Nikon D700 Digital Field Guide E-Book

J. Dennis Thomas

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

Seitenzahl: 477

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Get the results your camera was meant to deliver With the D700, you've stepped up to a high-performance camera.The possibilities offered by its 12.1-megapixel, FX-format CMOSsensor are exhilarating. This guide helps you take full advantageof every feature you paid for, offering clear and comprehensivedirections for setting up the camera, choosing modes, selectinglenses, and much more. With detailed guidance for working withlighting, exposure, and depth of field plus advanced shootingtechniques for many different situations, it's your camera'sperfect partner. * Customize the D700's settings and learn how to use them all * Maximize Live View and use single-point and dynamic-areaautofocus * Explore original, optional, and custom picture controls * Investigate wide-angle lenses, VR and DX lenses, filters, andlens accessories * Learn secrets for getting great shots of sporting events,concerts, wildlife, products, and people

Leseprobe

Nikon® D700 Digital Field Guide

Table of Contents

Part I: Using the Nikon D700

Chapter 1: Exploring the Nikon D700

D700 FX-format CMOS Sensor

From analog to digital

CMOS versus CCD

Pixels

Key Components of the D700

Top of the camera

Back of the camera

Front of the camera

Sides and bottom of camera

Viewfinder Display

Control Panel

Shooting Info Display

Chapter 2: Nikon D700 Essentials

Exposure Modes

Programmed Auto

Aperture Priority

Shutter Priority

Manual

Metering Modes

Matrix

Center-weighted

Spot

Focus Modes

How the D700 autofocus works

Continuous

Single

Manual

Autofocus Area Modes

Single-area AF

Dynamic-area AF

Auto-area AF

ISO Sensitivity

Auto ISO

Noise reduction

White Balance

What is Kelvin?

White balance settings

Picture Controls

Original Picture Controls

Optional Picture Controls

Custom Picture Controls

JPEG

TIFF

Image Size

Image Quality

NEF (RAW)

Type of compression

Bit depth

Live View

Chapter 3: Setting Up the Nikon D700

Playback Menu

Delete

Playback folder

Hide image

Display mode

Image review

After delete

Rotate tall

Slide show

Print set (DPOF)

Shooting Menu

Shooting menu bank

Reset shooting menu

Active folder

File naming

Image quality

Image size

Image area

JPEG compression

NEF (RAW) recording

White balance

Set Picture Control

Manage Picture Control

Color space

Active D-Lighting

Vignette control

Long exp. NR

High ISO NR

ISO sensitivity settings

Live view

Multiple exposure

Interval timer shooting

Custom Settings Menu

Custom setting bank

Reset custom settings

CSM a – Autofocus

CSM b – Metering/exposure

CSM c – Timers/AE lock

CSM d – Shooting/display

CSM e – Bracketing/flash

CSM f – Controls

Setup Menu

Format memory card

LCD brightness

Clean image sensor

Lock mirror up for cleaning

Video mode

HDMI

World time

Language

Image comment

Auto image rotation

Dust off ref photo

Battery info

Wireless transmitter

Image authentication

Copyright information

Save/load settings

GPS

Virtual horizon

Non-CPU lens data

AF fine tune

Firmware version

Retouch Menu

My Menu

Quick Settings Display

Part II: Capturing Great Images with the Nikon D700

Chapter 4: Selecting and Using Lenses

Wide-Angle and Ultrawide Lenses

When to use a wide-angle lens

Understanding limitations

Mid-Range or Standard Zoom Lenses

Telephoto Lenses

Special Purpose Lenses

Perspective Control lenses

Macro (Micro-NIKKOR) lenses

Fisheye lenses

Using VR Lenses

Using DX Lenses

Third-Party Lenses

Sigma

Tamron

Tokina

Lens Accessories

Teleconverters

Extension tubes

Filters

Chapter 5: Essential Photography Concepts

Exposure

Shutter speed

ISO

Aperture

Understanding Depth of Field

Exposure Compensation

Histograms

Bracketing

White Balance bracketing

Chapter 6: Working with Light

Natural Light

D700 Flash Basics

Achieving proper exposures

Flash exposure modes

Flash sync modes

Flash Exposure Compensation

Fill flash

Bounce flash

Nikon Creative Lighting System Basics

Understanding the Creative Lighting System

Speedlights

Using the Built-In Speedlight

Studio Strobes

Continuous Lighting

Incandescent and halogen

Fluorescent

HMI

Light Modifiers

Umbrellas

Softboxes

Diffusion panels

Other light modifiers

Chapter 7: Advanced Shooting Techniques

Action and Sports Photography

Techniques

Action and sports photography tips

Architectural Photography

Perspective

Architectural photography tips

Concert Photography

Techniques

Concert photography tips

Macro Photography

Macro lens alternatives

Macro photography tips

Night Photography

Techniques

Night photography tips

Portrait Photography

Studio considerations

Portrait lighting patterns

Posing and composition considerations

Indoor

Outdoor

Portrait photography tips

Product and Still-Life Photography

Considerations

Product and still-life photography tips

Wildlife Photography

Considerations

Wildlife photography tips

Chapter 8: Viewing and In-Camera Editing

Viewing Your Images

The Retouch Menu

Retouch Menu Options

D-Lighting

Red-eye correction

Trim

Monochrome

Filter effects

Color balance

Image overlay

Side-by-side comparison

Part III: Appendixes

Appendix A: Accessories

When to use a tripod

Which tripod is right for you?

Appendix B: D700 Specifications

Appendix C: Online Resources

Glossary

Nikon® D700 Digital Field Guide

by J. Dennis Thomas

Nikon® D700 Digital Field Guide

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.10475 Crosspoint Blvd.Indianapolis, IN 46256www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-0-470-41320-3

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

J. Dennis Thomas is a freelance photographer based out of Austin, Texas. He’s been using a camera for fun and profit for almost 25 years. Schooled in photography first in high school then at Austin College, he has won numerous awards for both his film and digital photography. Denny has a passion for teaching others about photography and teaches black-and-white film photography to middle school students as well as lighting and digital photography seminars in Austin. He enjoys all types of photography and his photographic subjects are diverse, from weddings and studio portraits to concerts and extreme sports events. He has written six highly successful Digital Field Guides for Wiley Publishing and has another in the works. His work has been featured in numerous galleries, magazines, and newspapers in the central Texas area and beyond.

Credits

Acquisitions Editor

Courtney Allen

Project Editor

Jama Carter

Technical Editor

Michael Corrado

Copy Editor

Lauren Kennedy

Editorial Manager

Robyn B. 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

Erin Smith

Graphics and Production Specialists

Andrea HornbergerJennifer MayberryChristin Swinford

Quality Control Technician

John Greenough

Proofreading

Linda Quigley

Indexing

Galen Schroeder

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Courtney, Cricket, Jama, and Laura at Wiley. Thanks to Robert at Precision Camera in Austin for always getting me the camera as soon as it arrives. A special thanks to everyone who appears in my photos, without you the images would have no subject.

Introduction

Welcome to the Nikon D700 Digital Field Guide. This guide is a handy reference book to get you started using your new camera and help you understand the different features and functions that this amazing camera offers.

It is aimed at a wide variety of readers, from beginners to advanced amateurs. Some of you are familiar with many of the concepts, while others of you may be new to digital photography with a digital single lens reflex (dSLR) or new to photography altogether. You’ll find sections to help you, regardless of your level.

With its many different buttons and features, the D700 can be daunting. My goal is to explain these settings and features as clearly as possible as you learn the layout of the D700 and how to use the features out in the field.

About the D700

The D700 is the little brother to the D3, which came on the market August 2007. The D3 was Nikon’s first camera with a 24 × 36mm full-frame sensor (which Nikon dubs FX). Unfortunately the $5,000 price tag was a bit beyond what most casual photographers could afford. Nikon addressed the need for a more affordable FX camera with a more compact body, and announced the D700 on July 1, 2008. The D700 is essentially a D3 within the body of a D300.

The D700’s FX sensor is identical to the D3’s 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor. One of the advantages of having a larger FX sensor is that you have larger pixels that collect light more effectively; this enables you to use higher ISO settings without digital noise.

Another advantage is that the D700’s FX sensor allows you to use your lenses without worrying about the pesky “crop factor” that plagues the DX camera lines. Indeed, a 28mm lens is once again a wide-angle lens on the D700. For those of you who started with a DX camera and purchased DX-only lenses such as Nikon’s AF-S 17-55mm f/2.8, no worries. Nikon has built in a feature that allows the D700 to crop down to a DX-sized image; this way you can use your DX lenses effectively on the D700 camera body, albeit the sensor resolution is reduced from 12.1 megapixels to 5.1 megapixels. The D700 is compatible with almost all the Nikon lenses ever made. Nikon lenses are world renowned for their quality and durability. You can use hundreds of different lenses on the D700, and any new lens Nikon releases will be compatible.

The D700 is also compatible with Nikon’s proprietary Creative Lighting System. The D700 has a built-in flash with a wireless commander mode so, unlike the D3 without a pop-up flash, the D700 can control a number of off-camera Speedlights wirelessly for the ultimate control of your lighting. You can use the D700 with a number of Nikon’s Speedlights, from the new flagship flash, the SB-900, on down to the SB-800, SB-600, SB-400, or the macro lighting kit, the R1C1.

As with all Nikon professional cameras, the D700 boasts a sturdy magnesium-framed body that is augmented by weather-sealing gaskets made to keep dust, dirt, and moisture from getting inside the camera body and damaging the internal components. The D700’s rugged yet compact camera body can withstand the abuse of any demanding photographer and should last for years to come.

Although the D700 is relatively affordable, Nikon hasn’t stripped down any of its features as some other camera manufacturers are known to do. The D700 sports the same impressive Multi-CAM 3500FX 51-point autofocus (AF) system as the D3, the D3’s EXPEED imaging processor, and a 14-bit analog-to-digital converter, as well as 16-bit image processing. Like the D3 and the D300, the D700 is also equipped with the versatile Live View function, which allows you to compose your images on the amazing high-resolution, 922,000-pixel, 3-inch LCD screen — a handy feature for framing subjects that may be difficult when you’re looking through the viewfinder.

All in all, as you’ve gathered by now, the D700 is an impressive, durable camera in a compact body that offers many features you previously could only find in the substantially more expensive D3, and that will be sure to last for many years to come.

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Part I: Using the Nikon D700

• • • •

In This Part

Chapter 1: Exploring the Nikon D700

Chapter 2: Nikon D700 Essentials

Chapter 3: Setting Up the Nikon D700

• • • •

Chapter 1: Exploring the Nikon D700

• • • •

In This Chapter

D700 FX-format CMOS sensor

Key components of the D700

Viewfinder display

Control panel

Shooting info display

• • • •

The Nikon D700 is considered one of Nikon’s pro-level performance camera models and, therefore, has many more buttons, dials, and knobs than most consumer and mid-level cameras. This makes it faster and easier to access the controls that are used most, especially for advanced or professional photographers. To use the same functions in consumer cameras such as the D60 and D90, you need to navigate the menu functions, which can cost precious time when you are in the midst of shooting. Instead of pressing the Multi-selector ten times to find the correct option in the menu system, you simply press one button and rotate a dial — it’s quick and easy

With its many buttons and dials, the D700 can be daunting, especially if you are upgrading from a consumer camera, are new to photography in general, or are switching camera brands. This chapter helps you become familiar with the D700’s various features, as well as the LCD control panel and viewfinder displays.

D700 FX-format CMOS Sensor

The FX-format CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semi-conductor) sensor is arguably the most important part of the camera and the main reason why many photographers buy the D700. For quite a few years, Nikon has been using APS-C sized sensors (which they call DX-format) in all their cameras. They are about 24mm × 16mm and because they are much smaller than a standard frame of 35mm film, lenses are subject to a “crop factor.” This causes the lenses to perform differently than they have on film cameras. Finally Nikon released the D3, their first “full-frame,” or FX, dSLR, meaning that the sensor is the same size as a standard frame of 35mm film. This allows lenses to perform exactly as they had with film cameras, giving you the same angle of view. Unfortunately, the D3 was a bit expensive, out of the price range for most amateurs. Surprisingly, not long after the launch of the D3, Nikon released a dSLR that is essentially a D3 in a D300-sized body at nearly half the price. This amazing 36 × 24mm, 12 megapixel CMOS sensor gives almost no noise, even at ISO settings up to 6400.