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| D4 TIPS

Matching Setting to Your Goal-Shooting

Reducing Camera Blur: Vibration Reduction

Vibration reduction (VR) is supported with VR lenses. To reduce camera blur, choose a setting suited to the subject.

1. Moving subjects shot at shutter speeds of 1/500 S or faster:

Because blur is less likely, OFF is recommended at fast shutter speeds.

VR mode
OFF

2. Stationary subjects; panning shots of moving subjects:

Select ON or Normal to reduce the effects of vibration.

VR mode
ON/NORMAL

3. Photos taken from cars, boats, helicopters or other unstable platforms:

Select Active. Note that the image in the viewfinder may be affected by panning or excessive vibration.

VR mode
ACTIVE

4. Photographs taken with a tripod:

Select TRIPOD, but note that NORMAL is suggested if the head is not fixed or you are using a monopod.

VR mode
TRIPOD

Note :

  • Depending on the lens, some of the above VR modes may not be available.
  • Frame rates may drop at settings other than OFF.

Preserving Natural Contrast: Active D-Lighting

Active D-Lighting helps preserve details in highlights and shadows. Use Active D-Lighting for natural contrast when photographing day matches in stadiums and other venues that mix sunlight and shade.

Note : Noise may appear when Active D-Lighting is used at high ISO sensitivities.

The following settings are suggested:

Active D-Lighting
AUTO1
Metering
Matrix2
Exposure Mode
, , or
  1. Choose Extra high 1 or 2 if Auto fails to produce desired results, but note that noise may increase.
  2. Desired results may not be achieved with center-weighted, spot metering or in exposure mode .

Quick Setting Selection: Shooting Menu Banks

Use the shooting menu bank option in the shooting menu when you need to switch rapidly from one group of setting to another, for example when alternating between sunlight and shade.

Shooting Menu Banks
Shooting Menu settings are stored in four banks (A, B, C, and D). To store a particular combination of frequently used settings, select a bank using the Shooting menu bank option in the shooting menu and set the camera to the desired settings. The new settings will be restored the next time the bank is selected. With some exceptions, changes to the one bank have no effect on the others.
Extended Menu Banks
To include exposure mode, shutter speed (modes f and h only), and aperture (modes g and h only) settings in the shooting menu banks, select On for Extended menu banks in the shooting menu.

Shooting Menu Bank Selection

When shooting menu bank selection is assigned to the Fn or Pv button using the Press + command dials option for Custom Setting f3 (Assign Fn button) or f4 (Assign preview button), menu banks can be selected by pressing the button and rotating a command dial.

Finding Controls in the Dark: Button Backlights

If you are having trouble finding camera controls in the dark, rotate the power switch toward to activate the control panel and button backlights.
The backlights remain on for 6 s after the switch is released.

The Standby Timer
If On is selected for Custom Setting d10 (LCD illumination), the control panel and button backlights will remain on while the standby timer is active.
Extend the timer to keep the backlights lit longer.

Reducing Noise at High ISO Sensitivities

Use the High ISO NR option in the shooting menu to reduce "noise"( randomly-spaced bright pixels or fog) at high ISO sensitivities.

High
Normal
Low
Reduce noise, particularly in photographs taken at high ISO sensitivities.
Off Noise reduction is only performed at sensitivities of 3200 and higher. The amount performed when Low is selected for High ISO NR.

Reducing Noise and Blur: Auto ISO sensitivity Control

When On is selected for ISO sensitivity settings> Auto ISO sensitivity control in the shooting menu, the camera automatically adjusts ISO sensitivity if optimal exposure can not be achieved at the value selected by the user.

Auto ISO sensitivity control can be fine-tuned using the following options.

Maximum
Sensitivity
Choose the maximum value available for auto ISO sensitivity control (200-Hi 4). The minimum is ISO 100.
Minimum
Shutter
Speed
In exposure modes e and g, sensitivity will only be adjusted if shutter speed would otherwise be slower than this value (1/4000 s or Auto). If Auto is selected, the camera will adjust the threshold for auto ISO sensitivity control according to the focal length of the lens.

Tips

We recommend using matrix metering (L) and choose exposure mode e and g. Exposure compensation can be used.

Reducing Shutter Noise: Quiet and Silent Release

To reduce the amount of noise made by the shutter during viewfinder photography, rotate the release mode dial to Q(Quiet) . In live view, shutter noise can be eliminated by selecting Silent for Live view photography in the shooting menu. The effects of these settings are summarized below.

  Release mode
Viewfinder Live view
Q (Quiet) Quiet Silent1
Shutter sound Slight Slight2 None2
Burst shooting n/a Up to 11 fps Up to 24 fps3
  1. JPEG Only.
  2. Mirror slap audible at start and end of live view.
  3. Bursts may be up to 5 s long.

NOTE :

While FX format pictures taken when Quiet is selected for Live view photography are the same size as those taken during viewfinder photography — about 16.2 megapixels — those taken when Silent is selected are only about 2.5 megapixels in size.

Digitutor

Digitutor is a Nikon website featuring various information that includes basic knowledge, useful techniques, and tips on taking good photos with Nikon Digital Cameras.