Nikon D800, D800E Technical Reference Guide

Technical Guide

Introduction

This “Technical Guide” details the principal techniques used
to create two of the more technically advanced photographs
in the D800/D800E brochure. Take this opportunity to admire
the skills of professional photographers who have mastered
the D800/D800E.

While its groundbreaking 36 megapixels give the D800/D800E
resolution unrivalled by previous digital SLR cameras, a side
eff ect of such high resolution is that blur, whether the result
of imprecise focus or camera shake, becomes that much more
noticeable. Realizing the full potential of a camera with over
30-million pixels involves a thorough understanding of the
causes and characteristics of blur, careful selection of settings
and tools (lenses, tripods, etc.), and working with the best
possible subjects.

ii

Table of Contents

Introduction i

Shooting Techniques

2

Quick Tips 2

The D800E

30

Introduction iii

Shooting Techniques

Still Subjects ...............................................................................2

•

Lesson 1: Use a Tripod .................................................................. 5

•

Lesson 2: Use Live View ............................................................... 6

•

Lesson 3: Avoid Very Small Apertures ................................. 11

•

Same Shot with Viewfi nder Framing .................................... 13

Portrait Subjects..................................................................... 14

•

Lesson 1: Choose the Proper Focus Settings ..................... 17

•

Lesson 2: Choose the Proper Exposure Settings .............. 18

Learn from Mistakes: Same Shot, Diff erent Focus Point ...

•

Quick Tips 222

1. High ISO Sensitivity ........................................................... 22

2. Auto ISO Sensitivity Control ............................................24

3. Improving Optical Performance ..................................... 26

4. Backlit Portraits .................................................................. 28

The D800E

1. High-Resolution Images with the D800E ...................... 30

2. Aperture and Complex Subjects ..................................... 32

3. Color Aliasing and Moiré ................................................. 34

21

30

2

1

Shooting Techniques

Still Subjects

—Keeping Blur to a Minimum—

2

3

Shooting Techniques

At the high resolutions off ered by the D800/D800E, even the
slightest camera shake can result in blur. The technique re­vealed in this section minimizes blur through a combination
of live view photography and the use of a tripod.

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

4

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.

Tripod Mode

Some lenses, such as the AF-S
NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR,
off er vibration reduction with
a TRIPOD option that is particu­larly eff ective at reducing blur
at shutter speeds of /–1 s. This
option is generally recommend­ed when the camera is mount­ed on a tripod. The NORMAL op-
tion is preferred, however, if the
tripod head is not fi xed or when
a monopod is used.

Still Subjects

5

Shooting Techniques

Lesson 2: Use Live View

Live view can be used to achieve sharper focus and prevent
blur.

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.

Live view selector a button

6

Still Subjects

Why Use Live View?

1. The mirror is raised prior to shooting, reducing blur.

At the high resolutions off ered by the D800/D800E, even the
slight movement that occurs when the mirror is raised can
sometimes be enough to blur photographs. With live view,
the mirror is raised well before the shutter is released, reduc­ing one possible cause of blur.

Reducing Blur with Viewfi nder Framing

If the live view display is diffi cult to see outdoors or under
bright ambient light, use the viewfi nder to frame photo­graphs. Use mirror-up mode when using the viewfi nder
to frame photos to reduce the blur that sometimes occurs
when the mirror is raised. Press the release mode dial lock
release and rotate the release mode dial to MUP.

After focusing, press the shutter-release button all the way
down once to raise the mirror and again to release the
shutter. An optional remote cord can be used to prevent
the camera from moving when the shutter-release button
is pressed, or an option other than Off can be selected for
Custom Setting d4 (Exposure delay mode) to delay shutter
release until 1–3 s after the mirror is raised. Use of a tripod
is recommended.

7

Shooting Techniques

Why Use Live View?

2. Focus anywhere in the frame.

With live view, the multi selector can be used to
position the focus point anywhere in the frame,
regardless of the options selected for AF/MF and
autofocus.

The ability to position the focus point anywhere within the
monitor’s angle of view greatly expands the range in which
the camera can focus.

In autofocus mode, press the shutter-release button halfway,
or press the B button, to focus on the subject in the select­ed focus point. In manual focus mode, focus can be adjusted
by rotating the lens focus ring.

8

Why Use Live View?

3. Zoom in for precise focus.

Press the X button to magnify the
view in the monitor by up to 23×
for precise focusing with live view.
This is particularly eff ective with
manual focus.

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.

Still Subjects

X button

Navigation window

9

Shooting Techniques

Suggested Settings
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 down the
U button and press 4 or 2 to
highlight a digit and 1 or 3 to
change it.

Framing guide: Framing guides,
helpful in composing photo­graphs, can be displayed with
live view photography by press­ing the R button.

Virtual horizon: The R button can
also be used to display pitch and
roll indicators that help keep the
camera level with live view pho­tography.

10

Still Subjects

Lesson 3: Avoid Very Small Apertures

Stopping down the aperture in manual (h) and aperture-prior­ity auto (g) exposure modes increases depth of fi eld, bringing
both the foreground and the background into focus. Stop the
aperture down too far, however, and the eff ects of diff raction
may actually result in images with less defi nition. The optimal
aperture setting — that which produces the greatest depth of
fi eld with no loss of sharpness — varies from lens to lens. With
the AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED used in this example, an
aperture setting of f/8 produces the sharpest image.

f/8

f/11

Amount of detail visible in

window leads and frieze is

less than at f/8

11

Shooting Techniques

Camera Control Pro 2

The optional Camera Control Pro 2 software can be used
to control 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.

Camera Control Pro 2 supports
live view. When the live view dis­play in the Camera Control Pro 2
image area is zoomed in, more
detail is visible than is possible
with the live view display in the
camera monitor.

Photographs are saved directly
to the computer, where they can
be inspected and retouched us­ing the optional Capture NX 2
software.

12

Still Subjects

Same Shot with Viewfi nder Framing

The second sample image below was captured without us­ing live view. As the mirror was not raised until the photo was
taken, the resulting image is slightly blurred.

With live

view

Without live

view

Book edges and

other details are

blurred

13

14

Shooting Techniques

Portrait Subjects

—Focusing on a Selected Point—

15

Shooting Techniques

This section introduces a technique that achieves sharp focus
on a selected point when framing portrait subjects through
the viewfi nder.

Technical Data

■ Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II ■ Exposure mode:
Manual ■ Shutter speed: ½  s ■ Aperture: f/4.5 ■ White balance:
Keep warm lighting colors ■ ISO sensitivity: 640 ■ Picture control:
Portrait

Note: This photo was shot in 14-bit NEF (RAW) and processed
using Capture NX 2.

Vibration Reduction (VR)

When a VR lens is used, setting the
VR switch to ON is recommended.
Vibration reduction is activated
when the shutter-release button
is pressed halfway, stabilizing the
view through the viewfi nder and
making it easier to frame pictures
and focus.

If the lens has a vibration reduction mode switch, choose
NORMAL for hand-held photography or when using a mono­pod. Vibration reduction should generally be turned off
when the camera is mounted on a tripod (exceptions may
be made for the AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II and other
lenses with a TRIPOD option).

Photo © Cliff Mautner

16

Portrait Subjects

Lesson 1: Choose the Proper Focus Settings

A tripod is rarely used for portrait photography. Though por­trait subjects can and do move a little, they generally remain
still long enough for eff ective use of single-point, single-servo
autofocus. The photo shoot introduced here shows that the
photographer must be able to focus reliably on a selected
point; hence the use of single-point AF, which, unlike auto­area and dynamic-area AF, ensures that the camera always
focuses on the point selected by the photographer.

To choose an autofocus mode,
press the AF-mode button
and rotate the main command
dial.

AF-mode button

To choose an AF-area mode,
press the AF-mode button and
rotate the sub-command dial.

AF-mode button

Note

Even slight changes in composition may result in the cam­era focusing on something other than the intended subject.
Choose the focus point after composing the photograph.

17

Shooting Techniques

Lesson 2: Choose the Proper Exposure Settings

Aperture

Use a wide aperture for a softer feel.

An aperture setting of f/4 captures facial expressions.

Depth of fi eld is suffi cient to clearly reproduce the range from

the lips to the outer corners of the eyes, but focus gets softer

from the earrings back.

18

Portrait Subjects

Shutter Speed

Choose a speed slightly faster than the minimum required to
prevent blur caused by camera shake.

The superior resolution of the D800/D800E makes even slight
blur resulting from camera shake appear more obvious.
Choose a shutter speed slightly faster than would be selected
when photographing the same subject with another camera.

A fast shutter speed has captured details of the
lace veil and brought out individual eyelashes.

19

Shooting Techniques

Lighting and ISO Sensitivity

Adjust lighting and ISO sensitivity appropriately.

Once the shutter speed and aperture settings have been
manually specifi ed, lighting or ISO sensitivity may require ad­justment to achieve optimal exposure.

Soft, natural light, rather than
fl ash or studio lighting, was used
for these photos. When shooting
outdoors, lighting can be adjust­ed by repositioning the portrait
subject or yourself in relation to
the light source (above). When
shooting indoors, blinds can be

raised or lowered (right).

20

Portrait Subjects

Learn from Mistakes: Same Shot, Diff erent Focus Point

Slight shifts in focus are more noticeable in photos captured
with the D800/D800E than with other cameras under the same
conditions. Thus, greater attention must be paid to focusing with
the D800/D800E. As the following sample images show, chang­ing the focus point even slightly may blur important details.

Intended

result

Focus on

unintended

point

Earring is in focus,

iris and eyelashes

are blurred

21

Quick Tips

1. High ISO Sensitivity

1. High ISO Sensitivity

The following sections introduce useful techniques and
camera functions applicable to a variety of situations.

The D800/D800E keeps noise to a minimum for high-resolu­tion results at even the highest ISO sensitivities.

The High ISO NR option in the
shooting menu reduces the ran­domly spaced bright pixels, fog,
and lines characteristic of high­sensitivity noise, but may leave
edges less sharp. A setting of Off
or Low may off er a good balance
between sharpness and noise even at high ISO sensitivities.
The setting can later be changed using Capture NX 2 (avail­able separately) for images recorded in NEF (RAW) format.

Use Capture NX 2 for more precise
adjustment of noise reduction In-
tensity and Sharpness. For NEF
(RAW) images, select the Noise
Reduction tool in the Develop
section of the Edit List. For JPEG
and TIFF images, select Noise Re-
duction from the Adjust menu.

22

Normal

Detailed views of the same
subject shot at diff erent High
ISO NR settings. Higher set­tings reduce the noise visible
in the sky but also reduce
the sharpness of edges in the
main subject.

High

Normal

Low

23

Quick Tips

2. Auto ISO Sensitivity Control

2. Auto ISO Sensitivity Control

Auto ISO sensitivity control au­tomatically adjusts ISO sensitiv­ity if optimal exposure cannot be
achieved at the value selected by
the photographer. If Auto is se­lected for Minimum shutter speed, the camera will also ad­just the threshold for auto ISO sensitivity control according
to the focal length of the lens (CPU lenses only), a feature you
will fi nd particularly convenient when using zoom lenses (see
sample photos at right).

To enable auto ISO sensitivity control, select On for ISO
sensitivity settings > Auto ISO sensitivity control in the
shooting menu.

Maximum
sensitivity

Minimum
shutter
speed

Choose the maximum value available for auto ISO sen­sitivity control (200–Hi 2). The minimum is ISO 100.

In exposure modes e and g, sensitivity will only be
adjusted if shutter speed would otherwise be slower
than this value (¼ –1 s or
Auto). Highlight Auto and
press 2 to choose whether
the camera gives priority
to shutter speed (Slower)
or ISO sensitivity (Faster)
when Auto is selected.

24

Focal length: 24 mm
Shutter speed: ½  s
ISO sensitivity: 900

Focal length: 50 mm
Shutter speed: / s
ISO sensitivity: 2500

Focal length: 70 mm
Shutter speed: / s
ISO sensitivity: 4500

The S Button

Auto ISO sensitivity control can be
turned on or off by pressing the
S button and rotating the sub­command dial.

Focal length: 100 mm
Shutter speed: / s
ISO sensitivity: 6400

25

Quick Tips

3. Improving Optical Performance

3. Improving Optical Performance

Stopping down the aperture increases depth of fi eld, mak­ing both the foreground and background sharper. Stop the
aperture down too far, however, and diff raction will actually
cause the image to be less defi ned. The eff ects of diff raction
are partly infl uenced by the size of the pixels on the camera’s
image sensor, but with the high resolution off ered by the
D800/D800E, the eff ects generally become noticeable at
around f/11. When greater depth of fi eld is needed, don’t im­mediately apply the minimum aperture; instead, determine
the aperture setting that off ers the best balance between
sharpness and depth of fi eld. The sample images on this page
show how defi nition in the metal grating is lost when an ap­erture smaller than f/11 is used.

26

f/8 f/11

f/16 f/22

27

Quick Tips

4. Backlit Portraits

4. Backlit Portraits

The RGB sensor with approximately 91K (91,000) pixels built
into the D800/D800E off ers more accurate face detection.
When used with viewfi nder framing in exposure modes other
than h, the camera balances exposure between a portrait sub­ject and the background, even when the subject is backlit.

D800/D800E

The camera uses

face detection to

ensure optimal

exposure of the

subject’s face.

Earlier cameras

The subject’s face

is underexposed,

requiring exposure

compensation.

28

Flash Photography

The D800/D800E also automatically optimizes fl ash output
for portrait subjects.

D800/D800E

Flash output

is adjusted

according to

the brightness

of the subjects’

faces, producing

optimal results

even with bright

backgrounds.

Earlier cameras

Flash output

is adjusted

according to the

brightness of the

background; as

a result, the sub-

jects’ faces are

underexposed.

29

The D800E

1.

High-Resolution Images with the D800E

page 22

1.

High-Resolution Images with the D800E

The D800E is a good choice for those who require high-reso­lution photos of visually complex subjects.

Case 1: A Model Wearing a Kimono

Reproduce fi ne details in the subject’s hair and the patterns
on her clothing.

Increasing Resolution

Resolution can be increased by disabling high ISO noise
reduction (High ISO NR) (
sensitivities.

page 22), particularly at low ISO

30

Case 2: A Japanese Garden

Capture roof tiles and other fi ne details with superior resolution.

Case 3: Leaves

Capture individual leaves in crisp detail.

Movies

The D800 and D800E off er the same level of performance in
terms of resolution with movie recording. Choose the mod­el that best suits your needs based on other characteristics
or specifi cations.

31

The D800E

2. Aperture and Complex Subjects

2. Aperture and Complex Subjects

With cameras like the D800E, which are suited to photogra­phy of visually complex subjects, maximizing lens resolution
is vital. Though results will vary from lens to lens, the great­est contrast all the way to frame peripheries can generally be
achieved at an aperture setting two to three stops down from
maximum aperture. Some lenses that off er excellent resolu­tion are listed below.

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 70-200mm f/4G ED VR

•
AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR

•
AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G 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 28mm f/1.8G

•
AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.4G

•
AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G

•
AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G

•
AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II

•
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

•

32

page 26

•

AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED

•

AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED

•

PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED

•

PC-E Micro NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED

•

PC-E Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/2.8D

The D800E off ers better resolution at aperture settings with
which diff raction (
ting has more infl uence on resolution with the D800E than
with the D800, D800E users should always keep the possible
eff ects of diff raction in mind.

f/8 f/22

Note: These pictures were taken with the D800.

page 26) is not an issue. As the aperture set-

33

The D800E

3. Color Aliasing and Moiré

3. Color Aliasing and Moiré

Color artifacts and moiré are less frequent at the high resolu­tions supported by the D800/D800E, but when they do occur,
they tend to be more noticeable in photos taken with D800E.
Aliasing and moiré are not visible in the camera monitor but
can be confirmed by copying photos to a computer and view­ing them at a display size of 100%.

The photo on the left was taken with the D800E, that on the

right with the D800. Color artifacts are visible in the sash.

Capture NX 2 can be used to reduce
color aliasing and moiré. For best
results with NEF (RAW) images, dis­play the image at 100% and adjust
the Color Moiré Reduction setting.

Off High

34

Using Diff raction to Combat Color Artifacts and Moiré

page 26

Although stopping down the
aperture increases the eff ects of
diff raction, sometimes resulting
in lower resolution (
this same diff raction can also
be used to reduce color aliasing
and moiré. Adjust the aperture
setting according to the prior­ity for the photo — maximum
resolution or minimum moiré.

page 26, 3232),

f/5.6

f/11 f/16

f/8

35

© 2012 Nikon Corporation

CS SB2K04 (11)