Exposure Modes:
Change by pressing “Mode” button and rotating main command dial.
- P—Programmed auto; camera automatically adjusts speed & aperture; different combinations can be selected by rotating main command dial (flexible program); an asterisk will appear next to exposure-mode indicator while in flexible program; to turn off flexible program, rotate main command dial until asterisk is no longer displayed.
- S—Shutter-priority auto; select shutter speeds from 30s to 1/8000; rotate main command dial to choose shutter speed.
- A—Aperture-priority auto; for controlling depth-of-field; rotate sub-command dial to choose aperture.
- M—manual; rotate main command dial to choose shutter speed, and sub-command dial to set aperture.
Shooting Modes:
To change modes, press mode dial lock release, and turn mode dial.
- S--Single frame
- Cl--Continuous low speed; 1-4fps; 100 shots max; will slow when buffer is full
- Ch--Continuous high speed; 5fps; 100 shots max; will slow when buffer is full
- *--Self-timer
- Mup--Mirror up; press shutter-release button once to raise mirror; press again to take photo
Focus Mode:
- Controlled by Focus Mode Selector on front of camera.
- S—Single-servo Auto-Focus; Focuses and locks when shutter-release button is pressed halfway; in-focus indicator will appear in viewfinder when focus is attained.
- C—Continuous-servo Auto-Focus; focuses continuously while shutter-release button is pressed halfway; better for erratically-moving subjects.
- M—Manual
- Pressing the “AF-ON” button has same effect as pressing shutter-release button halfway.
- Built-in AF assist illuminator may not work at wide-angle zooms; has range of about 1’8” – 9’10”; Speedlight may provide the illumination when attached.
Image Size:
Press “QUAL” button and rotate the main command dial.
- Large—3872x2592 (default)
- Medium—2896x1944
- Small—1936x1296
Image Quality (JPEG Compression) Menu:
- Can change between Size Priority (default) and Optimal Quality.
- Jpeg fine (4.8MB large/2.7MB medium/1.2MB small), jpeg normal (2.4/1.4/.63MB), and jpeg basic/small (1.2/.07/.33MB) are available.
- Default is Normal.
ISO:
- Can change from 100 to 1600 to H1.0.
- ISO Auto automatically selects ISO; max can be preset.
White Balance:
- Press “WB” button and rotate main command dial.
- Rotates thru Auto, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Direct Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, Choose color, and Preset.
- WB Bracketing can be set. Only one shot is required to complete the bracketing sequence. To cancel bracketing, press “BKT” button and rotate main command dial until number of shots is zero.
Optimizing Images:
- N—Normal (default); usual setting
- SO—Softer; softens outlines; good for portraits
- VI—Vivid; enhances saturation, contrast, and sharpness
- VI—More Vivid; maximizes effect
- PO—Portrait; lowers contrast
- Custom—for custom settings
- BW—Takes photos in black-and-white; B/W icon will display in viewfinder
Focus Area Selection:
- Choice of eleven focus areas are available.
- Rotate focus selector lock to the (solid black dot) position; then use multi selector to select focus area.
- To select center focus area, press center of multi selector.
- Once focus area is selected, the focus selector lock can be rotated to the “L” position to lock it.
AF-Area Mode:
Determines how focus area is selected in autofocus mode. Rotate the AF-area mode selector to select desired mode; shows as icon in control panel.
- Single-area AF—User selects focus area using multi selector; use for static compositions.
- Dynamic-area AF—User selects focus area, but camera uses info from multiple focus areas; use with continuous-servo AF to follow erratically moving subjects.
- Group dynamic-AF—User chooses focus area group; then functions like above.
- Dynamic-area AF with closest subject priority—Camera selects focus area containing subject closest to camera.
When Single-area AF or Dynamic-area AF are selected, user can select from normal (11 areas) or wide (7 areas) focus areas. Change this in Autofocus menu.
Depth-of-Field
To preview, press/hold depth-of-field preview button.
Exposure Metering:
- 3D color Matrix
- Center-weighted
- Spot
Exposure Compensation:
- Press “+/-“ button and rotate main command dial.
- Not reset when camera is turned off.
Exposure Bracketing:
- Select type of bracketing in Custom Setting...Auto Bracketing menu; can change between exposure, exposure + flash, or flash only bracketing.
- Press “BKT” button and rotate main command dial to choose number of shots in bracketing sequence.
- Press “BKT” button and rotate sub-command dial to choose exposure increment.
- Take pictures. Shutter release button must be pressed once for each bracket if in Single Frame mode.
- To cancel bracketing, press “BKT” button and rotate main command dial until number of shots is zero.
Built-in Flash:
- Press flash pop-up button.
- Press the “(lightning bolt)” button and rotate main command dial to select flash sync.
- Pressing shutter release halfway will check exposure.
- Flash-ready indicator appears in viewfinder.
- If flash-ready light blinks for 3 seconds after photo is taken, flash has fired at full output and photo may be underexposed.
- Built-in flash angle can cover field of view of an 18mm lens.
- With the AF-S DX VR ED 18-200mm lens, the minimum range at 18mm is 3’3”.
Flash Sync Modes:
- Front-curtain sync—for most situations; shutter speed will be automatically set between 1/60 and 1/250.
- Red-eye reduction—pre-flashes for one second.
- Red-eye reduction with slow sync—captures both subject and background at night or in dim light; may need tripod.
- Slow sync-- captures both subject and background at night or in dim light; may need tripod.
- Rear-curtain sync—flash fires just before shutter closes; creates effect of stream of light behind moving objects; may need tripod.
Flash Exposure Compensation:
Press the “(lightning bolt +/-)” button and rotate sub-command dial.
Not reset when camera is turned off. To reset, turn compensation to show zero.
Flash FV Lock:
- Flash output can be locked if subject is not positioned in center of frame.
- In Menu, set FV Lock.
- Press flash pop-up button.
- Position subject in center of frame; press shutter-release button halfway to focus.
- Press “FUNC” button. Flash will preflash to set level, and lock this level; FV Lock icons will appear in control panel and viewfinder.
- Recompose photo. Press shutter-release button the rest of the way.
- Press “FUNC” button again to release FV lock.
Self-Timer Mode:
- Press shooting mode dial lock release and rotate shooting mode dial to select self-timer mode.
- Recommended to insert DK-5 eyepiece cap to prevent light from entering via viewfinder and interfering with exposure.
- Two seconds before photo is taken, lamp will stop blinking and beeping will become more rapid.
Multiple Exposure:
- In Shooting Menu, select Multiple Exposure, then press multi selector to choose Number of Shots.
- AutoGain On (default) will decrease exposure according to number of exposures recorded.
- Highlight “Done” and press multi selector to the right. A multiple exposure icon will display in the control panel.
- Take the selected number of photos.
- Multiple Exposure icon will blink until correct shooting ends.
- Canceled if camera is turned off.
- Can cancel early by pressing “(trash can)” button while turning camera off.
Time-Lapse Photos:
- Use Shooting Menu, Intvl Timer Shooting to make settings.
- During shooting, the blinking “INTERVAL” icon is displayed.
- Tripod use is recommended. DK-5 eyepiece cap is recommended.
GPS Units:
Garmin and Magellan GPS units can be attached to camera’s ten-pin remote terminal.
A “GPS” icon will be displayed when camera establishes communication with a GPS device.
Two-Button Reset:
By holding “QUAL” and “+/-“ buttons (marked by a green dot) down for more than 2 seconds, these camera settings can be restored to default values:
- Focus area—Center
- Exposure mode—Programmed auto
- Flexible program—off
- Exposure compensation—zero
- Flash exposure compensation—zero
- Flash sync mode—front-curtain sync
- AE hold—off
- Bracketing—off
- FV lock—off
- Image quality—jpeg normal
- Image size—large
- White balance—auto
- ISO—100
Photo Playback—Photo Information Displayed:
Press multi-selector down to cycle through photo info:
- Histogram
- Basic Information
- File Information
- Shooting Data page 1
- Shooting Data page 2
- GPS data
- RGB histogram
- Highlights
Up to 8 pages of info for each photo.
Viewing photos on TV:
- Select mode on Video Mode menu.
- Turn camera off before connecting or disconnecting video cable.
- Connect cable.
- Turn on TV.
- Turn on camera.
Connecting to computer:
- In Setup menu, set the USB option to PTP. Choose PTP if Nikon Capture software will be used.
- With camera turned off, connect the USB cable.
- Turn camera on.
- After transfer, camera can be turned off and cable disconnected without having to click computer “Safely Remove Hardware” taskbar button.
Memory Cards:
- Must be formatted before first use. Format from menu, or by pressing “FORMAT” (trash can and MODE buttons).
- FAT32 is supported for cards over 2GB.
- Manual contains a table of tested, approved CF cards from SanDisk and Lexar.
Mirror lock-up:
Option is available in Menu.
Only available if over half battery power is available.
Clock battery:
- Clock and calendar are powered by an independent rechargeable power source. Two days of charging via main batteries will power the clock for about 3 months.
- If “CLOCK” icon flashes in control panel, clock battery is exhausted, and clock needs to be reset to correct date and time.
Custom Settings:
Can be stored in one of four banks.
Settings are stored even when camera is turned off.
Attaching lens:
Keep mounting index on lens aligned with mounting index on camera.
Rotate lens counter-clockwise until it clicks.
Detaching lens:
Turn camera off.
Press and hold the lens-release button while turning lens clockwise.
Charging battery:
- When battery icon blinks, the shutter-release id disabled.
- Use EN-EL3e batteries only.
- Charger will blink as battery charges.
- It takes about 2 ¼ hours for an exhausted battery to fully charge.
Formatting CF memory card:
- Press “Format”, “garbage can” + “Mode” button simultaneously for 2 seconds.
- Press “Format” buttons again.
Lenses:
- CPU lenses, particularly type G and D are recommended.
- CPU lenses can be identified by CPU contacts by the mount.
- Type G and D have a “G” or “D” on the lens barrel.
- Multiply the focal length of a 35mm lens by 1.5 to get an approximation.
- Polarizing filters: C-PL circular polarizing filter must be used; linear polarizing filters cannot.
Error Messages/Displays:
- fEE blinking: Lens aperture ring is not locked at minimum aperture.
- Battery blinking: battery is completely exhausted.
- CLOCK blinking: camera clock needs to be set.
- Blinking solid black dot: camera unable to focus using autofocus; use manual.
- HI: Subject too bright; photo will be overexposed.
- Lo: Subject too dark; photo will be underexposed.
- -E-: No memory card.
- Err: camera malfunction. Release shutter. May need servicing.