Introduction 1
About This Book 1
How This Book Is Organized 1
Icons and Other Stuff to Note 3
Where to Go from Here 3
Part 1: Fast Track to Super Snaps 5
Chapter 1: First Steps, First Shots 7
Getting Started 8
Taking a Brief Camera Tour 14
Back-of-the-body controls 14
Topside controls 17
Front-of-the-camera features 19
Hidden connections 20
Using the Touchscreen 21
Navigating Menus 23
Saving Time with the i Menu 26
Looking at Display Options 28
Choosing which displays are active 28
Decoding photo-shooting data 30
Customizing the shooting display 33
Magnifying the display 36
Using the Touch Shutter (or Not) 37
Exploring a Few Lens Features 38
Reviewing a Few More Setup Options 42
Restoring Default Settings 45
Shooting a Photo in Auto Mode 45
Trying Self-Portrait Mode 49
Chapter 2: Choosing Basic Picture Settings 53
Picking a Shooting Mode 54
Setting the Release Mode 57
Reviewing Release modes 57
Changing the Release mode 61
Enabling Silent Photography 62
Selecting Image Size and Image Quality 64
Considering Image Size (resolution) 64
Understanding Image Quality Options 68
Adjusting the Image Size and Quality settings 73
Setting the Image Area 75
Turning On Vibration Reduction 76
Part 2: Beyond the Basics 79
Chapter 3: Taking Charge of Exposure 81
Meeting the Exposure Trio: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO 82
Aperture affects depth of field 84
Shutter speed affects motion blur 85
ISO affects image noise 87
Doing the exposure balancing act 88
Gaining Maximum Exposure Control 89
Choosing a Shutter Type 91
Taking Advantage of Exposure Guides 95
Seeing live previews in the displays 95
Reading the brightness histogram 96
Reading the exposure meter 98
Choosing a Metering Mode 101
Setting Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO 104
Adjusting aperture and shutter speed 104
Controlling ISO 110
Solving Exposure Problems 114
Applying Exposure Compensation 114
Expanding tonal range 118
Eliminating vignetting 125
Using autoexposure lock 126
Adding Flash 126
Setting the Flash mode 127
Adjusting flash strength 130
Looking at a few more flash options 131
Taking Advantage of Auto Bracketing 133
Chapter 4: Controlling Focus and Depth of Field 137
Reviewing Touchscreen Focus Options 138
Controlling the Autofocus System 139
Choosing a Focus mode 140
Picking the right AF-area mode 143
Choosing the right focus combos 149
Exploring a few other autofocus tweaks 154
Focusing Manually 157
Manipulating Depth of Field 159
Chapter 5: Mastering Color Controls 165
Understanding White Balance 165
Changing the White Balance setting 167
Fine-tuning a White Balance setting 171
Creating Custom White Balance Presets 173
Creating a preset with direct measurement 173
Creating a preset based on a photo 176
Selecting the preset you want to use 177
Editing presets 178
Choosing a Color Space 180
Taking a Quick Look at Picture Controls 181
Chapter 6: Putting It All Together 187
Recapping Basic Picture Settings 187
Shooting Still Portraits 189
Capturing Action 194
Capturing Scenic Vistas 197
Capturing Dynamic Close-Ups 200
Chapter 7: Recording Video 203
Understanding a Few Video Basics 203
Shooting a Video Using Default Settings 204
Adjusting Video Settings 207
Choosing a Video Format: MOV or MP4 209
Setting Frame Size, Rate, and Quality 210
Understanding basic video terminology 210
Changing frame size, fps, and bit rate 212
Controlling Audio 215
Setting microphone sensitivity 216
Adjusting other audio settings 217
Controlling and Monitoring Exposure 218
Looking at Other Menu Options 221
Screening Your Videos 225
Trimming Videos 228
Saving a Video Frame as a Still Image 229
Part 3: After the Shot 231
Chapter 8: Playback Mode: Viewing Your Photos 233
Picture Playback 101 233
Choosing Which Images to View 235
Adjusting Playback Timing 236
Disabling Automatic Picture Rotation 237
Shifting to Thumbnail Display 238
Displaying Photos in Calendar View 239
Magnifying Photos During Playback 241
Viewing Picture Data 243
Enabling display modes 245
File Information mode 245
Exposure Data mode 247
Highlight display mode (“blinkies” mode) 248
RGB Histogram mode 248
Shooting Data mode 250
Overview mode 251
Chapter 9: Working with Picture and Video Files 253
Rating Photos and Videos 254
Protecting Files 256
Deleting Files 257
Deleting files one at a time 258
Deleting all files in a folder 258
Deleting a batch of selected files 259
Introducing Nikon’s Free Photo Software 261
Downloading Pictures to Your Computer 264
Processing Raw (NEF) Files 267
Preparing Pictures for Online Sharing 270
Part 4: The Part of Tens 275
Chapter 10: Ten More Customization Settings 277
Swapping Out Items on the i Menu 277
Creating Your Own Menu 278
Editing Filenames 279
Creating New Storage Folders 280
Controlling File Numbering 281
Assigning New Tasks to Buttons 282
Customizing the Command Dials 283
Modifying the Shutter Button’s Role 285
Adjusting Auto Shutdown Timing 285
Setting HDMI Output Options 286
Chapter 11: Ten Retouch Menu Tricks 287
Accessing Retouching Tools 288
Applying the Tools 290
Comparing Original and Edited Versions 290
Removing Red-Eye 291
Leveling Horizon Lines 292
Eliminating Lens Distortion 293
Correcting Converging Lines 294
Adjusting Exposure with D-Lighting 295
Creating a Monochrome Version 295
Cropping Your Photo 295
Chapter 12: Ten Features to Try on a Slow Day 297
Storing Settings on a Memory Card 298
Using Exposure Delay Mode 298
Interval Timer Shooting 298
Creating a Time-Lapse Video 299
Adding Copyright Notices and Comments 300
Creating a Digital Slide Show 301
Two Roads to a Multi-Image Exposure 301
Shooting Photos for Focus Stacking 303
Creating a Dust Reference File 303
Trying Pixel Mapping for Sensor Repair 304
Appendix: Intro to Nikon Snapbridge 305
Glossary of Digital Photography Terms 321
Index 329
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