Benutzeranleitung / Produktwartung D300OUTFIT des Produzenten Nikon
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En_04 DIGIT AL CAMERA En User's Manual No reproduction in an y form of this manual, in whole or in part (except for brief quotation in critic al articl es or reviews), may be made without written authoriz ation from NIKON CORPORATION. Printed in Europe SB8K04(11) 6MB00211-04 En Q0310_UM_En_EUR_03_Cov er.
Wher e to F ind I t Find what you ’ re looking for from: Digitutor Digitutor , a series o f “watch and learn” manuals in movie form, is available from the f ollowing website: http://ww w .nikondigitutor .com/index_eng .ht ml i The Q&A Index ➜ pp.
i P ackage C ontents Be sure all items listed here we re included with your camera. Memory cards are sold separately . • D300 digital camera (pg . 3) • Body cap (pp . 34, 368) • BM-8 L C D monitor cover (pg . 19) • DK-5 eyepiec e cap (pg . 20) • EN-EL3e rechargeable Li-ion batter y with term inal cover (pp.
ii Symbols and C onv entions T o make it easier to find the information you need, the f ollowing symbols and conven tions are used: Menu items, options , and messages displayed in the camera monitor are shown in brackets ([ ]). A T rademark Information Macintosh, Mac OS, and QuickTime ar e registered trademarks of Apple Inc.
iii Introduction Tu t o r i a l Image Recordi ng Options Fo c u s Release Mode ISO Sensitivity Exposure White Balance Image Enhancement Flash Photography Other S hooting Options More About Playback Co.
iv Q&A Inde x Find what you ’re looking for us ing this “ question and answer ” index. ❚❚ New Features ❚❚ Camera Setup Que sti on Key phrase See page How do I take high-qualit y NEF .
v ❚❚ Menus and Displays How do I set the clock? W orld time 37, 315 How do I set the clock for daylight savings time? How do I change time zones when I travel? How do I adjust monitor brightness f.
vi ❚❚ T a king Photographs How do I get more inf ormation about the battery? Batter y info 321 How do I keep the file number from being reset when I insert a new memor y card? F ile number sequenc.
vii ❚❚ Viewing Photographs Can I set both shutter speed and aperture manually? Exposure mode h (manual) 109 Can I make photos brigh ter or darker? Exposure compensat ion 114 How do I make a time e.
viii ❚❚ Retouching Phot ographs How do I get rid of an unwanted photo? Deleting individual photos 222 Can I delete sev eral photos at once? Delete 248 Can I zoom in on pictures to make sur e they.
ix ❚❚ Viewing or Printing Photog raphs on Other Devices ❚❚ O ptional Ac cessories Que sti on Key phrase See page Can I view my phot os on T V? T elevision playback 242 Can I view my photos in .
x Q&A Index ........... .......... ........... .......... .......... ......... .......... .......... ........... .... iv For Your Safety .......... ............. ............ ............. ............ ............ .......... xviii Notices .... ..
xi Viewing Photographs .................................................................... 53 Deleting Unwanted Photographs ............................................. 54 Image Recording Options 55 Image Qual ity ......... ........... .......... ..
xii Exposure 99 Metering .. .......... .......... ........... .......... ........ ........... .......... .......... ........... .. 100 Exposure M ode.... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... ........ ........... ........ 102 e : Programmed Auto .
xiii Other Shooting Options 181 Two-Button Re set: Restoring Def ault Settings ..................... .. 182 Multiple Exp osure ............. .......... .......... ........... .......... ........... ........ .... 184 Interval Tim er Photogr aphy ......
xiv Menu Guide 245 D The Playbac k Menu: M anaging Images .. ............ ............. .... 246 Delete ........................................................................................... 248 Playback Folder....................................
xv a3: Dynamic AF Area ...............................................................269 a4: Focus Tracking with Lock-On ........................................ 270 a5: AF Activation ..................................................................
xvi e7: Bracketing Order ............................................................... 299 f: Controls ........................................................................................ 300 f1: Multi Selector Center Button ....................
xvii Monochrome ............................................................................. 337 Filter Effects ................................................................................338 Color Balance ........................................
xviii F or Y our Safety T o prevent damage to your Nikon product or injury to yourself or to others, read the follo w ing safety precautions in their entirety before using this equipment. Keep these saf ety instruct ions where all those who use the product will r ead them.
xix A Do not use in the presence of flammable gas Do not use electronic equipment in the presence of flammable gas , as this could result in explosion or fire . A Keep out of reach of children F ailure to observe this precaution could result in injury.
xx A Obser ve proper precautions when handling the quick charger • Keep dry. Failur e to observe this preca utio n coul d resu lt in f ire or electric shock. • Dust on or near the metal par ts of the plug should be remov ed with a dr y cloth. Cont inued use could result in fire.
xxi Notices • N o p a r t o f t h e m a n u a l s i n c l u d e d w i t h t h i s product may be r eproduced, transmitted, tr ans cribed, st ored in a retrieval system, or tr an slated into an y language in any f orm, by any means, withou t Nikon’ s prior w ritten pe rmission .
xxii Notices for Customers in Canada CA UT IO N This Class B digital apparatus com plies with Canadian ICES-003. AT T E N T I O N Cet appareil numé rique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Cana da. Notices f or Customers in Europe This symbol indicates that this product is to be collected separ ately .
xxiii Notice C oncerning Prohibition of Copying or Repr o duction Note that simply being in po ssession of material that has been digitally copied or reproduced by means of a scanner , digi tal camera, or other device may be punishable by la w.
xxiv A Before T ak ing Impor tant Pictures Before taking pictures on impor ta nt occasions (such as at weddings or before t aking the camera on a trip), take a test shot t o ensure that the camera is functioning normally . Nikon will not be hel d liable for da mages or lost profits that may r esult from product malfunction.
X 1 X Intr oduc tion This chapter covers inf ormation you will need to k now before using the camera, including the names of camera par ts. Over view .............. ....................... ............................ ............. pg . 2 Getting to Know the Camera .
2 X Ov ervi ew Thank you for y our purchase of a Nikon single -lens reflex (SLR) digital camera. Please be sure to read all instruct ions thoroughly to get the most from th e camera, and keep the m where the y will be read by all those who use the product.
3 X Getting to Know the C amera T ake a few moments to familia rize yourse lf with camera con trols and displays. Y ou may find it helpful to bookmar k this sect ion and refer to it a s you read th rough the rest of t he m anu al. Cam e ra B o d y 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 1 Release mode dial .
4 X Cam e ra B o d y (Conti n ue d) 1 2 3 4 5 8 13 14 15 16 6 7 9 10 11 12 1 Built-in flash ............................... 171 2 Flash pop-up button............... 171 3 M (flash mode) button ............ 171 Y (flash compensa tion) button ..........
5 X 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 12 11 9 8 10 1 AF-assist illuminator ............... 273 Self-timer lamp ............................ 90 Red-eye reduction lamp ........ 174 2 Sub- command dial ..................... 14 3 Depth-of-field preview button ...............
6 X Cam e ra B o d y (Conti n ue d) 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2 1 Viewfinder ey epiece................... 43 2 DK-23 viewfinder eyepiece cup................................. 20 3 O (delete) button............... 54, 222 Q (format) button ....................
7 X 1 2 5 4 3 6 7 8 10 11 9 1 Diopter adjustment control ....43 2 Metering selector ..................... 101 3 A (AE/AF lock) button ............................ 68, 69, 306 4 B (AF-ON) button .......... 63, 83 5 Main command dial ...................
8 X The Cont rol Pane l 2 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 1 Color temperature indica tor ...... 133 2 Shutter speed ........ .............. 10 6, 109 Exposure compensation value ........... ............... ............. .......... 114 Flash compensation value .
9 X 19 18 20 21 22 23 24 31 25 26 28 27 30 29 14 Flash mode ................................. 171 15 “Beep” indicator .... ................ ....... 281 16 Aperture (f-n umber) .......... 107, 10 9 Aperture (number of sto ps) .......... ...........
10 X The V iewfinder Display 1 4 2 3 56 7 1 2 91 1 81 0 1 3 1 4 1 5 16 17 18 20 21 19.
11 X D No Batter y When the batter y is totally exhausted or no batter y is inser ted, the display in the viewfinder will dim. This is normal and does not indica te a malfunction. The viewfinder display will r eturn to normal when a fully- charged battery is inserted.
12 X The Shooting Inf ormation Display Shooting information, including shutter speed, aperture, the number of exposures remaining , buffer capacity , and AF-area mode, is displa yed in the monitor when the R button is pressed . T o clear shooting information from the monit or , press the R button again or press the shutter-r elease button halfway .
13 X 1 Exposure mode................ ................. 102 2 Flexible pr ogram indicator ........... 105 3 Flash sync indica tor ............ ............. 288 4 Shutter s peed ........... .......... ...... 106, 109 Exposure compensation value.... 114 Flash compens ation value .
14 X The C ommand Dials The main- and sub-command dials are used alone or in combination with ot her contr ols to adjust a variety of settings. I button Exposure mode E button Exposure comp ens atio n.
15 X ❚❚ Image Quality and Size Press the QUA L button and rotate the c ommand dials. Set image quality (pg. 57) Choose an image size (pg . 60) ❚❚ ISO Sensitivit y Press the ISO button and rotate the main command dial . Set ISO sensitiv ity (pg.
16 X ❚❚ Expo su re Press the I button and rotate the m ain com man d dia l to cho ose the exposure mode. Choose the exposure mode (pg. 102) Use the command dials to adjust exposure. Choose a combinat ion of aperture and shutter speed (exposure mode P; pg.
17 X Set exposu re compensa tion (pg. 114) Acti vate or can cel bracketing/ select number of shots in bracketing sequence (pp. 117, 120 ) Select bracketing exp osur e increment (pg. 118 ) A The Fn Button Depending on the option selected for Custom Setting f4 ([Assign FUNC.
18 X ❚❚ White Balance Press the WB button and rotate the command dials . Choose a white balance setting (pg. 127) Fine-t une white balance (pg. 132), set color temperature (pg. 133), or choose a whit e balance preset (pg . 143) ❚❚ Flash Settings Press the M button and rotate the command dials .
19 X A ttaching the AN-D300 Camera Str ap Attach the camera strap securely to the two eyelets on the camera body as shown below . The BM-8 Monit or C ov er A clear plastic cover is provided with the camera to keep the monitor clean and protect it when the camera is not in use .
20 X The DK -23 V iewfinder Ey epiece C up Before attaching the DK -5 viewfinder eyepiece cap and other viewfinder accessories (pp. 89, 366), remove the DK -23 viewfinder eyepiece cu p by placing your fingers undernea th the flanges o n either side and sliding it off as shown at right.
21 X Quick Star t Guide F ollow these steps f or a quick star t with the D300. 1 Charge the battery (pg. 30). 2 Inser t the battery (pg. 32). 3 Att ac h a le ns (pg. 34). 4 Inser t a memor y card (pg. 39). 5 T urn the camera on (pg . 44). F o r information on choosing a language and setting the time and da te, see page 36.
22 X 6 Check camera settings (pp . 44, 47). 7 Select single -servo autofocus (pp. 49, 62). Rotate the focus-mode selector to S (single-ser vo autof ocus). 8 F ocus and shoot (pp. 51, 52). Pr ess the sh utter-release button halfway to focus, then press the shutter-r elease button the rest of the wa y down to take the photograph.
s 23 s T utorial This section describes how to use the camera menus, how to ready the camera for use , and how to take your first pictures and play them back. Camera Menus ............. ............................ ....................... .. pg. 24 Using Camera Menu s .
24 s Cam e ra Me n u s Most shooting, playback, and setup options can be accessed from th e camera me nus. To view the menus, pr ess the G button. G button Choose from playback , shooting, Cust om Settings, setup , retouch, and My menus (see following page).
25 s ❚❚ Menus The following menus are available: Menu Description D Playback A djust playback settings and manage p hotos (pg. 246). C Shootin g Adjust shooting settings (pg . 254). A Cust om Settings Personaliz e camera settings (pg . 264). B Setup Fo rmat memor y cards and perform basic camera setup (pg.
26 s Usi ng Cam e ra M e nu s ❚❚ Menu Controls The multi selec tor and J button are used to navigate the menus. ❚❚ Navigating the Menus F ollow the steps below to navigate the menus. 1 Display the menus . Pr ess the G button to display the menus.
27 s 3 Sel ect a m enu . Pr ess 1 or 3 to select the desired menu. 4 P osition the cursor in the selected menu. Pr ess 2 to position the cursor in the selec ted menu. 5 Highlight a menu item. Pr ess 1 or 3 to highlight a menu item. 6 Display options .
28 s 8 Select the highlighted item. Pr ess J to selec t the highlighted item. T o exit without mak ing a selec tion, press the G button. Note the following points: • Menu items that are display ed in gray ar e not curre ntly avai lable.
29 s Help If a Q icon is displayed at the bottom lef t corner of the monit or , help can be displayed by pressing the L ( Q ) button. A description of the cur rentl y selected option or menu will be displayed while the button is pressed. Press 1 or 3 to scroll through the display .
30 s F irst Steps Charge the Battery The D300 is pow ered by an EN-EL3e r echargeab le Li-ion battery (supplied). The EN-EL3e is not fully charged at shipment. T o maximize shooting time, charge the batter y in the supp lied MH-18a quick charger befor e use.
31 s 3 Insert the batt er y . Inser t the battery into the charger . The CHARGE lamp will blink wh ile the batter y charges. 4 Remov e the battery when charg ing is complete . Charging is complete wh en the CHAR GE lamp stops blinking. Remove the batt er y and unplug the charger .
32 s Inser t the Batt er y 1 Tu r n t h e c a m e r a o f f. Always turn the camera off before inserting or removing batteries. 2 Open the batter y-chamber cov e r . Open the batte ry- chamber co ver on the bottom of the camera. 3 Insert the battery .
33 s D The Battery and Charger Read and follow the warnings and cautions on pages xviii–xx and 379–382 of this manual . T o prev ent short- circuits, replac e th e terminal cover when the battery is not in use. Do not use the battery at ambient temperatur es below 0 °C (32 °F) or above 40 °C (104 °F).
34 s At ta ch a L e n s Care should be taken to prevent dust from entering the ca mera when the lens is remov ed. 1 Remov e the rear lens cap and the camera body cap . After confir ming that the camera is o ff , remove the rear lens cap from th e lens and remo ve the camera body ca p.
35 s 3 Remov e the lens cap. ❚❚ Detaching the Lens Be sure the cam era is off when remo ving or exchanging lenses. T o remove the lens, pr ess and hold the lens release button while turn ing the lens clockwise. After removing the lens, replace the lens caps and camera body cap.
36 s Basic Setup The language option in the setup menu is automatically highlighted the first time menus ar e displayed. Choose a language and set the time and date. 1 Tu r n t h e c a m e r a o n . 2 Select [Language]. Pr ess G to display the camera menus, then selec t [Language] in the setup menu.
37 s 4 Select [ W orld time]. Selec t [ World time] and press 2 . 5 Set time zone. A time -zone sele ction dialog will be displayed. Pr ess 4 or 2 to highlight the local time zone (the [UTC] field shows the difference between the selected time zone an d Coordinated Universal Time, or UT C, in hours) and press J .
38 s 8 Set dat e for mat. Pr ess 1 or 3 to choo se the order in which the year , month, and day will be displayed and press J . 9 Exit to shooting mode.
39 s Inser t a Memor y Card The camera stores phot ographs on CompactFlash and micr odrive memory cards (available separately; pg. 371). The following section describes how to insert and format a memory card . 1 Tu r n t h e c a m e r a o f f . Always turn the camera off befor e inserting or removing memory cards.
40 s 4 Close the car d slot co ver . ❚❚ Removing Memor y Cards 1 Tu r n t h e c a m e r a o f f. Confirm that the access lamp is off and turn the camera off . 2 Remove the memory card. Open the memory card sl ot cove r and press the eject button ( q ) to par tially eject the card ( w ).
41 s Fo r m a t t h e M e m o r y Ca r d Memory cards must be f ormatted before first u se. Fo r m a t t h e c a r d as described below . D Form atting Memory Cards F ormatting memory cards permanently deletes any data they may contain . Be sure to copy any photographs and other data you wish to keep to a computer befor e proceeding (pg.
42 s 3 Pres s t he Q buttons again. Pr ess the Q ( I and O ) buttons together a second time to for m at th e m e mo r y ca rd. Do not remove the memory card or remov e or disconnect the power sour ce during formatting.
43 s Adjust V iewfinder F ocus The camera is equipped with diopte r adjustment t o accommod ate individual differ ences in vision. Check that the display in the viewfinder is in focus befor e shooting. 1 Tu r n t h e c a m e r a o n . Remove the lens cap and turn the camer a on.
44 s Basic Photogr aphy and Pla yback T urn the Camer a O n Before taking photogr a phs, turn the camera on and check the batter y level and number of ex posures r emaining as described below . 1 Tu r n t h e c a m e r a o n . T urn the camera on. The control panel will turn on and the display in the viewfinder will light.
45 s 3 Check the number of exposures remaining . The exposure -count displays in the control panel and viewfinder sho w the number of photographs that can be taken at current settings . When this number reaches zer o, A will flash in the exposur e - count displays while the shutter-speed displays will show a blink ing n or j .
46 s A L CD Illuminators Holding the power switch in the D position activates the exposure meters and control panel backl ights (L CD illuminators), allowing the display to be read in the dar k.
47 s A djust C a mera Settings This tutorial describes how to take photos at default sett ings. 1 Check camera settings . Default settings are listed below . Option Defa ult Description Page Image quality NORM (JP EG normal) Record JPEG images at a compression ratio of roughly 1 : 8 * .
48 s 2 Choose exposure mod e e . Pr ess the I button and rotate the main command dial to select exposure mode e . The camera will automatically adjust shutter speed and aperture for optimal exposure in most situations. 3 Choose single frame rel eas e m od e.
49 s 5 Choose single -ser vo autof ocus. Rotate the focus-mode selector until it clicks into place pointing to S (single-ser vo autof ocus). At this setting , the camera will automatically focus on the subject in the selected focus point when the shutt er- release button is pressed halfway .
50 s R eady the Camer a When framing ph ot ogr aphs in the viewfinder , hold the ha ndgrip in your right hand and crad le the camera bo dy or lens with your l eft. Keep your elbows propped lightly against your torso for suppor t a nd place one foot half a pace ahead of the other to keep yo u upper body sta ble.
51 s F ocus and Shoot 1 Press the shutter- release button halfway to f ocus (pg. 52). At default set tings, the camera will focus on the subject in the center focu s p oint . Frame a photo in the viewfinder with the main subject positioned in the center focus point and press the shutter-release button halfway.
52 s 2 Press the shutter-release button th e rest of the wa y down to sho ot. Smoothly press the shutter- release-button the rest of the way down to take the picture. While the photograph is being recorded to the memory card, the access lamp next to the card slot cover will light.
53 s V iewing Photographs 1 Press the K button. A photograph will be displayed in the monitor . 2 View additional pictures . Additional pictur es can be displayed by pressing 4 or 2 . T o view additional information on the curren t photog raph, press 1 and 3 (pg.
54 s D eleting Unwanted Photogr aphs T o delete the photograph currently displaye d in the monitor , press the O button. Note that photographs can not be recov ered once dele ted. 1 Display the photograph. Display the photograph you wish to delete as described in “Viewing Photographs” on the previous page.
d 55 d Image Rec ording Options This section describes how to choose image quality and size. Image Quality ............... ........................ ........................... ...pg. 56 Image Size... ............................ ......................
56 d Image Quality The D300 supp or ts the following image quality options. A Fil e Si ze See page 405 for information on the number of pictures that can be recorded at differ ent image qualit y and size settings.
57 d Image quality is set by pressing the QUAL button and rotating the main command dial until the desired setting is displayed in the control panel. A NEF (RA W ) Recor ding The [NEF (RA W ) recording] item in the shooting menu contr ols compres sion (pg.
58 d ❚❚ The JPEG Compression Menu The [JPEG compre ssion] item in the shooting menu offe rs the following options for JPEG images: ❚❚ The NEF (RA W ) Recording Menu: T ype The [NEF (RA W ) rec.
59 d ❚❚ The NEF (RAW ) Recording Me nu: NEF (RAW ) Bit Depth The [NEF (RA W ) recording] > [NEF (RA W ) bit depth] item in the shooting menu off ers the following bit-depth options fo r NEF (RA W ) images: A NEF (RA W ) Images Note that the option selected for image size does not aff ect the size of NEF (RA W ) images.
60 d Image Size Image size is measured in pixels . Choose from th e follo w ing options: Image size can be set by pr essing the QUAL button and rotating the sub- command dial until the desired option is displaye d in the control panel. A The Image Size Menu Image size can also be adjusted using the [Image size] option in the shooting menu (pg.
N 61 N Fo c u s – Controlling How the C amera F o cuses This section describes the option s that control how your camera foc us es. F oc us Mode ....................... ....................... .......................... pg. 62 AF-Area Mode .........
62 N Fo c u s M o d e Fo c u s m o d e i s co n t r o l l e d b y t h e focus-mode selector on the front of the camera. Ther e are two autofocus (AF) modes, in which the camera f ocuses automatically .
63 N A The B Button F or the purpo se of focusing the camera, pr essing the B button has the same effect as pressing the shutter-release button halfway .
64 N AF-Area Mode AF-area mode determines how the focus point is selected in autof ocus mode. To s e l e c t t h e A F - a r e a m o d e , rotate the AF-are a mod e se lec tor . The fo llowing options a re av ailable: Mode Description K Single - point AF User selects focus point manually ; camera focuses on subject in selec ted focus point only .
65 N A AF-Area Mode AF-area mode is shown in the contr ol panel. A Manual Focus Single-point AF is automatically selected when manual f ocus is used. A See Also F or information on the settings av aila ble in dyna mic-area AF , see Custom Setting a3 ([D ynamic AF area], pg.
66 N Fo c u s Po i n t S e l e c t i o n The D300 offers a choice of 51 focus points that together co ver a wide area of the frame. The fo cu s point can be selected manually, allowing photographs to .
67 N A See Also F or information on choosing when th e focus point is illuminated , see Custom Setting a6 ([AF point illumination], pg . 271). F or information on setting focus-point selection to “w rap around, ” see Custom Setting a7 ([F o cus point wrap-around], pg.
68 N Fo c u s L o c k F ocus lock c an be used to change the composition af ter focusing, making it possible to focus on a subject that will not be in a focus point in the final composition. It can also be used when th e autofocus system is unable to f ocus (pg.
69 N Continuous-ser vo AF Pr ess the AE-L/AF-L button to lock both focus and exposure (an AE-L ic on appears in the viewfinder , see page 112). Fo c u s and exposur e will r emain locked while the AE-L/AF-L button is pressed, even if you late r remove your fin ger from th e shutter-r elease button.
70 N Getting Good Results with Autof o cus Autofocus does not per form well under the conditions listed below . The shutter release may be disabled if the camera is unable to focus under these conditi.
71 N Manual F ocus Man ua l focu s i s avai lab le fo r lenses that do not suppor t autof ocus (non-AF Nikkor lenses) or when the aut ofocus does not produce the desir ed results (pg.
72 N The Electronic Rangefinder If the lens has a maximum aper ture of f/5.6 or faster , the viewfinder focus indicator can be used to confirm wh ether the subjec t in the selected focus point is in f ocus (the focus point can be selected fr om any of the 51 focus points) .
k 73 k Release Mode – Single Fr ame, Continuous , Live View , Self- T imer , or Mirror Up Release mode dete rmines how the camera t akes photographs: one at a time, in a continuous sequence , with t.
74 k Choosing a Release Mode The camera supports the following r elease modes: Mode Description S Single frame Camera takes one photograph each time shutter-release button is pressed. C L Cont inu ous low speed While shutter-release button is held down, camera records 1–6 frames per second .
75 k T o choose a release mode , press the rele ase mode dial lock rele ase and turn the relea se mode dial to the desired setting. Release mode dial Release mode dial loc k relea se.
76 k C ontinuous Mode T o tak e pictures in C H (continuo us high speed) and C L (continuous low speed) modes: 1 Select C H or C L mode. Pr ess the release mode dial lock release and turn the release mode dial to C H or C L . 2 F rame a photogr aph, focus, and shoot.
77 k A Po wer Source and F rame Rate The maximum frame advance rate varies with the power source used. A Buffer Size The appr oxima te numbe r of images that can be store d in the mem or y buffer at curr ent setting s is shown in the exposure- count displays in the viewfi nder and control panel while the shutter- release button is pressed.
78 k A The Memory Buf fer The camera is equipped with a memory buffer f or temporary storage, allowing shooting to continue while photographs are being saved to the memor y card. Up to 100 photogr aphs can be taken in succession; note , however , that frame rate will drop when the buff er is full.
79 k F raming Pi c tures in the Monit or (Liv e V iew) Selec t live view ( a ) mode to frame pic tures in the monito r . The following options are available: • Hand-held ( g ): Choose wh en tak ing hand-held shots of moving subjects, or when framing photog raphs at angles th at make it difficult to use the viewfinder (pg.
80 k Hand-Held Mode ( g ) 1 Select live view mode. Pr ess the release mode dial lock release and turn the release mode dial to a . 2 Adjust [Liv e view] options in the shooting menu. Selec t [Live view] in the sh ooting menu and choose [Hand-hel d] for [Live view mode].
81 k 4 Fr ame a pic ture in the monitor . T o magnify the view in the mo nitor up to 3 ×, press the X button. While the view through t he lens is zoomed in, a navigation window will appear in the bottom right corner of the display. Use the multi selector to scroll within the AF area brackets.
82 k 6 Ta k e t h e p i c t u r e . Pr ess the shutter-relea se button the rest of the way do wn to r eset focus and exposure and take the picture. If c ontinuous high speed or continuous lo w speed is selected for [Release mode], the monitor will tur n off while the shutter-release button is pressed.
83 k Tr i p o d M o d e ( h ) 1 Ready the cam era. Mount the camera on a tripod or place it on a stable, level sur face . 2 Selec t live view mode . Press the r elease mode dial lock rele ase and turn the release mode dial to a . 3 Adjust [Live view] opti ons in the shooting menu.
84 k 5 Press the shutter-release button all the wa y down. The mirror will be raised and the view through the lens will be displayed in the camera monitor . The subject will no longer be visible in the viewfin der . T o exit without taking a picture , rota te the release mode dial to another setting or press G .
85 k T o magnify the view in the mo nitor up to 13 × an d check focus, press the X butt on. While the view through t he lens is zoomed in, a navigation window will appear in the bottom right corner of the displa y. Use the multi selector to scr oll to areas of the frame not visible in the monitor .
86 k D Focusing with Contr ast-Detect Autofocus Contrast -detec t autofocus will take longer than normal (phase - detection) autofocus. In the fo llow in g si tuat io ns, th e ca mer a may be u nab le.
87 k D Shooting in Liv e Vie w Mode Although they will not appear in the final pic ture, banding or distor tion may be visible in the monitor under fluoresce nt, mercury vapor , or sodium lamps or if the camera is panned horizontally or if an object moves at high speed through the frame.
88 k A The Shooting Informa tion Display T o hide or display indicators in the monitor in live view mode , press the R button. A Monito r Bright ness Monitor brightness can be adjusted by pressing the K button while the view through the monitor is display ed.
89 k Self- T imer Mode The self-timer can be use d to reduc e camera shak e or for self - por traits. T o use the self-timer , mount the camera on a tripod (recommended) or pl ace the camera on a stable, level sur face and follo w the step s below : 1 Select self-timer mode.
90 k 3 Star t the timer . Pr ess the sh utter-release button all the way down to star t the timer . The self-timer lamp (AF-assist illuminator) will star t to bl ink and a beep will begin to sound. T wo seconds before the photograph is taken, the self-timer lamp wil l stop blinking and the beeping will become more ra pid.
91 k Mirror up Mode Choose this mode to min imize blurr ing caused by came ra movement when the mirror is raised . Use of a tripod is recommended. 1 Selec t mirror up mode. Press the r elease mode dial lock rele ase and turn the release mode dial to M UP .
92 k.
S 93 S ISO Sensitivity – Reacting F aster to Light “ISO sensitivity ” is the digital equ ivalent of film speed. The higher the ISO sensitivity , the less light needed to make an exposure , allowing higher shutter speeds or smaller aper tures. This chapter describes how to set ISO sensit ivity manually and automatically .
94 S Choosing ISO Sensitivit y Manually ISO sensitivity can be set to valu es between ISO 200 and ISO 3200 in steps equivalent to 1 / 3 EV . Settings of from about 0.3–1 E V below ISO 200 and 0.3–1 E V above ISO 3200 are also available for special situations.
95 S A ISO Sensitivity Settings The settings available depend on the option selected for Custom Setting b1 ([ISO sensitivity step value], pg. 275). A HI 0.3–HI 1 The settings [HI 0.3] thr ough [HI 1] corr espond to ISO sen sitivities 0.3–1 EV over ISO 3200 (ISO 4000–6400 equivalent).
96 S A uto ISO Sensitivit y C ontrol If [Off ] (the default setting) is chosen for the [ISO sensitivity auto control] option in the shooting menu, ISO sensitivity will remain fixed at the value sele c ted by the user (see page 94).
97 S A Auto ISO Sensitivity Control Noise is more likely at high er sensit ivities. Use the [High ISO NR] option in the shooting menu to reduce noise (see page 263). Wh en a flash is used, the value selected for [Minimum shutte r speed] is ignored in fa vor of the option selected for Cust o m Setting e1 ([Flash sync speed], pg .
98 S.
V 99 Z Exposur e – Controlling How the C amera Sets Exposure This section describes the option s available to co ntrol exposure, including metering, exposure mo de, exposure lock, expo sure compensation, and bracketing . Metering ...................
100 Z Metering Metering de termines how the came ra sets exposure. The following options are available: Method Description a 3D color matrix II Recommended in most situations. Camera meters a wide area of the frame and sets exposure acc ording to distr ibution of brightness, color , distance, and composition for natural resu lts.
101 Z T o ch oose a meterin g method, rotate the met ering selector until the desired mode is display ed. A 3D Color Matrix II Metering In matrix metering, exposure is set using a 1,005-segment RGB sensor . Use a type G or D lens for results that include range inf ormation (3D color matrix metering II; see page 352 for inf or mation on lens types).
102 Z Exposure Mode Exposure mode determines how the camer a sets shutter speed and aperture when adjusting e xposure . F our modes are available: programmed auto ( e ), shutter-pri orit y auto ( f ), aper ture -prior ity auto ( g ), and manual ( h ).
103 Z T o choose the exposure mode, press the I button and rotate th e main command dial until the desired mode is displayed in the control panel or viewf inder . A Depth-of-Field Previe w T o preview the effects of aperture, press and hold the depth-of-field preview button.
104 Z e : Pr ogrammed Auto In this mode, the camera automa tically adjusts shutt er speed and aperture according t o a built-in prog ram to ensure optimal exposure in most situations. This mode is recommended f o r snapshots and other situations in which you want to leave the camera in charge of shutter speed and aper ture.
105 Z A Flexi bl e Pr ogra m In ex posu re mode e , diff e rent combinations of shutter speed and aperture can be selected by rotating the main command dial (“flexible program ”). Rotate the command dial to the righ t for large apertures (small f-numbers) that blur background details or fast shutter speeds that “freeze ” motion.
106 Z f : Shutter-Priority Aut o In sh utter-pr iorit y auto, you c hoose the shutter speed while the camera automatically select s the aperture that will produc e the optima l exposure. T o take photographs in shutter-priority auto: 1 Select ex posur e mode f .
107 Z g : Aper ture -Priority Auto In aper ture -priorit y auto, you choose the aper ture while the camera automatically selec ts the shutte r speed that wi ll produc e the optimal exposure. T o take photographs in aper ture -priorit y auto: 1 Sel ect e xp osur e mode g .
108 Z 3 F rame a photogr aph, focus, and shoot. A Non-CPU Lenses If the maximum aper ture of the lens has been specified using the [Non-CPU lens data] item in setup menu (pg. 197) when a non-CPU lens is attached, the current f-number will be displa yed in the viewfinder and control panel, r ounded to the nearest full stop.
109 Z h : Manual In manual exposure mode, y ou control both shutter speed and aper ture. T o tak e photographs in manual exposure mode : 1 Sel ect e xp osur e mode h . Pr ess the I button and rotate the main command dial until h is displayed in the viewfinder an d control pan el.
110 Z 2 Choose aperture and shutter speed. Rotate the main command dial to choose a shutter speed, and the sub- command dial to set aper ture. Shutter speed can be set “ p ” or to values bet ween 30 s and 1 / 8,000 s, or the shutter can be held open indefinitely for a long time- exposure ( A , pg.
111 Z A Electronic Analog Exposure Displays The electronic analog exposure display s in the contr ol panel and viewfinder show whether the photograph would be under- or o ver- exposed at current settings . Depending on th e option ch osen fo r Cust om Setting b2 ([EV steps for exposure cntrl.
112 Z Aut o ex p os u re (A E) Lo c k Use autoexposure lock to r ecompose photographs after metering exposure. 1 Select center- weight ed or spot metering (pg. 100). Matrix metering w ill not produce the desir ed results with autoexposure lock. If using center-weight e d metering, sele ct the ce nter focus point with the multi selector (pg.
113 Z 3 Recom pose the photo graph. Keeping the AE-L/AF-L button pressed, r ecompose the photograph and shoot . A Metered Area In spot metering, exposure will be lo cked at the value metered in a 3-mm (0.12 in.) circle center ed on the selected focus point.
114 Z Exposure C ompensation Exposure compensation is used to alter exposure from the value suggested by the camera, making pictures brighter or darker . In exposure mode h , only the exposure in formatio n shown in the electronic analog exposure displ ay is affected; shutter speed and aperture do not change.
115 Z Exposure compensation can be set to values between –5 EV (underexposure) and +5 E V (overexposur e) in increments of 1 / 3 EV . In general, choose positive value s to make the subjec t brighter , negative values to make it darker .
116 Z Brack eting The D300 off ers three types of bracketing: exposure bracketing , flash bracketing, and white balance bracketing. In exposure brack eting (pg. 117), the camera varies exposure compensation with each shot, whil e in the case of flash brack eting (pg.
117 Z ❚❚ Exposure and Flash Bracketing 1 Selec t flash or exposur e bracketing . Choose the typ e of br acketing to be per formed using Cust om Setting e5 ([Aut o bracketing set], pg.
118 Z 3 Select an exposure incr ement. Pr essing the Fn but ton, rota te the sub- command dial to choose the exposure increment. At default settings, the size of the increment can be chosen from 1 / 3 , 2 / 3 , and 1 EV . The bracketing prog rams with an increment of 1 / 3 EV are listed below .
119 Z 4 Fr ame a photograph, focus, and shoot. The camera will var y exposure and/or flash level shot-by-shot according t o the bracketing program selected. Modif icatio ns to exposure are added to those made with exposure compensation (see page 114), mak ing it possible to achieve exposure compensation values of more than 5 EV .
120 Z ❚❚ Canceling Bracketing T o cancel bracketing, pr ess the Fn button and rotate the main command dial until the number of shots in the bracketing sequence is zer o ( ) and M is no longer displayed in the control panel on top of the camera. The program last in effect will be restored the next time bracketing is activated.
121 Z ❚❚ White Balanc e Bracketing 1 Selec t white balance br acketing. Choose [ WB bracketing] for Cust om Setting e5 [Auto bracketing set] (pg. 297). 2 Choose the number of shots. Pressing the Fn button, rotat e the main command dial to choose the numbe r of shots in the bracket ing sequence.
122 Z 3 Select a white balance increment. Pr essing the Fn but ton, rota te the sub- command dial to choose the white balance adjustment. Each increment is roughly equivalent to 5 mired. Choose from increments of 1 (5 mir ed), 2 (10 mired), or 3 (15 mired).
123 Z 4 Fr ame a photograph, focus, and shoot. Each shot will be processed t o create the n umber of copi es specified in the bracketing progra m, and each copy will have a differ ent white balanc e. Modifications to wh ite balance are added to the white balance ad justment made with white balance fine-tuning.
124 Z ❚❚ Canceling Bracketing T o cancel bracketing, pr ess the Fn button and rotate the main command dial until the number of shots in the bracketing se q ue n c e i s ze ro ( r ) and W is n o lo n g er d is p la ye d in t he c o nt ro l panel. The program last in eff ec t will be restored the next time bracketing is activated.
r 125 r White Balanc e – K eeping Colors T rue The color of light refl ected from an object varies with the color of the light source. The human brain is able to ada pt to changes in the color of the light source, with the result that whit e objects appear white whether seen in the shade, dir ect sunlight, or under incandescent lighting.
126 r White Balance Options F or natural color ation, choose a white balance setting that matches the light source befor e shooting. The fo llow ing opt ion s are a vailable: Option Color te mp.
127 r Auto whit e balance is r ecommended with most light sou rces . If the desired results can not be achi eved with auto white balance, choose an option fr om the list above or use pr eset white balance .
128 r A Studio Flash Lighting Auto white balance may not produc e the desired results with large studio flash units. Choose a color temperature , use preset white balance , or set white balance to [Flash] and use fine tuning to adjust white balance.
129 r F ine - T uning White Balanc e White balanc e can be “fine tuned” to compensat e for varia t ions in the color of the light source or to introduc e a deliberate color cast into an image. White balance is fine tuned using the [ White balance] option in th e shooting menu or by pressing the WB button and rotating the sub-command dial.
130 r 2 F ine tune white balanc e. Use the multi selector to fine - tune white balance. White balanc e can be fine tuned on the amber (A)–blue (B) axis and the green (G)–magenta (M) axis. The hor izontal (amber-blue) axis corresponds to color te mperature , with each increment equivalent to about 5 mired.
131 r A White Balanc e Fine T uning The colors on the fine-tuning axes are relativ e, not absolute . For example , moving the cursor to B (blue) when a “warm ” se tting such as J (incandescent) is selec ted for white balance will make photographs slightly “ colder ” but will not actually make them blue.
132 r ❚❚ The WB Button At settings other than K ([Choose c olor temp.] ) and L ([P reset manual]), the WB button can be used to fine -tune white balance on the amber (A)–blue (B) axis (pg. 130; to fin e -tune white balance when K or L is selected, use the shoo ting menu as described on page 129).
133 r Choosing a Color T emp era ture When K ([Choos e color te mp. ]) is selected f or white bal ance , color temperature can be selec ted by pressing the WB button and rotating the sub- command dial.
134 r Pr eset Manual Preset manual is used to record and recall custom white balance settings for shooting under mixed lighting or to compensate for light sources with a strong color cast.
135 r The camera ca n stor e up to five v alues for pr eset white balance in presets d-0 through d-4. A descriptive comment can be added to any whit e balance preset (pg. 144) . A White Balance Presets Changes to white balance presets apply to all shooting menu banks (pg.
136 r ❚❚ Measuring a V alue for Whit e Balance 1 Li ght a re fere nce ob je c t. Place a neutral gray or w hite objec t under the lighting th at will be used in the final phot ograph. In studio settings, a standard gray panel can be used as a ref e rence object.
137 r 3 Sel ect di rect mea sur emen t mo de . Rele ase t he WB button briefly and then press the button until the L icon in the control panel and viewfinder star t to flash. A flashing D will also appear in the control panel and viewfinder . At default settings, the displays will flash for about six seconds .
138 r If lighting is too dark or to o bright, the camera may be unable to measur e white balance. A flashing ba will a ppear in the contr ol panel and viewfinder (at default settings, the displays will flash f or about six seconds). Press the shutter- release button halfway to retur n to Step 4 and measure white balance again.
139 r ❚❚ Copy ing White Balance fr om d-0 to Pr esets d-1–d-4 F ollow the steps belo w to copy a measured value f or white balance from d-0 to any of the other presets (d-1– d-4). 1 Sel ect L ([P reset manual]). Highlight [Preset manual] in the white balance menu (pg.
140 r ❚❚ Copying Whit e Balance fr om a Photograph ( d-1– d-4 Only) F ollow the steps below to copy a value for white balance from a photograph on the memor y ca rd to a selected preset (d-1– d-4 only). Existing white balance v a lues can not be co pied to prese t d-0.
141 r 4 Highlight a source image . Highlight the source image. To view the highli ghted image full frame, press the X button. 5 Copy w hit e b al an ce. Press the center of the multi selec tor to copy the whit e balance value fo r the highlighted photograph to the selected preset.
142 r ❚❚ Selec ting a White B alance Preset T o set white balance to a preset value: 1 Select L ([P reset manual]). Highlight [Preset manual] in the white balanc e menu (pg. 12 6) and press 2 . 2 Select a pre set. Highlight the desired preset and press the center of the multi selector .
143 r A Selecting a White Balance Preset: the WB Button At a set tin g o f L ([Preset manual]), presets can also be selected by pressing the WB button and r otating the sub-command dial. The current preset is displayed in the control panel while the WB button is pressed.
144 r ❚❚ Entering a C omment F ollow the steps below to enter a descriptive comment of up to thirt y-six characters for a selected white balance preset. 1 Select L ([P reset manual]). Highlight [Preset manual] in the white balanc e menu (pg. 12 6) and press 2 .
J 145 J Image Enhanc ement This chapter de scribes how to optimize sharpening, c ontrast, brightness, saturation and hue using Picture Controls, how to preserve detail in highlights and shadows using active D- Lighting, and how to choo se a color spa ce.
146 J Pic ture Control s Nikon’ s unique P ic ture Control sy stem makes it possible to share image processing settings among compatible devices and software.
147 J ❚❚ Using Picture Controls Pictur e Contr ols can be used as described below . • Se le ct Ni ko n Pi ctur e C ont rol s (pg. 148): Select an existing Nikon Pict ure Co ntrol.
148 J Se lect in g Ni k on Pi ctu r e C o n tr o ls The camera offers four preset Nikon Picture Controls. Choose a Picture Control accor ding to the subjec t or type of scene. ❚❚ Choosing a Picture Control 1 Se lect [S et Pict ur e C on tr ol ]. In the shoo ting menu (pg.
149 J A The Picture C ontrol Grid Pressing the W button in Step 2 displays a Picture Control grid showing the contrast and saturation for the selected Pict ure Control in relation t o the other P ic ture Co ntrols (only contrast is displayed when [Monochrome] is selected).
150 J Modifying Existing Picture C ontr ols Existing Nikon or custom Picture Controls can be modified to suit the scene or the user ’ s creative int e nt. Choose a balanced combination of settings using [Quick adjust], or make manual adjustments to individual settings.
151 J ❚❚ Pic ture Cont rol Sett ings Option Description Quick a djust Choose from options between [– 2] and [+2] to reduce or exaggerate the effect of the selected Picture C ontrol (note that this resets all manual adjustments). Fo r example, choosing positive values for [Vivid] makes pictures more vivid.
152 J D Active D-Lighting [Contr ast] and [Brightness] can not be adjust ed when Active D-Lighting (pg. 165) is on. Any manual adjustments currently in effect will be lost when Active D-Lighting is turned on. D “A” ( A u t o ) Results f or auto contrast and satur ation va ry with exposure and the position of the subject in the frame.
153 J A Filter E ffects (Monochrome Only) The options in this menu simulate the eff ect of color filters on monochrome photographs. The follo wing filter effects are available: Note that the effects achieved with [F ilter effects] are more pr onounced than those produced by physical glass filters.
154 J Crea ting Custom Picture C ontrols The Nikon Pictu re Co ntrols supplied with the camera can be modified and sav ed as custom Picture Contr ols. 1 Select [Manage Picture Co nt ro l ] . In the shoo ting menu (pg. 254), highlight [Manage Picture Control] and pr ess 2 .
155 J 3 Sel ect a P ict ur e C ont rol . Highlight an existing Picture Contro l and pres s 2 , or press J to proceed to step 5 to save a copy of the highlighted Picture Contro l without further modification. 4 Edit the selected Picture Cont rol. See page 151 for more information.
156 J 6 Name the Pic ture Co nt ro l. The tex t- e ntr y dial og s hown at right wil l be displa yed. By default, new Picture Controls are named by adding a two-digit number (assigned automatically) to the name of the existing Picture C ontrol . This name can be edited to cr eate a new name as described below .
157 J A Cus t om Pi c t ur e C on tr ol s Custom Picture Controls are not affected by [Reset shooting menu] (pg. 257). Custom Picture Controls do not have a [ Quick adjust] option (p g. 151). Custom Picture Controls based on [M onochrome] have [Filter effects] and [ T oning] options in place of [S aturation] and [Hue] controls.
158 J Sharing C ustom Picture C ontrols Custo m Pic ture Control s cre ated usin g th e Pic ture Contro l Ut ilit y available with ViewNX version 1.2.0 or later or optional sof tware such as Captu re NX v ersion 1.3.5 or later or Captur e NX 2 version 2.
159 J 4 Selec t a destination. Choose a destination f o r the custom Picture Control (C-1 through C-9) and pr ess 2 . 5 Name the Picture C ontrol . Name the Picture Control as described on page 156.
160 J ❚❚ Saving Custom Pic ture Cont rols t o the Memor y Card 1 Select [ Co py t o card ]. After displaying the [Load/ save] menu as described in Step 1 on page 158, highlight [Cop y to car d] an d pre s s 2 . 2 Se lect a P ict ur e C ont ro l. Highlight a custom Picture Control and pr ess 2 .
161 J Managing C ustom Pic ture C ontrols F ollow the steps below t o rename or delete cust om Picture Controls. ❚❚ Renaming Custom Pic ture Co ntrols 1 Sel ect [R ena me ]. In the [ Manage Picture Control] menu, highlight [R ename] and press 2 . 2 Sel ect a P ict ur e C ont rol .
162 J ❚❚ Deleting Custom P ic ture C ontrols from the Camer a 1 Select [Delete]. In the [ Manage Pict ure Control] menu, highlight [Delete] and press 2 . 2 Se lect a P ict ur e C ont ro l. Highlight a custom Picture Contro l (C-1 throu gh C-9) and press 2 .
163 J ❚❚ Deleting Custom Picture Cont rols from the Memory Card 1 Selec t [Load/sa ve]. In the [ Manage Picture Control] menu, highlight [Load/save] and press 2 .
164 J 3 Se lect a P ict ur e C ont ro l. Highlight a custom Picture Control (slot1 through 99) and either; • press 2 to view curr ent Picture Control settings, or • press J to display confirmation dialog shown at right. 4 Select [ Y es]. Highlight [ Y es] and press J to delete the sele cted Picture Con tro l.
165 J Ac t i ve D - L i g ht i n g Active D-Lighting preser ves details in highlights and shadows , creating photographs with natural contrast. Use for high contrast scenes, f o r example when photographing brightly lit outdoor scener y through a door or window or taki ng pictures of shaded subjects on a sunny day .
166 J T o use a ctive D-Lighting : 1 Select [Active D-Lighting]. In the shoo ting menu (pg. 254), highlight [Active D-Lighting] and press 2 . 2 Choose an option.
167 J C olor Space The color spac e determines the gamut of colors available f or color reproduction. Choose a color space according to how photographs will be processed on leaving th e camera. 1 Sel ect [ Co lor s pac e]. Highlight [Color space] in the shooting menu (pg.
168 J A Color Spac e Color spaces define the correspondenc e between colors and the numeric values that represent them in a digital image file . The sRGB color space is widely used, while the A dobe RGB co lor space is typically used in publishing and commercial printing .
l 169 l F lash Photogr aph y – Using the Built-in Flash This chapter de scribes how to use the built-in flash. The Built-in F lash .............. ....................... ...................... pg. 170 Using the Built-in Flash ... ...................
170 l The Built-in F lash The built-in flash has a Guide Numb er (GN) 17/56 (m/ft, ISO 200, 20 °C/68 °F). It suppor ts i- T TL balanced fill-flash for digital SLR, which uses monitor pre-flashes to .
171 l U sing the Built-in F lash F ollow these steps when using the built -in flash. 1 Choose a metering method (pg. 100). Selec t matrix or center-weighted meter ing to ac tivate i- T TL b alanced fil l- flash for digital SLR. Standa rd i- T TL flash for digital SLR is activated automatically when spot metering is selected .
172 l 4 Check exposure (shutter speed and aper ture). Pr ess the shutter-relea se button halfway and ch eck shutter speed and aper ture. The settings available wh en the built-in flash is raised are listed below .
173 l Lo w ering the Built-in Flash T o save powe r when the flash is not in use , press it gently downward until the latch clicks into place. D The Built-in Flash Use with lenses with focal lengths of 18– 300 mm (pg. 354). Remove lens hoods to prevent shadows.
174 l Fla s h M o d e s The D300 supp or ts the following flash modes: Fla s h m od e Description Fro n t- c ur t ai n sync This mode is r ecommended for most situations .
175 l Rear-cur tain sync In shutter-pr iority auto or ma nual exposure mode, flash fires just before the shutter closes. Use to create eff ect of a stream of light behind moving objects. In programmed auto and aperture -priority auto, slow rear-curtain sync is used to capture both subject and backg roun d.
176 l F lash C ompensation Flas h compensat ion is used to alte r flash output by fr om –3 EV to +1 EV in increments of 1 / 3 EV , changing the brightness of the main subject relative to the backgr ound. Flash output can be increased to make the main subject appear brighter , or reduced to prevent unwanted highlights or reflections.
177 l A Optional Flash Units Flash compensation is al so available with optiona l SB-900, SB-800, SB-60 0, SB-400, and SB-R200 flash units. A See Also F or information on choosing the size of the increments available when setting flash compensation, see Custom Setting b3 ([Exp comp/fine tune], pg.
178 l FV Lock This featur e is used to lock flash output, allowing photogr aphs to be recompo sed without chang ing the flash lev el and ensuring that flash output is appr opriate to the subject even when the subject is not positioned in the center of th e frame .
179 l 4 Lock f lash level. After confirming tha t the flash ready indicator ( M ) is displayed in the viewfin der , press the Fn button. The flash will emit a monit or pref lash to determine the appropriate flash level. Flash output will be locked at this level and FV lock ic ons ( e ) will appear in the control panel and viewfinder .
180 l D Using FV Lock with the Built-in Flash FV lock is only available with the built-in flash when [ T TL] (t he default option) is selected f or Custom Se tting e3 ([F lash cntrl f or built-in fla sh], pg.
t 181 t O ther Shooting Options This chapter covers r estoring de fault settings, mak ing multiple exposures, int erval timer photograph y , and using GPS units and non-CPU le nses. T wo-Button Reset: Restoring Default Settings ........ pg. 182 Multiple Exposure .
182 t T wo -Button Reset: Restoring Default Settings The camera settings listed below can be rest ored to default values by holding the QUAL and E buttons down together f or more than two seconds (these buttons are marked b y a green dot). The control panel turns off briefly while settings are reset .
183 t The following shooting-menu opt ions will also be reset. Only settings in the bank currently se le cted using the [Sho oting menu bank] option wil l be reset (pg. 255). Settings in the remaining banks are unaffected. If the curren t Picture C ontrol has been modified , existing settings for the P ic ture C ontrol will also be r estor ed.
184 t Multiple Exposure F o llow the steps below to r ecord a series of two to ten exposur e s in a single photog raph. Mu ltip le e xpos ures can be rec orded at a ny image quality sett ing, and prod.
185 t 3 Selec t the number of shots. Pr ess 1 or 3 to choose the number of exposures that will be combined to f orm a single photograph and pr ess J . 4 Selec t [A uto gain]. Highlight [Auto gain] and pr ess 2 . 5 Set gain. Highlight one of the following options and press J .
186 t 6 Select [Done] . Highlight [Done] and press J . A n icon will be displayed in the control panel. To e x i t without taking a multiple exposure, select [Multiple exposure] > [Reset] in the shooting menu. 7 F rame a photogr aph, focus, and shoot.
187 t D Multiple Exposure Do not remov e or replace the memor y card while recor ding a multiple exposure. Live view (pg . 79) can not be us ed to recor d multiple exposures. The information listed in the playback photo information display (including date of recording and camera orientation) is for the first shot in the multiple exposure.
188 t ❚❚ Interrupting Multiple Exp osures Selec ting [Multiple exposure] in the shooting menu while a multiple exposure is being recorded displays the options shown at right. T o interrupt a multiple expo sure before the specified number of exposures have been taken, highlight [ Cancel] and pr ess J .
189 t Int er val T imer Photograph y The D300 is equipped to take pho tographs automatically at preset intervals. 1 Selec t [Interval timer shooting]. Highlight [Inter val timer shooting] in the shooting menu (pg. 254) and press 2 . 2 Selec t a starting trigger .
190 t 3 Choose a start time. Pr ess 4 or 2 t o highligh t hours or minutes; press 1 or 3 to change. The star ting time is not displayed if [Now] is selected for [ Choose star t time]. 4 Choose an interval. Pr ess 4 or 2 to highlig ht hours, minutes, or seconds; press 1 or 3 to change.
191 t 5 Choose the number of intervals and number of shots per interval. Pr ess 4 or 2 to highlight number of int ervals or number of shots; press 1 or 3 to change. The total numbe r of shots that will be taken is displayed to the right. 6 Start shooting.
192 t D Out o f Me mory If the memory card is full, the interv al timer will r emain active but no pictures will be taken. Resume shooting (pg. 193) after del eting some pictures or turning the ca mera off and inser ting another memor y card. A Brack eting Adjust bracketing settings before starting interval timer photography .
193 t ❚❚ P ausing Interval Ti mer Photograph y Interval time photography can be paused by: • Pressing the J butt on between intervals • Highlighting [Start] > [Pause] in the interval timer .
194 t ❚❚ Interrupting Int er val T imer Photography Inter val timer shooting will end automatically if the batter y is exhausted. Interval timer photograph y can also be ended by : • Selecting [Star t] > [Off ] in the interval timer menu • Performing a two button reset (pg.
195 t A Shooting Menu Banks Changes to interval timer settings ap ply to all shooting menu banks (pg. 255). If shooting menu settings are reset using t he [Reset shooting menu] item in the shooting menu (pg.
196 t Non-CPU Lenses By specifying lens data (lens fo cal length and maximum aper ture), the user can gain ac cess to a variety of CPU lens functions when using a non-CPU lens .
197 t ❚❚ The Non- CPU Lens Data Menu 1 Select [Non- CPU lens data]. Highlight [Non-C PU lens data] in the setup menu (pg. 311) and press 2 . 2 Selec t a lens number . Highlight [Lens number] and press 4 or 2 to choose a lens number betwee n 1 and 9.
198 t 5 Select [Done] . Highlight [Done] and press J . The specified focal length and aper ture will be stored under the chosen lens num ber . This combination of focal length and aper ture can be recalled at any time by selec ting the le ns number using camera controls as describ ed below .
199 t U sing a GPS Unit A GPS u nit can be co nnec ted to th e ten-pi n remote t ermin al, allowing the current latitude, longitude , altitude, Coordinat ed Universal Time (UT C), an d heading to be recorded with each photograph taken.
200 t ❚❚ O ther GPS Units Optional Garmin GPS units that conform to version 2.01 or 3.01 of the National Marin e Electronics Association NMEA0183 data format c an be co nnec ted to the camera’ s ten- pin remote termina l using an MC-35 GP S adapter cord (available separately ; pg.
201 t ❚❚ The k Icon When the ca mera establishe s communication with a GPS device, a k icon will be displayed in the control panel. Photo information fo r pictures taken while the k icon is displayed will include a page of GPS data (pg.
202 t ❚❚ Setup Menu O ptions The [GPS] item in the setup menu contains the options listed below . • [Auto meter off ] : Choose wh ether or not t he exposure meters will turn off automatically when a GPS unit is attached.
I 203 I Mor e About Pla yback – Playback Options This chapter de scribes how to pl ay back photographs and details the operations that can be per formed during pl ayback. F ull-Frame Playback.... ........................ ....................... ... pg.
204 I Fu l l - F r a m e P l a y b a c k T o play photographs back , press the K button. The most recent photograph will be displayed in the monitor . A Rotate T all T o display “tall” (portrait-orientation) phot ograph s in tall or ientation, select [On] for the [Rotate tall] option in the playback me nu (pg.
205 I A Image Review When [On] is selected for [Image r eview] in the playback menu (pg . 251), photographs are automatically displayed in the monitor for about 20 s (the default setting) after shooting (b ecause the camera is already in the correct orientation, images are not rotated automatically during image rev iew ).
206 I Photo Informa tion Photo information is superimposed on images displayed in full- frame playback. There are up t o 9 pages of inf ormation for each photo .
207 I ❚❚ File Information * Displayed only if [F ocus po int] is selected for [Display mode] (pg. 250). 1/ 10 100 ND 300 15 / 12 / 2007 10 : 15 : 29 4288 x2848 N N OR O R M AL AL D S C _ 0001. JPG 1 2 4 3 5 12 11 10 9 8 6 7 1 Protect status ......
208 I ❚❚ Highlights 1 1 Displayed only if [Highlights] is selected for [Display mode] (pg. 250). 2 Blink ing areas indicate highlights (areas that may be over exposed) for current channel . Press 4 or 2 while pressing W button to cycle through channels as fol lows: 100 - 1 Highlights Sel e c t R, G, B 1 2 3 4 6 5 1 Protect status .
209 I ❚❚ RGB Histogram 1 1 Displayed only if [RGB histogram] is selected for [Display mode] (pg. 250). 2 Blinking areas indicate highlights (areas that may be over exposed) for curren t channel. Press 4 or 2 while pressing W button to cycle through channels as follows: 100 -- 1 Highlights Select R, G, B 5 3 4 6 7 8 9 1 2 1 Protect status .
210 I 3 Some sample histograms are shown below: • If the image contains objec ts with a wide range of brightne sses, the distribution of tones will be relatively ev en. • If the image is dark, tone distribution will be shifted to the left. • If the image is bright, tone distribution will be shifted to the right.
211 I ❚❚ Shooting Data Page 1 1 1 Displayed only if [Data] is selected for [Display mode] (pg. 250). 2 Displayed in red if photo was taken with ISO sensitiv ity auto control on. 3 Displayed if Custom Setting b6 ([Fin e tune optimal exposure], pg. 277) has been set to a value other than zero for an y metering method.
212 I ❚❚ Shooting Data Page 2 1 1 Displayed only if [Data] is selected for [Display mode] (pg. 250). 2 [Standard] and [ Vivid] Picture Controls only . 3 [Neutral], [Monoc hrome], and cu stom Pi cture Contr ols. 4 Not displayed with monochr o me Picture C ontrols .
213 I ❚❚ Shooting Data Page 3 * * Displayed only if [Data] is selected for [Display mode] (pg. 250). N O I SE RE D U C . AC T . D – LI GH T . RET O U C H CO MM E N T : H I IS O NORM : N O R M A L : D – LI G H TI N G W A R M FIL TER C Y A N O TYP E TR I M : SPR I N G H A S CO M E .
214 I ❚❚ Shooting Data Page 4 * * Displayed only if [Data] is selected for [Display mode] (pg. 250) and copyright i nformation was appended to phot ograph (pg . 324). 100 -- 1 N I KO N D 300 AR T IS T C O PYRI GH T : NI KO N TAR O : NIKO N 3 4 6 5 1 2 1 Protect status .
215 I ❚❚ GPS Data 1 1 Displayed only if GPS device was us ed when photo was taken (pg. 1 99). 2 Displayed only if GPS device is equipped with electronic compass. LA TITUDE . LONGITUDE AL TITUDE TIME(UTC) HEADING : N : 35 º 36. 371' : E : 13 9 º 43.
216 I ❚❚ Overview Da ta * Displayed in r ed if photo was taken with ISO sensitivity auto control on. 100 ND 300 D S C _ 0001. JPG 1 / 8000 , F4 . 8 200 35 mm – 1 .
217 I 100 ND 300 D S C _ 0001. JPG 1 / 8000 , F4 . 8 H I 0 . 3 35 mm – 1 . 3 + 1 . 3 REAR 10000 A6, M 1 N I KO N D 300 15 / 12 / 2007 10 : 15 : 29 4288 x2848 N N OR O R M AL AL 1 / 10 17 18 19 25 26 27 23 22 21 24 20 17 Picture C ontrol ............
218 I V iewing Multiple Images: Thumbnail Pla yback T o display images in “ contact sheets” of four or nine images, press the W button. W X F ull-frame Thum bnail p laybac k W X.
219 I The following operations can be per formed w hile thumbnails are displayed: A See Also F or information on choosing the role played by the cen ter of the multi selector , see Custom S etting f1 ([Mult i selector cent er button], pg.
220 I T aking a Closer Look: Playback Z oom Press the X b ut t on t o z o om i n on t h e i m ag e d is p la ye d in f u ll - fr am e playback or on the image c urrently highlighted in thumbnail playback.
221 I Pr otec ting Photogr aphs from Deletion In full-frame, zoom, and thumbnail pla y back, the L butto n can be used to protect photographs from accidental deletion. Protected files can not be dele ted using the O button or the [Delete] option in the playback menu .
222 I Deleting Individual Photographs T o delete the photograph displayed in full-frame playback or the photograph highlighted in the th umbnail list, press the O button. Once deleted, photograp hs can not be recovered. 1 Select an image. Display the image or highlig ht it in the thumbnail list.
Q 223 Q C onnec tions – Connecting to Ex ternal Devices This chapter de scribes how to c o py photog raphs to a computer , how to print pictures, and how to view them on a television set. Connecting to a Computer ........... ....................... .
224 Q C onnec ting to a Co mputer This section describes how to co nnect the camera to a computer using the supplied UC-E4 USB cable. Once the camera is connected, Nik on T ransfer or optional Nikon sof tware such as Camera Control Pr o 2 can be used to copy photographs to the computer o r control the ca mera remotely.
225 Q ❚❚ Before Connec tin g the Camera Install the necessar y soft ware from the supplied installer CD (s ee the Install Guide for m ore i nfo r mat i on ). T o ensure that data transfer is not interrupted , be su re the camera battery is fully charged.
226 Q Di re ct U SB C on nect io n Connect the camera using the supplied UC-E4 USB cable. 1 Select a USB optio n. Before connecting the camera to the computer , make sure the correct option is selected for the [USB] item in the camera setup menu (pg. 225).
227 Q 5 Tu r n t h e c a m e r a o n . If [Mass Stor age] is selected for [USB] (pg. 225), c will be displayed in the control panel and vie wfinder , and the PC connection indicator will flash in the contr ol panel (camer a displays do not change if [MTP/P TP] is selected).
228 Q 7 Tu r n t h e c a m e r a o f f. If [MTP/PTP] is selected f or [USB ], t he camera can be t urned off and the USB cable discon nected once transfer is complete. If [Mass Storage] is selected, the camera must first be re moved from the system as described below .
229 Q W ireless and Ethernet Netw orks If the optional W T -4 wireless transmitt er is attached, photogr aphs can be transferred or printed over wireless or Ethe rnet net works and the camera can also be co ntrolled from network computers running Camera Control P ro 2 (available separately).
230 Q Prin ting Photographs Photographs can be printed by any of the following methods: • Connec t the came ra to a printer and print JPEG photographs directly fr om the camera (pg . 231). • Inser t the camera memory card in a printer equi pped with a card slot (see the printe r manual for details).
231 Q Dir ect USB C onne c tion If the camera is connec ted to a Pi ctBridge printer via the supplied USB cable, selected JPEG pictures can be printed dir ectly from the camera. D USB Hubs Connect the camera directly to the computer; do not connect the cable via a USB h ub or key board .
232 Q ❚❚ Connec ting the Printer Connect the camera using the supplied UC-E4 USB cable. 1 Select [MTP/PTP]. If the [USB] option in the camera setup menu has bee n changed fr om the default setting of [MTP/PTP], displa y the [USB] menu an d select [MTP/PTP ] (pg .
233 Q ❚❚ Printing Pictures One at a Time 1 Sel ect a p ictu re . Pr ess 4 or 2 to view a dditional pictures, or press the X button to zoom in on the current frame (pg . 220). T o view six pictures at a time, pr ess the W button. Use the multi se lector to highligh t pictures, or press X to display the highlighted picture full frame.
234 Q 3 Adjus t printing op tions. Pr ess 1 or 3 to high light an option and press 2 to s elec t. Option Description Page siz e Menu shown at right will be displayed. Press 1 or 3 to choose page size (to print at default page size f or current printer , selec t [Printer default]), then press J to select and return to previous menu.
235 Q 4 Start printing. Select [Star t pr inting] and press J to start printing. To cancel be fore all copies have been printed, pr ess J . D Selecting Photographs for Printing Images created at image quality se ttings of NEF (RA W ) or TIFF (RGB) (pg.
236 Q Printing Multiple P ic tures 1 Display the P ictBridge menu. Pr ess the G button in the PictBridge playback displ ay (see St ep 4 on page 232). 2 Choose [Print select] or [Print (DPOF)]. Highlight one of the following options and press 2 . • [Print select] : Sel ect p ictur es f or printing.
237 Q 3 Se lect p ictu re s. Use the multi selector t o scroll through the pictures on the memory card. To d i s p l a y t h e current picture full screen, press X button. To s e l e c t t h e current picture for printing, press the L button and press 1 .
238 Q 5 Adjus t printing op tions. Pr ess 1 or 3 to highlight an option and press 2 to select. 6 Star t printing. Select [Star t printing] and press J to start printing. T o c ancel before all copie s have been pr inted, press J . A Page Size , Border , Time Stamp , and Cropping Choose printer defa ult to prin t at current printer settings.
239 Q ❚❚ Creating Index Prints T o create an index print of all JPEG pic tures on the memor y card, select [I ndex print] in Step 2 of “P rin ting Multiple Pictures ” (pg . 236). Note that if the memory card cont ains more than 256 pic tures, only the first 256 images will be printed .
240 Q ❚❚ Creating a DPOF Print Order: Print Set The [Print set (DPOF)] option in the playback menu is used to creat e digital “ print orders ” for P ictBridge -compatible printer s and devices that support DPOF . Selectin g [Print set (DPOF)] from the playback menu displays the menu shown in Step 1.
241 Q 3 Selec t imprint options. Highlight the follo w ing options and press 2 to t oggle the highlighted option on or off (to complete the prin t order without including this information, proceed t o Step 4). • [Data imprint] : Print shutter speed and aper ture on all pictures in print order .
242 Q V iewing Photographs on T V The supplied EG-D1 00 video cable can be used to connec t the D300 to a television or VCR for playback or r ecording . A type A H igh- D efinition M ultimedia I nter fa ce (HDMI) cable (available separately from commercial sour ces) can be used to connect the camera to high-definition video devices.
243 Q A V ideo Mode (pg. 313) Be sure that the video standard mat ches the standard used in the video device. Note that resolution will drop wh en images are output on a P AL device. A T elevision Playback Use of an EH-5a or EH-5 AC adapter (available separately) is recommended for extended playback.
244 Q High-Definition Devices The camera can be connected to HDMI devices using a type A HDMI cable (available sep arately fr om commercial sources). 1 Tu r n t h e c a m e r a o f f. Always turn the camera off before connecting or disconnecting an HD MI cable.
U 245 U Menu Guide This chapter de scribes the option s a vailable in the camera menus. D The Playback Menu: Managing Images ............ ... pg. 246 C The Shooting M enu: Shooting Options......... ........ pg. 254 A Cust om Settings: Fine- T uning Camera Settings .
246 U D The Pla yback Menu: Managing Images The pla yback menu contain s the options l isted bel ow . Fo r information on using the playback menu, see “T utorial: Camera Menus.
247 U Selec ting Multiple Pictures T o sele ct multiple pic tures for [Delete] (pg. 248), [H ide image] (pg. 249), [Print set (DPOF)] (pg. 240), and direct pr inting (pg. 236): 1 Highlight a pic ture . T o vie w the highlighted pic ture full screen, pr ess and hold the X button.
248 U 3 Repeat steps 1 and 2 to select additional pictures. T o deselect a picture, highligh t it and press cent er of multi selector . 4 Pres s J to complete the operation. A confirmation dialog will be displayed; highlight [ Y es] and press J . Delete Select this option to delete pic tures.
249 U Playback Folder Choose a f older for playback. Hide Image Hid e or r eve al se lect ed pi ctur es. Hidden pictures are visible only in the [Hide image] menu and ca n on ly be deleted by formatting the memory card. D Protected and Hidden Images Revealing a protected image will also remove protection from the image.
250 U Display Mode Choose the information a vailable in the playback photo inf ormation display (pg. 206). Pr ess 1 or 3 to highlight an option, then press 2 to select the option for the photo inf o rmation displa y . A L appears next to selec ted items; to deselect, highlight and press 2 .
251 U Image Review Choose whether pictures a re automa tically displayed in the monitor immediat ely after shooting. After Delete Choose the picture displayed after an image is deleted . Rotate Tall Choose wheth er to rotate “tall ” (por trait- orientation) pic tures for display during playback.
252 U Slide Show Creat e a slide show of the pictur es in the current pl ayback f older (pg. 249). Hidden images (pg. 249) are not display ed. T o star t the slide show , highlight [Star t] and press J .
253 U Print Set (DPOF) Choose [Select/set] to select pi ctures for printing on a DPOF- compatible device (pg. 240). Choose [Deselect all?] to r emove all pictures from the current print order .
254 U C The S ho oting Menu: Shooting Options The shooting menu conta ins the options listed below. Fo r information on using the sho oting menu, see “T utorial: Camera Menus” (pg.
255 U Shooting Menu Bank Shooting menu option s are stored in one of four banks. Wit h t h e exceptions of [Inter val time r shoo ting], [Mul tiple exposure], and modifications to P ic ture C o ntrol s (quick adjust and other manual adjustments), changes to settings in one bank have no eff ect on the others.
256 U 2 Enter a name. T o move the cursor in th e name area, press the W button and press 4 or 2 . To enter a new le tter at the current cursor position, use the multi selector to highlight the desired character in the keyboard ar ea and press the cent er of the multi selector .
257 U Reset Shooting Menu Choose whether to restor e de fault settings for the current shooting menu bank. See page 401 for a list of default settings. With the exceptions of image qual it y , image size, white balance, and ISO sensitivity , shooting menu settings are not reset when a two-button r eset (pg .
258 U Active Folder Select the folder in which subsequent ima ges will be stor ed. ❚❚ New Folder Number 1 Select [New folder number]. Highlight [New folder number] and press 2 . 2 Choose a folder number . Pr ess 4 or 2 to highlig ht a digit, pr ess 1 or 3 to chan ge.
259 U ❚❚ Select Folder 1 Choose [Selec t folder]. Highlight [Select f older] and press 2 . 2 Highlight a folder . Pr ess 1 or 3 to highlight a f older . 3 Selec t the highlighted folder . Pr ess J to select the highlighted folder and return to the shooting menu (to exit without changing the active folder , press the G butt on).
260 U File Naming Photogr a phs are sa ved using file na mes consisting of “DSC_” or , in the case of images that use th e A dobe RGB color space, “_DSC” , followed by a f o ur-digit number and a three -letter extension (e.g., “DSC_0001.JPG”).
261 U NEF (RAW) Recording Choose compression and bit- depth options for NEF (RA W ) images (pg. 58). White Balance Adjust white balance settings (pg. 126). Set Picture Control Select from the P icture Con trols pr ovided with the camer a to instantly adjust image proc essing settings (pg.
262 U Long Exp. NR (Long Exposure Noise Reduction) Choose whet her to reduce noise in pic tures taken at slow shutter speeds. Option Description On Photographs taken at shutter speeds slower than 8 s are processed to reduce noise. While photographs are being processed, the capacity of the memory buffer will drop .
263 U High ISO NR Photographs taken a t high ISO se nsitivities can be processed t o redu ce “nois e. ” ISO Sensitivity Settings Adjust ISO sensitivity and ISO sensitivity auto c ontrol settings (pp. 94, 96). Live View Choose a liv e view mode and the r elease mode tha t will be used when the ca mera is in live view mode (pg.
264 U A C ustom S ettings: F ine - T uning Camer a Settings Custom Settings are used to customize camera settings to suit individual pref erences . In addition to Custom Settin gs B ([Cu stom setting bank]) and A ([Reset custom settings] ), settings in the Custom Settings menu are divided into the six groups shown at right.
265 U The following Custom Settings are ava ilable: Custom Set ting Pa ge B Cust om setting bank 266 A Reset custom settings 266 a Auto foc us a1 AF-C pri ority selec tion 267 a2 AF-S priority selecti.
266 U C: Custom Setting Bank Custom Settings are stor ed in one of four banks. Changes to settings in one bank hav e no effect on the others. To s t o r e a par ticular combination of frequently-used settings , selec t one of the four banks and set the camera to these settings.
267 U a1: AF-C Priority Selection This option controls whether photographs can be taken whenever the sh utter-release button is pressed ( release priority ) or on ly wh en t he c a me ra is in foc us ( focus priority ) in continuous-ser vo AF . T o sele ct continuo us-ser vo AF , rotate the f ocus mode selec tor to C .
268 U a2: AF-S Priority Selection This option controls whethe r photogr a phs can be taken onl y when the camer a is in focus ( foc us priority ) or whenev er the shutter - release butt on is pressed ( release priority ) in single-ser vo AF . To select single -ser vo AF , rotate the focus mode selector to S .
269 U a3: Dynamic AF Area If the subjec t leaves the selec ted focus point when dynamic-area AF ( I ; pg. 64) is selected in continuous-ser vo AF (focus mode C ; pg. 62), the camer a will focus based on information from surrounding focus points. Choose the number of f ocus points from 9, 21 , and 51 based on subject mov ement.
270 U A 3D-tra cking When the shutter-release button is pr essed halfway , the colors in the area surrounding the focus point are stored in the camera. Consequently 3D- tracking may not produce the desired results with su bjects that are the same color as the background or that occupy a very small area of the frame.
271 U a5: AF Activation This option controls whether both the shu tter- relea se b utto n an d the B button can be used to initiate autofocus, or whether autofocus is only i nitiated when the B butt on is pressed. a6: AF Point Illumination Choose whether the act ive focus po int is highlighted in r ed in the viewfinder .
272 U a7: Focus Point Wrap-Around Choose whether focus-point selection “wraps around” from one edge of the viewf inder to another . a8: AF Point Selection Choose the number of f ocus points availabl e for manu al focus- point selection.
273 U a9: Built-in AF-assist Illuminator Choose whether the built-in AF-assist illuminator lights to assist the fo cus operatio n when lightin g is poor . A The AF-Assist Illuminator The AF-assist illuminator has a range of about 0.5–3.0 m (1 ft. 8 in.
274 U a10: AF-On for MB-D10 Choose the function assigned to the B button on the optional MB-D10 battery pack. Option Description A AF-ON (default) Pr essing the MB-D10 B button initi ates autofocus. B AE/AF lock Focus and exposure lock while the MB-D10 B button is pressed.
275 U b1: ISO Sensitivity Step Value b2: EV Steps fo r Exposure Cntrl. This option determines whether adjustments to shutter speed, aperture, and bracketing are made in increments equivalent to 1 / 3 EV , 1 / 2 EV , or 1 EV .
276 U b4: Easy Exposur e Compensation This option controls whethe r the E button is needed to set exposure compensation (pg. 114). If [On ( Aut o reset)] or [On] is selected, the 0 at the center of the expo sure displa y will blink even when exposure compensation is set to ±0.
277 U b5: Center-Weighted Area Note that the dia meter is fix ed at 8 mm when a non-CPU lens is used, regardless of the setting sele cted for [Non-CPU l ens data] in the setup menu (pg. 196). b6: Fine Tune Optimal Exposure Use this option to fin e -tune the exposure value selec ted by the camera.
278 U 2 Select [ Y es]. The message shown at right will be disp layed; highlight [ Y es] and press 2 to p roceed, or selec t [No] to exit witho ut altering exposure. 3 Select a metering method. Highlight [Matrix metering], [Center-weighted], or [Spot metering] and press 2 .
279 U c1: Shutter-Release Button AE-L At the default setting of [Off ], exposure only locks when the AE-L/ AF-L button is pressed. If [On] is selected, exposure will also lock when the shutter-release butto n is pressed halfway . c2: Auto Meter-off Delay Choose a shor ter m eter-o ff delay for longer batter y life.
280 U c3: Self-Timer Delay c4: Monitor off Delay This option controls the length of the shutter release delay in self-tim er mode. Choose from 2s , 5s , 1 0s , a n d 2 0s . Option a 2s b 5s c 10 s (default) d 20 s This option controls how long th e monitor remains on when no opera tions are per for med.
281 U d1: Beep Choose [High] or [ Low] to sound a beep when the self-timer is used or the camera focuses in single -ser vo autof ocus (note that a beep will not sound if [Rel ease] is selected for C ustom Setting a2 ([AF-S priorit y selection], pg. 268)).
282 U d3: Viewfinder Warning Display Choose whether low battery warning is displayed in the view finder . d4: CL Mode Shooting Speed This option determin es the ma ximum frame advance rate in C L (continuo us low speed) m o de (during inte r val timer pho togr aphy , this setting also determines th e frame advance rate f or single - frame mode).
283 U d6: File Number Sequence When a photograph is taken, the came ra names the file by adding one to the last file number used. This option controls whe ther file numbering continues from the last number used when a new folder is creat e d, the memory card is f ormatted, or a new memory card is inserted in the camera.
284 U d7: Shooting Info Display At the default setti ng of [Auto] ( AUTO ), the color of th e lettering in the information display (pg. 12) will automatically change from black to white or white t o black to maintain contrast with the background .
285 U d8: LCD Illumination At the default setting of [Off ], the contr o l panel back light (L CD illuminator) will onl y light whil e the power switch is in the D position. If [On] is selec ted, the control panel will be illumin ated while the expo sure meters are active (pg.
286 U A Using AA Batt eries EN-EL4a or EN-EL4 re chargeable Li-ion batteries (available separately) or EN-EL3e rechargeable Li-ion batteries ar e recommended fo r best per formance.
287 U d11: Battery Order Choose whether the battery in the camera or the batteries in the battery pack are used first when an optional MB-D10 battery pack is attached. A X icon is displayed in the camera contr ol panel when the batter ies in the MB-D10 are in use.
288 U e1: Flash Sync Speed This option controls flash sync speed. A Fixing Shutter Speed at the F lash Sync Speed Limit T o fix shutter speed at the sync speed limit in shutter-priority auto or manual exposure modes, select the next shutter speed af ter the slow est possible shutter speed (30 s or bulb).
289 U Flash Control at [1/320 s (Aut o FP)] When [1/320 s (A uto FP)] is selec t ed f or Custom Setting e1 ([F l ash sync speed], pg. 288), the built-in flash can be used at sh utter speeds as fast as 1 / 320 s, while optional SB-9 00, SB-800, SB-600, and SB-R200 flash units can be used at any shutter speed (Auto FP High-Speed Sync).
290 U e2: Flash Shutter Speed This option determine s the slow est shutter speed av ailable when using front - or rear-cur tain sync or re d-eye reduction in programmed auto or aperture-prior ity auto.
291 U e3: Flash Cntrl for Built-in Flash Choose the flash mode for th e bu ilt- in fl ash. A “Manual” and “Repeating Flash ” Y icons blink in the control panel and viewfinder when these options ar e selected.
292 U ❚❚ Manu al Choose a flash le vel betw een [F ull] and [1/128] ( 1 / 128 of full power). At fu l l po we r , t h e b u i l t-in flash h as a Guide Number of 18/59 (m/ft., ISO 200, 20 °C/68 °F). ❚❚ Repeating Flash The flash fir es repeatedly whil e the shutter is open, producing a strobe -light effect.
293 U ❚❚ Commander Mode Use the built-in flash as a master flash controlling one or more remote optional SB-900, SB-80 0, SB-600, or SB-R20 0 flash units in up to two gr oups (A and B) using advanced wir eless lighting . Selecting this option displays the menu shown at right.
294 U F o llow the steps below t o take photographs in commander mode . 1 Adjust settings f or the built-in flash. Choose the flash control mode and output level for the built-in flash. Note that output level can not be adjusted in [– –] mode. 2 Adjust settings f or group A.
295 U 6 Com po se th e sh ot . Compose the sh ot and arrange the flash un its as shown below . Note that the maximum distan ce at which the remote flash units can be placed may var y with sh ooting conditions. 7 Set the remote flash units to the selected channel.
296 U A The Flash S ync Mode Display M does not appear in the control panel flash sync mode display when [– –] is selected f or [Built -in flash] > [Mod e].
297 U e4: Modeling Flash If [On] (the def ault setting) is selected when the camera is being used with the built-in fla sh or an optional SB-900, SB-80 0, SB-600, or SB-R200 flash unit, a modeling flash will be emitted when the camera depth-of-field preview button is pressed (pg .
298 U e6: Auto Bracketing (Mode M) This option determines which se ttings are af fected when [AE & flash] or [ AE only] is selected f or Custom Se tting e5 in man ual exposure mode. Flash bracketing is per formed only with i- T TL or AA flash control.
299 U e7: Bracketing Order At the default setting of [MTR ]>[under]>[over] ( H ), bracketing is per formed in the order desc ribed on pages 118 and 122. If [Under]>[MTR]>[over] ( I ) is selec ted, shooting will proceed in order from the lowest to the highest value.
300 U f1: Multi Selector Center Button This option determin es what operations can be per formed by pressing the cen ter of the multi selector in shooting an d playback modes.
301 U f2: Multi Selector If [Reset me ter-off de lay] is selected, operating the multi selector when the exposur e meters are off (pg . 46) will activate the exposure meters . If [Do nothing] (the default option) is selected, the exposure meters wil l not be ac tivated when the multi sel ector is pressed.
302 U f4: Assign FUNC. Button Choose th e role played by the Fn button, either by itself ([F UNC. button press]) or when used in combina tion with the command dials ([FUNC.
303 U t Brack eting burst If the Fn button is pressed while exposure or flash bracketing is active in single frame release mode, all shots in the current bracketing program will be taken each time the shutter-release button is pressed.
304 U ❚❚ FUNC. Button+Dials Selecting [F UNC. button+dials] for Custom Setting f4 displays the following options: Option Description v 1 step spd/ aperture If the Fn button is pressed when the com.
305 U f5: Assign Preview Button Choose the role played by the depth- of-field preview button, either by itself ([Pre view button pre ss]) or when used in comb ination with the command dials ([P review + command dials]). The options a vailable ar e the same as for [FUNC.
306 U f6: Assign AE-L/AF-L Button Choose th e role played by the AE-L/AF-L button, either by itse lf ([AE-L/AF-L button press]) or when used in combination with the command dials ([AE-L/AF-L+command dials]). The options ava ilable for [AE-L/AF-L button press] are the same as f o r [FUNC.
307 U f7: Customize Command Dials This option controls the operation of the main and sub- command dials. Option Description Reverse rotation Controls the dir ec tion of the command dials. Choose [No] (the default option) for normal command dial operation, or [ Y es] to reverse the rotation of the command dials.
308 U f8: Release Button to Use Dial This option allows adjustments that are normal ly made by holding a button and ro tating a command di al to be made by rotating th e command dial af ter the button is released. At the default setting of [No], the button must be pr esse d while the command dial is rotate d.
309 U f9: No Memory Card? At the default setting of [Enabl e release], the shutter can be releas ed when no memory card is inserted, although no picture s will be recorded (they will however be displayed in the monitor in demo mode).
310 U f10: Reverse Indicators At the default setting of ( V ), the exposure indicators in the control pa nel, viewfinder and shooting informa tion display ar e displayed with positi ve values on the left and negative values on the right. Select ( W ) to display negativ e values on the left and positive va lues on the right.
311 U B The Setup Menu: Cam e ra S e t up The setup menu contains the options listed below . Fo r information on using the setup menu, see “T utorial: Camer a Menus” (pg .
312 U Format Memory Card Fo r m a t t h e c a r d. Note that formatting permanently deletes all pictures and other data on the card . Be fore for matt ing, be su re to make backup copies as requir ed. D During Forma tting Do not turn the camera off or remo ve memory cards during formatting .
313 U Clean Image Sensor Select this option to remo ve dust from the image sensor or to choose options for automatic image sensor cle aning (pg. 373). Lock Mirror up for Cleaning Lock the mirror in the up position to allow inspection or manual cleaning of the low-pass filter that protects the camera image sensor (pg.
314 U HDMI The camera is equipped with an HDMI ( H igh- D efinition M ultimedia I nter face) connec tor , allowing pic tures to be played back on high-definition televisio ns or monitors us ing a type A cable (available separately fr om commer cial suppliers).
315 U World Time Change time zones, set the camera clock, choose the date display order , and turn daylight saving time on or off . Language Choose a language for ca mera menus and messages. The following options are available. Option Description Tim e zo ne Choose a time zone.
316 U Image Comment Add a comment to new photographs a s they are taken. Comments can be viewed in V iewNX versio n 1.2.0 or later or in Capture NX version 1.3.5 or later or Capture NX 2 version 2.1.0 or later (available separately ; pg. 368). The comment is also visible on the third shooting data page in the photo information display .
317 U Auto Image Rotation Photographs taken while [On] (the default option) is selec ted contain in formation on camera orien tation, all owing them to be rotated automatically during playback (pg. 251) or when viewed in ViewNX version 1.2.0 or l ater or in Capture NX version 1.
318 U USB Choose a USB option for co nnec tion to a com puter or P ictBridge printer . Choose [MTP/PTP] (the de fault setting) when co nnecting to a PictBridge pr inter or an opt ional W T -4 w ireless transmitter or when using Camera Control P ro 2 (available separately; see pa ge 368).
319 U 1 Choose a star t option. Highlight one of the following options and press J . T o exit without acquiring image dust off data, press G . • [Start] : The message shown at right will be displayed and “ rEF” will appear in the viewfinder and c ontrol pa nel displays.
320 U 3 Acqu ire du st of f re fere nce dat a. Pr ess the shutter-release button the rest of the way do wn to acquire Image Du st Off reference data. The monito r turns off when the shutter -releas e button is pres sed.
321 U Battery Info View information o n the battery currently inserted in the camera. Item Description Bat. meter The current battery level expressed as a percen tage. Pic. meter The number of times the shutter has been released with the current battery since the battery was last charged .
322 U A The MB-D10 Battery Pack The information displayed when the camera is powered by an optional MB-D10 battery pack depends on the type of batteries used: Wireless Transmitter This option is used to adjust se ttings for connection to a wireless network , using an opti onal W T -4 w ireless transmitter .
323 U Image Authentication Choose whether to embed image authentication information in new photographs as they are taken, allowing alterations to be detected using Nikon ’ s optional Image Authentication software. Image authentication informat ion can not be embedded in existing photog raphs.
324 U Copyright Information Add cop y right informa tion to ne w photogra phs as they ar e taken. Copyright inf ormation is visible on the four th shooting data page in the photo information displa y (pg. 214) and can be view e d in ViewN X version 1.
325 U Save/Load Settings Select [Save settings] to save the f ollowing settings to the camera mem or y c ard ( if th e me mor y card is f ull, a n e rror w ill be disp layed ; pg.
326 U Settings saved using the D300 can be restor ed by selecting [Load settings]. Note that [Sa ve/load settings] is only avail able when a memor y card is inserted in the camera, and that the [Load settings] option is on ly available if the card contains saved settings.
327 U Non-CPU Lens Data By specifying lens data (lens foca l length and maximum aperture) for up to nine non-CPU lenses, the user can gain access to a var iety of CPU lens functions (pg. 196) . AF Fine Tune Fine-tune focus for up to 12 le ns types. AF tuning is not recommen ded in most situations; use on ly when requir ed.
328 U D AF T uning The camera may be unable to focus at minimum range or at infinity when AF tuning is applied. D Live V iew (T ripo d) Mode T uni ng is not applied to contrast- detec t autofocus when [ Tripod] is selected in live view mode (pg. 83). A Sa ve d V alu e Only one value can be stored for each type of lens.
329 U N T he Retouch Menu: Crea ting Retouched Copies The options in the retouch menu a re used to create trimmed, or retouched copies of the photographs on the memor y card. The retouc h menu is only display ed when a memor y card contain ing photographs is inserted in the camera.
330 U Crea ting Retouched Copies Except in the case of [Image overlay] (pg. 339) and [ Side -by-side comparison] (pg. 342), the photog raph s to be retou ched c an be selected in full-frame playback as well as from the ret ouch menu. ❚❚ Creating Retouched Copies in F ull-Frame Playback 1 Choose a pic ture.
331 U 4 Create a retouc hed co py . Pr ess J to create a retouched copy . Retouched copies are indicated by a N icon. ❚❚ Creating Retouched Copies from the Reto uch Menu 1 Selec t an item in the retouch menu. Pr ess 1 or 3 to highlight an item, 2 to selec t.
332 U 3 Display r etouch options. Pr ess J to display retouch options (s ee the section for the selected option for details). T o exit without creating a retouched copy, press G . 4 Create a re touche d copy . Pr ess J to create a retouch ed copy. Retouched cop ies are indi cated by a N icon.
333 U D Retouching C o pies Copies cr eated with [ T rim] can not be further modified. D-lighting, red-eye c orrection, filter effects, and color balance can not be applied to monochrome copies. Other wise th e options in the retouch menu can each be applied once to existing copies, although this may result in loss of detail.
334 U D-Lighting D-lighting brightens shadows, making it ideal for dark or backlit photographs . Press 1 or 3 to choose the amount of correction per formed.
335 U Red-Eye Correction This option is used to correct “r ed-eye” caused by the flash, and is available on ly with photographs taken using the flash. The photograph selected f or red-eye correction is previewed as shown at right. Confirm the effects of red-eye correction and create a copy as described in the following table.
336 U Trim Crea te a cropped c opy of the sel ected photograph. The selected photo graph is displayed with the selec ted crop shown in yello w ; cr eate a cr op ped cop y as described in the following table. To Use Description Reduce size of crop W Press the W button to reduce the size of the crop.
337 U D T rim: Image Quality and Size Copies c reat ed from NEF (RA W ), NEF (RA W ) + JPEG, or TIFF (RGB) p hotos have an imag e quality (pg. 56) of JPEG fine; cropped copies crea ted from JPEG photos have the same image quality as the original. The size of the copy varies with crop size and aspect ratio.
338 U Filter Ef fects Choose from the following color filter effects. After adjusting fil ter effects as described below , press J to copy the ph otograph . Color Balance Use the multi selector to c reat e a copy with modified color balance as shown bel ow .
339 U Image Overlay Image overl ay combines tw o existing NEF (RA W ) photographs to create a single picture that is saved separately from the originals with results that are noticeably better than photogr aphs combined in an imaging applicat ion because they make use of RA W data from the camera image sensor .
340 U 4 Select the highlighted photograph. Pr ess J to selec t the highlighted photograph and return to the preview display . The selected image w ill appear as [Image 1]. 5 Set gain. Optimize exposure f or the ov erlay by pr essing 1 or 3 to select the gain for image 1 from values between 0.
341 U 8 Pr eview the ov erlay . Pr ess 1 or 3 to highlight [Overlay] and press J (t o save the overlay withou t displaying a preview , highlight [Save] and press J ). To r e t u r n t o S t e p 7 and select new photos or adjust g ain, press W . 9 Save the overlay .
342 U Side-by-Side Comparison Comp are reto uch ed co pie s to th e or igin al p hoto grap hs. ❚❚ Making a Side-by-Side Comparison 1 Se lect a p ictu re . Use the multi sele ctor to select a picture and press J . Only retouched copies (shown by a N icon) or photo graphs that have been ret ouched can be selected.
343 U 3 Compare the c opy with the original. The source image is displayed on the left, the retouched copy on the right, with the options used to crea te the copy listed at the top of the display .
344 U O My Menu: Crea ting a Cust om Menu The [My M enu] option can be used to create and edit a customized list of options fr om the playback, shooting , Custom Settings, setup , and retouch menus fo r quick access (up to 20 items). If desired, r ecent settings can be displayed in place of My Menu (pg.
345 U 4 P osition the new item. Pr ess 1 or 3 to move the new item up or down in My Menu. Pr ess J to add the new item. 5 Add more items. The items curr ently displayed in My Menu are indicated by a check mark. Items indicated by a V icon can not be selected.
346 U Deleting Options from My Menu 1 Selec t [Remove items]. In My Menu ( O ), highlight [Remove it ems] and press 2 . 2 Select items . Highlight items and press 2 to select or deselec t. Selecte d items are indicated by a check mark. 3 Select [Done] .
347 U Reordering Options in My Menu 1 Sel ect [Ra nk i te ms] . In My Men u ( O ), highlight [Rank items] and press 2 . 2 Sel ect an ite m. Highlight the item yo u wish to move and pr ess J . 3 P osition the item. Pres s 1 or 3 to move the item up or down in My Menu and press J .
348 U Displaying Rec ent Settings T o display the twenty most rec ently used settings , select [Recent settings] for [My M enu] > [Choose tab]. 1 Select [ Choose ta b]. In My Menu ( O ), highlight [Choose tab] and press 2 . 2 Select [Recent settings].
n 349 n Te c h n i c a l N o t e s – Camera Care , Options, and Resources This chapter covers the following topics: Compatible Lenses .. ....................... ................... ............. pg . 350 O ptional Flash Units (Speedligh ts) ........
350 n C ompatible Lenses 1 IX-Nikkor lenses can not be used. 2 Vibration Reduction ( VR) sup ported with VR lenses. 3 Spot metering meters selected focus point. 4 The camera’ s exposure mete ring and flas h control systems do not work properly when shifting and/or tilting th e lens, or when an aper ture other than the maximum aper ture is used.
351 n 9 When focusing at minimum f ocus distance with AF 80–200mm f/2.8, AF 35– 70mm f/2.8, AF 28–85mm f/3. 5–4.5 <New>, or AF 28–85mm f/3.5–4.5 lens at maximum zoom, in-focus indicator may be displa yed when image on matte screen in viewfinder is not in fo cus.
352 n D Inco mpat ibl e Acces sor ies and Non -C PU Le nse s The following accessories and non-CPU lenses can NOT be used with the D300: • T C-16AS AF teleconv erter • Non-AI lenses • Lenses that r equire the AU-1 focusing unit (400mm f /4.5, 600mm f/5.
353 n A The AF-S/AF-I T elecon verter The AF-S/AF-I telecon verter can be used with the following AF-S and AF-I lenses: • AF-S VR M icro 105mm f/2.8G ED 1 • AF-S VR 200mm f/2G ED • AF-S VR 300mm f/2.8G ED • AF-S 300m m f/2.8D ED II • AF-S 30 0mm f/2.
354 n A The Built-in Flash The built-in flash can be used with CPU lenses with focal lengths of 18– 300mm. Remove lens hoods to prevent shadows . The flash has a minimum range of 60 cm (2 f t.) and can not be used in the macro range of macro zoom lenses.
355 n D Red-Ey e Reduction Lenses that block the subject ’ s view of the AF-assist illuminator may interfere with red-eye reduction. D AF-Assist Illumination AF-assist illumination is not available with the following lenses: • AF-S VR 200mm f/2G ED • AF-S VR 200–400mm f/4G ED At ranges under 0.
356 n A Calculating Picture Angle The size of the area exposed by a 35mm camera is 36 × 2 4 mm. The size of the area exposed by the D300, in contrast, is approximately 23.6 × 15.8 mm, meaning that the diagonal picture angle of a 35mm camera is approximat ely 1.
357 n Optional F lash Units (Speedlights) The D300 can be us ed with CLS-compatible flash units. The Niko n Creativ e Lighting System ( CLS) Niko n ’ s advanced Creative Lightin g System (CLS) off ers improved communication between the camera and compatib le flash units for improved flash photography.
358 n ❚❚ CLS-Compatible Flash Units The D300 can be used with th e follo w ing CLS-compatible flash units: the SB-900, SB -800, SB-600 , SB-400, SB-R 200, and SU-800. The SB-900, SB-800, SB- 600, SB-400, and SB-R200 The principal features of these flash units are listed below.
359 n A Guide Nu mber T o calculate the range of the flash at full pow er , divide the Guide Number by the aper ture. Fo r example, at ISO 100 the SB- 800 has a Guide Number of 38 m or 125 ft.; its range at an aper ture of f/5.6 is 38 ÷ 5.6 or about 6.
360 n The following features are available with the SB -900, SB-800 , SB-600, SB-400, SB-R 200, an d SU-800: 1 Only available when SU-800 is used to contr ol other fla sh units. 2 Standard i- T TL flash for digital SLR is used with spot metering or when selected with flash unit.
361 n Other Flash Units The f o llowi ng flash units can be used in no n- T TL auto and manua l modes. If they are set to T TL, the camera shutter-release button will lock and no phot ographs can be taken.
362 n D Notes on Optional Speedlights Refer to the Speedligh t manual for deta iled instructions. I f the Speedlight suppor ts the Ni kon Creative Lighting System, refer to the section on CLS- compatible digital SLR camer as. The D 300 is not included in the “ digital SLR” category in the SB-80DX, SB-28 DX, and SB-50DX manuals .
363 n When an SC-series 17, 28, or 29 sync cable is used f or off- camera flash photography , correct exposure may not be achieved in i- T TL mode. We recommend that you choose spot meteri ng to select standa rd i- T TL flash control . T ake a test shot and view the results in the monitor .
364 n Fl ash C ontacts The D300 is equipped w ith an accessor y shoe for attaching optional flash units directly to the camera and a sync terminal that allows flash units to be con nected vi a a sync cable. ❚❚ The Accessor y Shoe Use the accessor y sh oe to mount optional flash units directly on the camera without a sync cable (pg .
365 n Other Ac cessories At the time of writing , the following acc e ssories wer e available for the D300. Power so ur ce s • Rechargeable Li-ion Batt er y EN-EL3e (pp. 30, 32): A dditional EN-EL3e batteries are available from local retailers and Nikon ser vice representatives.
366 n Viewf in der eyepi ece accessories • Diopter-Adjustment Viewfinder L ens DK-2 0C : T o accommodate individual differences in vision, viewfinder lenses are available with diopters of –5 , –4, –3, –2, 0, +0.
367 n Filters • N ikon filters can be divided into three types: screw-in, slip-in, and rear-interchange. Use Nikon filters; filters manufactured by other makers may interfere with autofocus or electronic range finding. • The D300 can not be used with linea r polarizing filters.
368 n Softw are • Captur e NX : A complet e photo editing package . • Capture NX 2 : A complete photo editing package with such advanced editing features as selection control points and an auto retouch br ush. • Camera Control Pro 2 : Control the camera remotely from a computer and save photographs direc tly to the computer hard disk.
369 n Remote terminal accessories The D300 is equipped with a ten- pin remote terminal for remote control and automatic photography . The terminal is provided with a cap, which protects the contacts when the terminal is not in use.
370 n Remote term ina l accessories • Adapter C ord MC-25 : T en-pin to two-pin adapter cord for connection to devices with two-pin terminals, including the MW -2 radio control set, M T -2 inter valometer , and ML - 2 modulite control set (length 20 cm/8 in.
371 n ❚❚ Ap proved Memory Cards The following cards have been tested and approved f o r use in the D300: Othe r cards have not been tested. F o r more details on the abo ve cards, please contact the manufacturer .
372 n Car i ng fo r t he Ca m era Storage When the camer a will not be used fo r an extended period , replac e the monitor cover , remove the batt er y , and store the battery in a cool, dry area with the terminal cov er in place. T o preven t mold or mildew , store the camera in a dry , wel l-ventil ated ar ea.
373 n The L ow-P ass Filter The image sensor that acts as th e camera ’ s pic ture element is fitted with a low-pass filter to prevent moiré. If you suspect that dir t or dust on the filter is appe aring in photographs , you can clean the filter using the [Clean image se nsor] option in the setup menu.
374 n 3 Select [ Clean n ow]. Highlight [Clean now] and press 2 . The message shown at right will be displayed while cleaning is in progr es s. The message shown at right will be disp layed when cl eaning is comp lete. ❚❚ “Clean at Star tup/Shutdown ” 1 Select [Clean at startup/ shutdown].
375 n 2 Sel ect an opt io n. Highlight one of the following options and press J . D Image Sensor Cleaning The follo wing interrupt image sensor cleaning: raising the built-in flash, pressing the shutter-release, depth-of-fie ld preview , or B button, or using FV lock .
376 n ❚❚ Manual Cleaning If fore ign matter can not be remo v ed from the low-pass filter using the [Clean image sensor] (pg. 373) option in the setup menu, the filter can be cleaned manually as described below. Note , how ever , that the filter is extremely delicat e and easily damaged.
377 n 4 Rais e t he m irr or . Pr ess the shutter -releas e button all the way down. The mirror will be raised and the shutter cur tain will open, revealing the low-pass filter . The display in the viewfinder will turn off a nd the row of dashes in th e control panel will bl ink.
378 n D Use a Reliable Po wer Sourc e The shutter cur tain is delicate and easily damaged. If the camera powers off while the mirror is raised, the curtain will close automatically .
379 n Caring f or the Camera and Batt er y: C autions Do not drop : The produc t may malfunction if subjec ted to strong shocks or vibration. Keep dry : This product is not waterproof , and may malfunction if immersed in water or exposed to high lev els of hum idity .
380 n Cleaning : When cleaning the camera body , use a blower to gently remov e dust and lint, then wipe gently with a soft, dr y cloth. Aft er using the camera at the beach or seaside, wipe off any sand or salt using a cloth lightly dampened in pure wat er and then dr y the camera thoroughly .
381 n T urn the produc t off before removing or disconnecting the power sour ce : Do not unplug the product or remo ve the batter y while the product is on or while images are being recorded or deleted. F o rcibly cutting pow er in these circumstances could result in loss of data or in damage to product memor y or internal circuitry.
382 n Batte ries : Dir t on the battery terminals can prevent the camera from functioning and should be remov ed with a soft, dry cloth before use. Batteries may leak or explode if improperly handled. Obser ve the following precautions when handling batteries: T urn the product off bef o re replacing the batter y .
383 n T roubleshooting If the camera fails to func tion as expected, check the list of common problems below bef ore consulting your retailer or Nikon repres entat ive.
384 n ❚❚ Shooting Problem Sol ution Pag e Camera takes time to turn on. Delete files or f olders. — Shutter-releas e disabled. • Memor y card is full or not inser ted. 39, 45 • CPU lens with aper ture ring attached but aperture not locked at highest f-number .
385 n Image s ize c an not be changed. [Image quality] set to [NEF (RA W )]. 56 Can not select focus point • Un lock focus selector lock . 66 • Auto-area AF selec ted for f ocus mode: choose another mode. 64 • The camera is in playback mode. 203 • The camera is in menu operation.
386 n AF-assist illuminator does not light. • Camera is in focus mode C .6 2 • Center focus point is not selected for single-point AF or dynamic- area AF . 64 • [Off ] selected for C ustom Setting a9 ([Built-in AF-assist illuminator]). 273 • Illuminator has turned off automatically .
387 n Ef fe cts of P ictu re C on tr ol differ fr om image to image. A (auto) is selected for sharpening, contrast, or saturation. For consistent results ov er a ser ies of photographs, choose a s etting other than A (auto). 152 Metering can not be changed.
388 n ❚❚ Playback Problem Sol ution Pag e Flashing areas appear in images Pres s 1 or 3 to choose photo information display ed, or change settings for [Display mode]. 206, 250 Shooting data appear on images A graph appears during playback. NEF (RA W ) image is not played back.
389 n Can not print photos. • S et [USB] to [MTP/PT P]. 318 • NEF (R A W ) and TIFF photos can not be printed by direct USB connec tion. Use DPOF print service ( TIFF images only) or transfer to c omputer and print using ViewNX v ersion 1.2.0 or later or Capture NX version 1 .
390 n ❚❚ Miscellaneous Problem Sol ution Pag e Date of reco rdin g is not correc t. Set camera clock. 37 Menu item can not be selected. Some options are not a vailable at certain comb inations o f settings o r when no memory card is inserted. Note that [Battery info] option is not available when camera is power e d by an optional A C adapter .
391 n Error Messages This section lists the indicators and error messages th at appear in the viewfinder , control panel, and monitor . Indicator Problem Solution Pag e Control panel View- finder B (blinks) Lens aperture ring is not set to minimum aper ture.
392 n F No lens attached, or non-CPU len s attached without specifying maximum aperture. Aper ture shown in stops from maximum aper ture. Aper ture value will be displayed if maximum aper ture is specified. 196 — D (blinks) Camera u nable to focus using autofocus.
393 n r Subject too dark ; photo will be underexposed. •U s e a h i g h e r I S O sensitivity 94 • I n exposure mode: e Use fl ash f Lower shutter speed 171 106 g Choose a larger aperture (s maller f-number) 107 A (blinks) A selected in exposure mode f .
394 n — c (blinks) If indicator blinks for 3s after flash fires, photo may be underex posed. Check photo in monitor; if underexposed, adjust settings and try again. 172 n (blinks) j (blinks) Memory insufficient to record fur ther ph otos at current settings , or camera has run out of file or folder numbers .
395 n Indicator Problem Solut ion Pag e Monitor Control panel No memory car d. S Camera cannot detect memor y card. T urn camera off and confirm that card is correctl y inser ted. 39 This memory car d can not be us ed. Card ma y be damaged. Insert another card.
396 n This c ard is not formatted. For m at t he car d. C (blinks) Memory card has not been formatted for use in ca mera. Fo rmat memory card or insert new memor y card . 39, 41 Fo ld e r contains no images . — No images on memory card or in folder(s) selected for playback.
397 n Cannot select this file . — Memory card does not contain images that can be reto uch ed. Images created with other devices can not be retouched. 330 Check printe r . — Printer error . Check printer . To resume, select [C ontinue] (if avail able ).
398 n Check ink supply . —I n k e r r o r . Check ink. To resume, select [Cont inu e]. 231 * Out of ink. — Printer is out of ink. Replace i nk and select [Cont inue] .
399 n Appe ndix The Appendix covers the following topics: • Defaults .. ......... .......... .......... ........... .......... ........... ........ .......... ........... .... pg. 400 • Memor y Card Capacity .............. .......... ........... .
400 n Defaults The following defaults are r estored either with a two -button reset or using [Reset shooting menu] or [Rese t custom settings]. ❚❚ Defaults Rest ored with a Tw o-Button Reset ( pg. 182) 1 Opti on Default Shooti ng menu 2 [ISO sensitivity] (pg.
401 n ❚❚ Defaults Restored with [Res et Shooting Menu] (pg . 257) 1 Option Default [File naming] (pg . 260) DSC [Image quality] (pg. 56) JPEG normal [Image size] (p g. 60) Large [JPEG compression] (pg. 58) Size priority [NEF (RA W ) recording] (pg.
402 n ❚❚ Defaults Restor ed with [Res et Custom Settings] (pg. 266) * Option Default a1 [AF-C priorit y selection] (pg. 267) Release a2 [AF-S priority selection] (pg. 268) F oc us a3 [Dynamic AF area] (pg. 269) 9 points a4 [Focus tracking with lock-o n] (pg.
403 n d1 [Beep] (pg. 281) H igh d2 [ Viewfinder grid display] (pg. 281) O ff d3 [ Viewfinder warning display] (pg . 282) On d4 [CL mode shooting speed] (pg . 282) 3 fps d5 [Max. continuous release] (pg . 282) 100 d6 [File number sequence] (pg . 283) On d7 [Shooting info display] (pg.
404 n f1 [Multi selector center butt on] (pg. 300 ) [Shooting mode] Select center focus point [Playback mode] Thumbnail on/off f2 [Multi selector] (pg. 301) Do nothing f3 [Photo info/playback] (pg. 301) Info / Play back f4 [Assign FUNC. button] (pg. 302) [FUNC.
405 n Me mo r y Card Cap a cit y The following table shows the approximate number of pic tures that can be stored on a 2 GB SanDisk Ex treme III (SDCFX) card at different image quality and size settings. Image quality Image size File size 1 No. of images 1 Buffer capa city 2 NEF (RA W ), Lossless compressed, 12-bit —1 3 .
406 n 1 All figures are appr oximate. File siz e varies with scene recor ded. 2 Ma ximu m num ber of ex posu res tha t can b e store d in me mor y bu ffer at ISO 20 0.
407 n Ex po sure Pro gram The ex posu re progra m for pro gram med a uto i s show n in the fol lo wi ng gr ap h : The maximum and minimum values for EV var y with ISO sensitivity ; the above graph assumes an ISO sensitivity of ISO 200 equivalent. When matrix metering is used , values o ver 17 1 / 3 EV are reduc ed to 17 1 / 3 EV .
408 n Aper ture, Sensitivity , and Flash Range The range of the built-in flash varies with sensitivity (ISO equivalenc y) and aper ture. The built-in flash has a minimum range of 0.
409 n Specifications ❚❚ Nikon D300 Digital Camera Ty pe Typ e Single -lens reflex digital camera Lens mount N ikon F mount (with AF c oupling and AF contacts) Ef fe ctiv e p ict ur e an gle Approx. 1.5 × lens focal length (Nikon DX format) Effect ive pixels Effectiv e pix els 12.
410 n File system DCF ( D esign Rule fo r C amera F ile Syste m) 2.0, DPO F ( D igital P rint O rder F ormat), Exif 2.21 ( Ex change able I mage F ile F or mat for Digital Still Cameras), PictBridge Viewfin der View fin der Eye -level pentapri sm single -lens reflex viewfinder Fram e cove ra ge Approx.
411 n Shutt er Typ e Electronically- controlled ver tical-travel focal-plane shutter Speed 1 / 8000 – 30 s in steps of 1 / 3 , 1 / 2 , or 1 EV, bulb , X2 50 Flash sync speed X= 1 / 250 s; synchroniz.
412 n Exposure br acketing 2 – 9 frames in steps of 1 / 3 , 1 / 2 , 2 / 3 , or 1 EV Flash bracketing 2 – 9 frames in steps of 1 / 3 , 1 / 2 , 2 / 3 , o r 1 EV White balance bracketing 2 – 9 fram.
413 n Flash control • TTL : i- T TL balanced fill-flash and standard i- T TL flash for digital SLR using 1, 005-segment RGB sensor ar e available with built-in flash and SB-900, SB-800, SB-600, or S.
414 n Monitor Monitor 3-in., 920,000-dot (VGA), low-temperatur e polysilicon TFT L CD with 170 ° viewing angle, 100% frame coverage, and brightness adjustment Playback Playback F ull-frame and thumbn.
415 n • Unless otherwise stated, all figures are for a camera with a fully-charged battery operating at an ambien t temperature of 20 °C (68 °F). • Nikon reserves the right to change th e specifications of the hardware and software described in this manual at any time and without prior notice .
416 n A Supported Standards • DCF Version 2.0 : The D esign Rule for C amera F ile Syst em (DCF) is a standard widely used in the digital camer a industry to ensure compatibility among different makes of camera.
417 n A Battery Life The number of shots that can be taken with fully-charged batteries varies with the condition of the battery, t emperature, and ho w the camera is used. In the case of AA batt eries, capa city also varies with make and storage conditions; some batteries can not be used.
418 n The following can r educe battery life: • Using the monitor • Keeping the shutter-release button pressed halfwa y • Repeated autofocus operations • T aking NEF (RAW) or TIFF (RGB) photog.
419 Inde x Menu items and options in the camera monitor are shown in brack ets ([ ]). Symbols K (Single-point AF), 64, 65 I (Dynamic-area AF), 64, 65, 269 H (Auto-area AF), 64, 65 S , 62, 68, 74, 268 .
Menu items an d options in th e camera monitor a re shown in brackets ([ ]). 420 Bracketing, 116, 297, 29 8 exposure , 116, 297, 298 flash , 116, 297, 29 8 white balance , 116, 121 [Bracketin g order].
421 [File naming], 260 [File number se quence], 283 [Filter effec ts] , 338 [Skylight] , 338 [ Warm filter] , 338 [Fine tune optimal exposure], 277 [Firm ware version], 328 Flash, 171, 174, 176, 178 b.
Menu items an d options in th e camera monitor a re shown in brackets ([ ]). 422 [Interval timer shooting], 189 Inter val timer shooting, 189 ISO sensitivity, 93, 94, 96 [ISO sensitivity settings], 95.
423 [Multi selector], 301 [Multi selector center button], 300 [Multiple exposure], 184 Multiple exposure, 184 [My Menu], 344 [Add items] , 344 [Rank items] , 3 47 [Remove items] , 346 N NEF , 56 , 58 .
Menu items an d options in th e camera monitor a re shown in brackets ([ ]). 424 S S , 60 [Save/load settings], 325 Saving camera settings, 325 [Self-timer delay], 280 Sensitivity, 93, 94, 96 [Set Pic.
425 [Dayligh t saving tim e] , 37, 315 [T i me z o ne ] , 37, 315 W T -4 , 229, 365.
En_04 DIGIT AL CAMERA En User's Manual No reproduction in an y form of this manual, in whole or in part (except for brief quotation in critic al articl es or reviews), may be made without written authoriz ation from NIKON CORPORATION. Printed in Europe SB8K04(11) 6MB00211-04 En Q0310_UM_En_EUR_03_Cov er.
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