F2.8 1/6th ISO3200
Picture control: Vivid
Active d-lighting: Normal
Picture control: Vivid
Active d-lighting: Normal
1 month into using the camera, and I'm still at the stage of customizing it. Here are my latest impressions.
Memory Banks
There are 2 kinds of memory banks, namely Shooting menu bank, and Custom menu bank, and it is the most confusing aspect of the camera I've found so far. Each of these banks have 4 slots, and can be renamed. Problem is that ALL the settings can be stored in banks, so I always forget which bank has what settings. It is very frustrating to pick up the camera only to realise that sometimes this button does this, and sometimes not. Sometimes it beeps when in focus, other times it just doesn't shoot. So one fine day I sat down, drew out a large table on an A3 paper with all the available settings, and carefully planned out what I deem should be the most effective way of utilizing them. (And up till now I am still fine-tuning the chart) Here's my plan for reference:
Shooting banks - I tend to think of them as the "film" I load, and name them rightly so.
A - "Standard outdoor" - ISO auto base @ 200/Standard + 5 sharpening/NR low/AD-lighting normal. This is the mode I'll use for walkabouts and casual shots. It delivers pictures ready for print, and works well when flash is not used indoor too.
B - "Indoor flash" - ISO auto base @ 800/Standard + 5 sharpening + 1 saturation/NR low/AD-lighting off. This is usually for indoor events. The reason for ISO auto is that if subject is too far for flash to light up, it will automatically bump up the ISO. For all other cases, it remains at the base 800. U will have to manually crank it up if u want more ambient light. ADL must be off. If left on, it will ALWAYS underexp 0.3~0.7 stops depending on settings, and then level it up in PP. My strategy indoors however is to overexp 0.3 stops and level down, as indoors we are more worried of shadow noise than highlight blowouts.
C - "Vivid landscapes" - ISO auto base @ 100/ Vivid + 5 Sharpening/NR low/AD-lighting high. This is used interchangeably with A. It is equivalent to Velvia 100. Very good for high contrast landscapes.
D - "HDR" - ISO base 100/Neutral/NR off/AD-lighting off. As the name states, this is purely for HDR, as well as pictures where I want to do heavy PP. Since we will be shooting and bracketing on a tripod, NR and ADL isn't required.
Any other settings are normalised throughout the 4 banks so as to reduce confusion.
Custom banks: I think of this as the "camera" I'm using. This is also effective should you be sharing the camera with someone else. Right now I'm only varying the AF settings and button arrangements across the banks. It is worth to consider reserving a bank as "dummy", with everything auto, so that the friend who is picking up your camera won't suddenly realise that the buttons don't work as labeled.
High ISO performance
This was taken for granted in the Canon camp. But with the D300, Nikonians are finally on the same level. But this is no D3. D3 is the jaw dropping available DARKNESS shooter. That said, the shot above was taken around 7.30pm, and the tires were lit by streetlights. Very impressive, coming from a Nikon. But Nikon has never been stingy with image quality. I wouldn't be surprised the upcoming D90 will have better high ISO performance, so this shouldn't be the main factor for any upgraders.
Liveview
I shot the above pic using LV. Otherwise i'll have to prone on what looks suspiciously like an army of ants. But it is without it's idiosyncrasies. It still flips its mirror down, and up, before a picture is taken, even in MF mode. I know I have a 150,000 shutter durability unit, but this is a stupid way to waste shutter count.
AF
It is not magic. U HAVE to fully understand the algorithms before you can max it out. That said, I just shot my nephew - an 18 month toddler running around the house in 3D 51pt focus, and results are superior to D70. I no longer need to focus and recompose. I can concentrate on composition while the camera takes care of focus. You have to watch it though, it may go nuts when the light gets low.
AWB
This is something head and shoulders ahead of D70. It is eerily accurate even under artificial lighting. Tungsten is a little warm though, but very representative of what our eyes see.
That's all for tonight. Shall end with a picture for my 6 year old favourite transportation.
Memory Banks
There are 2 kinds of memory banks, namely Shooting menu bank, and Custom menu bank, and it is the most confusing aspect of the camera I've found so far. Each of these banks have 4 slots, and can be renamed. Problem is that ALL the settings can be stored in banks, so I always forget which bank has what settings. It is very frustrating to pick up the camera only to realise that sometimes this button does this, and sometimes not. Sometimes it beeps when in focus, other times it just doesn't shoot. So one fine day I sat down, drew out a large table on an A3 paper with all the available settings, and carefully planned out what I deem should be the most effective way of utilizing them. (And up till now I am still fine-tuning the chart) Here's my plan for reference:
Shooting banks - I tend to think of them as the "film" I load, and name them rightly so.
A - "Standard outdoor" - ISO auto base @ 200/Standard + 5 sharpening/NR low/AD-lighting normal. This is the mode I'll use for walkabouts and casual shots. It delivers pictures ready for print, and works well when flash is not used indoor too.
B - "Indoor flash" - ISO auto base @ 800/Standard + 5 sharpening + 1 saturation/NR low/AD-lighting off. This is usually for indoor events. The reason for ISO auto is that if subject is too far for flash to light up, it will automatically bump up the ISO. For all other cases, it remains at the base 800. U will have to manually crank it up if u want more ambient light. ADL must be off. If left on, it will ALWAYS underexp 0.3~0.7 stops depending on settings, and then level it up in PP. My strategy indoors however is to overexp 0.3 stops and level down, as indoors we are more worried of shadow noise than highlight blowouts.
C - "Vivid landscapes" - ISO auto base @ 100/ Vivid + 5 Sharpening/NR low/AD-lighting high. This is used interchangeably with A. It is equivalent to Velvia 100. Very good for high contrast landscapes.
D - "HDR" - ISO base 100/Neutral/NR off/AD-lighting off. As the name states, this is purely for HDR, as well as pictures where I want to do heavy PP. Since we will be shooting and bracketing on a tripod, NR and ADL isn't required.
Any other settings are normalised throughout the 4 banks so as to reduce confusion.
Custom banks: I think of this as the "camera" I'm using. This is also effective should you be sharing the camera with someone else. Right now I'm only varying the AF settings and button arrangements across the banks. It is worth to consider reserving a bank as "dummy", with everything auto, so that the friend who is picking up your camera won't suddenly realise that the buttons don't work as labeled.
High ISO performance
This was taken for granted in the Canon camp. But with the D300, Nikonians are finally on the same level. But this is no D3. D3 is the jaw dropping available DARKNESS shooter. That said, the shot above was taken around 7.30pm, and the tires were lit by streetlights. Very impressive, coming from a Nikon. But Nikon has never been stingy with image quality. I wouldn't be surprised the upcoming D90 will have better high ISO performance, so this shouldn't be the main factor for any upgraders.
Liveview
I shot the above pic using LV. Otherwise i'll have to prone on what looks suspiciously like an army of ants. But it is without it's idiosyncrasies. It still flips its mirror down, and up, before a picture is taken, even in MF mode. I know I have a 150,000 shutter durability unit, but this is a stupid way to waste shutter count.
AF
It is not magic. U HAVE to fully understand the algorithms before you can max it out. That said, I just shot my nephew - an 18 month toddler running around the house in 3D 51pt focus, and results are superior to D70. I no longer need to focus and recompose. I can concentrate on composition while the camera takes care of focus. You have to watch it though, it may go nuts when the light gets low.
AWB
This is something head and shoulders ahead of D70. It is eerily accurate even under artificial lighting. Tungsten is a little warm though, but very representative of what our eyes see.
That's all for tonight. Shall end with a picture for my 6 year old favourite transportation.
F2.8 1/50th ISO 2200
Yes, the orange light is streetlight as well
Yes, the orange light is streetlight as well
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