How to Use Every Nikon Digital SLR

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If you are bewildered by your Nikon digital SLR's numerous buttons, modes, and settings, and don't feel like reading through hundreds of pages of camera manual, don't worry, you're not alone. The following steps will guide you through the few settings you should care about and the basics of using every Nikon digital SLR ever made, [1] from 1999 right up to today.


Part 1
Part 1 of 4:

A note on nomenclature

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  1. 1
    There are a lot of similarities between all Nikon digital SLRs, but there are also some significant differences between classes of camera. These categorizations are used here for convenience's sake and have nothing to do with image quality (a D3000 is miles ahead of 1999's professional D1 on this count):
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  • High-end cameras are the more expensive cameras with instant adjustments to nearly every setting, important and unimportant, on the camera. This includes all the single-digit (D1/D1H/D1X, D2H and descendants, D3, D4) professional cameras, as well as the D300 and D700.
  • Mid-range cameras typically have a mode dial on the top plate to the left of the viewfinder, rather than a drive-mode selector. They have direct buttons for white balance, ISO, shooting mode, and so on.
  • Entry-level cameras include the D40, D60, and the current D3000 and D5000 models. These require you to dig through menus to set drive mode, ISO, white balance and other things, as they don't have buttons for immediate access to these things.
Part 2
Part 2 of 4:

The very basics

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  1. 1
    Familiarise yourself with the basic controls common to all Nikon digital SLRs. We'll be referring to these by name later, so familiarise yourself with them now:
Part 3
Part 3 of 4:

Setting up

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There are a bunch of settings that you will want to set up once, and only once, with your Nikon digital SLR. As with everything else in this article, we'll make some enormous generalisations that will get you out there and shooting but don't hold true for everyone all the time. You can play with these things later, but for now, you want the basics out of the way.

  1. 1
    Set your camera to continuous shooting. By default, your camera might be set up for single-frame shooting, which meaning that you get one shot (and only one shot) for each press of the shutter button. You don't want this. Continuous shooting will let your camera shoot at its fastest frame rate for as long as you hold the shutter button. Doing this is more-or-less free on digital cameras, and even if you're not shooting things that move quickly (for which continuous shooting is mandatory), there's a good reason to use this: it results in sharper photos. Shooting a sequence of two or three shots rather than a single one means that it's more likely that one of them will be sharp, whereas if you take just one you might get unlucky . You're also less likely to get camera shake directly caused by you jabbing the shutter button repeatedly.

    Don't worry about this shortening your shutter life; many Nikon SLRs are still working after hundreds of thousands of shutter actuations. [2]
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/12\/Nikon_VR_switch_712.jpeg\/460px-Nikon_VR_switch_712.jpeg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/12\/Nikon_VR_switch_712.jpeg\/728px-Nikon_VR_switch_712.jpeg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":327,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":518,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>VR switch on a 55-200 DX VR.\n<\/p><p>credit me and link to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external free\" href=\"http:\/\/lewiscollard.com\">http:\/\/lewiscollard.com<\/a> if you use this\n<\/p><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/2.5\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    2
    Turn on vibration reduction (VR) if your lens has it, and leave it on. If you're shooting in low light, or if you don't have very steady hands, this will ensure that you can get sharp shots without camera shake in all but the most unfavourable lighting. You'll need to turn this off only if you're shooting from a tripod (and the whole point of VR is that you don't need to use a tripod in most conditions). [3]
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/87\/Nikon_metering_switch_450.jpeg\/460px-Nikon_metering_switch_450.jpeg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/87\/Nikon_metering_switch_450.jpeg\/728px-Nikon_metering_switch_450.jpeg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":307,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":486,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>metering switch on a nikon camera, set to \"matrix\"\n<\/p><p>use freely but please link to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external free\" href=\"http:\/\/lewiscollard.com\">http:\/\/lewiscollard.com<\/a> if you do thanks&#160;:)\n<\/p><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/2.5\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    3
    Set your camera to use matrix metering. An explanation of this is beyond the scope of this article; it's enough to say that matrix metering is very clever and works well enough most of the time under most conditions. On high-end cameras, you have a dedicated switch for this. On mid-range cameras, hold down the button while turning the main command wheel until the matrix metering symbol is displayed. Again, on the cheaper ones, you're going to have to dig through the menus to find it (though you may be able to skip this; they probably use the matrix meter by default).
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/05\/Ugly_seagull_735.jpg\/460px-Ugly_seagull_735.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/05\/Ugly_seagull_735.jpg\/728px-Ugly_seagull_735.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":305,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":482,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>seagull. i took this. nikon D2H + nikon 55-200mm DX VR.\n<\/p><p>use freely, but credit me and link to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external free\" href=\"http:\/\/lewiscollard.com\/\">http:\/\/lewiscollard.com\/<\/a> if at all possible.\n<\/p><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/2.5\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    4
    Set your camera to continuous servo autofocus (C). In this mode, the camera will focus continuously for as long as you half-press your shutter button, and can predict subject movement, too. It's fine for still subjects as well.(You don't need to worry too much about the other focus modes. Single-servo (S) is useless for photographing anything that moves, because it locks focus as soon as it is achieved. And manual focusing is almost never necessary; it's rare for the camera to get so upset that it won't be able to focus at all, and in the very rare cases that it does, that will mean that you won't get focus confirmation in the viewfinder, either.)
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Part 4
Part 4 of 4:

Shooting

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  1. 1
    Turn your camera on and leave it on . Like all film and digital SLR cameras, your camera will go to sleep when it is not used, and it will consume almost no battery power at all when it is turned-on-but-asleep. Having to turn your camera on when something happens is a sure way to miss shots, potentially great ones.
  2. 2
    Get out there and look for things to shoot . This is beyond the scope of this article, but the basics of getting great photos are covered in How to Develop Your Photography Skills .
  3. 3
    Don't use "live view" even if your camera has it. The whole point of an SLR is to use the instant optical reflex viewfinder (the "SLR" in "digital SLR"), rather than the slow LCD of a point-and-shoot. What's more, this means ditching the intelligent, fast phase-detection autofocus that Nikon have perfected over two decades and replacing it with a slow, inaccurate contrast-detection autofocus system from a cheap camcorder. If you're not sure you want guaranteed missed shots and/or poor focus, use the viewfinder rather than the LCD.
  4. 4
    Pick an exposure mode. If your camera has a "MODE" button, you change the exposure mode by holding this down and spinning the main command dial until the desired mode appears in your top LCD and in your viewfinder. Other (cheaper) cameras will have a big friendly mode dial on the top of the camera to the left of the viewfinder. The basic modes are the same on all cameras, and there are only three that you should care about:
  5. 5
    Set your white balance . This is more important than any other setting on your camera . The human eye automatically compensates for different kinds of lighting; white looks white to us in almost any kind of lighting, whether that's in the shade (in which case it's slightly bluer), or under incandescent lighting (where it's shifted towards orange), or under some weird artificial light sources (which can change several times a second!). A digital camera sees colours as they really are, and the white balance setting shifts the colours so that they look natural in the finished photo. [5]

    On most cameras you have a "WB" button; hold this down while spinning the main command dial. These are the settings you care about:
  6. 6
    Use your flash judiciously. If you want better than boring washed-out party snapshots, don't get stuck with indoor lighting that forces you to nuke your subject with direct flash. Get outside , where the fun light happens. On the other hand, Nikon's excellent flash system (and the insanely fast 1/500 flash sync on older cameras) is great for filling shadows in bright outdoor lighting, to avoid (for example) dark shadows under eyes in daylight.
  7. 7
    Set your ISO. The ISO is a measure of the sensor's sensitivity to light; lower ISOs mean less sensitivity to light, giving less noise but slower shutter speeds (making camera shake more likely), and higher ISOs do the opposite. If you're shooting in bright daylight, leave this at the slowest speed (usually 200, and sometimes 100).

    Otherwise, there's a quick and easy way to work out what your ISO should be. Take the focal length of your lens (e.g. 200mm), and multiply it by 1.5 (on all cameras but the D3, D4, D600, D700 and D800, giving you 300 in our example). If you're using a VR lens (you should) and have VR turned on (you should), divide this figure by four (e.g. 75). As a general rule, you want to choose a shutter speed at least as fast as your resulting number (e.g. roughly 1/80th of a second, or 1/300th without VR). Kick up your ISO until you're able to shoot at shutter speeds at least this fast.

    On most cameras, you can change the ISO by holding down the ISO button and turning the main command dial; the LCD (or one of them) will show you your ISO as it changes. You're still left to dig through the menus to find an ISO setting on the D3000, the D40, and friends.
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    8
    Half press your shutter button to focus. Hopefully, you'll get lucky, and the camera will pick the right focus point (the little rectangles dotted around your viewfinder) and lock on to the right thing. When the camera is in focus, a small, green confirmation dot will appear in the bottom left of your viewfinder. However, there's a few scenarios in which that doesn't hold true.
  9. 9
    Take a picture. Actually, take two or three; hold down the shutter button (you did set your camera to continuous shooting, right?). That way if, by some stroke of bad luck, one of your shots isn't sharp because of camera shake, at least one of them is likely to be sharp, even if you're at a shutter speed that's too slow for your lens' focal length.
  10. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a5\/Blown_highlights_%28overexposure%29_651.JPG\/460px-Blown_highlights_%28overexposure%29_651.JPG","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a5\/Blown_highlights_%28overexposure%29_651.JPG\/728px-Blown_highlights_%28overexposure%29_651.JPG","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":341,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":540,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>irrecoverably overexposed shot. notice most of the wing of the swan blown out to 255 white. i did this.\n<\/p><p>Image from: Uploader<br>\nLicense: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Public_domain\">Public Domain<\/a>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    10
    Check your LCD. Look for areas that are blown out to pure white which shouldn't be blown out to pure white, and look for areas that are way too dark, and then...
  11. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/58\/Exposure_compensation_button_45.jpeg\/460px-Exposure_compensation_button_45.jpeg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/58\/Exposure_compensation_button_45.jpeg\/728px-Exposure_compensation_button_45.jpeg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":307,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":486,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>exposure compensation button on a nikon. i did this.\n<\/p><p>Image from: Uploader<br>\nLicense: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Public_domain\">Public Domain<\/a>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    11
    Use your exposure compensation to get your exposure right . This is the button marked +/- next to your shutter button, and is the other absolutely critical adjustment on digital cameras. While Nikon's matrix meter is smart, it won't get exposure absolutely perfect all of the time, and isn't a substitute for artistic judgment. Exposure compensation simply forces the camera to over- or under-expose by a given amount.

    To set exposure compensation, hold the exposure compensation button down while turning the main command dial; either to the right to underexpose (darker), or to the left to overexpose (lighter). If in doubt, underexpose it . Blown highlights on digital can never be recovered short of painting them back in by hand, but you can recover from all but the most terminal under-exposure (at the cost of bringing out more noise, which isn't that important).
  12. 12
    Keep shooting until it looks right. You might have to adjust exposure compensation and white balance from shot-to-shot as the lighting changes, so regularly review your images on your LCD.
  13. 13
    Get your photos off your camera. Learn to do some very basic post-processing in image editing tools like GIMP or Photoshop, such as sharpening, adjusting contrast and colour balance, and so on. Don't rely on post-processing tricks to make your photos interesting.
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  • Question
    How do I set it for video?
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    Make sure your camera is stabilized. You can use a tripod, monopod etc. for this. Get the right options for your video. It depends on what you capture. If you are filming a cinematic video try to use lower fps. If you will edit the colors after capturing video make sure the color settings in neutral.
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    What are the best settings for shooting a hockey game with D7000?
    Community Answer
    It doesn't matter much about which camera you are using, unless you want to shoot in a 'scene mode,', in which case you should pick 'sports' or 'action'. Otherwise, use shutter priority (Tv) and pick a fast shutter speed - probably at least 1/100 sec (maybe 1/250 for hockey). That will help to freeze the action. The rest of your settings are less important, and will depend on how much light there is. For a high shutter speed, you will probably either need a large aperture (low f/number), high ISO, or both.
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    What can I do to be taking the best shots, even at night?
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    Use a tripod and remote shutter release or self-timer to keep the camera still. Also think about your white balance - make sure it is set according to the color of your light source. You may need to illuminate what you are shooting so that you can focus on it accurately. Raising your ISO can make the camera more sensitive to light but also make the picture more "noisy," so either keep the shutter open longer at a lower ISO, or deal with the noise. Some cameras have less noise than others at high ISOs.
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      References

      1. ↑ Like everything else in this article, this is a lie for simplicity's sake: we start at 1999. For those who like historical curiosities, Jarle Aasland has a splendid website dedicated to some strange cameras built before the D1 made digital SLRs practical.
      2. ↑ See here for a six-year-old Nikon D2H with over 379,000 shutter actuations, or the Shutter Life Expectancy Database .
      3. ↑ Image Stabilization on Tripods , by Darren Rowse.
      4. ↑ You'll only ever need this if you're in such extreme conditions, or want enormous such enormous over- or under-exposure, that several stops of exposure compensation isn't enough to get you the effect you want. You'll also need to do this to use AI and AI-s lenses on cheaper cameras, which you shouldn't be doing anyway.
      5. ↑ 7.0 7.1 For gory details, and some excellent advice, see How to Set White Balance by Ken Rockwell.

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