Technical Guide
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Shooting Techniques
Static Subjects
—Keeping Blur to a Minimum—
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1
Shooting Techniques
Static Subjects
At the high resolutions offered 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
of live view photography and a tripod.
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 farther than necessary. A
large head helps keep the camera
steady.
Technical Data
■ Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 14–24mm f/2.8G ED ■ Exposure mode:
Manual ■ Shutter speed: 1 s ■ Aperture: f/8 ■ White balance:
Choose color temp. (5000 K) ■ ISO sensitivity: 100 ■ Picture con-
trol: Standard
Note: This photo was shot in 14-bit NEF (RAW) and processed
using Capture NX 2.
Photo © Benjamin Anthony Monn
Tripod Mode
Some lenses, such as the AF-S
NIKKOR 200–400mm f/4G ED
VR II, offer vibration reduction
with a TRIPOD option that is par-
ticularly effective in reducing blur
at shutter speeds of 1⁄15–1 s and is
generally recommended when
the camera is mounted on a tri-
pod. NORMAL is however preferred
if the tripod head is not fixed 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.
Lesson 2: Use Live View
Live view can be used to improve focus and prevent blur.
At the high resolutions offered by the D800/D800E, even the
slap of the mirror can sometimes be enough to blur photo-
graphs. In live view, the mirror is raised well before the shutter
is released, helping keep blur to a minimum.
Live View Photography
Rotate the live view selector to C and press a to raise the
mirror and display the view through the lens in the monitor.
Reducing Blur During Viewfinder Photography
If 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 framing photographs in the
viewfinder. Press the release mode dial lock release and ro-
tate the release mode dial to MUP.
Live view selector
a button
After focusing, 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 Off for Custom Set-
ting d4 (Exposure delay mode) to delay shutter release un-
til about 1–3 s after the button is pressed. Use of a tripod is
recommended.
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Shooting Techniques
Static Subjects
Why Use Live View?
2. You can focus anywhere in the frame.
Why Use Live View?
3. You can zoom in for precise focus.
In live view, you can use the multi selector to
position the focus point anywhere in the frame,
regardless of the options selected for AF/MF and
autofocus.
Press the X button to magnify the
view in the monitor by up to 23×
for precise focus during live view.
You will find this particularly ef-
fective with manual focus.
The ability to position the focus point anywhere in the moni-
tor’s angle of view greatly increases the range of locations on
which the camera can focus.
X button
A navigation window will appear
in a gray frame at the bottom of
the display. Use the multi selector
to scroll to areas of the frame not
visible in the monitor.
Navigation window
In autofocus mode, you can focus on the subject in the select-
ed focus point by pressing the shutter-release button halfway
or pressing the B button. In manual focus mode, focus can
be adjusted by rotating the lens focus ring.
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Shooting Techniques
Static Subjects
Suggested Settings
Lesson 3: Don’t Stop Aperture Down Too Far
White balance > Choose color temp.:
White balance can be adjusted in
steps as small as 10 K. To adjust
white balance on the amber (A)–
blue (B) axis, hold the U button
and press 4 or 2 to highlight a
digit and 1or 3to change.
Stopping down aperture in manual (h) and aperture-priority
auto (g) exposure modes increases depth of field, bringing
both background and foreground into focus. Stop aperture
down too far, however, and diffraction will cause the image to
actually lose definition. Optimal aperture—the aperture that
produces the greatest depth of field with no loss of sharp-
ness—varies from lens to lens. In the case of the AF-S NIKKOR
14–24mm f/2.8G ED lens used in this example, an aperture f/8
will produce the sharpest image.
Framing guide: Using the R but-
ton, you can display a framing
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.
f/8
f/11
Amount of detail visible in
window leads and frieze is
less than at f/8
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5
Shooting Techniques
Static Subjects
Camera Control Pro 2
Same Shot, No Live View
Optional Camera Control Pro 2 software can be used to
access most camera functions from a computer. To use
Camera Control Pro 2, start the computer and connect the
camera using the supplied USB cable as shown below.
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:
Camera Control Pro 2 supports
live 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 using
optional Capture NX 2 software.
Without live
view:
Edges of books
and other details
are blurred
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6
Shooting Techniques
Portrait Subjects
—Focusing on a Selected Point—
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Shooting Techniques
Portrait Subjects
Use this method for sharp focus on selected points when
framing portraits in the viewfinder.
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 for single-point, single-servo autofocus. This photo
shoot shows that a portrait photographer must be able to
reliably focus on a selected point; hence the choice of single-
point AF, which unlike auto-area and dynamic-area AF, en-
sures that the camera always focuses on a point selected by
the photographer.
Technical Data
■ Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II ■ Exposure mode:
Manual ■ Shutter speed: ½00 s ■ Aperture: f/4.5 ■ White balance:
Auto 2 ■ ISO sensitivity: 640 ■ Picture control: Portrait
Note: This photo was shot in 14-bit NEF (RAW) and processed
using Capture NX 2.
Photo © Cliff Mautner
To choose an autofocus mode,
press the AF-mode button
and rotate the main command
dial.
Vibration Reduction (VR)
We recommend using VR lenses
with the vibration reduction
switch in the ON position. Vi-
bration reduction takes effect
when the shutter-release but-
ton is pressed halfway, reducing
the effects of camera shake on
the image in the viewfinder and
making it easier to frame pictures
and focus.
AF-mode button
To choose an AF-area mode,
press the AF-mode button and
rotate the sub-command dial.
AF-mode button
If the lens has a vibration mode switch, choose NORMAL for
hand-held photography or when using a monopod. Vibration
reduction should generally be turned off when the camera
is on a tripod (exceptions can be made for the AF-S NIKKOR
200mm f/2G ED VR II and other lenses with a TRIPOD option).
Note
Even slight changes to composition may result in the cam-
era focusing on something other than your intended target.
Choose the focus point after composing the photograph.
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Shooting Techniques
Portrait Subjects
Shutter Speed
Lesson 2: Choose the Right Exposure Settings
Choose a speed a bit faster than the limit for camera blur.
Aperture
The superior resolution of the D800/D800E makes small
amounts of focus blur more obvious. Select a shutter speed
slightly faster than you would choose when photographing
the same subject with other cameras.
Choose a wide aperture for a softer feel.
Set aperture to f/4 or so to capture facial contours.
A fast shutter speed has captured details of the
lace veil and brought out individual eyelashes.
Enough depth of field for the lips and the corners of the
eyes, but focus gets softer from the earrings back.
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Shooting Techniques
Portrait Subjects
Light Level and ISO Sensitivity
Adjust lighting and ISO sensitivity appropriately.
Learning from Failure: Same Shot, Different Focus
With the D800/D800E, you will notice that photos seem to have
less depth of field than pictures shot with other cameras under
the same conditions, and that focus consequently requires more
attention. As can be seen from the examples below, changing
the focus point even slightly can blur important details.
After choosing both shutter speed and aperture manually,
you may need adjust lighting or ISO sensitivity.
Success
These photos use soft, nat-
ural light instead of flash
or studio lighting. Out-
door lighting can be fine-
tuned by repositioning the
model or photographer
(above), indoor lighting by
raising or lowering blinds
(right).
Failure
Earring is in focus,
iris and eyelashes
are blurred
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Quick Tips
1. High ISO Sensitivity
The following sections introduce useful techniques and
camera options applicable to a variety of situations.
The D800/D800E keeps noise to a minimum for 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, fog,
and lines characteristic of high-
High
sensitivity noise, but may leave
edges less sharp. You may find
that settings of Off or Low offer a
good balance between sharpness and noise even at high ISO
sensitivities. If you shoot in NEF (RAW) format, you can change
the setting later in Capture NX 2 (available separately).
Normal
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 to
achieve the desired result.
Normal
Detail views of a single subject
shot at different High ISO NR
settings. Higher values reduce
the noise visible in the sky but
also reduce edge sharpness in
the main subject.
Low
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Quick Tips
2. Auto IISO Sennsitivity Control
Auto ISO sensitivity control au-
tomatically adjusts ISO sensitiv-
ity if optimal exposure can not be
achieved at the value selected by
the photographer. If Auto is se-
lected for Minimum shutter speed, the camera will also ad-
just the threshold for auto ISO sensitivity control according
to the focal length of the lens (CPU lenses only), a feature you
will find particularly convenient when using zoom lenses (see
sample photos at right).
Focal length: 24 mm
Shutter speed: ½5 s
ISO sensitivity: 900
Focal length: 50 mm
Shutter speed: 1⁄50 s
ISO sensitivity: 2500
To enable auto ISO sensitivity control, select On for ISO
sensitivity settings > Auto ISO sensitivity control in the
shooting menu.
Maximum Choose the maximum value available for auto ISO sen-
sensitivity sitivity control (200–Hi 2). The minimum is ISO 100.
Minimum In exposure modes e and g, sensitivity will only be
shutter
speed
adjusted if shutter speed would otherwise be slower
than this value (¼,000–1 s or
Auto). Highlight Auto and
Focal length: 70 mm
Shutter speed: 1⁄80 s
ISO sensitivity: 4500
Focal length: 100 mm
Shutter speed: 1⁄100 s
ISO sensitivity: 6400
press 2to choose whether
the camera gives priority
to shutter speed (Slower)
or ISO sensitivity (Faster)
when Auto is selected.
The S Button
Auto ISO sensitivity control can be
turned on or off by pressing the
S button and rotating the sub-
command dial.
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Quick Tips
3. Improving Opticall Peerforrmance
Stopping aperture down increases depth of field, making the
foreground and background sharper. Stop aperture down
too far, however, and diffraction will actually cause the image
to lose definition. The effects of diffraction are partly influ-
enced by the size of the pixels in the camera image sensor,
but with the D800/D800E’s high resolution the effects gen-
erally become noticeable around f/11. When you need more
depth of field, don’t just immediately stop the lens all the way
down; instead, look for the aperture that offers the best bal-
ance between sharpness and depth of field. In the examples
on this page, you can see the grid lose definition as aperture
is stopped down past f/11.
f/8
f/11
f/16
f/22
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Quick Tips
4. Baaccklitt Portraits
With its 91K (about 91,000) pixel RGB sensor, the D800/D800E
offers improved face detection. Used with the viewfinder in
modes other than h, it can balance exposure between portrait
subjects and the background even when the subject is backlit.
Flash Photography
The D800/D800E also automatically optimizes flash output
for portrait subjects.
D800/D800E:
Flash output
is adjusted
according to
the brightness
of the subject’s
face, producing
optimal results
even with bright
backgrounds
D800/D800E:
Using face detec-
tion, the camera
meters the
subject’s face for
optimal exposure
Earlier cameras:
Flash output
is adjusted
according to
the brightness
of the back-
ground, and the
portrait subjects
are underex-
posed
Earlier cameras:
The subject is
underexposed; ex-
posure compen-
sation required
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14
The D800E
1. High Reessoollution Immages witth the D800E
The D800E is a good choice when you need high-resolution
photos of visually complex subjects.
Case 2: A Japanese Garden
Capture tiles and other fine details in high resolution.
Case 1: A Subject in Traditional Dress
Preserve fine patterns in your subject’s hair and clothing.
Case 3: Leaves
Capture individual leaves in crisp detail.
Improving Resolution
Movies
Resolution can be improved by disabling high ISO noise re-
duction (page 11), particularly at low ISO sensitivities.
When recording movies, the D800E offers similar resolution
to the D800. Choose the camera that best suits your style.
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15
The D800E
2. Adjustting Aperture for Visually Complex Subjects
With cameras like the D800E, which are suited to visually
complex subjects, it is important to get as much sharpness
from the lens as possible. Contrast at the periphery of the im-
age can generally be increased by choosing an aperture two
or three stops from the maximum, although results will vary
from lens to lens. Below are some of the lenses you can use
for enhanced sharpness:
The D800E offers better resolution at apertures where dif-
fraction (page 13) is not an issue. The effects of aperture may
therefore be more noticeable than with the D800, and care
may be required to avoid loss of definition due to diffraction.
• AF-S NIKKOR 14–24mm f/2.8G ED
• AF-S NIKKOR 24–70mm f/2.8G ED
• AF-S NIKKOR 70–200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
• AF-S NIKKOR 16–35mm f/4G ED VR
• AF-S NIKKOR 24–120mm f/4G ED VR
• AF-S NIKKOR 200–400mm f/4G ED VR II
• AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G ED
• AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.4G
f/8
f/22
• AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G
• AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II
Note: These pictures were taken with the D800.
• AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II
• AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR
• AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR
• AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR
• AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED
• AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED
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16
The D800E
3. Color Artifacts aanndd MMoiré
Color artifacts and moiré are less frequent 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.
Artifacts and moiré are not visible in the camera monitor but
can be viewed by copying photos to a computer and viewing
them at 100% zoom.
Using Diffraction to Combat Color Artifacts and Moiré
Although stopping aperture
down makes the effects of
diffraction (page 13, 16) more
visible, it may also help to re-
duce color artifacts and moiré.
Adjust aperture according to
whether your priority is sharp-
ness or suppressing moiré.
The photo on the left was taken with the D800E, that on the
right with the D800. Color artifacts are visible in the sash.
f/5.6
f/8
Moiré can be reduced using
Capture NX 2. For NEF (RAW) im-
ages, zoom in to 100% and select
Color Moiré Reduction.
f/11
f/16
Off
High
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© 2012 Nikon Corporation
CS SB2B01 (11)
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