as bright sunlight to deep shadows Determine the proper exposure by metering on the subject using the center of the viewfinder and lock in that exposure see Exposure Lock below See Figure 30 Remember this mode 1s not linked to your focus point The area that is metered is always in the center so if your subject is off center which it typically should be for a more dynamic image you need to meter on your subject or on a middle tone in the part of the scene that 1s most critical and that you want properly exposed using the central area of the viewfinder Lock in that exposure then recompose and take the shot If you are finding that Matrix Metering is not giving you the exposures you desire in certain unusual dramatic or difficult lighting situations and your exposures are too dark or too light try using Center Weighted Average Metering or Exposure Compensation discussed below Figure 30 Lion Sculpture Center Weighted Metering used to properly expose for the subject exposure locked then framing recomposed to place subject off center Very carefully hand held at very slow shutter speed Shutter speed 1 13 aperture f 4 0 ISO 800 Spot Metering This mode meters exclusively on a 3 5mm circular area approximately 2 5 of the frame area centered on the selected focus point Note that the spot is no
4. 600 but based on your selected aperture and the lighting the camera does not believe there is enough light for the exposure and a realistic shutter speed that you set see below it will automatically raise the ISO so that the shutter speed does not become impossibly slow for hand holding This may be good if you are still getting used to the cameras controls and settings and wish for the camera to help you out a bit in certain situations where you may not be paying close enough attention to your settings Or perhaps in situations such as at a concert 13 Nikon D5100 Experience Custom Settings a Autofocus TZ TT priority se action es a2 Built in AF assist illuminator ON a3 Rangefinder OFF b1 EV steps for exposure cntrl 1 3 1 Shutter release button AEL OFF c2 Auto off timers NORM c3 Self timer 7 c4Remote on duration 5 RI Figure 8 Custom Settings Menu Autofocus al AF C priority selection This setting determines if attaining focus is top priority when you are in Continuous servo AF mode AF C autofocus mode or if you just want the shots to be taken even if exact focus is not attained for each shot For example if you are tracking a moving subject such as a runner or a bird you may wish to just take a rapid series of shots at all costs in order to capture specific moments and exact focus of each shot may not be the priority Or you may wish to make sure the camera has properly focused each shot before
5. Photoshop or other software Note that the noise reduction processing occurs immediately after you take your image and will take perhaps as long as the initial long exposure took during which time you cannot take another image and should not turn off your camera For example a 30 second exposure may require an additional 30 seconds for noise reduction processing High ISO Noise Reduction The camera will automatically process images to reduce noise at 1600 ISO and above even without this setting so turn this Off and evaluate any noise issues in your images before deciding if you might want to set this to Low or Normal later Again this can also be done later in processing and often with more control in Photoshop or other software sensitl p d i FEF F Jj i A q HM 4 te Pe ee F e LI i oT pe i KEE EE e iki ob tbe es p tdd md iatis L Maximum sensitivity 3200 Minimum shutter speed 1 30 Figure 7 ISO Sensitivity Settings Menu ISO Sensitivity Settings This is used to change the ISO setting which is more easily done using the i Button and Information Display However this also sets the optional Auto ISO Sensitivity Control which functions in P S A and M modes If you enable this On then the camera will automatically change your selected ISO without your expressed permission in certain situations in order to obtain a proper exposure For example if you are working in Aperture Priority Auto Mode A and set the ISO at 1
6. ceeeceeecueeeceecaeeeaeeeceeecauesaeseseeesaneeaeess 65 VIDEO AN INTRODUCTION oo cece cccccccecceecccececeeeceeccececeeecueeceusecseeceeseuseneeeseessaneens 66 PHOTOGRAPHY ACCESSORIES oe ccc ccccccccccceeccueeeceeeceeeeueeeceeeceeeeaeeeueeeceeeaeeeaeeesaeeeas 67 CONCLUSION EE 70 Nikon D5100 Experience INTRODUCTION The introduction of the Nikon D5100 brings forth a worthy successor to its popular predecessor the D5000 By incorporating the high quality 16 2 megapixel sensor great low light performance and full HD video of the pro sumer D7000 the D5100 puts these advanced features in the hands of the dedicated enthusiast plus includes a fully adjustable high resolution rotating LCD screen With its 420 pixel RGB exposure metering sensor accurate 11 point autofocus system 4 frames per second continuous shooting speed and easy to navigate information display the D5100 offers the capability and features required for dedicated photographers who wish to continue to grow The Nikon D5100 is clearly an advanced tool for digital photography and offers the potential to capture professional quality images in most any situation you wish to use it But it is merely a tool i Nikon e 4a gt 5100 k Figure I Detail of the Nikon D5 100 digital SLR It is up to you to make use of its features and capabilities to create the images you envision While the camera s manuals can tell you about the sett
7. cessarily discuss or go into detail about many of the automatic features or Auto and Scene Modes The D5100 is a sophisticated tool that deserves to be used to its full potential and that means taking control of the camera and its functions And since this guide is about image creation the capturing of a photograph it will not discuss features that deal with image processing such as the Retouch Menu And finally while it will discuss basic video settings and options to get you started the guide will focus on still photography and image creation However there is a great deal to be learned about everything else including the autofocus system the elements of exposure exposure metering white balance and even basic composition As you have probably discovered by now the camera s User s Manual is brief and basic There is a more detailed Reference Manual on the Reference CD included with your camera This ebook guide will expand on the manuals and explain not only the features controls and menus of the D5100 but more importantly when and why you might want to use them in your photography However this guide is not intended to completely replace the manuals but to be used in conjunction with them so every bit of information in those manuals will not be repeated here For example I may explain the use of Single servo AF AF S auto focus mode but not always explain how to change to this setting on your camera If you don t know how to
8. ings and controls and how they function this guide will build upon that and tell you when and why you want to use them Every button menu item and Custom Setting of the D5100 is there for a reason to help you capture the images you want Some of them are more useful to different types of photographers and shooting situations and you don t need to learn and use them all immediately but this guide should help to give you the knowledge to confidently use the ones that turn your Nikon D5100 into an image capturing tool that works best for you There are many different ways to use a digital SLR dSLR camera and its controls to capture images and I m not going to attempt to explain them all I am going to concentrate on the ways Nikon D5100 Experience that I believe are the most practical useful and effective The settings and techniques I discuss apply to general photography which includes most travel photography I will point out other options for users who might wish to work differently and I encourage you to experiment and find the techniques that work best and are most comfortable or intuitive for you If you typically shoot very specifically say macro photography or studio photography with complex lighting some of what I discuss may not apply But if you are that specialized I m sure you are skilled enough to know when and how to adapt what I say Since this guide is intended to help you get the most out of your D5100 I will not ne
9. o com Published by Full Stop good writing for better photography A division of Douglas J Klostermann Photography Cambridge MA 02138 USA http www dojoklo com Full Stop Nikon D5100 Experience CONTENTS SCDE CR EE 3 INTRODUCTION ae E E E E E 4 MENUS and CUSTOM GETTIINGS ccc ccccccccccceccueeeceeecececuececeeecaueeaeeeceeecaeesaeeeseeesaeeeaeess 8 Kl URS TES 11 ge EE 9 CUSTOM SC TINGS EN 15 IVI IG EE 23 CAMERA OPERATION tsceiccotecetusstacet obs ees ergeet 23 OE Se INI EE 24 Seef El Le 26 MSEC PION OC US tee tase etc ai ele ahaa ate dela hee alee dela tec tal 26 Focus tee E 30 Autofocus Area MOO EE 31 LOCKING FOCUS anra a a 32 Live View and Movie FocUsimg 34 Release Modes EEN 34 EDOS O E san oc ee a EENEG 36 Aperture Shutter Speed and IC 36 Aperture Priority Auto Mode A and Shutter Priority Auto Mode S 39 FUN SLO DS E 41 Mantal Expos re Mod NEE 42 Metering Bue 43 Matrix Metering x lt crsscicaiccasasazcauransiangderdwoseseseecsusoeecetudd oncienetenieconsaneisettoesdanedeaes 44 Center Weighted Metermg 44 SEENEN 45 EIERE ln LEE 46 AOS UES Beie 46 Fru SLOG AIMS ooe 48 EXPOSUrE COMPENSA OM D 50 Auto Bracketing for Exposure ccccccceccseecseeceeteeeceeeeeeteeeceeeeueteeeseeteeneeeaees 51 Active D Lighting ADL GE 51 High Dynamic Range HIER 52 MW Ne BalaNCe Eed 53 EECHELEN 55 EE 5 SENSOR GIS AIAN G srusen E AE 58 COMPOSITION EE 59 THE IMAGE TAKING PDROCEGG iccccccccecccneccueee
10. onale for the seemingly infinite and often confusing settings options for the D7000 Used in conjunction with the Nikon manual I feel a bit more confident in understanding how to at last proceed in getting better photographs WLS I found the Nikon manual good for understanding how to set things up but not much on the why this book really focuses on the why I would like to thank you for saving me time now I m confident that my camera is well tuned Benoit A It s clear concise and gets to the heart of the camera s multiple and often confusing options Very highly recommended for experienced user and beginner alike As previous reviewers have remarked the official manual is very good on what to do but not so clear on why GSA Purchase Nikon D5100 Experience at http www dojoklo com Full Stop Nikon D5100 Experience htm 71
11. t necessarily in the center of the frame as with Center Weighted Metering unless you or the camera has selected the center AF point So when do you want to use Spot Metering This again is useful for scenes with great variation in light and shadow or in very critical situations One of the most common ways to use it is when metering for proper exposure on a dramatically lit face or subject where the proper exposure of that part of the image is critical Be aware that the area the camera is metering does not take into account any other parts of the scene and is very small not much larger than the brackets you see in the viewfinder surrounding the center focus point For advanced users Spot 45 Nikon D5100 Experience What readers are saying about Doug s previous guide Nikon D7000 Experience This book together with the manual that came with your camera is all you need to start discovering all the potential of the D7000 Max M It s the first guide I ve read which has taken me through all the settings in an understandable way I now feel that I have control over the camera Peter S I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get a quick start to using the D7000 Manuals are nice but this eBook highlights the important information and gives a quick easy to understand explanation of most all of the functions and controls Ray M This manual is a clearly written concise and useful explanation of the rati
12. the shutter 1s released This however may cause a slight perhaps millisecond delay for each shot and the exact moments may be missed If exact focus is your priority set on Focus If getting the shots at all costs 1s the priority set for Release a2 Built in AF assist illuminator This is used to enable or disable the autofocus assist light Turn this On to assist you in autofocusing in low light but be sure to turn it Off if you are working in situations where it will be distracting unwanted or unnecessary a3 Rangefinder This setting is used to help obtain focus when you have turned off autofocus and are using Manual Focus mode MF and manually focusing Be sure to also set the autofocus switch on your lens to M The exposure indicator in the viewfinder is used to indicate if the subject is correctly in focus If the dots and arrow are to the left of 0 the camera 1s focused in front of the subject to the right means the camera is focused behind the subject Note that this indicator does not work for determining focus in Manual M shooting mode when your Mode Dial is set to M because it is used instead to indicate exposure Turn this setting On if you need its assistance when manually focusing It is generally advisable to use the camera s autofocus system and not manually focus though some users may wish to manually focus in certain situations such as close up and macro photography 15 Nikon D5100 Experience worth it to
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