Nikon Camera manual

Pr ofessional Setting Guide[...]

ii T able of Con tents T ak ing Photographs T ak ing Photographs 1 1 Improving Camera Response ........................................... 2 Settings by Subject ............................................................. 6 Matching Settings to Y our Goal...................................... 12 Reducing Camera Blur: Vibration Reduction ..........[...]

iii Autof ocus Tips ................................................................... 35 F ocusing with the AF-ON Button ........................................ 35 Choosing the Number of F ocus Points ............................. 35 AF-C Priority Selection ............................................................ 36 AF-Area Mode ............[...]

iv T able of Contents First- Time Users 6 First- Time Users 6 7 7 Customizing the Command Dials ....................................... 68 Reversing Indicators ................................................................ 68 Choosing the Primary Slot .................................................... 69 Adjusting Monitor Brightness ...........[...]

1 T aking Photographs This chapter describes how the camera can be con gured for improv ed shutter response and settings adjusted for dif- ferent subjects, and giv es tips on using autofocus.[...]

2 Improving Camera Response This section introduces settings for r eliably and quickly photographing athletes and other moving subjects. Continuous-Servo AF (AF-C) Continuous-Servo AF (AF-C ) Press the AF-mode but- ton and rotate the main command dial to select AF-C . Focus is adjusted continuously while the shutter-release button is pressed halfwa[...]

3 A A Custom Settings Custom Settings a1 AF-C priority selec tion > Release : The camera gives priority to shutter r elease over f o- cus, ensuring that you nev er miss a shot (page 36). a10 Store points by orienta tion > Y es : S elect separate focus points in landscape and portrait orientations for quick framing (page 41). c2 Standby timer [...]

4 f3 Assign Fn button/f4 Assign preview button > Press > MY MENU : Add C ustom settings bank to My Menu and then use the Fn or Pv button to quickly select a bank ac- cording to the scene . T o add items t o My Menu: Select Add items . In My Menu, highlight Add items and press 2 . Add items. Navigate to the item y ou wish to add and press J , [...]

5 Improving Camer a Response f16 Assign movie record button > Press + command dial > ISO sensitivity : When taking photos, use your right hand on the movie rec ord button and main command dial to set ISO sensitivity without taking your eye from the view nder . Lens V ibration Reduction (VR) Lens V ibration Reduction (VR) Lens VR switch >[...]

6 In addition to the changes described above under “I m- proving Camera Response ” , you can  ne-tune settings to improve r esponse for speci c subjects. Situation Situation AF-C priority selection (page 36) AF-area mode (page 38) Focus tracking with lock-on (page 44) See also Most team sports (e.g., soc cer/rugby) . Choose these basic se[...]

7 Situation AF-C priority AF-C priority selection selection (page (page 36 36 ) ) AF-area AF-area mode mode (page (page 38 38 ) ) Focus tracking Focus tracking with lock-on with lock-on (page (page 44 44 ) ) See also See also Release Dynamic- area AF (9 points) 3 (Normal) High- contrast scenes, backlighting: page 13 Release or Focus + release 3 (No[...]

8 Situation Situation AF-C priority selection (page 36) AF-area mode (page 38) Focus tracking with lock-on (page 44) See also Outer focus points ar e used (e.g ., speed skating) . In- crease number of dynamic-area f ocus points by one level when framing pictures in “tall” (portrait) orientation. Choose Focus + release for improv ed focus when p[...]

9 Settings by Subject Situation AF-C priority AF-C priority selection selection (page (page 36 36 ) ) AF-area AF-area mode mode (page (page 38 38 ) ) Focus tracking Focus tracking with lock-on with lock-on (page (page 44 44 ) ) See also See also Focus + release Dynamic- area AF (21 points) 3 (Normal) AF-C priority selec- tion: page 36 Release Dynam[...]

10 T aking Photographs Situation Situation AF-C priority selection (page 36) AF-area mode (page 38) Focus tracking with lock-on (page 44) See also Time between f ocus and shooting is short and there are obstacles between autofocus tar get and camer a (e.g ., volleyball or swimming) . Use single -point AF to prevent camera f ocusing on obstacles suc[...]

11 Settings by Subject Situation AF-C priority AF-C priority selection selection (page (page 36 36 ) ) AF-area AF-area mode mode (page (page 38 38 ) ) Focus tracking Focus tracking with lock-on with lock-on (page (page 44 44 ) ) See also See also Release Single-point AF 3 (Normal) The standby timer: page 3[...]

12 Matching Settings to Y our Goal Reducing Camera Blur: Vibration Reduction Vibration reduction ( VR) is suppor ted with VR lenses. T o re - duce camera blur , choose a setting suited to the subjec t. Situation Situation VR mode VR mode Moving subjects shot at shutter speeds of 1⁄500 s or faster: Because blur is less likely , OFF is recommended [...]

13 Preserving Natural C ontrast: A ctive D-Lighting Active D-Lighting helps pre- serve details in highlights and shadows. Use Active D-Lighting for natural con- trast when photographing day matches in stadiums and other venues that mix sunlight and shade. The following settings ar e suggested: Active D-Lighting : Auto 1 Metering : Matrix 2 Exposure[...]

14 Quick Setting Selection: Shooting Menu Banks Use the Shooting menu bank option in the shooting menu when you need to switch rapidly fr om one group of settings to another , for example when alternating be - tween sunlight and shade. Shooting Menu Banks Shooting Menu Banks Shooting menu settings are stored in f our banks (A, B , C, and D). T o st[...]

15 Matching Settings to Y our Goal Finding C ontrols in the Dark: Button Backlights If you are having trouble  nding camera controls in the dark, rotate the power switch toward D t o activate the control panel and but- ton backlights. The back- lights remain on for 6 s after the switch is r eleased. The Standby Timer If On is selected for Custom[...]

16 Reducing Noise and Blur: Auto ISO Sensitivity Con trol When On is selected for ISO sensitivity settings > Auto ISO sensitivity control in the shooting menu, the camera au- tomatically adjusts ISO sensitivity if op- timal exposure can not be achieved at the value selected by the user . Auto ISO sensitivity control can be  ne - tuned using t[...]

17 Matching Settings to Y our Goal Reducing Shutter Noise: Quiet and Silent Release T o reduce the amount of noise made by the shutter during view nder photography , rotat e the release mode dial to J . In live view , shutter noise can be eliminated by selecting Silent for Live view phot ography in the shooting menu (note that while FX format pi[...]

18 Optimizing White Balance If auto white balance does not produce the desir ed results, you can try another setting, choose a color temperature , or use preset manual white balance as described below . Choosing a Setting Choosing a Setting Press the U butt on and rotate the main command dial until the desired setting is displayed in the r ear cont[...]

19 Matching Settings to Y our Goal Choosing a Color T emperature Choosing a Color T emperature T o choose a color temperature for the amber (A )–blue (B) axis, select a white balance setting of K ( Choose color temp . ) as described opposite and then press the U but- ton and rotate the sub-command dial until the desired value is displayed in the [...]

20 Preset Manual White Balanc e Preset Manual White Balanc e T o choose a white balance preset, select a white balance setting of L (page 18) and then press the U button and rotate the sub-command dial until the desired preset (d-1 to d-4) is displayed in the r ear control panel. U button Sub- command dial Rear control panel T o measure white balan[...]

21 Matching Settings to Y our Goal Select direct measurement mode. Press the U butt on brie y and then press the button until the L icon in the rear contr ol panel starts to  ash. A  ashing D will also ap - pear in the top control panel and view nder . The displays will  ash for about 6 s. Measure white balance . Before the indicator[...]

22 V arying W hite Balance: W hite Balance Brack eting Use bracketing if you hav e trouble adjusting white bal- ance. Ever y time you take a photo , the camera will create multiple copies, each with a di erent white balance. Select white balance bracketing. Select WB bracketing for C ustom Setting e6 ( Auto bracketing set ). Note that white bala[...]

23 Matching Settings to Y our Goal Select a bracketing increment. Pressing the D butt on, rotate the sub-command dial to choose an increment of 1 (5 mir ed), 2 (10 mired), or 3 (15 mired). Bracketing incr ement D button Sub- command dial T op control panel Prog rams with increments of 1 are shown belo w . Con tro l p ane l Control panel No. of copi[...]

24 Fr ame a photograph, focus , and shoot. Each shot is processed to cr eate the selected number of copies; with each copy , white balanc e is incre- mented by the selected amount, starting from the value selected for white balance  ne -tuning. If space is insu cient for all the copies, n and the icon for the a ec ted card will  ash in [...]

25 Matching Settings to Y our Goal Cancelling Brack eting Cancelling Brack eting T o cancel bracketing, press the D button and rotat e the main command dial until the number of copies is 0 ( r ) and W is no longer displayed. The program last in ef- fect will be restored the next time bracketing is activated. Bracketing can also be cancelled by perf[...]

26 Copying White Balance from a Photograph F ollow the steps below to c opy a value for white balanc e from an existing photograph to a selected preset. Select preset manual white balance. Press G and select White balance in the shooting menu. Highlight Preset manual and pr ess 2 . Select a destination. Highlight the destination preset (d-1 to d-4)[...]

27 Matching Settings to Y our Goal Highlight a source image. Highlight the source image. T o view the highlighted image full frame, press and hold the X button. T o view images in other locations, press W and selec t the desired card and folder . Copy white balanc e. Press J to copy the white balance value f or the high- lighted photograph to the s[...]

28 Creating a Multiple Exposure Record from 2 t o 10 exposures in a single photo . Select Multiple exposure . Select Multiple exposure in the shooting menu. Select a mode. Highlight Multiple exposure mode and press 2 , then highlight one of the following and press J t o select the highlighted option and return to the multiple exposure menu. 0 On (s[...]

29 Matching Settings to Y our Goal Adjust gain. Select Auto gain and choose from the following options . On : Gain is adjusted according t o number of exposures actually re- corded (gain for each exposur e is set to ½ for 2 exposures , ⁄ for 3 exposures, etc .). • O : Gain is not adjusted when a multiple exposure is recorded . Recomme[...]

30 Interrupting Multiple Exposures Interrupting Multiple Exposures T o interrupt a multiple exposure before the speci ed num- ber of exposures have been taken, select O for multiple exposure mode. If shooting ends befor e the speci ed num- ber of exposures have been taken, a multiple exposur e will be created from the exposur es that have [...]

31 Matching Settings to Y our Goal Copying P ictures Between Memory Cards When two memory cards are inserted, you can use the options in the playback Cop y image(s) menu to copy pic- tures between the two cards (images will not be copied if there is not enough space on the destination card or if Enable is selected for Network > Net work connecti[...]

32 Keeping the Camer a Lev el: V irtual Horizon Roll and pitch data from the camera tilt sensor can be dis- played f or assistance in levelling the camera on a tripod and in other similar situations. The Monitor The Monitor The Virtual horizon option in the setup menu is used to display a virtual horizon in the monitor . The roll ref erence line tu[...]

33 Matching Settings to Y our Goal The View nder The View nder When Vi e w nder virtual horizon is selected for Cust om Setting f3 ( Assign Fn button ) or f4 ( Assign preview but- ton ) > Press , pressing the button displa ys pitch and roll indicators in the view nder. Roll Camera tilted right Camera tilted right Camera horizontal Ca[...]

34 Composing Photogr aphs: The F raming Grid F or help composing photo- graphs, select On for C ustom Setting d6 ( Vie w  nder grid display ) to display a framing grid in the view nder. Fr aming grid Resizing Photographs for Upload: Resize Use the Resize option in the retouch menu t o create small copies of selected photographs. Resized Copie[...]

35 Autofocus Tips Focusing with the AF-ON Button If AF-ON only is selec ted for Cust om Set- ting a4 ( AF activation ), the B button can be used to focus and the shutter-r e- lease button to release the shutter . T o lock focus or suspend autof ocus when an obstacle comes between you and the subject, release the B button. B button In the AF-ON posi[...]

36 AF-C Priority Selection Custom Setting a1 ( AF-C priority selection ) controls whether the camera gives priority to focus or shutt er re- lease. G Release : Pictures can be taken whether or not the camera is in fo- cus. Frame rates do not slow during burst photography . B Focus + release : In burst mode, priority is given to focus f or the fi r[...]

37 Autofocus Tips : Subject not in focus : Subject in focus : Shutter released[...]

38 AF-Area Mode AF-area modes are described below . AF-area mode AF-area mode T op control T op control panel panel View nder View nder Sample focus- Sample focus- point display point display Description Single-point AF 9-point dynamic-area AF * 21-point dynamic-area AF * 51-point dynamic-area AF * 3D-tracking Auto-area AF * Only active focus[...]

39 Autofocus Tips AF-area mode T op control panel View nder Sample focus- point display Description Description The focus point is selected manually . The camera focuses on the subject in the selected focus point only . Choose for subjects you can keep framed in the selected focus point. The focus point is selected manually . The camera focuses [...]

40 Focus P oint Selection and Aper ture The focus points available vary with the maximum aper ture of the lens. Maximum aperture f/5.6 or faster : Focus point selection is suppor ted with all 51 points: 15 cross sensors ( ) at the center of the display and 18 line sensors ( ) on either side. Maximum aperture slower than f/5.6 but faster than f/8 (e[...]

41 Autofocus Tips Focus P oint Selection and Camera Orienta tion When Ye s is selec ted for C ustom Setting a10 ( Store points by orientation ), separate f ocus points can be selected for “wide” (landscape) orientation and for “tall ” (portrait) ori- entation (camera rotated 90° clockwise or counterclock - wise). If No is selected, the sam[...]

42 Adjusting Autof ocus to the Lens: AF F ine-T une If you  nd that cer tain lenses do not produce the desired results with autofocus , you can adjust f ocus for each lens using the AF  ne -tune > Saved value or Default options in the setup menu (note that AF tuning may interfere with normal focus; use only when requir ed). Option Option D[...]

43 Autofocus Tips Checking Focus Checking Focus Position a ruler at an angle so that one of the rules is at the same distance from the camera as a vertical surface such as the cover of a book stood upright. U sing autofocus , focus on the vertical sur face and then photograph the selected rule using focus lock. The illustration below shows ho w to [...]

44 Focus Tr acking with Lock-On By preventing the camera from r efocusing when y our sub- ject is brie y obscur ed by another object, focus tracking with lock-on ensures that the camera will continue to track the main subject once the obstacle has moved away (c on- tinuous-servo AF only). Choose the length of time before the camera refocuses fr [...]

45 Movies This chapter cov ers basic camera set- tings and tips and tricks you can use when shooting movies, in the order y ou will use them during  lming.[...]

46 Before Filming Before  lming, ready the camera as described below . Sound The D4 supports the following sound recording f eatures . External Microphones External Microphones The optional ME-1 stereo micr ophone can be used to re- cord sound in ster eo or to avoid r ecording lens noise dur- ing autofocus. T o reduce low-frequency noise, includ[...]

47 Movie Settings In addition to microphone sensitivity , the following op- tions can be adjusted using Movie settings . Frame Size , Fr ame Rate , and Movie Quality Frame Size , Fr ame Rate, and Mo vie Quality Fr ame size, frame rate , and movie quality can be chosen using Fr ame size/frame ra te and Movie quality . The cam- era o ers sizes of [...]

48 Image Area Using an FX lens with movie live view gives you a choice of two crops in addition to the standard FX -based f ormat: 1. T o record movies with a cr op factor 2.7× that of an FX format lens used with a non-D X image area, select a “1920 × 1080 crop ” option for Movie options > F rame size/frame ra te in the shooting menu. The [...]

49 Before Filming Destination Destination Choose the slot to which movies are recorded . The menu shows the time available on each card; r ecording ends automatically when no time remains. Live view can be used to rec ord movies up to 29 minutes 59 seconds in length. ISO Sensitivity Range ISO Sensitivity Range Choose the range of ISO sensitivities [...]

50 Movies Starting Movie Live V iew Select movie live view . Rotate the live view selector to 1 . Live view selector Start live view . Press the a butt on. a button The Shutter-Release Button If Record movies is selected for Custom Setting g4 ( As- sign shutter button ), you can pr ess the shutter-release button halfway once to start live view and [...]

51 Before Filming Exposure Mode Before r ecording , press the I ( Q ) button and rotate the main command dial to choose an exposure mode . The settings that can be adjusted in movie live view ar e deter- mined by the exposure mode as shown belo w . Aperture Aperture Shutter speed Shutter speed ISO sensitivity ISO sensitivity Exposure comp. Exposure[...]

52 Using Autof ocus T o focus using autofocus, rotate the focus-mode se- lector to AF and select auto- focus and AF-area modes as described below . Focus -mode selector Choosing a Focus Mode Choosing a Focus Mode Press the AF-mode butt on and rotate the main command dial until the desired mode is displayed in the monit or . AF-mode button Main comm[...]

53 Before Filming Choosing an AF-Area Mode Choosing an AF-Area Mode Press the AF-mode butt on and rotate the sub-command dial until the desired mode is displayed in the monit or . AF-mode button Sub- command dial Monitor ! ! Face-priority AF : Camera focuses on faces . If multiple faces (up to 35) are detected , desired subject can be chosen with m[...]

54 Lens V ibration Reduction (VR) W e recommend using VR lenses with the vibration reduction ON/OFF switch in the ON position. If the lens has a vibration reduction mode switch, choose NORMAL for hand-held photograph y or when using a mono- pod. Vibration reduction should generally be turned o when the camera is on a tripod, although an exc epti[...]

55 Before Filming Adjusting Settings During Live View Y ou can highlight the microphone sensitivity, headphone volume, or monitor brightness indicat or in the live view display by holding W and pressing 4 or 2 , and then ad- just the highlighted setting by pressing 1 or 3 . Headphone volume Monitor brightness Microphone sensitivity Sound level Note[...]

56 The Informa tion Display Press the R butt on to choose the information display ed during movie live view . Information on Information o Framing guides Virtual horizon Histogram Hide indicators when the camera is connected to an exter- nal recording devic e (page 64). ● ● Movies[...]

57 Before Filming Checking Focus If Zoom on/o is selected for Custom Setting f1 ( Multi selector center but- ton ) > Live view , you can press the center of the multi selector to zoom in on the current focus point. The initial zoom setting can be selected from low , medium, and high magni cation b y highlighting Zoom on/o option in the [...]

58 Starting and Ending Recording Press the mo vie-record button to start recording . If Record movies is selected for Cust om Setting g4 ( Assign shutter button ), you can start and end movie recording b y pressing the shutter-re- lease button all the way down. If the camera is mounted on a tripod, you can reduce camera shake by using the release o[...]

59 Filming Movies Editing Movies The Edit movie option in the retouch menu can be used to create edited c op- ies of the movies on the memory card. Select Choose star t/end point to trim unwanted f ootage in amounts as small as 0.5 s, or Save selected frames to sav e selected frames as JPEG stills. ● ●[...]

60 Time-Lapse Movies F ollow the steps below to cr eate silent time-lapse movies from photos taken automatically at selected intervals. The resulting movie is rec orded at the settings currently select- ed for Movie settings in the shooting menu . W e recom- mend that you connect the camera to an AC po wer supply using an optional EH-6b AC adapter [...]

61 Time-Lapse Movies Choose the shooting time. Enter a shooting time of from 1 minute to 7 hours 59 minut es (the selected setting is shown in the bottom section of the dialog) and press 2 to proc eed. Start shooting. Highlight On and pr ess J (to return to the shooting menu without start- ing time-lapse photography , select O ). Shooting will b[...]

62 Interrupting Time-Lapse Photography Interrupting Time-Lapse Photography Time-lapse photography will end automatically if the bat- tery is exhausted. The following will also end time-lapse photography: Selecting Star t > O for Time-lapse photography Pressing J between frames or immediat ely after a frame is recorded T urning the camera o[...]

63 Time-Lapse Movies Time Lapse Photography Time-lapse photography is not available in live view , at a shutter speed of A or when bracketing, High Dynamic Range (HDR), multiple exposure, or interval timer photog- raphy is active. T o record changes in brightness, use manual exposure; f or consistent framing, colors and f ocus, turn vibration reduc[...]

64 HDMI Output The camera can be connected to HDMI recor ding devices. Connect to HDMI device The HDMI option in the setup menu controls HDMI out- put. Output Resolution Output Resolution Auto is recommended. O ther settings should be used only if Auto does not produce the desired r esults. Advanc ed Advance d Adjust settings as follo ws: Output ra[...]

65 HDMI Recording The D4 does not compress HDMI output, with the result that the camera can be connected to an HDMI recording device and movie footage recor ded at a higher quality than if it were sav ed to a memory card. Note that while movies are being recor ded with the camera, the camera may output movie footage at a smaller frame size than tha[...]

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67 First- Time Users[...]

68 Customizing the C ommand Dials Custom Setting f10: Customize Command Dials Custom Setting f10: Customize Command Dials Reverse rota tion : Reverse the direction of rotation for the main and sub-command dials when making adjustments to Ex- posure compensation and/or Shutter speed/aperture (these settings also ap- ply to the command dials for v er[...]

69 First- Time Users Choosing the Primary Slot When using two memory cards, you can choose one as the primary card using the Primary slot selec tion item in the shooting menu. Adjusting Monitor Brightness The Monitor brightness option in the setup menu can be used to adjust monitor brightness for pla yback, menus, and the information display . Opti[...]

70 Metering T o choose how the camera sets exposure, press the Y but- ton and rotate the main command dial until the desir ed metering option is displayed in the view nder and top control panel. Choose from matrix ( L ), center-weighted ( M ), and spot ( N ) metering. T op control panel Y button Main command dial View nder ● ● First- Time[...]

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© 2012 Nikon Corporation Printed in Japan CS SB#### (11)[...]