Nikon D80 Digital Field Guide - Softcover

Busch

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0470120517 ISBN 13: 9780470120514

Verlag: John Wiley & Sons, 2007

Inhaltsangabe

Having trouble putting down your Nikon D80 long enough to read the manual? Slip this convenient, full–color guide into your camera bag instead. You′ll find big, clear color photos to help you identify the camera′s many controls, complete information on using each button and dial, and breathtaking examples of the results. Then discover step–by–step recipes for shooting terrific photos in more than 15 specific situations. This indispensable guide is like having a personal photographic assistant.

• Test–drive your Nikon D80 with a Quick Tour.
• Learn to efficiently operate all your camera′s controls.
• Review photographic basics like exposure, lighting, and composition.
• Explore different types of lenses.
• Discover the appropriate lens, ISO setting, aperture or mode, shutter speed, and lighting for a variety of subjects and situations.
• Get expert tips on downloading and editing your photos.

Order today so you′ll have this go–anywhere guide along wherever you go.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

David D. Busch is a former photojournalist and a prolific writer about photography. His photographs have been published in magazines as diverse as Scientific American and Petersen′s PhotoGraphic, while his articles have appeared in hundreds of publications. He is the author of numerous books, including Digital Photography All–In–One Desk Reference For Dummies, also published by Wiley.

Von der hinteren Coverseite

You'll want this camera guide along wherever you go

Having trouble putting down your Nikon D80 long enough to read the manual? Slip this convenient, full-color guide into your camera bag instead. You'll find big, clear color photos to help you identify the camera's many controls, complete information on using each button and dial, and breathtaking examples of the results. Then discover step-by-step recipes for shooting terrific photos in more than 15 specific situations. This indispensable, go-anywhere guide is like having a personal photographic assistant.

• Test-drive your Nikon D80 with a Quick Tour

• Learn to efficiently operate all your camera's controls

• Review photographic basics like exposure, lighting, and composition

• Explore different types of lenses

• Discover the appropriate lens, ISO setting, aperture or mode, shutter speed, and lighting for a variety of subjects and situations

• Get expert tips on downloading and editing your photos

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Nikon D80 Digital Field Guide

By David D. Busch

John Wiley & Sons

Copyright © 2007 David D. Busch
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-470-12051-4

Chapter One

Exploring the Nikon D80

In This Chapter

Up front

Sides and bottom

On the lens

On top

On the back

Viewfinder display

LCD display

Viewing and playing back images

Activating the Onboard Flash

Choosing metering modes

Adjusting ISO sensitivity

Setting white balance

Programmed exposure modes

Semi-automatic and manual exposure modes

If you found your Quick Tour of your Nikon D80 interesting, you may want to explore the features of the camera in a little more detail, learning all the functions of the various buttons, dials, wheels, switches, and levers that dot its surface. There are a lot of them, but, as you see, having so many dedicated controls helps you work faster. You can access the most-used functions of the D80 by pressing a button and turning a main command dial that are both placed at your fingertips.

You can set features that send you to the menu system in a point-and-shoot camera directly with the D80. On the traditional easy-to-use vs. easy-to-learn scale, the D80 resides firmly at the easy-to-use end of the continuum. Menus may be easier to learn (because they are self-explanatory), but they slow you down once you become familiar with them. On the other hand, once you've taken the time to learn the functions of the D80's controls, it's definitely much faster to use.

I'm going to help you ease on up that learning curve in this chapter. Unlike the official manual that comes with the D80, which is impossibly dense and difficult to navigate, I provide individual full-color photographs of the camera from various views so you can quickly identify a control or component you want to locate. You should find this approach much friendlier than the original manual's tiny black-and-white line drawings, each bristling with numbered callouts that you must cross-reference against a lengthy list with two or three dozen labels.

Moreover, I'm going to explain what each control does within the roadmap, so you don't have to jump around the book to follow multiple cross references. This is a field guide, to be used when you're out taking pictures, rather than a "choose-your-own-adventure" book.

In this chapter, you can find a discussion of controls; in Chapter 2, I describe how to use the D80's basic features, such as metering and autofocus. Then, in Chapter 3, you can find a complete setup guide with an explanation of the camera's thicket of menus.

Up Front

Figure 1.1 shows the Nikon D80 from the front view vantage point of your subjects. To hold your camera steady and keep all the major controls at your fingertips, wrap your right hand around the handgrip and place your left hand underneath, supporting the underside of the lens with your thumb and index finger caressing the zoom ring.

By using this grip, you can reach the shutter release button with the index finger of your right hand, quickly turn the camera on or off with the same finger, and activate the top panel LCD's backlighting control (as I show you later). The middle finger of your left hand should be able to reach the Func button, which serves as a shortcut to features you specify (see Chapter 3) and the depth-of-field preview button.

While you keep the camera steady with your left hand (especially helpful under dim illumination for slower shutter speeds), your fingers are free to manipulate controls on that side of the D80, including the zoom ring, the focus ring (if you're adjusting focus manually), the electronic flash flip-up button, and several other controls. I explain all these controls later in this chapter, too.

I'm providing two views of the front of the camera, from left and right angles (as seen from the subject position). The easiest way to hold the D80 is by wrapping your fingers of your right hand around the handgrip, with your left hand providing support and usually activating most of the controls. However, there are a few controls within reach of your right hand's digits, as shown in figure 1.2. These controls and features include:

* Autofocus assist/Self-timer/ Red-eye reduction lamp: This front-mounted white LED serves three different functions.

When the available illumination is dim, the lamp can flash to provide enough light to increase the contrast so the automatic focus mechanism can function. (You can disable this feature when it might prove obtrusive or distracting.) In self-timer mode, the lamp blinks during the delay period, serving as a countdown to the actual exposure. When you're using flash, the front panel lamp can issue a burst of light just before the exposure, which can help contract the pupils in your subjects' eyes (if they're looking at the camera) and reduce the dreaded red-eye effect.

* Func button: You can define the feature activated by this button (learn how in Chapter 3) so you can quickly access a feature of your choice, say, to switch spot metering to zero exposure on a limited area, or to disable the flash when you don't want it to fire. * Shutter release: Partially depress this button to lock exposure and focus settings. Press it all the way down to take the picture. Tapping the shutter release when the camera has turned off the autoexposure and autofocus mechanisms reactivates both. When a review image is displayed on the back-panel color LCD, tapping this button removes the image from the display and reactivates the autoexposure and autofocus mechanisms. * On-Off switch: Rotate this switch one notch to turn the camera on, and rotate it all the way to activate the top panel LCD backlight. The spring-loaded switch returns to the On position once the backlight is illuminated, and the light remains on for a few seconds. * Sub-command dial: The sub-command dial is a secondary control dial that provides alternate or complementary functions to the main command dial located on the back of the D80. For example, in Manual exposure mode, the main command dial sets the shutter speed, while the sub-command dial adjusts the aperture. * The handgrip: The handgrip serves as a comfortable handle for the D80 that you can clasp with your fingers to support the camera, and it serves as the storage receptacle for the camera's battery. * Depth-of-field preview button: Press and hold this button to close the lens down to the aperture that that will be used to take the picture (normally the lens aperture is kept wide open for bright, easy viewing, until the instant the picture is taken). This gives you a preview of the range of sharpness (depth of field). When you use the depth-of-field button, the view through the viewfinder dims, but you get a better idea of just how much of the image is in focus.

The other side of the D80 has its own complement of controls, as you can see in figure 1.3. These include:

* Bracketing button: Hold down this button and spin the main command dial to activate a bracketing sequence of either two or three shots. Rotate the sub-command dial while holding down this button to choose the size of the increment between bracketed shots, from 0.3 EV to 2.0 EV. The values selected appear on the top panel LCD. Learn more about bracketing in Chapter 4.

* Flash mode button: Press this button to pop up the built-in electronic flash (see figure 1.4). Hold down the button while rotating the command dial on the back of the camera to change flash modes, such as auto flash or red-eye reduction mode (see Chapter 6 for a full explanation of options). Spin the sub-command dial while holding down this button to add or subtract from the flash exposure to make your picture lighter or darker.

* Infrared receiver: This dark red window receives an infrared signal from the optional ML-L3 remote control. Note that the receiver's position on the front panel of the D80 means that you can't easily use it when standing behind the camera. You need to move to one side, stand in front of the camera, or reach over the camera to activate. * Lens release button: Hold down this button while rotating the lens to remove the lens from the camera.

* Focus mode selector button: The autofocus/manual switch (AF/M) on the camera body can be flipped to set either autofocus or manual focus. Some lenses have their own AF/M switches, or an M/A-M switch (which enables you to fine-tune automatic focus manually when in the M/A position).

Sides and Bottom

The sides and bottom of the D80 have only a few controls, compartments, and connectors. They include:

* AC Power/AV Connector/USB Connector covers: On the left side of the camera (as you hold the camera to shoot) you can see two rubber covers which protect the D80's primary external connectors (see figure 1.5). Underneath the top cover is a port that accepts a USB cable for transferring pictures directly from the camera to your computer (see Chapter 8 for instructions) and also lets you control the camera's functions using the Nikon Camera Control Pro software (see figure 1.6). In the middle is a DC power connector you can use for an optional AC/DC adapter that can operate the camera without batteries for studio photography or time-lapse sequences. Underneath the DC connector is an AV plug you can use to link the D80 to an external monitor for viewing pictures or menus. Under the bottom rubber cover is a port you can use to connect the optional MC-DC1 wired remote control.

The right side of the camera (as you hold it to shoot) has only a single door that slides back toward you and then swings open to reveal a slot for the Secure Digital (SD) memory card (see figure 1.7.) Push down on the card to release the retaining catch, and it will pop out for easy removal.

On the bottom of the Nikon D80, there is a tripod socket, which is also used to secure the optional MB-D80 battery pack/grip vertical grip. The grip holds two EN-EL3e rechargeable batteries or a AA battery holder, and has its own AF-On button, shutter release, and main command and subcommand dials. A flip open door accepts a single EN-EL3e rechargeable lithium ion battery, as shown in figure 1.8.

On the Lens

The lenses you use with your Nikon D80 each have their own set of controls. In figure 1.9 you can see two typical lenses, the very basic 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor and the more upscale 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor vibration reduction lens. As you can see, not all lenses have all the possible controls. In fact, I'm going to have to show you three different lenses to illustrate them all. Additional controls are shown in figure 1.10, using the 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S Micro-Nikkor as an example.

By comparing the three lenses, you can see that the controls may be in different locations with different lenses, and can differ in size and operation, too. The key components shown in figure 1.9 are:

* Lens hood alignment guide/bayonet: Shown on the 18-200mm zoom, this lens hood bayonet mount (and its accompanying white dot used for alignment when fastening the hood) is used with lenses that don't use hoods that screw into the filter ring.

* Filter thread: Most lenses have a thread on the front that you can use to attach filters and other accessories.

* Focus ring: Rotate this ring to manually focus or fine-tune focus when the lens or camera body focus mode switch is set to M. In addition, if the lens has an autofocus/manual over-ride position (A/M-M), you can adjust focus manually after the camera has focused automatically.

Note

You may notice that the inexpensive 18-55mm kit lens has a much narrower focus ring than the 18-200mm lens, that the entire front element of the lens rotates during focus, and that the lens itself increases in length as you focus closer. More expensive lenses have nonrotating front elements and internal focus so the lens doesn't change in length as it focuses on nearer subjects.

* Distance scale: This is a scale (shown on the 18-200mm lens, but not the 18-55 kit lens) that moves in unison with the lens's focus mechanism and shows approximately the distance at which the lens has been focused. It's a useful indicator for double-checking autofocus, and for roughly setting manual focus.

* Zoom ring/zoom scale: The zoom ring is rotated to change the zoom setting. The zoom scale markings show the currently set focal length.

* Alignment indicator: Match this white dot with the dot on the camera body (located at roughly 2 o'clock when you're looking at the front of the camera) to properly mount the lens.

* Vibration reduction switches: Vibration reduction (VR) lenses have switches that you can use to turn the vibration reduction feature on or off, or to toggle between Normal and Active mode (which makes it possible to use VR even when panning the camera).

Figure 1.10 shows a single focal length, or prime lens, 105mm Nikkor macro lens used for close-up photography. This particular lens has some features not available on either of the two lenses shown in figure 1.9, but which you might find on some other lenses. As you might expect, this nonzooming lens doesn't have a zoom ring or zoom scale. But it does include:

* Limit switch: When using lenses that have an extensive focus range, you can see that some have a special switch that limits the range used by the autofocus system, locking out either distant subjects (when shooting close-up photos) or extreme macro focus distances (when you're taking photos of nonmacro subjects). The limit switch can speed up focusing considerably by reducing the amount of "seeking" that the lens does in looking for the correct focus point.

* Aperture ring: Nikon lenses with a G suffix in their name (like the 18-55mm kit lens and 18-200 VR lens) lack a manual aperture ring, and so can only be used with cameras (like all recent Nikon film and digital cameras) that are able to set the f-stop electronically from the camera body. Lenses that retain the aperture ring, like the macro lens shown, have a D suffix in their names.

* Aperture lock: If you want to use the D80's automatic exposure system with a D-series lens, you must set the aperture ring to the smallest f-stop (in this case f/32), and lock it in that position using the aperture lock switch. You need to unlock the aperture only if you want to use the lens with an older camera that can't set the f-stop electronically, or you are using the lens with an accessory like an extension ring that doesn't allow coupling with the autoexposure system. (Most automatic extension rings retain full automatic exposure and focus capabilities, except when the effective maximum aperture of the lens is smaller than f/5.6. The D80 needs at least f/5.6's worth of light to operate.)

On Top

The top panel of the D80 has its own cluster of controls. They include:

* Mode dial: This knurled wheel is turned to change among the DVP/ Scene modes and Auto, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Manual modes.

* Focal plane indicator: A few very specialized types of close-up photography require knowing precisely the plane of the camera's sensor; this indicator, which may be hard to see, shows that plane (but not the actual location of the sensor itself).

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Nikon D80 Digital Field Guideby David D. Busch Copyright © 2007 by David D. Busch. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: John Wiley & Sons
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2007
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0470120517
• ISBN 13: 9780470120514
• Einband: Tapa blanda
• Anzahl der Seiten: 274
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar