Nikon d300 Samples

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COM I
A S H O R T C O U R S E I N
NIKON D300
PHOTOGRAPHY
DENNI S P. CURTI N
S H O R T C O U R S E S . C O M
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AA30470C
COVER
COVER
II FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM
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http://www.photocourse.com/itext/copyright/circ01.pdf
SHORT COURSES BOOKS AND WEB SITE
S
hort Courses is the leading publisher of digital photography books,
textbooks, and guides to specifc cameras from Canon, Sony, Nikon,
Olympus and others. All of these books are available on-line from the
Short Courses bookstore at:
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All recent books are available in both black & white printed and full-color
eBook (PDF) versions available on CDs or as instant downloads. The list of
books weve published is always expanding so be sure to visit the store to see
if there is a book on your camera, or another topic that interests you.
If you fnd any errors in this book, would like to make suggestions for im-
provements, or just want to let me know what you think, I welcome your
feedback.
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To learn more about digital photography, visit our two Web sites:
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Copyright 2008 by Dennis P. Curtin. All rights reserved. Printed in the
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uted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system,
without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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may be the on-line books on displaying & sharing your digital photos, digital
photography workfow, image sensors and digital desktop lighting.
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Curtins Guide to Digital Cameras and Other Photographic Equipment is
a guide to choosing a digital camera and understanding its features. Includes
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SHORTCOURSES BOOKS AND WEB SITE
Digital Photography Workfow covers everything from getting ready to
take photos to storing, organizing, managing and editing your images. Click
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EDUCATORS
Short Courses books
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PREFACE
A
great photograph begins when you recognize a great scene or
subject. But recognizing a great opportunity isnt enough to capture
it; you also have to be prepared. A large part of being prepared in-
volves understanding your camera well enough to capture what you see. Get-
ting you prepared to see and capture great photographs is what this book is
all about. It doesnt matter if you are taking pictures for business or pleasure,
theres a lot here to help you get better results and more satisfaction from
your photography.
To get better, and possibly even great photographs, you need to understand
both concepts and procedures; the whys and hows of photography.
Concepts of photography are the underlying principles that apply regard-
less of the camera you are using. They include such things as how sharpness
and exposure affect your images and the way they are perceived by viewers.
Understanding concepts answers the why kinds of questions you might
have about photography.
Procedures are those things specifc to one kind of camera, and explain
step-by-step how you set your cameras controls to capture an image just the
way you want to. Understanding procedures gives you the answers to the
how kinds of questions you might have.
This book is organized around the concepts of digital photography because
thats how photographers think. You think about scenes and subjects, high-
lights and shadows, softness and sharpness, color and tone. The procedures
you use with the Nikon D300 camera are integrated throughout the concepts,
appearing as text discussions and QuickSteps boxes in those places where
they apply. This integrated approach lets you frst understand the concepts of
photography and then see step by step how to use the D300 to capture scenes
and subjects exactly the way you want to.
To get more effective, interesting, and creative photographs, you only need
to understand how and when to use a few simple features on your camera
such as focus, exposure controls, and fash. If youve previously avoided
understanding these features and the profound impact they can have on your
images, youll be pleased to know that you can learn them over a weekend.
You can then spend the rest of your life marveling at how the infnite vari-
ety of combinations make it possible to convey your own personal view of
the world. Youll be ready to keep everything in a scene sharp for maximum
detail or to blur it all for an impressionistic portrayal. Youll be able to get
dramatic close-ups, freeze fast action, and capture the beauty and wonder of
close-ups, rainbows, sunsets, freworks, and nighttime scenes.
As you explore your camera, be sure to have fun. There are no rules or
best way to make a picture. Great photographs come from using what you
know to experiment and try new approaches. Digital cameras make this espe-
cially easy because there are no flm costs or delays. Every experiment is free
and you see the results immediately so you can learn step by step.
This book assumes youve mastered the mechanics of your camera. Its about
getting great pictures, not about connecting your camera to your computer
and using software. That information is presented in the user guide that came
with your camera. Be sure to visit our Web site at www.shortcourses.com for
even more digital photography information.
The Nikon D300 is an
exciting professional-
quality digital camera
with many creative
controls.
PREFACE
The only Nikon lenses
that fully work with the
D300 are those in the D
and G series including
DX lenses (page 103).
Other lenses work to
a limited extent. For
example, none will
autofocus, or work
with aperture-priority
(A) or programmed
(P) auto modes, or let
you use 3D metering.
To explain all of these
incompatibilities
would make this
book unnecessarily
complicated for the
majority of readers. To
keep things simple, we
assume you are using a
D or G lens.
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CONTENTS
CONTENTS
COVER...I
SHORT COURSES BOOKS AND WEB SITE...II
Note on the ShortCourses.com Web Siteii
PREFACE...IV
CONTENTS...V
CHAPTER 1
GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR NIKON D300...7
THE NIKON D300AN OVERVIEW...8
JUMP STARTUSING PROGRAMMED AUTO (P) MODE...9
GOOD THINGS TO KNOW...10
WHEN THINGS GO WRONG...12
THE VIEWFINDER, MONITOR AND CONTROL PANEL...13
USING DIALS AND BUTTONS...14
Buttons /dialstop of the camera14
Buttons/dials back of the camera15
Buttons/dialsfront of the camera16
USING MENUS...17
UNDERSTANDING SHOOTING MENU BANKS...19
RESTORING DEFAULT SETTINGS...20
Two-button reset20
Other reset commands20
Resetting dials21
MANAGING FILENAMES & FOLDERS...22
MANAGING YOUR IMAGESUSING BUTTONS...23
Image review23
Image playback23
Displaying thumbnails24
Zooming Images24
MANAGING YOUR IMAGESTHE PLAYBACK MENU...25
Selecting playback folders25
Deleting images25
Giving slide shows26
Hiding images27
SELECTING IMAGE QUALITY AND SIZE...28
Number of pixels28
How an image is captured30
The exposure30
Its all black and white after all30
What is color?31
Image size and quality31
Changing image quality31
Changing image size33
Image compression34
SELECTING A RELEASE MODE...36
CHAPTER 2
CONTROLLING EXPOSURE...37
UNDERSTANDING EXPOSURE...38
THE SHUTTER CONTROLS LIGHT AND MOTION...39
THE APERTURE CONTROLS LIGHT AND DEPTH OF FIELD...41
USING SHUTTER SPEED AND APERTURE TOGETHER...43
Exposurefaucets & buckets analogy44
Exposureseesaw analogy45
RETAINING HIGHLIGHT AND SHADOW DETAILS ...46
UNDERSTANDING EXPOSURE DISPLAYS...47
CHOOSING EXPOSURE MODES...48
USING PROGRAMMED AUTO (P) MODE...49
USING SHUTTER-PRIORITY AUTO (S) MODE...50
USING APERTURE-PRIORITY AUTO (A) MODE...51
USING MANUAL (M) EXPOSURE MODE...52
HOW YOUR EXPOSURE SYSTEM WORKS...53
Meter averaging and middle gray53
Types of metering55
WHEN AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE WORKS WELL...56
WHEN TO OVERRIDE AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE...57
Scenes lighter than middle gray57
Scenes darker than middle gray58
Subject against very light background58
Subject against very dark background59
Scenes with high contrast59
Hard to meter scenes60
HOW OVERRIDING AUTOEXPOSURE WORKS...61
HOW TO OVERRIDE AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE...62
Exposure compensation62
Autoexposure (AE) lock63
USING HISTOGRAMS...64
Displaying histograms and highlights64
Evaluating histograms 64
Clipped pixels66
Sample histograms67
CHAPTER 3
CONTROLLING SHARPNESS...68
ELIMINATING CAMERA MOVEMENT...69
Supporting the camera69
Using the self-timer69
Changing ISO sensitivity70
Auto ISO70
ISO and noise reduction71
Using mirror up71
SHARPNESS ISNT EVERYTHING...72
HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH MOTION SHARPLY...73
Speed of subject73
Direction of movement73
Distance to subject and focal length of
lens74
FOCUS AND DEPTH OF FIELD...75
Focus75
Depth of feld75
Checking Depth of Field76
FOCUSING TECHNIQUES...77
Focus point selection77
Focus modes78
AF-area modes 78
Focus lock79
CONTROLLING DEPTH OF FIELD...81
USING DEEP DEPTH OF FIELD...82
USING SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD...84
CONVEYING THE FEELING OF MOTION...85
VI FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 4
CAPTURING LIGHT & COLOR...86
WHERE DOES COLOR COME FROM?...87
WHITE BALANCE...88
Preset manual 89
Managing presets90
Color spaces91
COLOR BALANCE AND TIME OF DAY...92
SUNSETS AND SUNRISES...93
WEATHER...95
PHOTOGRAPHING AT NIGHT...97
THE DIRECTION OF LIGHT...99
THE QUALITY OF LIGHT...101
CHAPTER 5
UNDERSTANDING LENSES...102
NIKON D300 LENSES...103
Lens types103
Using non-CPU lenses103
Changing lenses104
Vibration reduction104
Nikkor terminology105
Maximum apertures105
Focal lengths105
ZOOM LENSES...107
NORMAL LENSES...108
WIDE-ANGLE LENSES...109
TELEPHOTO LENSES...111
TILT-SHIFT LENSES...113
CLOSE-UP LENSES...114
LENS ACCESSORIES...115
PERSPECTIVE IN A PHOTOGRAPH...116
CHAPTER 6
USING AUTOMATIC FLASH...117
HOW FLASH WORKS...118
USING THE BUILT-IN FLASH...119
Flash modes119
Apertures and shutter speed settings120
Flash Range and Coverage120
Other Considerations121
PORTRAITS WITH FLASH...122
Positioning the fash and subjects122
Red-eye123
USING FILL FLASH...124
USING SLOW SYNC FLASH...125
USING AVAILABLE LIGHT...126
CONTROLLING FLASH EXPOSURES...127
Flash compensation127
FV lock128
USING EXTERNAL FLASH...129
STUDIO LIGHTING...130
Candidates for studio lighting130
Lighting130
Backgrounds132
Risers132
Special Bulbs132
PORTRAIT AND PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHYINTRODUCTION...133
THE MAIN LIGHT...134
THE FILL LIGHT...135
THE BACKGROUND LIGHT...136
THE RIM LIGHT...137
CHAPTER 7
OTHER FEATURES AND COMMANDS...138
USING LIVE VIEW...139
Live view FAQs140
USING PICTURE CONTROLS...143
Selecting a Nikon Picture Control143
Modifying an existing Picture Control143
Managing and sharing custom Picture
Controls146
RETOUCHING IMAGES...148
Interesting faqs148
Selecting images to be retouched148
D-lighting149
Red-eye correction149
Trim149
Monochrome150
Filter effects150
Color balance150
Image overlay150
Side-by-side comparison152
USING ACTIVE D-LIGHTING...153
CREATING MULTIPLE EXPOSURES...154
INTERVAL TIMER PHOTOGRAPHY...156
Getting ready157
During shooting157
Pausing or ending shooting158
Other158
BRACKETING EXPOSURE, FLASH AND WHITE BALANCE...159
Turning on bracketing159
During bracketing160
Turning off bracketing160
USING MY MENU...162
USING THE SETUP MENU...163
USING THE CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU...167
A Autofocus168
B Metering/exposure170
C Timers/AE&AF lock171
D Shooting/display171
E Bracketing/fash172
F Controls174
USING THE PLAYBACK MENU...178
CARING FOR YOUR CAMERA...180
Cleaning the image sensor180
Cleaning the camera and lens180
Protecting your camera from the elements
181
Protecting when traveling181
Storing a camera181
Caring for yourself181
NOTES...182
37 FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM
A
utomatic exposure control is one of the most useful features of your
camera. Its great to have the camera automatically deal with the
exposure while you concentrate on the image. This is especially helpful
when photographing action scenes where there isnt time to evaluate the situ-
ation and then set the controls manually.
You shouldnt, however, always leave the exposure to the automatic system.
At times the lighting can fool any automatic exposure system into producing
an underexposed (too dark) or overexposed (too light) image. Although you
can make adjustments to a poorly exposed image in a photo-editing program,
youve lost image information in the shadows or highlights that cant be
recovered. You will fnd it better in some situations to override the automatic
exposure system at the time you take the picture.
Situations in which you might want to override automatic exposure often
involve interesting or unusual lighting situations. For example, you need
to take control when you photograph into the sun, record a colorful sunset,
show the brilliance of a snow-covered landscape, or convey the dark moodi-
ness of a forest.
Chapter 2
Controlling Exposure
CONTENTS
Understanding
Exposure Under-
standing Exposure
Displays Choosing
Exposure Modes
Using Programmed
Auto (P) Mode
Using Shutter-Prior-
ity Auto (S) Mode
Using Aperture-
Priority Auto (A)
Mode Using Manual
(M) Exposure Mode
How Your Expo-
sure System Works
When Automatic
Exposure Works Well
When to Override
Automatic Exposure
How Overriding
Exposure Works
How to Override
Automatic Exposure
Using Histograms
CHAPTER 2. CONTROLLING EXPOSURE
38
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http://www.photocourse.com/itext/focalplane/
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/exposure/
UNDERSTANDING EXPOSURE
The most creative controls you have with any camera are the shutter speed
and aperture settings. Both affect the exposure, the total amount of light
reaching the image sensor, and thus control how light or dark a picture is.
The shutter opens to begin an exposure and closes to end it. The shutter
speed setting specifes how long the shutter is open and the image sensor is
exposed to light.
The aperture is the hole through which light enters the camera. The size of
the hole can be changed to control the brightness of the light that enters.
When you press the shutter button, a metering sensor measures the light
coming through the lens and sets the aperture and shutter speed for the cor-
rect exposure.
In the early days of photography, plates called waterhouse stops, were inserted into
a slot in the lens to control the amount of light entering the camera. These stops
had holes of various sizes drilled in them and they acted just like the adjustable iris
apertures used today. A lens cap was removed from the lens to begin the exposure
and replaced to end ita primitive version of a shutter. This old wooden camera
is surrounded by a number of waterhouse stops (apertures) and a lens cap (the
shutter) leans against it. Photo by Ake Borgstrom at www.photographica.nu.
Click here to explore
how changes in the
exposure make pictures
lighter or darker.
The D300s focal plane
shutter uses two
curtainsone opens to
begin the exposure and
the second closes to end
it. At shutter speeds
faster than 1/250 the
two curtains form a slit
traveling across the
image sensor.
Click here to watch
a focal plane shutter
expose an image.
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/speedseries/
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/G-shutters/
THE SHUTTER CONTROLS LIGHT AND MOTION
The shutter keeps light out of the camera except during an exposure, when it
opens to let light strike the image sensor. In respect to just exposure, faster
shutter speeds let less strike the image sensor so the image is darker. Slower
speeds let in more so its lighter.
In addition to controlling exposure, the shutter speed is the most important
control you have over how motion is captured in a photograph. The longer the
shutter is open, the more a moving subject will be blurred in the picture Also,
the longer its open the more likely you are to cause blur by moving the cam-
era slightly. Although you normally want to avoid blur in your images there
are times when you may want to use it creatively.
As the shutter speed
gets slower, the image
gets lighter. The reason
you dont usually see
this effect in your
images is because when
you or the camera
change the shutter
speed, the camera
changes the aperture
to keep the exposure
constant.
Click to explore the
various types of
shutters used in digital
effect of shutter speed
on exposure.
Katie turned a little just
as the shutter opened
causing unwanted blur
in the image.
THE SHUTTER CONTROLS LIGHT AND MOTION
40
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/shutterspeed/
A fast shutter speed
(left) opens and closes
the shutter so quickly a
moving subject doesnt
move very far during
the exposure. A slow
speed (right) can allow
moving objects to move
suffciently to blur their
image on the image
sensor.
Although digital cameras can select any fraction of a second for an exposure,
there are a series of settings that have traditionally been used when you set it
yourself (which you cant do in many shooting modes). These shutter speed
settings, shown in bold to the left, are arranged in a sequence so that each
setting lets in half as much light as the next slowest setting and twice as much
as the next fastest. The D300s shutter speeds are listed in the table to the
left. The camera adds two stops between each of the traditional onesshown
in the table without boldfacing. This allows you to adjust exposure in one-
third stop increments for fner exposure control.
Speeds faster than 1 second are fractions of a second and are displayed
without numerators nor quotation marks. For example, 1/2000 is displayed
as 2000 and 1/1.3 is displayed as 1.3.
Speeds of 1 second or slower are shown as numbers with quotation marks
(). For example, 2 seconds is displayed as 2 and 1.3 seconds is displayed as
1.3
Click to explore how the
shutter speed affects
the capture of moving
subjects.
THE WAY IT WAS: EARLY SHUTTER DESIGNS
The shutter, used to control the amount of time that light exposes the image
sensor, has changed considerably over the years. The earliest cameras, us-
ing imaging materials that might take minutes to be properly exposed, came
with a lens cap that the photographer removed to begin the exposure and then
replaced to end it. As flm became more sensitive to light and exposure times
became shorter, faster shutters were needed. One kind used a swinging plate
while another design used a guillotine-like blade. As the blade moved past the
lens opening, a hole in the blade allowed light to briefy reach the flm.
8000
6400
5000
4000
3200
2500
2000
1600
1250
1000
800
640
500
400
320
250
200
160
125
100
80
60
50
40
30
25
20
15
13
10
8
6
5
4
3
2.5
2
1.6
1.3
1
1.3
1.6
2
2.5
3
4
5
6
8
10
13
15
20
25
30
x250
SHUTTER SPEEDS
TIP
To get faster shut-
ter speeds, increase
the ISO (page 70).
To get slower shutter
speeds, use a neutral
density flter (page
115).
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/G-apertures/
THE APERTURE CONTROLS LIGHT AND DEPTH OF FIELD
The aperture adjusts the size of the opening through which light passes to
the image sensor. It can be opened up to let in more light or closed (stopped
down) to let in less. In respect to just exposure, smaller apertures let less light
strike the image sensor so the image is darker. Larger apertures let in more
so its lighter.
As with the shutter speed, the aperture also affects the sharpness of your
picture, but in a different way. Changing the aperture changes the depth of
feld, the depth in a scene from foreground to background that will be sharp
in a photograph. Smaller apertures increase depth of feld while larger ones
decrease it. For some picturesfor example, a landscapeyou may want a
smaller aperture for maximum depth of feld so that everything from near
foreground to distant background is sharp. But perhaps in a portrait you will
want a larger aperture to decrease the depth of feld so your subject is sharp
but the background is soft and out of focus.
As the aperture
number gets smaller
(for example, from f/8
to f/5.6) the aperture
opening gets larger and
the image gets lighter.
The reason you dont
usually see this effect in
your images is because
when you or the camera
change the aperture,
the camera changes the
shutter speed to keep
the exposure constant.
The aperture is a series
of overlapping leaves
located between the
glass elements in the
lens.
the standard series
of apertures and the
apertures effects on
exposure.
THE APERTURE CONTROLS LIGHT AND DEPTH OF FIELD
42
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/DOF/
Aperture settings are called f/stops and a number indicates the size of the
aperture opening. Each f/stop lets in half as much light as the next larger
opening and twice as much light as the next smaller opening. From the larg-
est possible opening to increasingly smaller ones, the f/stops have tradition-
ally been those shown in boldface to the left but vary from lens to lens. Notice
that as the f/stop number gets larger (f/4 to f/5.6, for example), the aperture
size gets smaller. This may be easier to remember if you think of the f/num-
ber as a fraction: 1/8 is less than 1/4, just as the size of the f/8 lens opening is
smaller that the size of the f/4 opening. Many high-end digital cameras such
as the D300 add two stops between each of the traditional ones. In the table
to the left these one-third stops are shown without boldfacing.
How wide you can open the aperture depends on the lens maximum aper-
tureits widest opening. The term fast lens usually applies to lenses that
can be opened to a wide maximum aperture for the focal length. For example,
a lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 opens wider, and is faster, than a
lens with a maximum aperture of f/3.2. Faster lenses are better when photo-
graphing in dim light or photographing fast moving subjects. With most, but
not all, zoom lenses the maximum aperture changes as you zoom the lens. It
will be larger when zoomed out to a wide angle, and smaller when zoomed in
to enlarge a subject.
A small aperture
increases depth of
feld so foreground
and background are
sharp (top) and a large
aperture decreases
depth of feld so the
background is soft
(bottom).
how the aperture affects
depth of feld.
TIP
To get smaller ap-
ertures, increase the
ISO (page 70). To
get larger apertures,
use a neutral density
flter (page 115).
f/1.4
f/1.6
f/1.8
f/2.0
f/2.2
f/2.6
f/2.8
f/3.2
f/3.6
f/4.0
f/4.5
f/5.0
f/5.6
f/6.3
f/7.0
f/11
f/9.0
f/10
f/16
TYPICAL F/STOPS
The AFS VR 105mm
f/1.2 lens is currently
one of Nikons fastest.
USING SHUTTER SPEED AND APERTURE TOGETHER
When taking photos, one of the frst decisions you make is which exposure
mode to use. Your choice determines if you control the aperture or shutter
speed. You can pair a fast shutter speed (to let in light for a short time) with a
large aperture (to let in bright light) or a slow shutter speed (long time) with
a small aperture (dim light).
Speaking of exposure only, it doesnt make any difference which combination
you use. But in other ways, it does make a difference, and it is just this differ-
ence that gives you some creative opportunities. Whether you know it or not,
youre always balancing camera or subject movement against depth of feld
because a change in one causes a change in the other. Lets see why.
As youve seen, shutter speeds and apertures each have a standard series of
settings called stops.
With shutter speeds, each stop is a second or more, or a fraction of second
indicating how long the shutter is open.
With apertures they are f/stops indicating the size of the opening through
which light enters.
The stops are arranged so that a change of 1 stop lets in half or twice the
light of the next setting. For example, a shutter speed of 1/60 second lets in
half the light that 1/30 second does, and twice the light of 1/125 second. An
aperture of f/5.6 lets in half the light that f/4 does, and twice the light of f/8.
If you make the shutter speed 1 stop slower (letting in 1 stop more light),
and an aperture 1 full stop smaller (letting in 1 stop less light), the exposure
doesnt change. (In all modes other than manual this happens automati-
cally.) However, although the exposure is the same, the slower shutter speed
increases the possibility of blur from camera or subject movement and the
smaller aperture increases depth of feld slightly. A one-stop change like this
has only a small effect, but a 3 or 4 stop change can be dramatic. For example
with a three stop change the shutter speed might drop from 1/125 to 1/15 and
the aperture might stop-down from f/2.8 to f/11. The effects of those changes
would be very noticeable.
For fast-moving subjects you need a fast shutter speed to freeze it, or a slow
one to blur it (although the focal length of the lens you are using, the close-
ness of the subject, and the direction in which its moving also affect how
motion is portrayed). When photographing moving subjects, shutter-priority
auto (S) mode (page 50) is favored because it gives you direct control over the
shutter speed.
For maximum depth of feld, with the entire scene sharp from near to far,
you need a small aperture, and for shallow depth of feld you need a large one
(although the focal length of the lens and the distance to the subject also af-
fects depth of feld). When photographing landscapes and portraits, aperture-
priority auto (A) mode (page 51) is favored because it gives you direct control
over the aperture and depth of feld.
To be sure you are using the fastest possible shutter speed in changing light,
use aperture-priority mode and select the largest aperture, or the one that
gives you the depth of feld you need. The camera will then always select the
fastest matching shutter speed. The same principle works when you want the
smallest possible aperture. Use shutter-priority mode and select the slowest
shutter speed you need for sharpness. The camera will then always select the
smallest possible aperture.
In this book and the
animations apertures
are represented by
these realistic icons with
a small aperture (left)
and a large one (right).
In this book and the
animations, shutter
speeds are represented
by these symbolic icons
with a fast shutter
speed (left) and a slow
one (right). The cut out
pie slice indicates how
far an imaginary second
hand would sweep.
44
EXPOSUREFAUCETS & BUCKETS ANALOGY
One way to think of how apertures and shutter speeds relate is to use the
analogy of a faucet for the aperture and a timer for the shutter speed.
When you open a faucet all the way, water gushes out so you fll a bucket in
a very short time. This is the same as pairing a large aperture and fast shutter
speed to let in bright light for a short time.
When you open a faucet just a little, water trickles out and so it takes a
much longer time to fll a bucket. This is the same as pairing a small aperture
and slow shutter speed to let in dim light for a longer time.
No matter which combination you choose, the bucket is flled the same
amount. Likewise, an image in a camera can be exposed the same amount by
various aperture and shutter speed combinations while also controlling mo-
tion and depth of feld.
1. We start with the
aperture set to f/16 and
the shutter speed to
1/30.
2. When you open the
aperture one stop to f/11
the shutter speed has to
decrease to 1/60 to keep
the exposure the same.
This change decreases
depth of feld slightly and
freezes action better.
3. When you open the
aperture another stop to
f/8 the shutter speed has
to decrease another stop
to 1/125. This change
decreases depth of feld
even more and freezes
action even better.
THE WAY IT WAS: EARLY APERTURES
A variety of designs in the past century and a half have enabled photographers to
change the size of the lens opening. A form of the iris diaphragm, used in todays
cameras, was used as early as the 1820s by Joseph Nicephore Niepce, one of the
inventors of photography. Waterhouse stops, used in the 1850s were a series of
blackened metal plates with holes of different sizes cut in them. To change aper-
tures the photographer chose the appropriate plate and slid it into a slot in the
lens barrel. With wheel stops, different size apertures were cut into a revolving
plate. The photographer changed the size of the aperture by rotating the plate to
align the desired opening with the lens.
For larger apertures or
slower shutter speeds,
you can use a screw
on neutral density
flter that cuts the
light entering the lens
(page 115). For smaller
apertures or faster
shutter speeds, you can
increase the ISO (page
70).
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/seesaw/
EXPOSURESEESAW ANALOGY
Another way to think of exposure is as a seesaw. As one child rises a given
distance, the other falls by the same amount but their average distance from
the ground is always the same. In photography, when you or the camera
changes the aperture or shutter speed to let in more or less light, you or the
camera must also change the other setting in the opposite direction to keep
the exposure constant.
The illustrations below show how a change in the aperture setting must be
matched by a change in the shutter speed and vice versa. As these offsetting
changes are made, the exposure stays constant but depth of feld changes
slightly and subjects are more or less likely to be frozen.
1. Here the aperture is
f/4 and the shutter
speed is 1/125.
2. If you reduce the
aperture one stop to
f/5.6 the shutter speed
has to decrease one
stop to 1/60 to keep
the exposure the same.
3. If you reduce the
aperture one more stop
to f/8 the shutter speed
has to decrease one
more stop to 1/30 to
keep the exposure the
same.
relationship between
the aperture and
shutter speed.
46
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/exposure/
RETAINING HIGHLIGHT AND SHADOW DETAILS
Knowing how to control exposure is one of the most important aspects of
photography. When a scene has both very light and very dark areas, getting
the perfect exposure is a lot like parking a large car in a small garagethere
isnt a great deal of room for error. The goal is to hold details in both the
darkest and lightest areas so pure white is used only for spectral highlights
such as refections and pure black is used only for small areas of the scene
that are black with no details.
In this scene there
are details in all of the
whites that give them
texture and form. The
small white square has
been added to give you
a reference to what
pure white would look
like.
In this scene there are
details in the darkest
shadows. The small
black square has been
added to give you a
reference to what pure
black would look like.
One of the things that
makes an Ansel Adams
print so stunning was
his ability to hold details
in both the brightest
and darkest parts of
a scene. To do this
with flm he developed
the Zone System
that guided him in
adjusting exposure and
development times for
the best results. Today
the adjustments are
made with Photoshop.
how changes in the
exposure make pictures
lighter or darker.
UNDERSTANDING EXPOSURE DISPLAYS
The viewfnder and control panel display important information about
exposure. If the camera determines it can get a good exposure at the current
settings, the shutter speed and aperture that will be used to capture it are
displayed. If the camera determines that the image will be underexposed and
too dark, or overexposed and too light, it lets you know as follows:
If the image will be underexposed and too dark, Lo is displayed on the con-
trol panel and in the viewfnder.
If the image will be overexposed and too light, HI is displayed on the con-
trol panel and in the viewfnder.
Youll only see these indicators in P mode when the limits of the cameras
exposure system are exceeded because otherwise the camera prevents you
from selecting an aperture or shutter speed that will under- or overexpose an
image. In all modes, if the picture will be under-or overexposed at the current
settings, an exposure scale, which Nikon calls the electronic analog exposure
display, is also displayed to guide you in making changes. On the control
panel the scale has small marks indicating three stops in 1/3 stop increments.
In the viewfnder it has two stops in 1 stop increments. If the exposure is off
more than the scale allows, an arrowhead lights up at the plus or minus end
of the scale. If the limits of the exposure metering system are exceeded, the
exposure scale fashes.
What you do when these displays appear depends on the display:
If HI is displayed or the exposure scale is lit on the + side, decrease the
exposure by selecting a smaller aperture, a faster shutter speed, a lower ISO
setting (page 70), or use a neutral density flter (page 115).
If Lo is displayed or the exposure scale is lit on the - side, increase the
exposure by selecting a larger aperture, a slower shutter speed, a higher ISO
setting (page 70), or use fash (page 125).
If you cant change the shutter speed or aperture it may be because the meter
has turned off after 6 seconds of inactivity. To turn it back on, press the shut-
ter button halfway down and then release it.
Here the electronic
analog exposure display
on the control panel
indicates (from top to
bottom) the suggested
exposure, one stop over
the suggested exposure,
one stop under, and
more than three stops
over.
The shutter speed and
aperture display on the
control panel and in the
viewfnder.
HI is displayed when
the scene is too bright
for the current settings.
Lo is displayed when the
scene is too dark for the
current settings.
TIPS
If the viewfnder
display turns off,
press the shutter
button halfway down.
Your pictures can
be too light or too
dark regardless of
these displays. To
darken or lighten
them, use exposure
compensation (page
62).
Even if Lo isnt
displayed, your shut-
ter speed may be so
slow you get blur.
Custom settings
b2 EV steps for
exposure cntrl and
f10 Reverse indica-
tors (page 167) both
affect the exposure
scale.
UNDERSTANDING EXPOSURE DISPLAYS
48
CHOOSING EXPOSURE MODES
Your D300 has four exposure modes. All give equally good results in the ma-
jority of photographic situations. However, when you photograph in specifc
situations, each mode has certain advantages. Lets take a look at each of
them.
Programmed auto (P) mode (page 49) sets the aperture and shutter speed
for you. This mode allows you to shoot without paying attention to settings so
you can concentrate on composition and action. When in this mode, you can
also use fexible program mode by rotating the main command dial to scroll
through a series of paired aperture and shutter speed combinations that yield
the same exposure as that recommended by the camera but which give you
some control over depth of feld and motion.
Shutter-priority auto (S) mode (page 50) lets you choose the shutter speed,
and the camera automatically sets the aperture to give you a good exposure.
You select this mode when the portrayal of motion is most important. It lets
you set your shutter speed fast enough to freeze the action or slow enough to
blur it.
Aperture-priority auto (A) mode (page 51) lets you select the aperture and
the camera automatically sets the shutter speed to give you a good exposure.
You select this mode whenever depth of feld is most important. To be sure
everything is sharp, as in a landscape, select a small aperture. To throw the
background out of focus so a main subject such as a portrait stands out, select
a large aperture.
Manual (M) exposure mode (page 52) lets you choose both the shutter
speed and aperture. You select this mode when the other modes cant give
you the results you want.
Knowing when and how to change the shutter speed and aperture gives you
creative control over your images. Because these are your two most impor-
tant creative controls, well explore them in depth in the following pages.
CHANGING EX-
POSURE MODES
Hold down the
MODE button and
rotate the main
command dial
to select P (pro-
grammed auto), S
(shutter-priority),
A (aperture-priori-
ty), or M (manual).
The selected mode
is displayed in the
viewfnder and on
the control panel.
EXPOSURE TIPS
When using a D lens with an aperture ring, you must set the ring to the small-
est aperture (the highest f/number). If you dont do this, the shutter button will
be disabled and a blinking FEE is displayed on the control panel and in the view-
fnder. Type G lenses are fully electronic and dont have an aperture ring.
To reduce noise at shutter speeds of 8 seconds or slower, turn on the shooting
menus Long exp. NR setting (page 50) although this will double the time needed
to process and save your images and halve the capacity of the buffer.
Custom setting b2 EV steps for exposure cntrl (page 167) determines if expo-
sure increments are in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 stops.
Custom setting f7 Customize command dials (page 167) lets you choose which
command dial changes the shutter speed and which changes the aperture or
reverse their rotation.
While holding down the
MODE button with your
index fnger, rotate the
main command dial
with your thumb until
the desired mode is
indicated on the control
panel.
USING PROGRAMMED AUTO (P) MODE
When you want to shoot automatically, but still have some control over
settings, programmed auto (P) mode is ideal. This mode sets the shutter
speed and aperture automatically so you can concentrate on composition
and action. However, you also have access to fexible program mode. Instead
of using the shutter speed and aperture combination recommended by the
camera, you just rotate the main command dial to scroll through other paired
aperture and shutter speed combinations that yield the same exposure. By
choosing the best possible shutter speed or aperture you can control how
you capture motion and depth of feld in your image (see Chapter 3). When
the camera is set to one of these alternate pairs, the fexible program icon is
displayed on the control panel.
While fexible program is in effect, the fexible program icon is displayed on
the control panel. To return to the default shutter speed and aperture set-
tings, rotate the main command dial until the icon is no longer displayed.
Default settings can also be restored by turning the camera off, selecting
another exposure mode, raising the built-in Speedlight, or performing a two-
button reset.
USING FLEXIBLE PROGRAM MODE
1. Hold down the MODE button and rotate the main command dial
until P (programmed auto) is displayed on the control panel.
2. Release the MODE button and rotate the main command dial to
cycle through available aperture-shutter speed combinations. The
fexible program icon is displayed on the control panel.
3. When fnished, rotate the main command dial until the fexible
program icon is no longer displayed on the control panel. (Flexible
program can also be cancelled by a two-button reset, turning off the
camera, or selecting another exposure mode.
The fexible program
icon is displayed
whenever the
exposure settings are
changed from those
recommended by the
camera.
After a few seconds,
metering turns off
and the shutter speed
and aperture are no
longer displayed on the
control panel or in the
viewfnder. Press the
shutter button halfway
down and release it to
turn them back on.
TIP
The aperture
and shutter speed
recommended by
the camera have no
particular advantages
in this mode. The
camera has no way
of knowing your cre-
ative intent regard-
ing motion and depth
of feld.
USING PROGRAMMED AUTO (P) MODE
One reason to use fexible program mode is that it doesnt let you choose
settings that exceed your cameras exposure limits. In shutter-priority and
aperture-priority mode its possible to select a setting that cant be matched.
For example, in aperture-priority mode, you may pick an aperture thats so
large the camera doesnt have a shutter speed thats fast enough to prevent
overexposure. Although aperture-priority and shutter-priority modes warn
you when this happens (page 47), you wont always notice the warning. Here
are some of the situations you avoid when using programmed mode.
When you select a... There may be... Result
Large aperture No shutter speed thats
fast enough
Overexposure
Small aperture No shutter speed thats
slow enough
Underexposure
Slow shutter speed No aperture thats small
enough
Overexposure
Fast shutter speed No aperture thats large
enough
Underexposure
50
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/noise/
USING SHUTTER-PRIORITY AUTO (S) MODE
When controlling motion is the most important goal, you use shutter-priority
auto (S) mode so you can set the shutter speed directly. Here are some things
to think about when choosing shutter speeds:
The way the camera displays shutter speeds is discussed on page 40.
The shutter speed can be set to x250 if you rotate the main command dial
past the slowest shutter speed30. This sets the camera to the fash sync
speed (page 120).
If you cant change the shutter speed it may be because the meter has
turned off. To turn it back on, press the shutter button halfway down and
release it.
If you select bulb (page 98) in manual exposure mode, and then switch to S
(shutter-priority) mode, the bulb indicator fashes on the control panel and in
the viewfnder and you cant take a picture. If this happens, rotate the main
command dial to select a different shutter speed.
If the camera calculates that you wont get a good exposure at the shut-
ter speed youve selected, HI or Lo along with the electronic analog exposure
display appear in the viewfnder and on the control panel (page 47).
You can select a shutter speed in programmed auto (P) mode by rotating
the main command dial (page 49).
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/shutterspeed/
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/speedseries/
Click here to explore the
effect of shutter speed
on exposure.
how the shutter speed
affects the capture of
moving subjects.
USING SHUTTER-PRIORITY AUTO (S) MODE
until S (shutter-priority auto) is displayed on the control panel.
2. Using the cameras exposure displays as a guide, rotate the main
command dial to select the desired shutter speed.
USING LONG EXPOSURE NOISE REDUCTION
1. Press MENU and activate the shooting menu.
2. Press the up or down point on the multi selector to highlight Long
exp. NR, and press the right point to display choices.
3. Press the up or down point on the multi selector to highlight the
desired choice then press OK or the right point to select it.
4. To exit the menu, press the shutter button halfway down, or press
MENU.
When the shutter speed is 8 seconds or slower, a captured photo will contain
noiserandomly-spaced, brightly-colored pixels. If you turn on the shoot-
ing menus Long exp. NR setting (the default is Off), this noise is reduced
although processing time can be the same as the exposure time and the buffer
only holds half as many images. During processing, Job nr blinks in the shut-
ter-speed and aperture displays in the viewfnder and on the control panel.
You cant take another photo while this is displayed.
A fast shutter speed
(top) opens and closes
the shutter so quickly a
moving subject doesnt
move very far during
the exposure, a slow
speed (bottom) can
allow moving objects to
move suffciently to blur
their image.
the effect of noise in an
image.
TIP
Also see High ISO
NR on page 71.
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/exposureseries/
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/aperture/
USING APERTURE-PRIORITY AUTO (A) MODE
until A (aperture-priority auto) is displayed on the control panel.
2. Using the cameras exposure displays as a guide, rotate the sub-com-
mand dial to select the desired aperture.
The current aperture
setting is displayed with
a small letter F in the
viewfnder and on the
control panel.
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/DOF/
When controlling depth of feld is the most important goal, you use aperture-
priority (A) mode, so you can set the aperture directly. Changing the aperture
changes the depth of feld, the depth in a scene from foreground to back-
ground that will be sharp in a photograph (page 75). The smaller the aperture
you use, the greater the area of a scene that will be sharp. For some pictures
for example, a landscapeyou may want a smaller aperture for maximum
depth of feld so that everything from near foreground to distant background
is sharp. But perhaps in a portrait you will want a larger aperture to decrease
the depth of feld so that your subjects face is sharp but the background is
soft and out of focus.
If the camera calculates that you wont get a good exposure at the aperture
youve selected, HI or Lo along with the electronic analog exposure display
appear in the viewfnder and on the control panel (page 47).
You can select an aperture in programmed auto (P) mode by rotating the
main command dial (page 49).
If you cant change the aperture it may be because the meter has turned off.
To turn it back on, press the shutter button halfway down and release it.
TIP
When using a D
lens with an aperture
ring, you must set
the ring to the small-
est aperture (the
highest f/number). If
you dont do this, the
shutter button will be
disabled and a blink-
ing FEE is displayed
on the control panel
and in the viewfnder.
Type G lenses are
fully electronic and
dont have an aper-
ture ring.
the standard series of
apertures.
exposure.
depth of feld.
A large aperture was
used to throw the
background out of focus
in the photo of wild iris
blossoms.
52
USING MANUAL (M) EXPOSURE MODE
When you want total and absolute control over exposure, or are using a non-
CPU lens, you can switch to manual (M) exposure mode. In this mode, you
manually select both the shutter speed and aperture to give you the effect
you want. Since automatic exposure combined with exposure compensation
(page 62) is so easy to use, most photographers only resort to manual mode
in those rare situations where other modes cant give them the results they
want.
The electronic analog exposure display (page 47) guides you as you set the
shutter speed and aperture. It indicates how much you are under (-) or over
(+) the cameras recommended exposure setting.
You can select a shutter speed between 30 seconds and 1/8000 of a second
or select the bulb setting (page 98). Bulb is useful for time exposures because
it keeps the shutter open as long as you hold down the shutter button. It
makes it possible to capture light trails from moving cars and star trails as
the Earth rotates under a canopy of stars. The apertures from which you can
choose depend on what lens you are using.
If you select bulb (page 98) in manual exposure mode, and then switch to S
(shutter-priority) mode, the bulb indicator fashes on the control panel and in
the viewfnder and you cant take a picture. If this happens, rotate the main
command dial to select a different shutter speed.
The shutter speed can be set to x250 if you rotate the main command dial
past the slowest shutter speed30 then bulb. This sets the camera to the
fash sync speed (page 120).
If you cant change the shutter speed nor aperture it may be because the
meter has turned off. To turn it back on, press the shutter button halfway
down and release it.
TIP
Use fexible
program mode to
quickly select ap-
erture and shutter
speed combinations
(page 49).
USING MANUAL (M) MODE
until M (manual) is displayed on the control panel.
2. Using the cameras exposure displays as a guide, rotate the main
command dial to select the desired shutter speed and the sub-com-
mand dial to select the desired aperture.
The shutter speed and
aperture display on the
control panel and in the
viewfnder.
Manual mode is often
used when doing studio-
like shots where you
know the right exposure
for the main subject
but want to try lighting
variations on the
background.
HOW YOUR EXPOSURE SYSTEM WORKS
All exposure systems, including the one built into your D300, operate on the
same general principles. A light-sensitive photocell regulates the amount of
electricity fowing in the exposure system. As the intensity of the light re-
fected from the subject changes, the amount of electricity fowing through
the photocells circuits changes. These changes are then used by the autoex-
posure system to calculate and set the shutter speed and aperture.
Your cameras meter measures light refecting from the part of the scene
shown in the viewfnder. The coverage of the meter (the amount of the scene
that it includes in its reading) changes, just as your viewfnder image chang-
es, when you change your distance relative to the scene or when you change
the focal length of the lens. Suppose you move close or zoom in and see in
your viewfnder only a detail in the scene, one that is darker or lighter than
other objects nearby. The suggested aperture and shutter speed settings will
be different for the detail than they are for the overall scene.
METER AVERAGING AND MIDDLE GRAY
Your exposure meter doesnt see a scene the same way you see it. Its view is
much like yours would be if you were looking through a piece of frosted glass.
Your meter sees scenes
as if it were looking at
them through a piece
of frosted glass. It
doesnt see details, just
averages.
Every scene you photograph is something like a checkerboard (left), but even
more complex. Portions of it are pure black, pure white, and every possible
tone in between. The exposure system in your camera cant think about the
scene or make decisions about it. Regardless of the scenes subject mat-
ter, color, brightness, or composition, the system just measures the overall
brightnesshow light or dark it is. It then sets the aperture and the shut-
ter speed needed to render this level of brightness as middle gray in the
photograph. Most of the time this works very well because most scenes have
an overall refectance that averages out to middle gray. But some scenes and
situations dont and thats when autoexposure will lead you astray. So what is
middle gray?
Where you see a
checkerboard-like
pattern (top), your
camera sees only an
average gray (bottom).
54
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/frostedglass/
Most scenes contain a continuous spectrum of tones, ranging from pure black
at one end to pure white at the other. In a photograph an approximation of
this continuous scale is made up of a series of discrete tonesthe gray scale.
When shooting JPEGs there are 256 tones in the scale (2
8
) and when shoot-
ing RAW images there are 4096 (2
12
) or 16384 (2
14
). The tone in the middle of
these ranges is middle gray and refects exactly 18% of the light falling on it.
When you photograph a subject, your cameras autoexposure system sets
an exposure so that the subject appears in the fnal image as middle gray
regardless of its actual brightness. When you photograph subjects that have
an overall tone lighter or darker than middle gray, they will be middle gray
in the fnal image and therefore look too light or dark. For example, if you
photograph a white card, a gray card, and a black card, and each completely
flls the viewfnder when the exposure is calculated, each of the cards will be
middle gray in the captured image.
White, gray, and black
cards will all photograph
as gray cards.
The gray scale captured
in an image is a range
of tones from pure black
to pure white.
Click to see how your
exposure system sees a
scene.
Matrix metering icon.
To make scenes that dont average out to middle gray appear in an image the
way they appear in real life, you have to use exposure compensation (page
62) or some other form of exposure control to lighten or darken the picture.
TYPES OF METERING
All parts of a scene are usually not equally important when determining
the best exposure to use. In a landscape, for instance, the exposure of the
foreground is usually more important than the exposure of the sky. For this
reason, the D300 offers a choice of metering methods.
3D color matrix metering II uses a 1,005-pixel RGB sensor to meter
all parts of the scene. When using a type G or D lens the scenes color,
brightness, contrast and distance are used to fne tune the exposure for the
best results even when the scene is dominated by bright (white or yellow) or
dark (black or dark green) colors. With other CPU lenses, range (distance)
information isnt considered and color matrix metering II is used. Color
matrix metering is used for a non-CPU lens provided you have entered its
focal length and maximum aperture in the shooting menus Non-CPU lens
data setting (page 103). If you havent entered this data, center-weighted
metering is used. Matrix metering is not recommended when using
autoexposure lock (page 63) or exposure compensation (page 62).
CHANGING THE METERING MODE
To change the metering mode, rotate the metering selector just to
the right of the viewfnder to select one of the three metering icons. A
matching icon is displayed in the viewfnder.
An off-center subject
is a good situation in
which to link focus and
Center-weighted
metering icon.
Spot metering icon.
The metering selector.
Center-weighted (above left) meters the entire scene but emphasizes the
area within an 8mm circle in viewfnder. This mode is recommended for
portraits and when using flters with an exposure factor (flter factor) over 1.
Spot (above right) meters a circle 3 mm (0.12 in.) diameter (approximately
2.0% of frame) centered on the active focus point. This mode is ideal when
you want to meter the same area used to set focus, for example, when the
background is much brighter or darker than the main subject. (If auto-area
AF is in effectpage 78the center focus point is used). When using spot
metering, you can meter any part of the scene and use autoexposure lock
(page 63) to use that reading for the overall photo.
Meter weighting can cause a few problems. For instance, a dark object lo-
cated off center against a very light background may not be exposed properly
because it is not located in the area the meter is emphasizing. Or, in some
cases, holding the camera vertically may give undue emphasis to one side
of the scene. These occasions are uncommon, but when they occur you can
ensure accurate readings and exposure settings by using spot metering (page
55) or autoexposure lock (page 63).
56
WHEN AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE WORKS WELL
Most scenes that you photograph have an overall brightness of middle gray.
Some areas of the scene may refect 90% of the light and other parts may
refect 5%, but overall the average amount of light refecting from the scene is
18%, the amount refected by a middle gray subject.
Whenever you photograph a normal scene with this average brightness, your
automatic exposure system exposes it correctly. Typical middle gray scenes
include the following:
Scenes in bright sunlight where the subject is front-lit by a sun that is be-
hind you when you face the scene.
Scenes on overcast days or under diffused light, such as in the shade or in
evenly-lit scenes indoors.
This image has detail in
the lightest (highlight)
and darkest (shadow)
areas. If just a little
darker or a little lighter
details would be lost
in the shadows or
highlights.
Portraits in indirect
light generally have the
tones needed to get
a good image without
additional exposure
control.
WHEN TO OVERRIDE AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE
Lets take a look at some of the most common situations where your automat-
ic exposure system will have problems. Its in these situations where youll
need to override the suggested exposure settings.
SCENES LIGHTER THAN MIDDLE GRAY
Scenes lighter than middle gray, such as beach scenes, or bright sand or
snow covered landscapes, refect more than 18% of the light falling on them.
The autoexposure system doesnt know the scene should look bright so it
calculates an exposure that produces an image that is too dark. To lighten
the image so it matches the original scene, you must override the cameras
automatic exposure system to add exposure.
The snow scene here
is typical of scenes
that are lighter than
middle gray. Most of the
important tones in the
scene are at the lighter
end of the gray scale.
The overall average
tone would be about
one stop brighter than
middle gray. For a good
picture you have to
increase the exposure
by one stop (+1) to
lighten it. If you didnt
do this, the snow in the
scene would appear too
gray (bottom).
58
SCENES DARKER THAN MIDDLE GRAY
Scenes that are darker than middle gray, such as deep shadows, dark foliage,
and black cloth, refect less than 18% of the light falling on them. If you pho-
tograph such scenes using automatic exposure, they will appear too light. The
meter cannot tell if the scene is dark or just an ordinary scene with less light
falling on it. In either case it increases the exposure to make a photograph of
the scene lighter. To photograph a scene that has an overall tone darker than
middle gray, you need to override the autoexposure system to decrease the
exposure to make the picture darker.
The black cat is be-
tween one and two
stops darker than
middle gray. To darken
the scene so the cats
not middle gray, expo-
sure must be decreased
by one (-1) or two (-2)
stops.
Here the scenes were
underexposed to
silhouette the people
in the foreground.
To show detail in the
people, exposure would
have had to have been
increased two stops
(+2).
SUBJECT AGAINST VERY LIGHT BACKGROUND
Subjects against a very light background such as a portrait against a bright
sky or light sand or snow, can confuse an automatic exposure system, par-
ticularly if the subject occupies a relatively small part of the scene. The
brightness of the background is so predominant that the automatic exposure
system reduces the exposure to render the overall brightness as a middle
gray. The result is an underexposed and too-dark main subject.
SUBJECT AGAINST VERY DARK BACKGROUND
When a small light subject appears against a large dark background, your
autoexposure system increases the exposure to produce a middle gray tone.
The result is an overexposed and too light main subject.
SCENES WITH HIGH CONTRAST
Many scenes, especially those with brightly lit highlights and deep shadows,
have a brightness range that cannot be completely recorded by an image
sensor. When confronted with such scenes, you have to decide whether the
highlight or shadow area is most important, then set the exposure so that
area is shown the way you want it in the fnal picture. In high contrast situa-
tions such as these, use spot metering or move close enough so the most im-
portant area flls the screen. Use autoexposure lock (page 63) to lock in the
exposure. Another way to deal with high contrast is to lighten the shadows
by adding fll fash. A portrait, for example, lit from the back or side is often
more effective and interesting than one lit from the front. But when the light
on the scene is contrasty, too much of the persons face may be in overly
dark shadow. In this case use fll fash (page 124) or a white refector card to
fll and lighten the shadows.
The rising sun
illuminated only one
boat in this harbor
scene. If the exposure
hadnt been reduced
by two stops (-2), the
background would be
too light and the white
boat would have been
too white. A scene such
as this is a great place
to use spot metering
(page 55).
The archway was in
the shadows and dark,
while the cathedral
was brightly lit by the
sun. Both couldnt be
exposed properly, so
the archway was left as
a solid black.
TIP
In high contrast
settings, you can use
picture controls to
decrease contrast at
the time you take the
picture (page 143).
60
HARD TO METER SCENES
Occasionally its not convenient or even possible to meter a scene. Neon
street signs, spotlit circus acts, freworks, moonlit scenes, and many similar
situations are all diffcult and sometimes impossible to meter. In these cases,
its easiest simply to experiment using manual (M) exposure mode (page 52),
exposure compensation, or exposure bracketing (page 159). After taking a
picture at the suggested exposure, you take other exposures so they are both
lighter and darker than the suggested settings.
A relatively small
subject against a
wide expanse of sky
will almost always be
underexposed unless
you use exposure
compensation.
This scene has a
bright sky and one
brightly illuminated
fsherman against a
dark background.
A scene such as this is
hard to meter because
of the variety of
lighting.
HOW OVERRIDING AUTOEXPOSURE WORKS
When a scene is lighter or darker than middle gray you need to change the
exposure to capture it the way it looks or it will be too light or dark. To light-
en or darken an image many cameras let you increase or decrease exposure
by two stops or more. Here are some typical settings where youd make these
changes.
+2 is used when the light is extremely contrasty and important shadow
areas are much darker than brightly lit areas.
+1 is best for sidelit or backlit scenes, beach or snow scenes, sunsets and
other scenes that include a bright light source, or very light objects, such as a
white china on a white tablecloth.
0 (the default) is best for scenes that are evenly lit and when important
shadow areas are not too much darker than brightly lit areas.
-1 is for scenes where the background is much darker than the subject, such
as a portrait in front of a very dark wall. Also good for very dark objects, such
as black china on a black tablecloth.
-2 is for scenes of unusual contrast, as when an extremely dark background
occupies a very large part of the image and you want to retain detail in the
brighter parts of the scene.
1. Here are three cards
that you photograph
with each flling the
screen at the time you
take the picture.
2. The cameras
exposure system
makes all three cards
appear gray in the
photographs. Only the
middle gray card in
the center is exposed
correctly.
3. Increasing the
exposure for the white
card and decreasing
it for the black card
captures them as they
really appear. Only the
middle gray card in the
center doesnt need
the exposure adjusted
manually.
+2 0 -2
This lighthouse in the
fog on Cape Cod would
have looked too dark if
exposure compensation
hadnt been used to
lighten it.
HOW OVERRIDING AUTOEXPOSURE WORKS
62
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/expcomp/
HOW TO OVERRIDE AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE
Most digital cameras, including the D300, provide one or more ways to over-
ride the automatic exposure system to get the exposure you want.
EXPOSURE COMPENSATION
Exposure compensation lets you lighten or darken the photograph that the
camera would produce if operated automatically. To lighten a picture, you
increase the exposure; to darken one, you decrease the exposure. The amount
you increase or decrease the exposure is specifed in stops. For example,
to increase the exposure 1 stop, you specify +1 to open the aperture or slow
down the shutter speed. Its easy to use exposure compensation because you
can review your changes on the screen and reshoot as needed.
Exposure compensation can increase or decrease exposure between 5
(underexposure) and +5 (overexposure) in increments of 1/3 stops. Normal
exposure can be restored by setting exposure compensation to 0.0 or per-
forming a two-button reset (page 20).
When exposure compensation is other than 0, the exposure compensation
icon is displayed on the control panel and in the viewfnder. Also, when Lo or
Hi are not displayed, the 0 in the center of the electronic analog exposure
display (page 46) blinks. To see the current setting, check the electronic ana-
log exposure display, or press the exposure compensation button to display it
in the viewfnder and on the control panel.
exposure compensation.
TIPS
Custom setting b2
EV steps for expo-
sure cntrl (page 167)
specifes if adjust-
ments to exposure
compensation are
made in increments
of 1/3 Step (the
default), 1/2 Step, or
1 Step.
Custom setting
b4 Easy exposure
compensation (page
167) specifes how
you adjust exposure
compensation.
USING EXPOSURE COMPENSATION
1. With the camera set to P, A or S mode and metering set to spot or
center-weighted, hold down the exposure compensation button and,
while watching the viewfnder or control panel, rotate the main com-
mand dial to select a setting.
2. When fnished, reset exposure compensation to 0.0. Exposure com-
pensation is not reset when you turn off the camera but is reset with
a two-button reset (page 20).
The exposure
compensation icon is
displayed when set to
any setting other than
0.
When you adjust exposure compensation you can do so in full stops and even
fner one-third stop increments. When you use the command the electronic analog
exposure scale is displayed. The 0 indicates the exposure suggested by the
camera. As you adjust the exposure toward the plus (+) side of the scale the image
gets lighter. As you adjust it toward the minus (-) side it gets darker. Here you see
the results as its adjusted from +2 (left) to -2 (right). The effect of the changes on
the image are dramatic.
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/explock/
USING AUTOEXPOSURE LOCK
1. With the camera set to any exposure mode other than manual (M)
and set to spot or center-weighted metering (page 55), point the cam-
era so the subject on which you want to lock exposure is covered by
the appropriate focus point. If you are using center-weighted meter-
ing, use the multi selector to select the center focus point (page 77).
2. Press the shutter button halfway down, and when the in-focus indica-
tor in the viewfnder glows a steady green, press and hold down the
AE-L/AF-L button to lock exposure (and focus if not using manual
focus). While exposure is locked, the exposure lock AE-L icon and
in-focus indicator are displayed in the viewfnder.
3. Recompose the scene and press the shutter button the rest of the way
to take the picture. Continue to hold down the AE-L/AF-L button if
you want to take more pictures at the same exposure.
AUTOEXPOSURE (AE) LOCK
In some situations, you may want to base your exposure on a specifc part of
the scene or use the same setting for a series of photos like those that youll
stitch together into a panorama. For photos such as these, you can use a pro-
cedure called autoexposure lock (AE lock) using the AE-L/AF-L button.
The area of the scene on which exposure locks depends on the metering
mode. When using spot metering (page 55), exposure locks on a 3mm circle
around the selected focus point (page 77). When using center-weighted me-
tering, exposure locks on the 8mm circle around the center focus point. You
shouldnt use matrix metering with exposure lock because it meters the entire
scene and doesnt lock on any particular part.
Custom setting c1 Shutter-release button AE-L (page 167) specifes if expo-
sure can only be locked by pressing the AE-L/AF-L button, or also by press-
ing the shutter button halfway down.
Custom setting f6 Assign AE-L/AF-L button (page 167) specifes whether
the AE-L/AF-L locks only exposure, only focus or both exposure and focus
and if it remains locked until you press it again, take the picture or the expo-
sure meter turns off.
With exposure locked, you can still change the shutter speed and aperture
in programmed auto (P), the shutter speed in shutter-priority (S) mode, and
the aperture in aperture-priority (A) mode.
The auto exposure lock,
AE-L, button.
Point the camera so
you are metering the
area on which you want
to base the exposure
(left). Press the shutter
button halfway down to
lock exposure and press
the AE-L/AF-L button.
Release the shutter
button, compose the
image the way you
want it (right) and press
the shutter button to
lock focus and take the
photo.
If you took the picture
without frst locking
exposure, it would be
too dark because the
background infuenced
the exposure.
Pressing the shutter
button halfway down
locks focus and pressing
it all the way down
takes the picture.
exposure lock.
HOW TO OVERRIDE AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE
64
EVALUATING HISTOGRAMS
The horizontal axis of a histogram represents the range of brightness from 0
(shadows) on the left to 255 (highlights) on the right. Think of it as a line with
256 spaces on which to stack pixels of the same brightness. Since these are
the only values that can be captured by the camera, the horizontal line also
represents the cameras maximum potential tonal range or contrast.
The vertical axis represents the number of pixels that have each of the 256
brightness values. The higher the line coming up from the horizontal axis, the
more pixels there are at that level of brightness.
DISPLAYING HISTOGRAMS
Display full frame the image you want to evaluate, then press the up or
down point on the multi selector to scroll to its histogram.
To turn on the RGB histogram or highlights, set the Display mode set-
ting on the playback menu (page 178).
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/highlight/
USING HISTOGRAMS
Most serious photo-editing programs such as Photoshop and Photoshop Ele-
ments let you use a histogram as a guide when editing your images. However,
since most image corrections can be diagnosed by looking at a histogram, it
helps to look at it while still in a position to reshoot the image. Its for this
reason that histograms can be displayed on the D300. As youve seen, each
pixel in an image can be set to any of 256 levels of brightness from pure
black (0) to pure white (255) and a histogram graphs which of those levels of
brightness are in the image and how they are distributed.
DISPLAYING HISTOGRAMS AND HIGHLIGHTS
You can check histograms in playback mode or while reviewing an image you
have just taken (if Image review is onpage 178). Just press the up or down
point on the multi selector until the histogram is displayed. Once displayed,
you can scroll through other images to see their histograms. There are two
kinds of histograms. The frst shows a histogram of the image just the way
you see it. The other, an RGB histogram which you have to turn on using the
playback menus Display mode setting, shows the brightness distribution of
each of the three colors, red, green, and blue. You can also use the Display
mode setting to turn on Highlights, so highlights in the image that are over-
exposed are indicated by a blinking border. These areas are pure white with
no detail. If you want detail in these areas you have to reduce the exposure
and reshoot the image. You cant restore details in a photo-editing program.
You can look for these highlight areas in the composite image or just in the
red, green and blue channels by holding down the thumbnail button as you
press the left or right point on the multi selector.
EVALUATING HISTOGRAMS
If the histogram shows most pixels toward the left (darker) side of the
graph, use exposure compensation to add exposure and shift them to the
right (page 62).
If the histogram shows most pixels toward the right (lighter) side of the
graph, use exposure compensation to reduce exposure (page 62) and shift
them to the left.
how overexposed
highlights blink.
TIP
Nikon warns that
an images histo-
gram displayed on
the D300 may differ
from one displayed
with a photo-editing
program.
When displaying an
images RGB histogram,
you can display
highlights separately
for each channel by
pressing the left and
right points on the multi
selector while holding
down the zoom out
button.
http://www.photocourse.com/itext/histogram/
The original image (top)
is fat and its histogram
indicates only part of
the tonal range is being
used. Photoshops
Levels command was
then used to expand the
tonal range (bottom).
You can see the change
in both the image and in
the histogram.
To read the histogram, you look at the distribution of pixels. Here are some
things to look for.
Many photos look best when there are some pixels at every position because
these images are using the entire tonal range.
In most images, pixels are grouped together and occupy only a part of the
available tonal range. These images lack contrast because the difference
between the brightest and darkest areas isnt as great as it could be. However,
this can be fxed in Photoshop by using the Levels or Curves commands that
spread the pixels so they cover the entire available tonal range. These con-
trols allow you to adjust the shadow, midtone, and highlight areas indepen-
dently without affecting the other areas of the image. This lets you lighten or
darken selected areas of your images without loosing detail. The only pixels
that cant be fxed in this way are those that have been clipped to pure
white or black.
histograms.
USING HISTOGRAMS
66
This series of photos was taken one stop apart using exposure compensation. As the
exposure increased pixels on the histogram shifted right. You can tell from the way
the fan blades blur that the shutter speed was changed to change the exposure. In
the image where it was faster, the image is darker and the blades are frozen. As
slower speeds were used to increase the exposure, the images get lighter and the
blades more blurred.
In the top image
you can tell from the
histogram that some
of the highlight pixels
are pure white and
hence clipped. There is
nothing you can do later
to display details in the
area of these pixels.
However, if you reshoot
the scene at a different
exposure you can shift
the pixels to the left
and avoid the clipping
(bottom).
CLIPPED PIXELS
When a histogram shows pixels at the extreme ends of the range, in the 0
and 255 positions, it means details in those tones are being lost or clipped
in your image. These extremes should be reserved for specular highlights
(refections) and small dark shadows. When large areas lack detail an image
suffers.
To avoid clipping and better place the tonal values in subsequent shots, you
use exposure compensation (page 62). Increasing exposure shifts pixels to
the highlight, or right end of the histogram. Decreasing exposure shifts them
the other way. Unless you are deliberately trying to get pure whites or pure
blacks, you should shift the pixels if any are being clipped. This then gives
you a chance to correct the image in Photoshop using the Levels or Curves
command.
This low-key scene
has the majority of its
values in the shadow
area with another large
grouping around middle
gray. There are wide
levels of brightness that
have only a few pixels.
This brown moth on
a gray card has most
of its values in the
midrange. Thats why
there are a number
of high vertical lines
grouped in the middle of
the horizontal axis.
This high-key fog scene
has most of its values
toward the highlight end
of the scale. There are
no really dark values in
the image. The image
uses only a little more
than half the cameras
dynamic range.
In this well exposed
portrait there is a
fairly even distribution
of values in both the
shadow and highlight
areas of the image.
There are no pure
blacks in the image as
shown by the gap at the
far left end of the scale.
The distinct vertical line to the left of
middle gray shows how many pixels
there are in the uniformly gray frame
border added in Photoshop.
SAMPLE HISTOGRAMS
The way a histogram looks depends on the scene youre shooting and how
you expose it. Theres no such thing as a good or bad histogram. Whether a
particular histogram is good or bad depends on what you are trying to accom-
plish. If fact, you may prefer to trust your visual reaction to the image more
than the very numeric image data provided by a histogram. However, even if
you never use a histogram, you can learn about digital images by understand-
ing what a histogram can show about an image. Following are some histo-
grams from good images along with a brief summary of what the histogram
reveals.
USING HISTOGRAMS
68
CHAPTER 3. CONTROLLING SHARPNESS
O
ne of the frst things you notice about a photograph is whether or not
it is sharp. Extremely sharp photographs reveal a richness of detail,
even more than you would normally notice in the original scene. If
the entire image isnt sharp, your eye is immediately drawn to the part that
is. When learning to control sharpness, the frst goal is to get pictures sharp
when you want them sharp. If your photos arent as sharp as you want them
to be, you can analyze them to see what went wrong.
Focus. If nothing in your image is sharp or if your central subject is not
sharp but other parts of the photograph are, your camera wasnt focused cor-
rectly.
Depth of Field. If your central subject is sharp but the background or fore-
ground is less so, you may not have used a small enough aperture to get the
depth of feld you wanted.
Camera Movement. If the image is blurred all over, with no part sharp, the
camera moved during the exposure. Some dots appear as lines, and edges are
blurred because the image was painted onto the moving image sensor.
Subject Movement. When some of the picture is sharp but a moving subject
appears blurred, your shutter speed was too slow.
Chapter 3
Controlling Sharpness
CONTENTS
Eliminating Camera
Movement Sharp-
ness Isnt Everything
How to Photograph
Motion Sharply
Focus and Depth of
Field Focusing Tech-
niques Controlling
Depth of Field Using
Deep Depth Of Field
Using Shallow depth
of Field Conveying
the Feeling of Motion

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