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Technical Guide

Technical Guide

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ii

Introduction

This Technical Guide details the principal techniques used

to create two o the more technically advanced photographs

in the D800/D800E catalog. Enjoy this opportunity to admire

the skills o proessional photographers who have masteredthe D800/D800E.

While its high pixel count o 36 megapixels gives the D800/

D800E resolution unrivalled by previous digital SLR cameras,

a side efect is that bokeh and blur are made that much more

obvious. Realizing the ull potential o a camera with over

30 million pixels involves a thorough appreciation o bokeh

and blur, careul selection o settings and o tools (such as

lenses and tripods), and working with the best possible sub-jects.

Table of Contents

Introduction ii

Shooting Techniques 1

Static Subjects ...........................................................................1

Lesson 1: Use a Tripod .................................................................. 2

Lesson 2: Use Live View ............................................................... 3

Lesson 3: Dont Stop Aperture Down Too Far ...................... 5

Same Shot, No Live View ............................................................. 6

Portrait Subjects........................................................................7

Lesson 1: Choose the Right Focus Settings .......................... 8

Lesson 2: Choose the Right Exposure Settings ................... 9

Learning rom Failure: Same Shot, Diferent Focus .........10

Quick Tips 11

1. High ISO Sensitivity ........................... .............................. .. 11

2. Auto ISO Sensitivity Control ........................... ................. 12

3. Improving Optical Performance .......................... ........... 13

4. Backlit Portraits .......................... ............................. ........... 14

The D800E 15

1. High Resolution Images with the D800E....................... 15

2. Adjusting Aperture for Visually Complex Subjects ..... 16

3. Color Artifacts and Moir ........................... ...................... 17

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1

Shooting Techniques

Static SubjectsKeeping Blur to a Minimum

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Shooting Techniques Static Subjects

At the high resolutions ofered by the D800/D800E, even the

slightest camera motion can result in blur. The technique re-

vealed in this section minimizes blur through a combination

o live view photography and a tripod.

Technical Data

Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 424 mm /2.8G ED Exposure mode:Manual Shutter speed: s Aperture: /8 White balance:

Choose color temp. ( K) ISO sensitivity: Picture con-

trol: Standard

Note: This photo was shot in 4-bit NEF (RAW) and processed

using Capture NX 2.

Photo Benjamin Anthony Monn

Lesson 1: Use a Tripod

Use a tripod to reduce blur when

photographing static subjects. It

should be as sturdy as possible;

avoid extending the legs or center

column arther than necessary. A

large head helps keep the camera

steady.

Tripod Mode

Some lenses such as the AF-S

NIKKOR 24 mm /4G ED

VR II ofer vibration reduction

with a TRIPOD option that is par-

ticularly efective in reducing blurat shutter speeds o 15 s and is

generally recommended when

the camera is mounted on a tri-

pod. NORMAL is however preerred

i the tripod head is not xed or

you are using a monopod.

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Shooting Techniques Static Subjects

Why Use Live View?

1. The mirror is raised prior to shooting, reducing blur.

At the high resolutions ofered by the D800/D800E, even the

slap o the mirror can sometimes be enough to blur photo-

graphs. In live view, the mirror is raised well beore the shutter

is released, helping keep blur to a minimum.

Lesson 2: Use Live View

Live view can be used to improve ocus and prevent blur.

Live View Photography

Rotate the live view selector toC and pressa to raise the

mirror and display the view through the lens in the monitor.

Live view selector a button

Reducing Blur During Viewfnder Photography

I you have trouble seeing the display in the monitor out-

doors or in bright ambient light you can use mirror-up

mode to reduce blur while raming photographs in the

viewnder. Press the release mode dial lock release and ro-

tate the release mode dial to MUP.

Ater ocusing press the shutter-release button all the way

down once to raise the mirror and again to release the shut-ter. An optional remote cord can be used to prevent the

camera moving when you press the shutter-release button

or you can select an option other than Ofor Custom Set-

ting d4 (Exposure delay mode) to delay shutter release un-

til about 3 s ater the button is pressed. Use o a tripod is

recommended.

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Shooting Techniques Static Subjects

Why Use Live View?

2. You can focus anywhere in the frame.

In live view, you can use the multi selector to

position the ocus point anywhere in the rame,

regardless o the options selected or AF/MF and

autoocus.

The ability to position the ocus point anywhere in the moni-

tors angle o view greatly increases the range o locations on

which the camera can ocus.

In autoocus mode, you can ocus on the subject in the select-

ed ocus point by pressing the shutter-release button halway

or pressing theBbutton. In manual ocus mode, ocus can

be adjusted by rotating the lens ocus ring.

Why Use Live View?

3. You can zoom in for precise focus.

Press theX button to magniy the

view in the monitor by up to 23

or precise ocus during live view.

You will nd this particularly e-ective with manual ocus.

X button

A navigation window will appear

in a gray rame at the bottom o

the display. Use the multi selector

to scroll to areas o the rame notvisible in the monitor.

Navigation window

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Shooting Techniques Static Subjects

Lesson 3: Dont Stop Aperture Down Too Far

Stopping down aperture in manual (h) and aperture-priority

auto (g) exposure modes increases depth o eld, bringing

both background and oreground into ocus. Stop aperture

down too ar, however, and difraction will cause the image to

actually lose denition. Optimal aperturethe aperture that

produces the greatest depth o eld with no loss o sharp-

nessvaries rom lens to lens. In the case o the AF-S NIKKOR

1424 mm /2.8G ED lens used in this example, an aperture /8

will produce the sharpest image.

/

Amount o detail visible in

window leads and rieze is

less than at /

/

Suggested Settings

White balance > Choose color temp.:

White balance can be adjusted in

steps as small as K. To adjust

white balance on the amber (A)

blue (B) axis hold theU buttonand press 4 or 2 to highlight a

digit and1 or3 to change.

Framing guide: Using the R but-

ton you can display a raming

guide that helps compose pho-

tographs during live view.

Virtual horizon: Alternatively the

R button can be used to display

pitch and roll indicators to help

you keep the camera level during

live view.

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Shooting Techniques Static Subjects

Same Shot, No Live View

Live view photography was not used in creating the second

example below; consequently, the mirror was not raised until

the photo was taken and the results are blurred.

With live

view:

Without live

view:

Edges o books

and other details

are blurred

Camera Control Pro 2

Optional Camera Control Pro 2 sotware can be used to

access most camera unctions rom a computer. To use

Camera Control Pro 2 start the computer and connect the

camera using the supplied USB cable as shown below.

Camera Control Pro 2 supportslive view; when used to zoom in

on the view through the lens in

the monitor it shows more de-

tail than can be displayed in the

camera monitor.

Photographs are saved directly to

the computer where they can be

inspected and retouched usingoptional Capture NX 2 sotware.

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Shooting Techniques

Portrait SubjectsFocusing on a Selected Point

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Shooting Techniques Portrait Subjects

Use this method or sharp ocus on selected points when

raming portraits in the viewnder.

Technical Data

Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 7-2 mm /2.8G ED VR II Exposure mode:

Manual Shutter speed: 00 s Aperture: /4. White balance:

Auto 2 ISO sensitivity: 64 Picture control: Portrait

Note: This photo was shot in 4-bit NEF (RAW) and processed

using Capture NX 2.

Photo Clif Mautner

Lesson 1: Choose the Right Focus Settings

Portrait subjects are mobile and more easily photographed

without a tripod, but generally remain in one spot long

enough or single-point, single-servo autoocus. This photo

shoot shows that a portrait photographer must be able to

reliably ocus on a selected point; hence the choice o single-

point AF, which unlike auto-area and dynamic-area AF, en-

sures that the camera always ocuses on a point selected by

the photographer.

To choose an autoocus mode,

press the AF-mode button

and rotate the main command

dial.

AF-mode button

To choose an AF-area mode,

press the AF-mode button and

rotate the sub-command dial.

AF-mode button

Vibration Reduction (VR)

We recommend using VR lenseswith the vibration reduction

switch in the ON position. Vi-

bration reduction takes efect

when the shutter-release but-

ton is pressed halway reducing

the efects o camera shake on

the image in the viewnder and

making it easier to rame pictures

and ocus.

I the lens has a vibration mode switch choose NORMAL or

hand-held photography or when using a monopod. Vibration

reduction should generally be turned of when the camera

is on a tripod (exceptions can be made or the AF-S NIKKOR

2 mm /2G ED VR II and other lenses with a TRIPOD option).

Note

Even slight changes to composition may result in the cam-

era ocusing on something other than your intended target.

Choose the ocus point ater composing the photograph.

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Shooting Techniques Portrait Subjects

Lesson 2: Choose the Right Exposure Settings

Aperture

Choose a wide aperture for a softer feel.

Set aperture to /4 or so to capture acial contours.

Enough depth o feld or the lips and the corners o the

eyes, but ocus gets soter rom the earrings back.

Shutter Speed

Choose a speed a bit faster than the limit for camera blur.

The superior resolution o the D800/D800E makes small

amounts o ocus blur more obvious. Select a shutter speed

slightly aster than you would choose when photographing

the same subject with other cameras.

A ast shutter speed has captured details o thelace veil and brought out individual eyelashes.

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Shooting Techniques Portrait Subjects

Light Level and ISO Sensitivity

Adjust lighting and ISO sensitivity appropriately.

Ater choosing both shutter speed and aperture manually,

you may need adjust lighting or ISO sensitivity.

These photos use sot, nat-

ural light instead o ash

or studio lighting. Out-door lighting can be fne-

tuned by repositioning the

model or photographer

(above), indoor lighting by

raising or lowering blinds

(right).

Learning rom Failure: Same Shot, Dierent Focus

With the D800/D800E, you will notice that photos seem to have

less depth o eld than pictures shot with other cameras under

the same conditions, and that ocus consequently requires more

attention. As can be seen rom the examples below, changing

the ocus point even slightly can blur important details.

Success

Failure

Earring is in ocus,

iris and eyelashes

are blurred

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Quick Tips

1. High ISO Sensitivity

The ollowing sections introduce useul techniques and

camera options applicable to a variety o situations.

The D800/D800E keeps noise to a minimum or high-resolu-tion results at even the highest ISO sensitivities.

The High ISO NR option in the

shooting menu reduces the ran-

domly-spaced bright pixels, og,

and lines characteristic o high-

sensitivity noise, but may leave

edges less sharp. You may nd

that settings oOfor Low ofer agood balance between sharpness and noise even at high ISO

sensitivities. I you shoot in NEF (RAW) ormat, you can change

the setting later in Capture NX 2 (available separately).

Select the Noise Reduction tool

in the Capture NX 2 Develop sec-

tion (NEF/RAW images) or Adjust

menu (JPEG and TIFF images) and

adjust Intensity and Sharpness toachieve the desired result.

High

Normal

Detail views o a single subject

shot at dierentHigh ISO NR

settings. Higher values reduce

the noise visible in the sky but

also reduce edge sharpness in

the main subject.

Normal

Low

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12

Auto ISO sensitivity control au-

tomatically adjusts ISO sensitiv-

ity i optimal exposure can not be

achieved at the value selected bythe photographer. I Auto is se-

lected or Minimum shutter speed, the camera will also ad-

just the threshold or auto ISO sensitivity control according

to the ocal length o the lens (CPU lenses only), a eature you

will nd particularly convenient when using zoom lenses (see

sample photos at right).

To enable auto ISO sensitivity control, select On or ISO

sensitivity settings > Auto ISO sensitivity control in theshooting menu.

Maximum

sensitivity

Choose the maximum value available or auto ISO sen-

sitivity control (2Hi 2). The minimum is ISO .

Minimum

shutter

speed

In exposure modes e and g sensitivity will only be

adjusted i shutter speed would otherwise be slower

than this value ( ,000 s or

Auto). Highlight Auto and

press2 to choose whetherthe camera gives priority

to shutter speed (Slower)

or ISO sensitivity (Faster)

when Auto is selected.

Quick Tips

2. Auto ISO Sensitivity Control

Focal length: 24 mm

Shutter speed: 5 s

ISO sensitivity: 9

Focal length: mm

Shutter speed: 150 s

ISO sensitivity: 2

Focal length: 7 mm

Shutter speed: 180 s

ISO sensitivity: 4

Focal length: mm

Shutter speed: 100 s

ISO sensitivity: 64

TheSButton

Auto ISO sensitivity control can be

turned on or of by pressing the

S button and rotating the sub-

command dial.

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13

Quick Tips

3. Improving Optical Perormance

Stopping aperture down increases depth o eld, making the

oreground and background sharper. Stop aperture down

too ar, however, and difraction will actually cause the image

to lose denition. The efects o difraction are partly inu-enced by the size o the pixels in the camera image sensor,

but with the D800/D800Es high resolution the efects gen-

erally become noticeable around /11. When you need more

depth o eld, dont just immediately stop the lens all the way

down; instead, look or the aperture that ofers the best bal-

ance between sharpness and depth o eld. In the examples

on this page, you can see the grid lose denition as aperture

is stopped down past /11.

/ /

/6 /22

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Quick Tips

4. Backlit Portraits

With its 91K (about 91,000) pixel RGB sensor, the D800/D800Eofers improved ace detection. Used with the viewnder in

modes other than h, it can balance exposure between portrait

subjects and the background even when the subject is backlit.

D/DE:

Using ace detec-

tion, the camerameters the

subjects ace or

optimal exposure

Earlier cameras:

The subject is

underexposed; ex-

posure compen-

sation required

Flash Photography

The D8/D8E also automatically optimizes ash output

or portrait subjects.

D/DE:

Flash output

is adjusted

according to

the brightness

o the subjects

ace, producing

optimal results

even with brightbackgrounds

Earlier cameras:

Flash output

is adjusted

according to

the brightness

o the back-ground, and the

portrait subjects

are underex-

posed

h D

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15

The D800E

1. High Resolution Images with the D800E

The D800E is a good choice when you need high-resolution

photos o visually complex subjects.

Case 1: A Subject in Traditional Dress

Preserve ne patterns in your subjects hair and clothing.

Case 2: A Japanese Garden

Capture tiles and other ne details in high resolution.

Case 3: LeavesCapture individual leaves in crisp detail.

Improving Resolution

Resolution can be improved by disabling high ISO noise re-

duction (page ) particularly at low ISO sensitivities.

Movies

When recording movies the D8E ofers similar resolution

to the D8. Choose the camera that best suits your style.

Th D800E

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The D800E

2. Adjusting Aperture or Visually Complex Subjects

With cameras like the D800E, which are suited to visually

complex subjects, it is important to get as much sharpness

rom the lens as possible. Contrast at the periphery o the im-

age can generally be increased by choosing an aperture twoor three stops rom the maximum, although results will vary

rom lens to lens. Below are some o the lenses you can use

or enhanced sharpness:

AF-S NIKKOR 1424 mm /2.8G ED

AF-S NIKKOR 2470 mm /2.8G ED

AF-S NIKKOR 70200 mm /2.8G ED VR II

AF-S NIKKOR 1635 mm /4G ED VR

AF-S NIKKOR 24120 mm /4G ED VR

AF-S NIKKOR 200400 mm /4G ED VR IIAF-S NIKKOR 24 mm /1.4G ED

AF-S NIKKOR 35 mm /1.4G

AF-S NIKKOR 85 mm /1.4G

AF-S NIKKOR 200 mm /2G ED VR II

AF-S NIKKOR 300 mm /2.8G ED VR II

AF-S NIKKOR 400 mm /2.8G ED VR

AF-S NIKKOR 500 mm /4G ED VR

AF-S NIKKOR 600 mm /4G ED VR

AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60 mm /2.8G ED

AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105 mm /2.8G IF-ED

The D800E ofers better resolution at apertures where di-

raction (page 13) is not an issue. The efects o aperture may

thereore be more noticeable than with the D800, and care

may be required to avoid loss o denition due to difraction.

/ /22

Note: These pictures were taken with the D8.

Th D800E

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The D800E

3. Color Artiacts and Moir

Color artiacts and moir are less requent at the high resolu-

tions supported by the D800/D800E, but when they do occur,

they tend to be more noticeable in photos taken with D800E.

Artiacts and moir are not visible in the camera monitor butcan be viewed by copying photos to a computer and viewing

them at 100% zoom.

The photo on the let was taken with the DE, that on the

right with the D. Color artiacts are visible in the sash.

Moir can be reduced using

Capture NX 2. For NEF (RAW) im-

ages, zoom in to 100% and select

Color Moir Reduction.

O High

Using Diraction to Combat Color Artiacts and Moir

Although stopping aperture

down makes the efects o

difraction (page 36) morevisible it may also help to re-

duce color artiacts and moir.

Adjust aperture according to

whether your priority is sharp-

ness or suppressing moir.

f/5.6 /

f/11 f/16

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