Julie Adair King is a veteran digital photography educator and the author of numerous bestselling books on digital cameras and photography. Along with all editions of Digital Photography For Dummies, she has written 20 books on Nikon dSLR cameras. Julie's books have sold more than a million copies.

Select Guide Rating

• Introduction 1Part 1: Fast Track to Super Snaps 5Chapter 1: First Steps, First Shots 7Preparing the Camera for Use 7Checking Out External Controls 11Using the Touchscreen 19Navigating Menus 21Checking Out the Displays 24Control panel (top LCD display) 24Information display 25Viewfinder display 26Live View display 28Saving Time with the i-Button Menu 30Familiarizing Yourself with the Lens 31Working with Memory Cards 34Taking a Few Final Setup Steps 35Restoring Default Settings 38Shooting Pictures in Auto Mode 39Chapter 2: Reviewing Five Essential Picture-Taking Options 45Choosing an Exposure Mode 46Fully automatic exposure modes 46Semi-automatic modes (P, S, and A) 49Manual exposure mode (M) 50U1 and U2 50Setting the Release Mode 50Single Frame and Quiet Shutter modes 51Continuous (burst mode) shooting 52Self-timer shooting 54Mirror lockup (MUP) 55Off-the-dial shutter release features 56Selecting Image Size and Image Quality 63Considering Image Size (resolution) 63Understanding Image Quality options (JPEG or Raw/NEF) 67Adjusting the Image Size and Image Quality settings 73Setting the Image Area 75Chapter 3: Adding Flash 77Turning the Built-in Flash On and Off 77Comparing Built-in and External Flashes 78Understanding Flash Modes 82Adjusting Flash Strength 89Applying Flash Compensation 89Switching to manual flash-power control 92Enabling High-Speed Flash (Auto FP) 93Using Flash Value Lock (FV Lock) 94Exploring Additional Flash Options 96Part 2: Taking Creative Control 99Chapter 4: Taking Charge of Exposure 101Meeting the Exposure Trio: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO 102Aperture affects depth of field 104Shutter speed affects motion blur 105ISO affects image noise 106Doing the exposure balancing act 108Stepping Up to Advanced Exposure Modes (P, S, A, and M) 109Reading the Meter 112Choosing an Exposure Metering Mode 116Setting Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO 120Adjusting aperture and shutter speed 120Controlling ISO 123Solving Exposure Problems 128Applying Exposure Compensation 129Expanding tonal range 132Eliminating vignetting 139Using autoexposure lock 141Taking Advantage of Automatic Bracketing 142Chapter 5: Controlling Focus and Depth of Field 147Setting the Basic Focusing Method 147Exploring Standard Focusing Options 149Setting the Focus mode 149Choosing an AF-area mode: One focus point or many? 151Autofocusing for still subjects: AF-S + Single Point 156Focusing on moving subjects: AF-C + Dynamic Area 157Focusing manually 161Mastering Live View Focusing 163Controlling autofocus behavior 163Manual focusing in Live View mode 168Zooming in to check focus 169Manipulating Depth of Field 169Chapter 6: Mastering Color Controls 173Understanding White Balance 173Changing the White Balance setting 175Fine-tuning white balance 180Creating Custom White Balance Presets 183Setting white balance with direct measurement 183Matching white balance to an existing photo 185Selecting the preset you want to use 187Editing presets 187Bracketing White Balance 189Taking a Quick Look at Picture Controls 193Chapter 7: Putting It All Together 197Recapping Basic Picture Settings 198Shooting Still Portraits 199Capturing Action 204Capturing Scenic Vistas 206Capturing Dynamic Close-Ups 209Chapter 8: Shooting, Viewing, and Trimming Movies 211Understanding a Few Recording Basics 212Shooting a Movie Using Default Settings 213Choosing a Video Format: MOV or MP4 217Setting Frame Size, Rate, and Quality 218Picking the right frame size and rate (fps) 219Understanding the Movie Quality setting 223Controlling Audio 223Controlling Movie Exposure 228Exploring Other Recording Options 232Screening Your Movies 234Trimming Movies 237Saving a Movie Frame As a Still Image 238Part 3: After the Shot 239Chapter 9: Playback Mode: Viewing Your Photos 241Picture Playback 101 242Choosing Which Images to View 243Adjusting Playback Timing 244Disabling Automatic Picture Rotation 245Shifting to Thumbnail Display 246Displaying Photos in Calendar View 248Magnifying Photos During Playback 249Viewing Picture Data 251Enabling additional display modes 252File Information mode 253Highlights display mode 256RGB Histogram mode 257Shooting Data display mode 260Overview mode 261Chapter 10: Working with Picture and Movie Files 263Rating Photos and Movies 264Protecting Photos 266Hiding Photos During Playback 267Deleting Files 270Deleting files one at a time 270Deleting all files 271Deleting a batch of selected files 271Taking a Look a Nikon’s Photo Software 274Downloading Pictures to Your Computer 276Processing Raw (NEF) Files 280Processing Raw images in the camera 281Processing Raw files in Capture NX-D 283Preparing Pictures for Online Sharing 285Prepping photos using ViewNX-i 286Resizing pictures in the camera 287Part 4: The Part of Tens 289Chapter 11: Ten More Ways to Customize Your Camera 291Chapter 12: Ten Features to Explore on a Rainy Day 307Appendix: Intro to Nikon Snapbridge 325Index 335

Julie Adair King is a veteran digital photography educator and the author of numerous bestselling books on digital cameras and photography. Along with all editions of Digital Photography For Dummies, she has written 20 books on Nikon dSLR cameras. Julie's books have sold more than a million copies.

Select Guide Rating

• Introduction 1Part 1: Fast Track to Super Snaps 5Chapter 1: First Steps, First Shots 7Preparing the Camera for Use 7Checking Out External Controls 11Using the Touchscreen 19Navigating Menus 21Checking Out the Displays 24Control panel (top LCD display) 24Information display 25Viewfinder display 26Live View display 28Saving Time with the i-Button Menu 30Familiarizing Yourself with the Lens 31Working with Memory Cards 34Taking a Few Final Setup Steps 35Restoring Default Settings 38Shooting Pictures in Auto Mode 39Chapter 2: Reviewing Five Essential Picture-Taking Options 45Choosing an Exposure Mode 46Fully automatic exposure modes 46Semi-automatic modes (P, S, and A) 49Manual exposure mode (M) 50U1 and U2 50Setting the Release Mode 50Single Frame and Quiet Shutter modes 51Continuous (burst mode) shooting 52Self-timer shooting 54Mirror lockup (MUP) 55Off-the-dial shutter release features 56Selecting Image Size and Image Quality 63Considering Image Size (resolution) 63Understanding Image Quality options (JPEG or Raw/NEF) 67Adjusting the Image Size and Image Quality settings 73Setting the Image Area 75Chapter 3: Adding Flash 77Turning the Built-in Flash On and Off 77Comparing Built-in and External Flashes 78Understanding Flash Modes 82Adjusting Flash Strength 89Applying Flash Compensation 89Switching to manual flash-power control 92Enabling High-Speed Flash (Auto FP) 93Using Flash Value Lock (FV Lock) 94Exploring Additional Flash Options 96Part 2: Taking Creative Control 99Chapter 4: Taking Charge of Exposure 101Meeting the Exposure Trio: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO 102Aperture affects depth of field 104Shutter speed affects motion blur 105ISO affects image noise 106Doing the exposure balancing act 108Stepping Up to Advanced Exposure Modes (P, S, A, and M) 109Reading the Meter 112Choosing an Exposure Metering Mode 116Setting Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO 120Adjusting aperture and shutter speed 120Controlling ISO 123Solving Exposure Problems 128Applying Exposure Compensation 129Expanding tonal range 132Eliminating vignetting 139Using autoexposure lock 141Taking Advantage of Automatic Bracketing 142Chapter 5: Controlling Focus and Depth of Field 147Setting the Basic Focusing Method 147Exploring Standard Focusing Options 149Setting the Focus mode 149Choosing an AF-area mode: One focus point or many? 151Autofocusing for still subjects: AF-S + Single Point 156Focusing on moving subjects: AF-C + Dynamic Area 157Focusing manually 161Mastering Live View Focusing 163Controlling autofocus behavior 163Manual focusing in Live View mode 168Zooming in to check focus 169Manipulating Depth of Field 169Chapter 6: Mastering Color Controls 173Understanding White Balance 173Changing the White Balance setting 175Fine-tuning white balance 180Creating Custom White Balance Presets 183Setting white balance with direct measurement 183Matching white balance to an existing photo 185Selecting the preset you want to use 187Editing presets 187Bracketing White Balance 189Taking a Quick Look at Picture Controls 193Chapter 7: Putting It All Together 197Recapping Basic Picture Settings 198Shooting Still Portraits 199Capturing Action 204Capturing Scenic Vistas 206Capturing Dynamic Close-Ups 209Chapter 8: Shooting, Viewing, and Trimming Movies 211Understanding a Few Recording Basics 212Shooting a Movie Using Default Settings 213Choosing a Video Format: MOV or MP4 217Setting Frame Size, Rate, and Quality 218Picking the right frame size and rate (fps) 219Understanding the Movie Quality setting 223Controlling Audio 223Controlling Movie Exposure 228Exploring Other Recording Options 232Screening Your Movies 234Trimming Movies 237Saving a Movie Frame As a Still Image 238Part 3: After the Shot 239Chapter 9: Playback Mode: Viewing Your Photos 241Picture Playback 101 242Choosing Which Images to View 243Adjusting Playback Timing 244Disabling Automatic Picture Rotation 245Shifting to Thumbnail Display 246Displaying Photos in Calendar View 248Magnifying Photos During Playback 249Viewing Picture Data 251Enabling additional display modes 252File Information mode 253Highlights display mode 256RGB Histogram mode 257Shooting Data display mode 260Overview mode 261Chapter 10: Working with Picture and Movie Files 263Rating Photos and Movies 264Protecting Photos 266Hiding Photos During Playback 267Deleting Files 270Deleting files one at a time 270Deleting all files 271Deleting a batch of selected files 271Taking a Look a Nikon’s Photo Software 274Downloading Pictures to Your Computer 276Processing Raw (NEF) Files 280Processing Raw images in the camera 281Processing Raw files in Capture NX-D 283Preparing Pictures for Online Sharing 285Prepping photos using ViewNX-i 286Resizing pictures in the camera 287Part 4: The Part of Tens 289Chapter 11: Ten More Ways to Customize Your Camera 291Chapter 12: Ten Features to Explore on a Rainy Day 307Appendix: Intro to Nikon Snapbridge 325Index 335