Nikon D5200 Digital Field Guide E-Book

J. Dennis Thomas

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Serie: Digital Field Guide
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 438

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Everything you need to know in order to take amazing photoswith your Nikon D5200 As one of Nikon's most advanced cameras offered in theentry-level line of dSLRs, the Nikon D5200 boasts a smarter systemfor focusing and tracking moving subjects as well as a sharpersensor for capturing finely detailed images. This handy, portablefield guide is filled with everything you want and need to know inorder to take memorable photos with your Nikon D5200. Packed withfull-color photos, this resource walks you through the camera'scontrols, features, and functions using step-by-step instructionsalong with color images of each menu screen. * Details how to use the features, functions, and menu system ofthe Nikon D5200 * Teaches you how, when, and why you should adjust white balance,autofocus, exposure, lenses * Goes beyond camera settings to offer you a refresher guide tothe principles of digital photography by covering the essentials oflighting, composition, and exposure * Features helpful examples along with a variety of tips andtricks to capturing portraits, candids, sports, travel, macrophotography, and more * Includes a grey and color checker card to help you captureperfect color in any setting With so much helpful advice for getting the most out of yourNikon D5200, you'll be referencing this guide again and again.

Leseprobe

Nikon® D5200™ Digital Field Guide

Table of Contents

Introduction

Quick Tour

Getting Started

Mounting the Lens

Setting the Shooting Mode

Focusing

Viewing Your Images

Chapter 1: Exploring the Nikon D5200

Key Components of the D5200

The top of the camera

The back of the camera

The front of the camera

The left side of the camera

The right side of the camera

The Viewfinder Display

The Information Display

Chapter 2: Nikon D5200 Essentials

Exposure Modes

Automatic modes

Programmed auto mode

Aperture-priority auto mode

Shutter-priority auto mode

Manual mode

Scene Modes

Special Effects Modes

Night Vision mode

Color Sketch mode

Miniature Effect mode

Selective Color mode

Silhouette mode

High Key

Low Key

Metering Modes

Matrix metering mode

Center-weighted metering mode

Spot metering mode

Autofocus

Phase detection

Contrast detection

Focus Modes

Auto Servo AF mode

Continuous Servo AF mode

Single Servo AF mode

Manual focus mode

Autofocus Area Modes

Auto area AF mode

Single-point AF mode

Dynamic-area AF mode

Release Modes

ISO Sensitivity

Auto ISO

Noise reduction

White Balance

The Kelvin scale

White balance settings

Picture Controls

File Formats, Size, and Compression

NEF (RAW)

JPEG

Image size

Image quality

Chapter 3: Setting up the Nikon D5200

The Playback Menu

Delete

Playback folder

Playback display options

Image review

Rotate tall

Slide show

DPOF print order

The Shooting Menu

Reset shooting menu

Storage folder

Image quality

Image size

White balance

Set Picture Control

Manage Picture Control

Auto distortion control

Color space

Active D-Lighting

High Dynamic Range

Long Exposure NR

High ISO NR

ISO sensitivity settings

Release mode

Multiple exposure

Interval timer shooting

Movie settings

The Custom Setting Menu

Reset custom settings

Custom Setting menu a: Autofocus

Custom Setting menu b: Exposure

Custom Setting menu c: Timers/AE lock

Custom Setting menu d: Shooting/display

Custom Setting menu e: Bracketing/flash

Custom Setting menu f: Controls

The Setup Menu

Format memory card

Monitor brightness

Info display format

Auto info display

Clean image sensor

Lock mirror up for cleaning

Image Dust Off ref photo

Video mode

HDMI

Flicker reduction

Time zone and date

Language

Image comment

Auto image rotation

Accessory terminal

Eye-Fi upload

Wireless mobile adapter

Firmware version

The Retouch Menu

D-Lighting

Red-eye correction

Trim

Monochrome

Filter effects

Color balance

Image overlay

NEF (RAW) processing

Resize

Quick retouch

Straighten

Distortion control

Fisheye

Color outline

Color sketch

Perspective control

Miniature effect

Selective color

Edit movie

My Menu

Chapter 4: Selecting and Using Lenses with the Nikon D5200

Deciphering Nikon Lens Codes

Lens Compatibility

The DX Crop Factor

Third-party Lenses

Types of Lenses

Wide-angle lenses

Standard zoom lenses

Telephoto lenses

Close-up/Macro lenses

Fisheye lenses

Lens Accessories

Teleconverters

Extension tubes

Close-up filters

Ultraviolet filters

Neutral density filters

Chapter 5: Controlling Exposure

Defining Exposure

ISO

Shutter speed

Aperture or f-stop

Fine-Tuning Your Exposure

Exposure compensation

Using histograms

Chapter 6: Working with Light

Lighting Essentials

The quality of light

Lighting direction

Natural Light

Continuous Light

The D5200 Built-in Flash

Built-in flash exposure modes

Flash sync modes

Flash Compensation

Creative Lighting System Basics

Light Modifiers

Chapter 7: Working with the Live View and Video Modes

Live View Mode

Focus modes

AF-area modes

Using Live View mode

Shooting and Editing Video

Frame size and frame rate

In-camera video editing

Chapter 8: Real-world Applications

Abstract Photography

Equipment

Technique

Action and Sports Photography

Equipment

Technique

Concert Photography

Equipment

Technique

Macro Photography

Equipment

Technique

Nature and Landscape Photography

Equipment

Technique

Night and Low-light Photography

Equipment

Technique

Portrait Photography

Equipment

Technique

Still-life, Product, and Food Photography

Equipment

Technique

Chapter 9: Viewing, Downloading, Managing, and Editing Images

Viewing Your Images

Downloading Your Images

File Management and Workflow

Folder structure

Editing

Filenames and metadata

Tonal Adjustments and Color Corrections

Appendix A: General Composition Tips

Appendix B: Accessories

The WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter

The ML-L3 Wireless Remote Control

The WR-T10 Wireless Remote Controller/Transmitter

Appendix C: How to Use the Gray Card and Color Checker

Glossary

Nikon® D5200™ Digital Field Guide

Published byJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc. 10475 Crosspoint BoulevardIndianapolis, IN 46256www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-1-118-53436-6

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Credits

Acquisitions Editor

Carol Kessel

Project Editor

Amanda Gambill

Technical Editor

George Maginnis

Senior Copy Editor

Kim Heusel

Editorial Director

Robyn Siesky

Business Manager

Amy Knies

Senior Marketing Manager

Sandy Smith

Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Richard Swadley

Vice President and Executive Publisher

Barry Pruett

Project Coordinator

Sheree Montgomery

Graphics and Production Specialists

Jennifer GoldsmithJoyce Haughey

Quality Control Technician

Lauren Mandelbaum

Proofreading and Indexing

Christine SabooniBIM Indexing & Proofreading Services

About the Author

J. Dennis Thomas is a freelance photographer and author based out of Austin, Texas. He has nearly 25 years of experience working with Nikon cameras. His work has been published in many regional and national publications, including Rolling Stone, SPIN, Elle, EBONY, W, Country Weekly, Us Weekly, Thrasher Magazine, and many more.

He has written 20 highly successful Nikon Digital Field Guides, a comprehensive book about concert and live music photography, and a book about urban and rural decay photography. Dennis also writes articles for Digital Photo magazine and http://masteringphoto.com/, and maintains a blog about Nikon cameras and Nikon Digital Field Guides at http://nikondfg.com.

Dedication

As always, to my girls, Henrietta and Maddie.

Acknowledgments

I’d like to thank everyone at Wiley who works so hard to get these books out, especially my favorite woman at Wiley, Courtney Allen, for always lending an ear and an objective opinion (even when not on the clock), and generally being an all-around great gal. I’d also like to thank Amanda Gambill, Kim Heusel, and Carol Kessel for all the hard work that they do behind the scenes, Kathleen Jeffers for getting out all the paperwork, Robyn Siesky for crackin’ the whip on the production team, and Barry Pruett for giving the go-ahead and signing the checks!

I’d also like to thank the folks at Precision Camera and Video in Austin, Texas, Jack and Monica Puryear at Puryear Photography, Cricket Krengel, and everyone else who lent a helping hand along the way.

Introduction

The D5200 wasn’t due for an upgrade, so when Nikon announced it, people were a little surprised. The Nikon 5000 series of dSLR cameras are the only models that feature the Nikon Vari-angle articulated LCD Monitor, so from a marketing standpoint, it made sense to upgrade this camera, rather than another model that shares more features with other cameras. On the exterior, the D5200 looks almost exactly like its predecessor with a few minor changes, such as the addition of a Drive mode button and an integrated stereo microphone, which is a first on any Nikon dSLR.

Inside is where the D5200 receives most of its upgrades, some of which are inherited from both the pro-level D800 and the semi-pro D600. These include an increased resolution of 24MP (which puts it on par with Nikon’s flagship high-resolution camera, the D3X), a new EXPEED 3 image processor, the Multi-CAM 4800DX 39-point autofocusing system, and the 2016-pixel Color Matrix Metering II metering system.

This compact camera offers most of the key features of more professional models, but with a smaller footprint. It also offers a plethora of scene modes that allow you to capture creative images in any shooting situation, no matter your level of experience.

In-camera editing is also a feature of the D5200, so you don’t necessarily need to be computer savvy to add effects to your images. It also allows you to edit RAW files.

The D5200 will appeal to videographers, as well, due to the full high definition 1080p video, and the ability to control exposure settings manually and record stereo sound. The fully articulated Vari-angle LCD Monitor is a real plus over any of the other Nikon HDSLRs because it allows you to shoot at awkward angles.

With the D5200, Nikon has truly created an amazing, full-featured, DX-format camera that is also very affordable and easy to handle.

About the Digital Field Guide

The Nikon Digital Field Guide book series is intended to act as an adjunct to the manual that comes with your camera. While the manual gives you a great overview of the camera, a photographer didn’t write it. The Nikon D5200 Digital Field Guide gives you all the information you need about the camera from a working photographer’s perspective.

The goal of this guide is to help photographers — from novices to advanced amateurs — grasp all of the features of their new camera. It includes tips learned from working with the camera in the field, as well as some basic information to help newer photographers get up to speed quickly.

This full-color guide walks you through setting up your camera, offers insight about which settings to use, and tells you why each setting is useful in particular situations. Full-color images demonstrate different photography concepts and show you some of the things the D5200 is able to accomplish.

The Nikon D5200 Digital Field Guide will help you familiarize yourself with your camera more quickly, so that you can not only navigate and handle it better, but also more easily achieve your photographic vision.

Quick Tour

Welcome to the Quick Tour. This section covers some of the basic functions, so you can start using your D5200 right away. If you’ve already used a Nikon dSLR, a lot of this may be familiar to you. In fact, if you upgraded from a D5100, the setup for the D5200 is very similar. If you are upgrading from a compact digital camera or another brand of dSLR, you probably should read the entire Quick Tour to familiarize yourself with the camera and menu layout.

You should have already unpacked the camera, charged the batteries, and inserted the memory card. If you haven’t done these things, do them now.

The D5200 can grab awesome shots right out of the box.

Getting Started

If you’re anything like me, you’re ready to get out there right away and start taking pictures with your new camera. The great thing about the D5200 is that you can start taking great photos right out of the box. The D5200 has some automatic shooting modes that choose the proper settings for you. All you really have to do is point the camera at something and shoot!

Mounting the Lens

If you bought the D5200 as a kit, it came with the NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens. If you aren’t sure what all of these letters and numbers mean, don’t worry; all of that and more is covered in Chapter 4. The lens needs to be mounted to the camera. First, locate the white lens mounting index dots: one is located on the camera body near the opening and the other is located on the base of the lens. Line these two dots up and gently rotate the lens counterclockwise until it locks firmly into place.

QT.1 The lens mounting index dots.

Image courtesy of Nikon, Inc.

QT.2 Rotate the lens counterclockwise to lock it in place.

You want to get the lens mounted as quickly as possible to reduce the exposure of the inside of the camera to the elements as dust may accumulate inside the camera and eventually find its way to the sensor. You also want to make sure that the camera is turned off to minimize any static charges, which tend to attract dust particles. Another good rule of thumb is to keep the lens opening facing downward to discourage any dust that finds its way into the camera from settling inside the body.

Once the lens is properly mounted, you can turn the camera on. The On/Off switch is located on top of the camera, surrounding the shutter-release button. Flick the switch to the right, and your D5200 is fired up and ready to go.

Setting the Shooting Mode

To get started quickly, set the shooting mode to Auto (). To change the shooting mode, just rotate the Mode dial, located on top of the camera. The shooting mode also appears in the top-left corner of the LCD screen when the shooting info is displayed. The Auto mode () is a simple, point-and-shoot mode. Everything is adjusted for you, including the shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and image quality. Even the flash is activated if there isn’t enough light. If you’re not familiar with any of these terms, don’t fret; I explain them all in this book.

If you want to take a look at your settings, simply press the Info edit button (), which is just to the right of the viewfinder — a short stretch from where your thumb naturally rests when holding the camera. Press this button to display the shooting info on the LCD screen. The shooting info screen displays everything you need to know about your settings. Double-press the Info edit button () to change the camera settings on the LCD screen using the multi-selector. However, if the camera is in Auto mode (), your selections are limited because the camera is choosing most of the settings for you.

QT.3 The Shooting mode dial and Info button.

Focusing

Once you’ve set the Shooting mode, it’s time to focus. Put your eye up to the viewfinder and look through it. Point the camera lens at your intended subject and press the shutter-release button halfway to engage the autofocus. When the camera has locked focus, a red bracket lights up quickly in the viewfinder — this is the focus point. You also hear a beep indicating that the focus has locked.

By default, in Auto mode (), the camera focuses on the closest object. Once the camera achieves focus, fully press the shutter-release button to take the photo, and voilà! Quite simple, isn’t it?

CROSS REF  Focus modes are covered more extensively in Chapter 2.

Viewing Your Images

After you shoot some images with your D5200, you can look at them on the big, bright, high-resolution 3-inch LCD screen. To view your images, press the Playback button () on the rear of the camera just above the multi-selector. The most recent photo taken is the first image displayed. You can press the multi-selector left () or right () to scroll through the images. Press the multi-selector right () to view the images in the sequence in which they were taken. Press the multi-selector left () to display the images in reverse order. You can also press the multi-selector up () or down () to check the settings and other information.

The following options are also available when the camera is in Playback mode ():

• Press the Thumbnail/Zoom out button () to view thumbnails. You can choose to view 4, 9, or 72 images at a time, or you can view the thumbnails in a calendar view. When in Thumbnail mode, use the multi-selector to navigate among the thumbnails and highlight one. You can then press the OK button () to enlarge the selected image to a full-size preview.

• Press the Zoom in button () to magnify the image. This allows you to check for sharpness or look for details. You can also press this button to exit the thumbnail preview.

• Press the AE-L/AF-L ()/Protect () button to save images from being deleted. The AE-L/AF-L button doubles as the Protect button. This locks the image to prevent you from accidentally erasing it when editing your images in the camera.

CAUTION When you format a memory card, all images (including those that have been protected) are erased.

• Use the multi-selector to view image data. To see which settings were used when a photograph was taken, press the multi-selector up () or down (). This also allows you to check the histogram, which is a visual representation of the tonality of an image.

• Press the OK button () while in Playback mode () to enter the Retouch menu () and edit images. Here, you can do some rudimentary, in-camera editing, such as applying Active D-Lighting, fixing red-eye, and cropping.

CROSS REF  For more detailed information on the Retouch menu () and in-camera editing, see Chapter 3.

• Press the Delete button () to erase images. This permanently deletes an image from the memory card. When you first press the Delete button (), the camera asks for confirmation. Press the Delete button () again to complete the process.

Chapter 1: Exploring the Nikon D5200

The D5200 is different from most other Nikon cameras because, in order to implement the Vari-angle LCD monitor, the amount of buttons and dials has been minimized, and most options are accessed via the D5200 menu system and the multi-selector.

This makes for a very streamlined camera, but there are still a number of buttons, dials, knobs, and switches with which you should become familiar. Additionally, there are ports and general features that are common to dSLR cameras, but which may be new to you. If you have upgraded from the D5100, you’ll be instantly at home with the D5200. However, if you are stepping up from the D5000, you will notice a distinct change in the button layout on the rear of the camera.