Guided Tour #9: Nikon D8. Expert photography blogs, tip, techniques, camera reviews.
Nikon D80 with Manual Focus Lenses. Sajid Azmi, Feb 16, 2007. Now as I'm reading the manual i know that I can use my manual focus lens with my D80 Camera in manual mode, but the focal length of the lens goes up 1.5 times. Nikon DSLR Focusing. You select manual focus by setting the focus mode selector switch to “M”. Focus in D80, nikon. From.
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- How to Use Focal Points On A Nikon D80 By Vanessa Padgalskas eHow Contributor. which makes that object stand out more while the background is slightly out of focus. Focus area can only be used in manual mode or automatic mode.
- User's Manual - D80 - Guide to Digital Photography 14051. User's Manual. Nikon D80 Guide to Digital Photography / Camera Owner's Manual. Download the D80 User's Manual - File Size ~8.7MB.
- Nikon D80 with Manual Focus Lenses. Tissa B, Feb 12, 2009; 08:02 a.m. If I set the D80 focus mode to MF, and use M for apeature and speed would that be ok. Any other setting to be changed on the D80 for using these MF lenses?
You've invested in the camera; now you want to learn everything there is to know about it so you can take advantage of all of its capabilities. How to read a Guided Tour: If you just want to turn on the camera and start shooting, go to the "Basic features" section. If want to explore other features in depth, read the "Advanced Operations" section. This is where you can unlock your camera's deepest levels of control. Now, on with the tour!
Nikon D8. 0 at a glance. Front: Nikon D8. 0 with flash up and Nikon 1. G ED IF AF- S DX standard zoom lens attached.
Camera back with 2. LCD monitor. Top: Camera's top offers many controls, informative LCD screen. Key features. 10 megapixel sensor. Custom settings. In- camera image editing. RAW+JPEGImage optimization controls. User profile. Hobbyist moving from film to digital SLRNikon DSLR user needing additional body. Someone who already owns many Nikon- mount lenses.
Positives. Lots of features for advanced photographers. Durable body for a camera in this price range. Extensive in- camera image control. Easy- to- understand menu, good owner's manual.
Good price/performance ratio. Compatible with most Nikon lenses going back to early '6. Big 2. 5- inch LCD monitor. Negatives. More expensive than recently- introduced Sony, Canon, Pentax 1.
MP DSLRs. No PC flash connection. Lacks built- in Vibration Reduction.
Field report: Working with the Nikon D8. Cadillac. Even though this is a lower- end DSLR (by Nikon standards), it has many features borrowed from the higher- end D2. You feel like you're driving a luxury sedan even though you paid for a souped- up "K" car. The D8. 0 is a complex camera, and requires a good owner's manual. While most DSLR manuals seem to be written in engineer- speak, the D8. I've seen. You will find yourself referring to it often and a well- written manual will reduce the likelihood of getting head contusions as a result of banging your head against walls.
The feature set is somewhat more extensive than that of the D8. MP sensor competitors (Canon XTi, Pentax K1. D, Sony A1. 00 Alpha) and the body seems to be more ruggedly constructed (although the Pentax K1. D will feature a water- resistant body). There are 2. 4 buttons on the camera's body and a few of their functions are repeated in the menu items, so there is the potential for confusion. I often found myself scanning the surface of the camera body looking for the button that I needed right now.
Plan on spending some quality time with the D8. While we're talking about downsides, Nikon really needs to develop an inexpensive Vibration Reduction "kit" lens to be competitive with Sony and Pentax, both of whom offer cameras with built- in anti- shake. On the other hand, if you want full control, the Nikon D8. There are 3. 2 custom controls, ranging from ways to change how different buttons fuctions to the degree of exposure compensation. And for more amateur shooters there's the Retouch menu, which gives you unprecedented in- camera image editing abilities. D- lighting will likely be the most used of these features. In addition, I found the viewfinder to be brighter and a bit larger than viewfinders of other cameras in the D8.
Nikon's use of a pentaprism instead of a mirror prism to direct the image. Also, first- time users will appreciate the easy access to well- written explanations of the mode they're in via the "help" button. Flash photographers will make use of the wireless i. TTL features, and the Optimize Image feature will let you emulate your favorite film emulsion. And of course, the D8. Nikon DSLRs can handle almost every lens ever made by Nikon or for a Nikon, and is compatible with Nikon's extensive lineup of accessories.
If you are just starting out, this is a camera to grow with. If you need to add an inexpensive DSLR to your Nikon system, the D8. Basic Features. Surface controls. Let's start with the top plate, going from the left. Most of the controls you'll be using can be found on the Mode Dial, on the left side of the top of the camera. The dial is divided between Point- And- Shoot Modes and Advanced Modes. The modes, going counterclockwise: Advanced Modes.
Auto: If you want the camera to make all the exposure and focus choices, set it to Auto Pict and flip the MF/AF switch (on the camera to the left of the lensmount) to AF, and shoot away. There are the standard settings: P (program auto), S (shutter priority), A (aperture priority autoexposure), and M (manual exposure). P: Program mode lets you adjust either the shutter speed (front dial) or aperture (front dial plus "+/- " button), and the camera compensates automatically for any changes. S: Shutter Priority Auto exposure. Change the shutter speed by twirling the front dial. Shutter speed is shwon on the upper right of the LCD. Look in the viewfinder: a straight vertical line should appear in the middle of the exposure indicator.
If it's not there, it's either too dark or light to shoot. Tip: Use S mode when capturing action or showing a sense of motion is more important than controlling focus depth.
A: Aperture Priority Auto exposure. Change the aperture by twirling the forefinger dial located in front of the shutter release.
The camera will automatically set shutter speeds to get accurate exposure. You can see the aperture setting on the upper right of the LCD screen when in info mode. Look in the viewfinder: a straight vertical line should appear in the middle of the exposure indicator. If it's not there, it's either too dark or light to shoot. Tip: Use A mode to quickly control focus and/or shutter speed when in fast- changing shooting situations. M: Manual exposure. For those of us weaned on manual SLRs, this function should feel familiar.
Turn the thumb wheel to control shutter speed, and the front wheel to adjust aperture. If you're using an older lens with an aperture ring, turn the aperture ring to "P" and adjust aperture from the front wheel on the camera. Note: You can also view exposure settings by looking through viewfinder. The information will appear below the image. Point- and- Shoot Modes. Night portrait balances flash with ambient light when taken in dark rooms or outdoors at night.
Tip: Use a tripod or other support to keep the camera steady in this mode, since exposures for ambient light may be too long for a hand- held exposure. Night Landscape chooses a slow shutter speed and turns off the flash for optimal exposures at night. Tip: This is the ideal setting for capturing a city at night- -but use a tripod; the slow shutter speed may not be hand- holdable. Sports chooses a faster shutter speed to capture active subjects.
Note that the three frames- per- second burst rate works great in JPEG, but pauses after five shots when shooting in NEF (RAW) format. Tip: You can also use this mode when shooting with telephoto or tele- zoom lenses, since the faster shutter speed will reduce camera shake, which a long lens magnifies. Macro chooses the ideal shutter speed and aperture for close- up photography using macro lenses. It will likely select a wide aperture so the background is out of focus.
Landscape selects a smaller aperture for greater depth of field- -a desired setting for shooting scenics. The use of a wide- angle and wide zoom lens can further increase depth of field. Portrait chooses the right exposure combination and makes adjustments to saturation, color balance, and contrast, for more flattering portraits. Moving across the top of the camera you'll find the flash hot shoe, a standard dedicated shoe that accepts Nikon- dedicated camera- mounted and macro/ringlight flashes. The LCD Panel displays just about every setting on the camera- -2.
Use this as a reference for which shooting mode you're in, as well as frames remaining, exposure, battery status, and more. The dial in front of the shutter release, called the Sub- Command dial, adjusts the aperture when the camera's in manual exposure mode. You can also use it to move the cursor left and right in some modes. The Metering Mode/Format button, located behind and to the left of the shutter release and its on- off ring, lets you choose one of three metering methods: 3. D Color Matrix II (the default setting): The camera meters a wide area of the frame, and sets the exposure based on a combination of the correct exposure for most of the scene, subtracting areas of extreme brightness. For instance, if the sun is in the frame, a normal meter would be misled into making a darker exposure.
D Color Matrix II sees the radical difference in exposure in that segment of the scene, and automatically ignores it when determining exposure. Center- weighted metering: The camera meters the entire frame, but biases exposure towards the center area. This mode is recommended for portraits and when using filters with an exposure factor.
Spot metering: Meters the center 3. You also use this button to format memory cards the first time they are used in the D8.
Press the Metering Mode and Trash button simultaneously. Note: Use a fresh battery, and don't interrupt the formatting process.
Keep in mind that formatting memory cards permanently deletes all photos and data they hold, so make sure to copy and save the data elsewhere. Always format cards in the camera, not in your computer, for optimum performance. AE metering lets you choose multi- segment, center- weighted, or spot metering. Tip: Use multi- segment metering for general shooting, center- weighted when shooting portraits or other situations when the central subject is more important than the background, and spot metering for difficult light, such as when shooting a performer on a stage in a dark theater. For off- center subjects, center the subject, then the AE- L button, recompose, and shoot. Exposure compensation adjusts image brightness when in any mode except manual.