Nikon D60 Digital Field Guide E-Book

J. Dennis Thomas

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

Seitenzahl: 331

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

As an introductory level digital SLR, the Nikon D60 offersone-button simplicity using the Auto function or countless optionsusing the more complex manual controls. Nikon D60 Digital FieldGuide is filled with everything you need to know to capture amazingphotographs using your Nikon 60. Starting with a Quick Tour, whichwill help you use your Nikon D60 straight out of the box, this bookwill help you graduate from using the Auto function in everysituation to using the more complex manual controls withconfidence. This full-color portable guide walks you through the essentialcontrols, features, and functions of the Nikon D60 digital SLRusing step-by-step instructions and full-color images of each menuscreen. This robust guide not only shows you how to adjust whitebalance, autofocus, exposure, and choose lenses, it also teachesyou when and why you should adjust each of these key settings.Additionally, the Nikon D60 Digital Field Guide goes beyond camerasettings to offer you a refresher guide to the principles ofdigital photography, covering the essentials of lighting,composition, and exposure. Filled with amazing examples of actualNikon D60 photography6, this book also presents a variety of tipsand tricks to capturing portraits, candids, sports, travel, macrophotography, and much more.

Leseprobe

Nikon D60 Digital Field Guide

by J. Dennis Thomas

Nikon® D60 Digital Field Guide

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030 www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-0-470-38312-4

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

J. Dennis Thomas, has been interested in photography since his early teens when he found some of his father’s old photography equipment and photographs of the Vietnam War. Fortunately, he was able to take photography classes with an amazing teacher who started him on a path of learning that has never stopped.

His first paying photography gig was in 1990 when he was asked to do promotional shots for a band being promoted by Warner Bros. Records. Although he has pursued many different career paths through the years, including a few years of being a musician, his love of photography and the printed image has never waned.

With the advent of digital photography, although he was resistant to give up film, Dennis realized there was yet more to learn in the realm of photography. It was just like starting all over. Photography was fresh and exciting again. Realizing that the world of digital photography was complex and new, he decided to pursue a degree in photography in order to learn the complex techniques of digital imaging with the utmost proficiency.

Eventually Dennis decided to turn his life-long passion into a full time job. He currently owns his own company, Dead Sailor Productions, a photography and graphic design business. He does freelance work for companies including RedBull Energy Drink, Obsolete Industries, Secret Hideout Studios, and Digital Race Photography. He continues to photograph bands, including LA Guns, the US Bombs, Skid Row, Quiet Riot, Echo & the Bunnymen, Dick Dale, Link Wray, Willie Nelson, Bo Diddley, and the Rolling Stones. He has been published in several regional publications and continues to show his work in various galleries throughout the country.

He is also the author of the Nikon Creative Lighting System Digital Field Guide, the Nikon COOLPIX Digital Field Guide, the Canon Speedlite System Digital Field Guide, and the Nikon D300 Digital Field Guide, all from Wiley.

Credits

Acquisitions Editor

Courtney Allen

Senior Project Editor

Cricket Krengel

Technical Editor

Ben Holland

Copy Editor

Kim Heusel

Editorial Manager

Robyn B. Siesky

Vice President & Group Executive Publisher

Richard Swadley

Vice President & Publisher

Barry Pruett

Business Manager

Amy Knies

Senior Marketing Manager

Sandy Smith

Project Coordinator

Lynsey Stanford

Graphics and Production Specialists

Alissa D. Ellet

Quality Control Technician

Jessica Kramer

Proofreading

Melissa D. Buddendeck

Indexing

Christine Spina Karpeles

Special Help

Jama Carter Chris Wolfgang

Dedication

To all my friends...

Acknowledgments

Thanks to everyone who has helped me out while working on these books. An extra special thanks to Courtney, Cricket, and Laura, at Wiley for keeping me busy.

Introduction

This book is intended to get you familiarized with all of the features and functions of the Nikon D60 dSLR camera. Although it covers a lot of the same material as the User’s Manual, this book presents it in a format that is easier to comprehend and is much more interesting to read. In addition to covering the technical details I include some practical real world advice, tips and tricks, and explanations of how to set up your equipment to achieve interesting and compelling images.

The intention of this book is to offer something for a wide range of readers, from amateur photographers who are buying the D60 as their first dSLR to more advanced photographers who have upgraded from another camera and are looking to expand the scope of their photography.

About the D60

The D60 is Nikon’s newest consumer level dSLR camera. So far it is Nikon’s smallest dSLR camera. But, don’t let the small size fool you, great things come in small packages and the D60 is no exception.

The D60 is packed with features including a big, bright 2.5 inch LCD monitor, a 10.2 megapixel CCD image sensor, Active D-lighting to expand tonal range, and two — count ‘em, two — methods of dust reduction, a first in any camera of any level!

The D60 has a multitude of shooting modes for almost any situation from the Digital Vari-Program modes that make it simple to shoot in almost any situation to the more hands on Manual and Semi-Automatic modes that are available on all professional cameras.

The Nikon D60 kit comes bundled with one or two of Nikon’s amazing Vibration Reduction (VR) lenses. You can get the 18-55mm lens or a kit with both an 18-55mm and a 55-200mm lens these lenses cover almost all of the ranges you will need. This is the first time that Nikon has offered VR lenses with a camera at this price. Nikon lenses are world renowned for their quality and durability. Although the D60 is limited to using Nikon’s Silent Wave motor lenses, also known as AF-S lenses, for full functionality, you can also attach almost any lens Nikon has made for the past 70 years and get some functionality out of it, which I discuss later in the book. Nikon’s line of AF-S lenses has dozens of options for you to choose from.

With the D60, you can take advantage of Nikon’s current line-up of Speedlights, the SB-400, SB-600, and the SB-800 as well as the R1C1 macro lighting kit. You can also take advantage of the Nikon Creative Lighting System that allows you to control a number of flashes off-camera for the ultimate control of your light. The D60 can even be used with some of the older Nikon Speedlights (with limited functionality, of course).

All in all, the D60 is a sturdy, but lightweight and compact, dSLR camera that will allow you to capture great images for many years to come.

Contents

Title

Quick Tour

Selecting a Shooting Mode

Focusing

Playback

Downloading

Part I: Using the Nikon D60

Chapter 1: Exploring the Nikon D60

Key Components of the D60

Viewfinder Display

Shooting Info Display

Chapter 2: Nikon D60 Essentials

Exposure Modes

Metering Modes

Exposure Compensation

Focus Modes

AF Area Modes

Release Modes

ISO Sensitivity

White Balance

Image Size and Quality

Chapter 3: Setting up the Nikon D60

Quick Settings Display

Playback Menu

Shooting Menu

Custom Settings Menu

Setup Menu

Retouch Menu

Part II: Capturing Great Images with the Nikon D60

Chapter 4: Essential Photography Concepts

Understanding Exposure

Understanding Depth of Field

Rules of Composition

Chapter 5: Selecting and Using Lenses

Deciphering Nikon’s Lens Codes

Kit Lenses

Wide-Angle Lenses

Normal Lenses

Telephoto Lenses

Macro Lenses

Using VR Lenses

Extending the Range of Any Lens

Filters

Chapter 6: Working with Light

Lighting Essentials

Natural Light

Flash Basics

Nikon CLS and Speedlights

Bounce Flash

Studio Strobes

Continuous Lighting

Light Modifiers

Chapter 7: Real World Applications

Abstract Photography

Action and Sports Photography

Architectural Photography

Child Photography

Concert Photography

Flower and Plant Photography

Landscape Photography

Light Trail and Fireworks Photography

Macro Photography

Night Photography

Pet Photography

Portrait Photography

Still-life and Product Photography

Travel Photography

Wildlife Photography

Chapter 8: Viewing, Downloading, and the Retouch Menu

Viewing Your Images

Downloading Images

The Retouch Menu

Part III: Appendixes

Appendix A: Accessories

Wireless Remote Control

EG-D100 Video Cable

Eye-Fi

Tripods

Camera Bags and Cases

Appendix B: Online Resources

Informational Web Sites

Photo-Sharing and Critiquing Sites

Online Photography Magazines

Glossary

Further Reading

Quick Tour

In This Quick Tour

Selecting a shooting mode

Focusing

Playback

Downloading

The Quick Tour is designed to cover the basic functions you need to know to get you started using your D60 right away. It is by no means meant to be an in-depth look at the menus and modes, so if you’re ready for that information, you can just give this section a quick once-over and move on to the later chapters, where everything is discussed in more detail.

If you already use a Nikon dSLR (digital single lens reflex), a lot of this may be familiar to you. In fact, if you use a D40/D40X, the setup for the D60 is very similar. If you are upgrading from a compact digital camera, you probably should read the entire Quick Tour to familiarize yourself with the camera.

This Quick Tour assumes that you have already unpacked the camera, read the manual, charged the batteries, mounted a lens, and inserted the memory card. If you haven’t done these things, do them now.

I’m sure you’re ready to get out there and shoot some photos with your new D60, so get going!

Selecting a Shooting Mode

The great thing about the D60 is that you can start taking great photos nearly right out of the box. The D60 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!

The first thing you need to do is turn the camera on. The on/off switch is located right on top off the camera with the shutter release button.

Image courtesy of Nikon, Inc.

QT.1 The on/off switch in the on position

Changing the shooting mode is simple: Rotate the Mode dial located on the top of the camera. The shooting mode will also appear on the top-left corner of the LCD when the shooting info is displayed. The D60 has quite a few shooting modes ranging from fully automatic to completely manual.

The D60 offers two fully automatic modes:

Auto. This is a “point and shoot” mode in which the camera controls all of the settings, including shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. If the camera deems it necessary, the built-in flash automatically activates as well.

Auto (flash off). This mode is similar to the Auto mode; the camera controls all settings. However, in this mode, the flash is disabled. This is a mode to use when natural lighting is preferred or the use of flash is not allowed (such as in a museum).

The D60 employs what Nikon terms Digital Vari-Program (DVP) modes (also called scene modes). These modes apply settings that are optimized to the type of scene you’re shooting, and include modes for shooting portraits, sports, children, and a few others. The DVP modes are as follows:

Portrait. This mode uses a wider aperture, allowing the background to be soft while giving you sharp focus on your subject.

Landscape. This mode chooses a smaller aperture to ensure that focus is achieved throughout the image. The camera also enhances blues and greens to accentuate the sky and foliage in the scene.

Child. This mode optimizes skin tones and boosts the saturation a bit for more vivid colors.

Sports. With this mode, the camera chooses a higher shutter speed to freeze the action.

Close-up. This mode provides sharp details on the subject while allowing the background to soften to draw attention to the subject.

Night Portrait. This mode uses flash to capture your subject while maintaining a longer shutter speed to capture the ambient light of the background; this results in an evenly balanced, more natural-looking exposure.

The DVP modes take care of all of the settings for you, including activating the flash. These modes are handy when you’re starting out but you’re limited when it comes to fine-tuning the settings. Once you get more familiar with camera settings such as aperture and shutter speed, you may find yourself eschewing these DVP modes in favor of choosing the more flexible P, S, A, or M modes.

P. Programmed Auto is a fully automatic shooting mode in which the camera decides both the aperture setting and shutter speed. You can use the Command dial to adjust the aperture and shutter to better suit your needs. This is known as flexible program, and it allows you to control the settings while maintaining the same exposure. Use this mode when taking snapshots or when controlling the shutter speed and the aperture is not as important as simply getting the photo.

S.Shutter Priority is a semiautomatic mode in which you decide the shutter speed to use and the camera chooses the appropriate aperture. Use this mode when you need fast shutter speeds to freeze action or slow shutter speeds to show motion blur.

A.Aperture Priority is another semiautomatic mode where you adjust the aperture to control how much of the image is in focus (the depth of field). Use this mode when you want to isolate a subject by focusing on it and letting the background go soft, or if you want to be sure that everything in the picture is in sharp focus.

M. With Manual mode, you decide the shutter speed and aperture. You can use this mode when you want to completely control the exposure to achieve a certain tonality in your image by purposefully over- or underexposing the image. When using this mode, it’s helpful to check the D60 light meter in the viewfinder.

Image courtesy of Nikon, Inc.

QT.2 Rotate the Mode dial to select a shooting mode.

Focusing

Your Nikon D60 camera can automatically focus on the subject when using the lens that comes with the D60 kit. If you bought the camera body only, you need a Nikon AF-S lens to achieve autofocus (AF). Nikon’s AF-S lenses have a built-in AF motor that allows the lens to focus without the use of an in-camera motor drive. Older Nikon AF lenses that are designated AF or AF-D require the use of a focus motor drive located in the camera body. In order to make the D60 the smallest and lightest camera that Nikon offers, the D60 does not have a focus motor built in to the camera. Therefore, you have to manually focus any older AF lenses that don’t carry the AF-S designation.

The lens that comes with the D60 kit is the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR. You can focus this lens either automatically or manually. To use the AF feature, you must first be sure that the switch on the lens is set to A.

Image courtesy of Nikon, Inc.

QT.3 The A/M switch on the kit lens

To autofocus the camera, you simply press the Shutter Release button halfway. The focus areas that are used to determine focus appear in the viewfinder as a series of three brackets. One or more of these brackets momentarily lights up in red when the camera achieves focus.

By default, the camera automatically focuses on the closest subject in all modes except for the Close-Up DVP mode, in which the camera uses the center focus point, and the Sports DVP mode, in which the camera uses all three focus points.

Once the camera has locked focus, a small green light in the bottom-left corner of the viewfinder lights up and a beep sounds. Now you can just press down fully on the Shutter Release button to take your picture.

If you want to lock focus and exposure settings so you can recompose your photo while maintaining the focus and exposure readings, you can press the Auto exposure/Autofocus lock (AE-L/AF-L) button that is found to the right of the viewfinder.

Playback

After you shoot some images with your D60, you can look at them on the big, bright 2.5-inch LCD screen. To view your images, press the Play button on the back of the camera; it’s the top button to the left of the viewfinder. The most recent photo taken is the first image displayed.

To scroll through the images that are stored on the memory card, press the multiselector button left or right. Pressing the button to the right allows you to view the images in the sequence that they were taken. Pressing the button to the left displays the images in reverse order. Pressing the button up and down enables you to check the exposure settings and histogram.

For more information on exposure settings and histograms see Chapter 4.

There are a few other options available to you when the camera is in Playback mode:

Press the Thumbnail/Zoom out button to view thumbnails. You can choose to view either four or nine images at a time. When in Thumbnail mode, use the multi-selector to navigate among the thumbnails to highlight one. You can then press the OK button to bring the selected image to a full-size preview.

Press the Zoom in button to magnify the image. This button allows you to check for sharpness or look for details. Pressing this button also takes you out of the thumbnail preview.

Press the Protect button to save images from being deleted. The Protect button (denoted by a key) locks the image to prevent you from accidentally erasing it when editing your images in the camera.

When the card is formatted, all images including the protected ones are erased.

Use the multiselector to view image data. To see what settings were used when a photograph was taken, press the multiselector up or down. This also allows you to check the histogram, which is a visual representation of the tonality of the image.

For more detailed information on histograms, see Chapter 2.

Image courtesy of Nikon, Inc.

QT.4 You can use these buttons in the Playback mode for a variety of functions.

Press the OK button to do in-camera photo editing. Pressing the OK button brings you to a menu that allows you to do some rudimentary in-camera editing such as applying D-lighting, fixing red-eye, and cropping.

For more detailed information on in-camera editing, see Chapter 8.

Press the Delete button to erase images. The Delete button has an icon shaped like a trashcan on it. Press this button to permanently erase the image from your memory card. When the Delete button is pressed, the camera asks for confirmation. Press the Delete button again to complete the deletion.

For more detailed information on settings, see Chapter 2 for modes and Chapter 3 for menu settings.

Downloading

When you fill up a card or you’re ready to do some post-processing of your images, you want to download them off your memory card and onto your computer for storage. You can either download the images straight from the camera to your computer or you can remove the memory card from the camera and use a card reader to transfer the images.

To download images from the camera using the USB cable, follow these steps:

1. Turn off the camera. Be sure that the camera is off when connecting it to the computer to ensure that the camera’s or computer’s electronics are not damaged.

2. Open the rubber cover that conceals the D60’s output connections. On the left side of the camera (with the back facing you) is a cover that hides the camera’s USB video out ports.

3. Connect the camera to the USB cable. Inside the box that your D60 came in, there is a USB cable. Plug the small end of the cable into the camera and plug the other end into a USB slot on your computer.

QT.5 The camera’s USB port

4. Turn the camera on. Once turned on, your computer should recognize the camera as a mass storage device. You can then drag and drop your files or you can use a software program, such as Nikon View or Adobe Bridge, to transfer your files.

To download images using a SD card reader, follow these steps:

1. Turn off the camera. Be sure that the camera is off to avoid damaging the SD card upon removal.

2. Remove the memory card. Open the memory card door cover and press the SD card in and release to eject.

3. Insert the SD card into the card reader. Be sure that the reader is connected to your computer. Your computer should recognize the card as a mass storage device, and you can drag and drop the files or you can use a software program, such as Nikon View or Adobe Bridge, to transfer your files.

Depending on your software and how your computer is set up, your computer may offer to automatically transfer the files to a predetermined destination.

For more detailed information on downloading and transferring images see Chapter 8.

Part IUsing the Nikon D60

In This Part

Chapter 1 Exploring the Nikon D60

Chapter 2 Nikon D60 Essentials

Chapter 3 Setting up the Nikon D60

Chapter 1: Exploring the Nikon D60

In This Chapter

Key components of the D60

Viewfinder display

Shooting info display

This chapter covers the key components of the Nikon D60. These are the features that are most readily accessible because they are situated on the outside of the camera: the buttons, knobs, switches, and dials.

If you are upgrading or switching from another dSLR, some of this may be a review, but there are some new features that you may or may not be aware of, so a quick read-through is a good idea even if you are an experienced Nikon dSLR user.

For those who may be just beginning in the world of dSLRs, this chapter is a great way to get acquainted with some of the terms that are used in conjunction with your new camera.

So fasten your seatbelts, and get ready to explore the D60!

Key Components of the D60

If you’ve read the Quick Tour, you should be pretty familiar with the basic buttons and switches that you need to do the essential settings. In this section, you look at the camera from all sides and break down the layout so that you know what everything on the surface of the camera does.

This section doesn’t cover the menus, only the exterior controls. Although there are many features you can access with just the push of a button, oftentimes you can change the same setting inside of a menu option. Although the D60 doesn’t have the same amount of buttons as some of its bigger siblings in the Nikon line, it does have quite a few of them. Knowing exactly what these buttons do can save you loads of time and help you get the shot.

Top of the camera

The top of the D60 is where you find some of the most important buttons and dials. This is where you can change the shooting mode and press the Shutter Release button to take your photo. Also included in this section is a brief description of some of the things you find on the top of the lens. Although your lens may vary, most of the features are quite similar from lens to lens.

Shutter Release button. In my opinion, this is the most important button on the camera. Halfway pressing this button activates the camera’s autofocusing and light meter. When you fully depress this button the shutter is released and a photograph is taken. When the camera has been idle and has “gone to sleep,” lightly pressing the Shutter Release button wakes up the camera. When the image review is on, lightly pressing the Shutter Release button turns off the LCD and prepares the camera for another shot.

On/Off switch. This switch, located around the Shutter Release button, is used to turn the camera on and off. Push the switch all the way to the left to turn off the camera. Pull the switch to the right to turn your camera on.

Mode dial. This is an important dial. Rotating this dial allows you to quickly change your shooting mode. You can choose one of the Digital Vari-Program modes, one of the semiautomatic modes, or you can choose to set the exposure manually.

For a detailed description of all of the exposure modes, see Chapter 2.

Exposure compensation/ Aperture button. Pressing this button in conjunction with spinning the Command dial (the Command dial is the wheel on the rear of the camera) allows you to modify the exposure that is set by the D60’s light meter or the exposure you set in Manual exposure mode. Turning the Command dial to the right decreases exposure, while turning the dial to the left increases the exposure. This button also doubles as the Aperture button when the camera is set to Manual exposure mode. Pressing the button while rotating the Command dial allows you to adjust your lens aperture. Additionally, when pressing this button in conjunction with the flash mode you can adjust your flash exposure compensation by rotating the Command dial.

Active D-Lighting. Pressing this button and rotating the command dial allows you to quickly turn on and off the Active D-Lighting function. Active D-Lighting helps to keep your highlights and shadow areas from being too dark or too light in high contrast situations.

Focal plane mark. The focal plane mark shows you where the plane of the image sensor is inside the camera. When doing certain types of photography, particularly macro photography using a bellows lens, you need to measure the length of the bellows from the front element of the lens to the focal plane. This is where the focal plane mark comes in handy.

Hot shoe. This is where an accessory flash is attached to the camera body. The hot shoe has an electronic contact that tells the flash to fire when the shutter is released. There are also a number of other electronic contacts that allow the camera to communicate with the flash to enable the automated features of a dedicated flash unit such as the SB-600.

Focus ring. Rotating the focus ring enables you to manually focus the camera. With some lenses, such as the high-end Nikkor AF-S lenses, you can manually adjust the focus at any time. With the kit lens you must set the lens to Manual focus using the Focus mode switch on the side of the lens. Rotating the focus ring while the lens is set to autofocus can damage your lens.

Zoom ring. Rotating the zoom ring allows you to change the focal length of the lens. Prime lenses do not have a zoom ring.

Focal length indicators. These numbers indicate which focal length in millimeters your lens is zoomed to.

For more information on lenses, see Chapter 4.

Image courtesy of Nikon, Inc.

1.1 Top-of-the-camera controls

Back of the camera

The back of the camera is where you find the buttons that mainly control playback and menu options, although there are a few buttons that control some of the shooting functions. Most of the buttons have more than one function—a lot of them are used in conjunction with the Command dial or the multiselector. On the back of the camera you also find several key features, including the all-important viewfinder and LCD.

LCD. This is the most obvious feature on the back of the camera. This 2.5-inch, 230,000-dot liquid crystal display (LCD) screen is a very bright, high-resolution screen. The LCD is where you view all of your current camera settings as well as review your images after shooting.

Eye sensor. This sensor detects when you put the camera’s viewfinder up to your eye. This is used to automatically turn off the shooting information displayed on the LCD and turn on the Viewfinder shooting information.

Viewfinder. This is what you look through to compose your photographs. Light coming through the lens is reflected from a single front-silvered mirror and a pentaprism enabling you to see exactly what you’re shooting. Around the viewfinder is a rubber eyepiece that gives you a softer place to rest your eye and to block any extra light from entering the viewfinder as you compose and shoot your images.

Image courtesy of Nikon, Inc.

1.2 Back-of-the-camera controls

Diopter adjustment control. Just to the right of the viewfinder, hidden behind the eyecup, is the Diopter adjustment control. Use this control to adjust the viewfinder lens to suit your individual vision differences (not everyone’s eyesight is the same). To adjust this, look through the viewfinder, and press the Shutter Release button halfway to focus on something. If what you see in the viewfinder isn’t quite sharp, slide the Diopter adjustment up or down until everything appears in focus. The manual warns you not to put your finger or fingernail in your eye. I agree that this might not be a good idea.

AE-L/AF-L/Protect. The Auto-Exposure/Auto-Focus lock button is used to lock the auto exposure (AE) and autofocus (AF). You can also customize the button to lock only the AE or only the AF, or you can set the button to initiate AF (this setting is in the Custom Settings Menu, CSM-12). When in playback mode this button can be pressed to lock an image to protect it from being deleted. A small key icon will be displayed in the upper left-hand corner of images that are protected.

For more information on the Custom Settings menu see Chapter 3.

Command dial. This dial is used to change a variety of settings depending on which button you are using in conjunction with it. By default, it is used to change the shutter speed when in Shutter Priority and Manual mode or the aperture when in Aperture Priority mode. It is also used to adjust Exposure compensation and change the Flash mode.

Multiselector. The multiselector is another button that serves a few different purposes. In Playback mode, the multiselector is used to scroll through the photographs you’ve taken, and it can also be used to view image information such as histograms and shooting settings. When in certain Shooting modes, the multiselector can be used to change the active focus point when in Single point or Dynamic area AF mode. This is the button used to navigate through the menu systems.

OK button. When in the Menu mode, press this button to select the menu item that is highlighted.

Delete button. When reviewing your pictures, if you find some that you don’t want to keep you can delete them by pressing this button marked with a trashcan icon. To prevent accidental deletion of images the camera displays a dialog box asking you to confirm that you want to erase the picture. Press the Delete button a second time to permanently erase the image.

Playback button. Pressing this button displays the most recently taken photograph. You can also view other pictures by pressing the multiselector left and right.

Menu button. Press this button to access the D60 menu options. There are a number of different menus including Playback, Shooting, Custom Settings, and Retouch. Use the multiselector to choose the menu you want to view.

Thumbnail/Zoom out/Help button. In Playback mode, pressing this button allows you to go from full-frame playback (or viewing the whole image) to viewing thumbnails. The thumbnails can display either four images or nine images on a page. When viewing the menu options, pressing this button displays a help screen that explains the functions of that particular menu option. When in Shooting mode, pressing this button explains the functions of that particular mode.

Zoom in/Info display/Quick settings button. When reviewing your images you can press the Zoom in button to get a closer look at the details of your image. This is a handy feature for checking the sharpness and focus of your shot. When zoomed in, use the multiselector to navigate around within the image. To view your other images at the same zoom ratio you can rotate the Command dial. To return to full-frame playback, press the Zoom out button. You may have to press the Zoom out button multiple times depending on how much you have zoomed in. When the camera is “asleep” pressing this button displays the Shooting info. When the Shooting info is displayed, pressing the button again gives you access to the Quick Settings menu. When in the Quick Settings menu, use the multiselector to highlight the desired setting to change then press the OK button to access the options.

The Zoom in / Info display / Quick settings button is one of two buttons that has a green dot beside it. The other button is the Active D-Lighting button. Pressing and holding these two buttons at the same time for 2 seconds resets all camera menus and settings to camera default.

For more detailed information on the Quick Settings menu, see Chapter 3.

Memory card access lamp. Located just to the right of the Delete button is the memory card access lamp. This light will flash green when the camera is saving to the memory card. Under no circumstances should you try to remove the memory card when this lamp is lit. You can damage your card and/or camera and lose your images.

Front of the camera

The front of the D60 (lens facing you) is where you find the buttons to quickly adjust the flash settings as well as some camera-focusing options, and with certain lenses you will find some buttons that control focusing and Vibration Reduction (VR).

Flash pop-up/Flash mode/Flash Exposure compensation button. Press this button to open and activate the built-in Speedlight. Pressing this button and rotating the Command dial on the rear of the camera allows you to choose a flash mode. You can choose from among Front-curtain sync, Red-eye reduction, Red-eye reduction with slow sync, Slow sync, and Rear curtain sync. After the flash pops up, pressing this button in conjunction with the Exposure compensation button and rotating the Command dial allows you to adjust the Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC). FEC allows you to adjust the flash output to make the flash brighter or dimmer, depending on your needs.

For more information on flash modes see Chapter 6.

Self-timer/Function (Fn) button. By default, pressing this button activates the camera’s self-timer. When the self-timer is on, the camera delays the shutter release to allow you to get into the picture or to reduce vibration caused by shaking the camera when pressing the Shutter Release button while the camera is attached to a tripod. This button can also be set to provide other functions. You can set the button to quickly change from single to continuous shot, image quality, ISO sensitivity, or white balance via the Quick settings menu. Pressing the Fn button and rotating the Command dial changes the settings for the specific function assigned. The Fn button can be assigned to a specific function in CSM 11.

For more information on the Custom Settings menu (CSM), see Chapter 3.

Lens release button. This button disengages the locking mechanism of the lens, allowing the lens to be rotated and removed from the lens mount.

Image courtesy of Nikon, Inc.

1.3 Front right camera controls

Lens Focus mode selector. This switch is used to choose between using the lens in Auto or Manual focus.

VR switch. If your lens features Vibration Reduction (VR) technology, this switch allows you to turn the VR on or off. When shooting in bright light it’s best to turn the VR off to reduce battery consumption.

Built-in flash. This option is a handy feature that allows you to take sharp pictures in low-light situations. Although not as versatile as one of the external Nikon Speedlights such as the SB-800 or SB-600, the built-in flash can be used very effectively and is great for snapshots.

AF-assist illuminator. This is an LED that shines on the subject to help the camera focus in dim lighting. The AF-assist illuminator only lights when in Single focus mode (AF-S) or Automatic focus mode (AF-A).

Infrared receiver. This allows you to wirelessly control the camera’s shutter release using the optional ML-L3 infrared transmitter.

Sides and bottom of camera

The sides and bottom of the camera have places for connecting and inserting things such as cables, batteries, and memory cards.

Image courtesy of Nikon, Inc.

1.4 Left front camera controls

Right side

On the right side of the camera (with the lens facing you), are the D60’s output terminals. These are used to connect your camera to a computer or to an external source for viewing your images directly from the camera. These terminals are hidden under a plastic cover that helps keep out dust and moisture.

Video out. This connection, officially called Standard video output, is used to connect the camera to a standard TV or VCR for viewing your images on-screen. The D60 is connected with the EG-D100 video cable that is supplied with the camera.

USB port. This is where the USB cable plugs in to attach the camera to your computer to transfer images straight from the camera. The USB cable is also used to connect the camera to the computer when using Nikon’s optional Camera Control Pro 2 software.

1.5 The D60’s output terminals

Left side

On the left side of the camera (lens facing you) is the memory card slot cover. Sliding this door toward the back of the camera opens it so you can insert or remove your memory card.

1.6 Memory card slot cover

Bottom

The bottom of the camera has a couple of features that are quite important.

Battery chamber cover. This covers the chamber that holds the EN-EL9 battery that is supplied with your D60.

Tripod socket. This is where you attach a tripod or monopod to help steady your camera.

Viewfinder Display