The Nikon D90 Companion

The Nikon D90 Companion

by Ben Long
Released March 2009
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596159870

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Book description

Through easy-to-follow lessons, this handy book offers a complete class on digital photography, tailored specifically for people who use the Nikon D90. This is not your typical camera guide: rather than just show you what all the buttons do, it teaches you how to use the D90's features to make great photographs-including professional-looking images of people, landscapes, action shots, close-ups, night shots, HD video, and more.

With Ben Long's creative tips and technical advice, you have the perfect, camera-bag-friendly reference that will help you capture stunning pictures anywhere, anytime. The Nikon D90 Companion will show you how to:

  • Take creative control and go beyond automatic settings
  • Learn the basic rules of composition
  • Capture decisive moments, including fast-moving objects
  • Discover ways to use a flash indoors and outdoors
  • Learn about different lenses, and the best time to use them
  • Understand the options for shooting RAW, and whether it's right for you
  • Use the D90's ability to shoot high definition video

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Table of contents

  1. The Nikon D90 Companion
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. Preface
    1. For More Information
    2. Safari® Books Online
  4. 1. Getting to Know the Nikon D90
    1. Resetting the Camera’s Defaults
    2. Snapshot Shooting in Auto Mode
      1. Framing Your Shot
      2. Autofocus, or “How to Press the Shutter Button”
      3. Take the Shot
    3. The Viewfinder Status Display
    4. The LCD Control Panel
    5. Viewing Your Images
    6. Using Scene Modes
        1. Disabled Flash
        2. Portrait Mode
        3. Landscape Mode
        4. Close-Up Mode
        5. Sports Mode
        6. Night Portrait Mode
    7. Snapshot Tips
      1. Watch That Headroom: Fill the Frame
      2. Don’t Be Afraid to Get in Close
      3. Lead Your Subject
      4. Remember That Your Knees Can Bend
      5. Watch the Background
      6. Watch Out for Backlighting
      7. Understand Flash Range
      8. Cover Your Shot, or “One Shot Is Rarely Enough”
  5. 2. Anatomy of the Nikon D90
    1. What Is an SLR Anyway?
    2. Cleaning and Maintenance
      1. The D90 Battery
      2. The Media Card
    3. Body Parts
      1. Camera Top
      2. Camera Front
      3. Camera Sides
      4. Camera Back
      5. Camera Bottom
    4. The Nikon D90 Menu System
      1. Getting Help
    5. Holding the Camera
      1. The Grip
      2. Feet, Elbows, and Neck
    6. The Lens
      1. Understanding Focal Length
      2. Types of Lenses
      3. Lens Controls
      4. Lens Care
      5. Sensor Cleaning
    7. More Auto Practice
      1. Work with Fixed Focal Length
  6. 3. Playing Back Images
    1. Image Review
    2. Image Playback
      1. Playback Zoom
      2. Exiting Playback
      3. Viewing Image Thumbnails
      4. Calendar View
      5. Viewing Image Info
        1. Viewing Additional info
      6. Image Rotation
      7. Slide Shows
        1. Basic Slide Show
        2. Pictmotion Slide Show
    3. Erasing Images
      1. Deleting an Image During Image Review
      2. Deleting an Image During Image Playback
      3. Deleting All the Images Shot on a Particular Date
      4. Deleting All the Images on the Card
    4. Protecting Images
  7. 4. Image Transfer
    1. Media Cards
      1. One Big Card? Or Lots of Small Ones?
      2. Card Management
    2. Transferring from Your Camera
    3. Installing the Nikon Software
    4. Transferring Images to a Windows Computer
      1. Using Adobe Photoshop
    5. Transferring Images to a Macintosh Computer
      1. Configuring Your Mac for Image Transfer
    6. Using Nikon Transfer for Mac or Windows
      1. Choosing a Source and Destination for Transfer
      2. Embedding Info
      3. Starting the Transfer
    7. Transferring Images Manually Using Windows or the Mac
    8. Using the Camera to Select Images for Transfer
    9. Organizing Your Images
    10. After You’ve Transferred Your Images
  8. 5. Photography 101
    1. Over- and Underexposure
    2. Exposure Mechanisms
      1. ISO: The Third Exposure Parameter
      2. Shutter Speed
      3. Aperture
    3. Why There Are Two Ways to Control Light
      1. How Shutter Speed Choice Affects Your Image
      2. How Aperture Choice Affects Your Image
      3. Shutter Speed/Aperture Balance
      4. Reciprocity
        1. ISO: The Third Exposure Parameter
      5. Fractional Stops
    4. Thinking Again About Auto Mode
    5. Summing Up
  9. 6. Program Mode
    1. Switching to Program Mode
    2. Focusing Revisited
      1. Understanding Focus Points
        1. Manually Selecting a Focus Point
        2. Other Focus Point Selection Modes
        3. When to Manually Choose a Focus Point
    3. Focus Modes
      1. Continuous Servo AF
      2. Auto Select Autofocus
      3. What to Do When Autofocus Doesn’t
        1. Low-Light Autofocus Problems
      4. Manual Focus
    4. Getting Creative with Flexible Program
    5. Vibration Reduction: Help with Handheld Shooting
    6. Changing ISO
      1. Setting ISO
      2. A Real-World ISO Change
    7. White Balance
      1. Choosing a Color Temperature
      2. Custom White Balance
      3. White Balance Fine-Tuning
    8. Release Mode and the Self-Timer
      1. Using the Self-Timer
    9. Choosing an Image Size and Format
    10. Summing Up Program Mode
      1. Some Things to Try
  10. 7. Advanced Exposure
    1. The Light Meter Revisited
      1. Metering Modes
        1. Center-Weighted Metering
        2. Spot Metering
        3. Metering and Auto ISO
      2. What Your Light Meter Actually Meters
      3. Exposing So That Black Looks Black
    2. Using Exposure Compensation to Over- or Underexpose
      1. Exposure Compensation and Flexible Program
      2. Controlling Color Tone with Exposure Compensation
    3. Using the Histogram
      1. Recognizing Over- and Underexposure in the Histogram
      2. Recognizing Contrast in the Histogram
      3. The Three-Channel Histogram
    4. Using Priority Modes to Control Exposure
      1. Aperture Priority
        1. Depth of Field Preview
      2. Shutter Priority
    5. Manual Mode
    6. Exposure Bracketing
      1. Auto Bracketing
        1. Deactivating Auto Bracketing
        2. Auto Bracketing and Drive Mode
    7. Scene Modes Revisited
    8. Picture Controls
      1. Selecting a Picture Control
      2. Adjusting Predefined Picture Controls
    9. Creating a Better Exposure with Fill Flash
    10. Active D-Lighting: The Virtual Flash
    11. A Word About Dynamic Range
    12. In-Camera Retouching and Editing
      1. Editing an Image Using the Retouch Menu
    13. Choosing a Color Space
    14. Summing Up
  11. 8. Finding and Composing a Photo
    1. Learning to See Again
      1. Seeing Exercises
        1. Warm Up
        2. Give Yourself an Assignment
        3. Look at Other Photos
        4. Practice
    2. How to Make a Photo
      1. Recognizing a Potential Photo
        1. Look Through That Camera
        2. Photography as Abstraction
      2. Working Your Subject
      3. Choosing a Camera Position and Focal Length
        1. Understanding How Focal Length Choice Affects Your Image
        2. Focal Length and Portraits
      4. Composing Your Shot
        1. Balance
        2. Geometry
        3. Repetition
        4. The Rule of Thirds
        5. Foreground/Background
        6. Composing with Light and Dark
        7. Less Is More
        8. Some, All, or None
      5. Art and Craft
    3. Practice
  12. 9. Specialty Shooting
    1. Live View
      1. Activating Live View
      2. Focusing in Live View
        1. Manual Focus
      3. What You Don’t See in Live View
    2. Shooting Panoramas
      1. Choosing a Focal Length for Panoramas
      2. Panoramic Exposure
        1. Using Auto Exposure Lock
        2. Choosing an Exposure
      3. Shooting Panoramic Frames
        1. Panning Tips
      4. Stitching a Panorama
    3. Low-Light Shooting
      1. When to Use Flash in Low Light
      2. Shooting in Low Light at High ISO
      3. Low-Light Techniques
        1. Shooting with a Long Shutter Speed
        2. Long Exposure Noise
        3. Aperture Control for Low-Light Conditions
      4. Shooting Sports or Stage Performances
      5. Low-Light White Balance
    4. Shooting Video
    5. Shooting Multiple Exposures
  13. 10. Flash Shooting
    1. Controlling Existing Light
    2. Using the D90’s On-Camera Flash
      1. Flash Exposure
        1. Flash with Priority and Manual Modes
        2. Flash Exposure Compensation
        3. Improving Flash Range
    3. Red-Eye Reduction
    4. Using an External Flash
      1. Bouncing a Flash
  14. 11. Raw Shooting
    1. What Is Raw?
    2. Why Use Raw?
      1. Changing White Balance
      2. Highlight Recovery
      3. More Editing Latitude
      4. A True Digital Negative
      5. Easy Batch Processing
    3. Raw Hassles (the Disadvantages)
    4. Shooting Raw with the Nikon D90
      1. Picture Controls, White Balance, and Raw
    5. Processing Your Raw Files
  15. 12. Customizing the D90
    1. My Menu and Recent Settings
      1. Building My Menu
    2. Custom Settings
      1. Customizing Autofocus Settings
      2. Customizing Metering/Exposure Settings
      3. Customizing Timers/AE Lock Settings
      4. Customizing Shooting/Display Settings
      5. Custom Bracketing/Flash Settings
      6. Custom Controls
    3. Lenses
      1. Choosing a Lens
        1. Nikon Lens Taxonomy
        2. Prime vs. Zoom
      2. Some Lens Suggestions
        1. Telephoto Zoom
        2. Wide Angle
        3. Prime
        4. Specialty Lenses
      3. Evaluating a Lens
  16. Index
  17. About the Author
  18. Copyright

Product information

  • Title: The Nikon D90 Companion
  • Author(s): Ben Long
  • Release date: March 2009
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596159870