9/7/09

How to Use the Nikon D1h and D2h

Adapted from Kevin Daly's “how to use the d1h”

9/7/09

The basics: exposure

Exposure is the amount of light that hits the sensor during the duration of a photograph.

Exposure is measured by “Exposure Value”(EV)

Changes between Exposure Values are measured in “stops”

Under exposed Correctly Exposed Over-Exposed

(not enough light) (right amount of light) (too much light)

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The basics: shutter speed & aperture

The exposure is determined by the amount of light that hits the sensor of the camera.

3 factors affect the amount of light the sensor “sees”

Aperture

Shutter Speed

ISO/ASA - “film speed/sensor sensitivity”

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The basics: aperture

-Aperture is the size of the opening in the lens that allows light to pass into the camera body (and the onto the sensor during an exposure.)

-Aperture is measured in F-Stops (written as fractions)

More light (f/4) Less light (f/22)

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aperture & depth of field

Aperture also determines depth of field, which is how wide or narrow the field of focus is.

This is used to control the appearance of out of focus background or foreground elements in a photo

Note this setup:

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f/1.8

f/5.6

f/10

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The basics: shutter speed

Shutter speed is how long the shutter stays open during an exposure.

It is measured in fractions of seconds and is written just as the denominator

(ie 1/125s is written on camera as “125”)

For any given scene, the smaller the aperture (big number) the slower the shutter speed needed and vice versa.

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The basics: iso

ISO is how sensitive the sensor is to light. The higher the ISO, the grainier the images are – but higher ISO’s also allow for faster shutter speeds.

ISO 200 ISO 1600

Notice the image on the right is grainier looking in the shadowsISO is adjusted by holding down the ISO button, and rotating the rear

command dial

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Exposure Compensation

'+/-' buttonTells the camera to under or over expose the image by xStops

Under exposing allows you to use a slightly faster shutter speed and will generally boost color saturation

Over exposing will use a slower shutter speed and wash out colors

Use Exposure Compensation when the images you are getting out of the camera are showing up as either too dark (+ comp) or too light (- comp)

Do not use the LCD to determine if the exposure is correct – check the histogram by pressing up/down buttons when reviewing the picture.

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Shooting Modes: P,S,A,M There are four shooting modes to choose

from:

Program Auto (P) – the camera automatically picks the shutter speed and aperture for you.

Aperture Priority (A) – you choose the aperture you’d like to shoot at, and the camera chooses the appropriate shutter speed. USE APERTURE PRIORITY 90% OF THE TIME

Shutter Priority (S) – you choose the shutter speed you want, and the camera chooses the appropriate aperture

Manual (M) – you control both shutter speed and aperture.

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How to adjust aperture and shutter speed

Shutter speed is adjusted on the rear command dial, while aperture is adjusted using the forward command dial

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The basics: white balance

Changing the white balance changes the colors of the imageChoose your white balance based on what light source is being used

In camera options:Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Tungsten, Flourescent, Flash, Preset, Auto

Making your own preset with an EXPODisc is the most accurate, but is not necessary most of the time

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Using preset white balance

Preset white balance is usually yields the most accurate results, especially in mixed lighting.

-Hit menu and navigate to the shooting menu (camera icon)

-Go to “White Bal”

-Select “WB Preset”

-Hit “Set”

-Then take a photo of an expodisk or neutral gray/white thing (paper, wall, etc.) *Note – the gray/white does NOT need to be in focus*

-The LCD will display a message letting you know if it was properly set

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Light metering modes

There are three types of metering:

1) Matrix 2) Spot 3) Center-weighted

-Matrix metering uses the entire frame to decide how to expose-Spot metering uses just the center of the frame (or focus point) to determine exposure-Center weighted combines the two by putting emphasis on the center while also taking the rest of the frame into account

USE MATRIX FOR 90% OF THE TIME

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Autofocus

There are two settings for autofocus: single-servo or continuous-servo

On single, once the focus has locked on to something, it stays there, allowing you to recompose the frame as long as your finger keeps the shutter half-depressed.

On continuous, the autofocus continually adjusts and readjusts itself, allowing you to track moving things

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Continuous Shooting

The camera can be set to single or continuous shooting.

In continuous, the camera keeps firing as long as your finger is depressing the shutter release button or until the buffer fills up.

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T

What’s on the top LCD?L-R, top – bottom:

shutter speed (30 = 1/30s)Aperture (f/4)Exposure compensation (+2/3)shooting mode (M=Manual)AF mode (single area)Battery# of Pictures on Card