Nortel Networks D300S User Manual

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Page 1

DIGITAL CAMERA

User's Manual

Page 2

Where to Find It

Find what you’re looking for from:

The Table of Contents

Find items by function or menu name.

The Q&A Index

Know what you want to do but don’t know the function name? it from the “question and answer” index.

The Index

Search by key word.

Error Messages

If a warning is displayed in the viewfinder or monitor, find the solution here.

Tro ubl esho otin g

Camera behaving unexpectedly?

A For Your Safety

Before using the camera for the first time, read the safety instructions in “For Your Safety” (0 xviii–xx).

Find the solution here.

➜

x–xvii

iv–ix

398–403

378–384

373–377

Find

Help

Use the camera’s on-board help feature for help on menu items and other topics. See page 21 for details.

Digitutor

Digitutor, a series of “watch and learn” manuals in movie form, is available from the following website:

http://www.nikondigitutor.com/index_eng.html

Page 3

Package Contents

Be sure all items listed here were included with your camera. Memory cards are sold separately.

• D300S digital camera

(0 3)

•EN-EL3e rechargeable Li-ion battery with terminal cover (0 22, 24)

• EG-D2 audio/video cable (0 239)

• BF-1A body cap (0 26, 355)

• MH-18a quick charger with power cable (0 22)

• UC-E4 USB cable (0 224, 229)

•BM-8 monitor

cover (0 16)

• DK-5 eyepiece cap

(0 91, 191)

DK-23 rubber eyecup

•

(0 91, 191)

•AN-DC4 strap

•

BS-1 accessory shoe cover (0 347)

•Warranty

• User’s Manual (this guide)

•Quick Guide

• Software Installation Guide

• Software Suite CD-ROM

• Registration card (U. S. A. only)

Page 4

Symbols and Conventions

To make it easier to find the information you need, the following symbols and conventions are used:

This icon marks cautions; information that should be read before

use to prevent damage to the camera.

This icon marks notes; information that should be read before

using the camera.

This icon marks references to other pages in this manual.

Menu items, options, and messages displayed in the camera monitor

bold

are shown in

A Trademark Information

Macintosh, Mac OS, and QuickTime are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Microsoft, Windows and Windows Vista are either registered trademarks, or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Corporation. The SD logo is a trademark of the SD Card Association. PictBridge and the SDHC logo are trademarks. HDMI, the HDMI logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC. All other trade names mentioned in this manual or the other documentation provided with your Nikon product are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

CompactFlash is a trademark of SanDisk

Page 5

Q&A Index

0 iv

Table of Contents

Introduction

Tutorial

Framing Pictures in the Monitor (Live View)

Recording and Viewing Movies

Image Recording Options

Focus

Release Mode

ISO Sensitivity

Exposure

White Balance

Image Enhancement

Flash Photography

Other Shooting Options

More About Playback

0 x

0 1

0 17

0 47

0 57

0 67

0 73

0 85

0 95

0 101

0 133

0 153

0 169

0 181

0 203

Connections

Menu Guide

Technical Notes

0 223

0 243

0 339

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Q&A Index

Find what you’re looking for using this “question and answer” index.

❚❚ New Features

Question Key phrase

How do I take high-quality NEF (RAW) photos?

Can I use the monitor as a viewfinder? Live view 47 How do I shoot movies? Movies 57 How do I record photographs using two

memory cards? Can I control how photos are processed? Picture Controls 154 How do I preserve details in shadows

and highlights? How do I focus on erratically moving

subjects? How do I tell if the camera is level? Virtual horizon 311 Can I adjust focus separately for

different lenses? How do I remove dust from the low-pass

filter protecting the image sensor?

❚❚ Camera Setup

Question Key phrase

How do I focus the viewfinder? Viewfinder focus 36 How do I keep the monitor from turning

off? How do I keep the shutter speed and

aperture displays from turning off? Can I display a framing grid in the

viewfinder?

14-bit NEF (RAW) 70

Primary slot,

secondary slot

Active D-Lighting 164

3D-tracking 265

AF fine tune 312

Cleaning the low-pass

filter

Monitor off delay 274

Auto meter off

Viewfinder grid display 275

358

273

39,

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Question Key phrase

How do I set the clock? How do I set the clock for daylight

savings time? How do I change time zones when I

travel? How do I adjust monitor brightness for

menus or playback? How do I change the self-timer delay? Self-timer 273 How do I turn the speaker off? Beep 275 Can I reverse the exposure indicator? Reverse indicators 299 Can I display the menus in a different

language? Can I save menu settings for use on a

different D300S camera? How do I restore default settings? Two-button reset 182 How do I restore shooting menu

defaults? How do I restore Custom Setting

defaults?

Time zone and date

LCD brightness 301

Language

Save/load settings 310

Reset shooting menu 256

Reset custom settings 262

29, 302

28,

303

❚❚ Menus and Displays

Question Key phrase

How do I get more information on a menu?

How do I use the menus? Using the menus 18 Can I get quick access to frequently-used

settings? Can I get quick access to recently-used

settings? What do these indicators mean? What information is in the information

display?

What does this warning mean?

How much charge does the battery have left?

Help 21

My Menu 333

Recent settings 337

Viewfinder, control

panel, information

display

Error messages and

displays

Battery level 37

8, 10,

378

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Question Key phrase

How do I get more information about the battery?

How do I keep the file number from being reset when I insert a new memory card?

How do I reset file numbering to 1? How do I clean the camera or lens? Cleaning the camera 357

Battery info 307

File number sequence 277

❚❚ Taking Photographs

Question Key phrase

How many more shots can I take with this card?

How do I take bigger photographs? How can I get more photos on the

memory card? How do I make an NEF (RAW) copy of the

next photo? Can I control how the camera focuses? Autofocus 74 Can I choose the focus point? Focus point 78 How do I take a lot of photographs

quickly?

Can I change the frame advance rate? Shooting speed

How do I take pictures with the selftimer?

Can I take pictures under low light without the flash?

Can the ISO sensitivity I choose be adjusted to ensure optimal exposure?

How do I freeze or blur moving objects?

How do I blur background details or keep both foreground and background in focus?

Number of exposures

remaining

Image quality and size 68, 71

+NEF (RAW) 294

Release mode 86

276

Self-timer mode 91

ISO sensitivity 96

ISO sensitivity auto

control

Exposure mode f

(shutter-priority auto)

Exposure mode g

(aperture-priority auto)

108

109

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Question Key phrase

Can I set both shutter speed and aperture manually?

Can I make photos brighter or darker? Exposure compensation 118 How do I make a time exposure? Long time-exposures 114 Can I vary exposure or flash level

automatically over a series of photos? Can I create multiple copies of a photo

using different white balance settings? Can I vary Active D-Lighting

automatically over a series of photos? How do I adjust white balance? White balance 133 Can I take pictures with a flash? Flash photography, flash

How can I reduce “red-eye”? 175

How can I record multiple shots as a single photograph?

Can I pick the standard exposure level?

How can I reduce blur? Exposure delay mode 278 Can the flash be used at shutter speeds

faster than

/250 s?

Exposure mode h

(manual)

Exposure and flash

bracketing

White balance

bracketing

ADL bracketing

mode, red-eye

reduction

Multiple exposure 184

Fine tune optimal

exposure

Flash sync speed 281

111

120,

289

125,

289

129,

289

171

272

❚❚ Viewing Photographs

Question Key phrase

Can I view my photographs on the camera?

Can I view more information about photos?

Why do parts of my photos blink? Photo info, highlights

Camera playback 204

Photo info 207

209,

247

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Question Key phrase

How do I get rid of an unwanted photo?

Can I delete several photos at once? Delete 221 Can I zoom in on pictures? Playback zoom 218 Can I protect photos from accidental

deletion? Can I hide selected photos? Hide image 245 How do I tell if parts of my photos may

be overexposed?

How do I tell where the camera focused?

Can I view photos as they are taken? Image review 251 Is there an automatic playback (“slide

show”) option?

Deleting individual

photos

Protect 219

Display mode:

highlights

Display mode: focus

point

Slide show 252

220

209,

247

208,

247

❚❚ Retouching Photographs

Question Key phrase

How do I bring out details in shadows? D-Lighting 319 Can I get rid of red eye? Red-eye correction 320 Can I crop photographs on the camera? Trim 321 Can I create a monochrome copy of a

photograph?

Can I create a copy with different colors?

Can I use the camera to create JPEG copies of NEF (RAW) photographs?

Can I overlay two NEF (RAW) photos to make a single image?

Monochrome 322

Filter effects,

Color balance

NEF (RAW) Processing 327

Image overlay 324

322,

323

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❚❚ Viewing or Printing Photographs on Other Devices

Question Key phrase

Can I view my photos on TV? Television playback 239 Can I view my photos in High Definition? HDMI 241

How do I copy photos to my computer?

How do I print photographs? Printing photographs 228 Can I print photos without a computer? Printing via USB 229 Can I print the date on my photographs? Time stamp 231 How do I order professional prints? Print set (DPOF) 237

Connecting to a

computer

224

❚❚ Optional Accessories

Question Key phrase

What memory cards can I use?

What lenses can I use? Compatible lenses 340 What optional flash units (Speedlights)

can I use? What software is available for my

camera? What AC adapters, battery packs,

remote cords, and viewfinder accessories are available for my camera?

Approved memory

cards

Optional flash units 347

Other accessories 355

Other accessories 352

393

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Table of Contents

Q&A Index ................................................................................................iv

For Your Safety ..................................................................................xviii

Notices.....................................................................................................xxi

Introduction 1

Overview....................................................................................................2

Getting to Know the Camera..............................................................3

Camera Body....................................................................................... 3

The Control Panel.............................................................................. 8

The Viewfinder Display..................................................................10

The Information Display................................................................12

The BM-8 Monitor Cover...............................................................16

Tutorial 17

Camera Menus...................................................................................... 18

Using Camera Menus .....................................................................19

Help ......................................................................................................21

First Steps ............................................................................................... 22

Charge the Battery ..........................................................................22

Insert the Battery .............................................................................24

Attach a Lens.....................................................................................26

Basic Setup.........................................................................................28

Insert a Memory Card.....................................................................31

Format the Memory Card .............................................................34

Adjust Viewfinder Focus ...............................................................36

Basic Photography and Playback................................................... 37

Turn the Camera On .......................................................................37

Adjust Camera Settings.................................................................40

Ready the Camera ...........................................................................42

Focus and Shoot ..............................................................................43

Viewing Photographs ....................................................................45

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Deleting Unwanted Photographs............................................. 46

Framing Pictures in the Monitor (Live View) 47

Framing Photographs in the Monitor.......................................... 48

Recording and Viewing Movies 57

Recording Movies................................................................................ 58

Viewing Movies .................................................................................... 63

Editing Movies ...................................................................................... 64

Image Recording Options 67

Image Quality........................................................................................ 68

Image Size .............................................................................................. 71

Using Two Memory Cards ................................................................ 72

Focus 73

Focus Mode ........................................................................................... 74

AF-Area Mode....................................................................................... 76

Focus Point Selection......................................................................... 78

Focus Lock.............................................................................................. 80

Manual Focus ........................................................................................ 83

Release Mode 85

Choosing a Release Mode ................................................................ 86

Continuous Mode................................................................................ 88

Self-Timer Mode................................................................................... 91

Mirror up Mode .................................................................................... 93

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ISO Sensitivity 95

Choosing ISO Sensitivity Manually................................................ 96

Auto ISO Sensitivity Control ............................................................98

Exposure 101

Metering ...............................................................................................102

Exposure Mode...................................................................................104

e: Programmed Auto ..................................................................106

f: Shutter-Priority Auto ..............................................................108

g: Aperture-Priority Auto ........................................................... 109

h: Manual......................................................................................... 111

Long Time-Exposures.......................................................................114

Autoexposure (AE) Lock ..................................................................116

Exposure Compensation.................................................................118

Bracketing ............................................................................................120

White Balance 133

White Balance Options ....................................................................134

Fine-Tuning White Balance ............................................................137

Choosing a Color Temperature ....................................................141

Preset Manual .....................................................................................142

Image Enhancement 153

Picture Controls..................................................................................154

Selecting a Picture Control........................................................ 154

Creating Custom Picture Controls.......................................... 160

Active D-Lighting...............................................................................164

Color Space..........................................................................................166

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Flash Photography 169

The Built-in Flash ............................................................................... 170

Using the Built-in Flash....................................................................171

Flash Modes.........................................................................................175

Flash Compensation......................................................................... 177

FV Lock ..................................................................................................178

Other Shooting Options 181

Two-Button Reset: Restoring Default Settings .......................182

Multiple Exposure .............................................................................184

Interval Timer Photography .......................................................... 189

Non-CPU Lenses................................................................................. 195

Using a GPS Unit ................................................................................198

More About Playback 203

Full-Frame Playback .........................................................................204

Photo Information............................................................................. 207

Viewing Multiple Images: Thumbnail Playback .....................216

Taking a Closer Look: Playback Zoom........................................218

Protecting Photographs from Deletion.....................................219

Deleting Photographs .....................................................................220

Full-Frame and Thumbnail Playback .....................................220

The Playback Menu ......................................................................221

Connections 223

Connecting to a Computer............................................................224

Direct USB Connection ...............................................................225

Wireless and Ethernet Networks .............................................227

Printing Photographs.......................................................................228

Connecting the Printer ...............................................................229

Printing Pictures One at a Time ...............................................230

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Printing Multiple Pictures.......................................................... 233

Creating a DPOF Print Order: Print Set .................................237

Viewing Photographs on TV ..........................................................239

Standard Definition Devices..................................................... 239

High-Definition Devices............................................................. 241

Menu Guide 243

D The Playback Menu: Managing Images...............................244

Playback Folder......................................................................... 245

Hide Image ................................................................................. 245

Display Mode............................................................................. 247

Copy Image(s) ...........................................................................248

Image Review ............................................................................ 251

After Delete................................................................................ 251

Rotate Tall................................................................................... 251

Slide Show .................................................................................. 252

C The Shooting Menu: Shooting Options...............................253

Shooting Menu Bank .............................................................. 254

Reset Shooting Menu ............................................................. 256

Active Folder.............................................................................. 256

File Naming ................................................................................ 258

Long Exp. NR (Long Exposure Noise Reduction) ..........258

High ISO NR................................................................................ 259

A Custom Settings: Fine-Tuning Camera Settings ..............260

B: Custom Setting Bank........................................................ 262

A: Reset Custom Settings..................................................... 262

a: Autofocus.................................................................................... 263

a1: AF-C Priority Selection..................................................... 263

a2: AF-S Priority Selection ..................................................... 264

a3: Dynamic AF Area............................................................... 264

a4: Focus Tracking with Lock-On .......................................266

a5: AF Activation ...................................................................... 266

a6: AF Point Illumination ....................................................... 266

a7: Focus Point Wrap-Around .............................................267

a8: AF Point Selection............................................................. 267

a9: Built-in AF-assist Illuminator .........................................268

a10: AF-On for MB-D10 ..........................................................269

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b: Metering/Exposure..................................................................270

b1: ISO Sensitivity Step Value ..............................................270

b2: EV Steps for Exposure Cntrl. ..........................................270

b3: Exp Comp/Fine Tune .......................................................270

b4: Easy Exposure Compensation ......................................271

b5: Center-Weighted Area ....................................................272

b6: Fine Tune Optimal Exposure.........................................272

c: Timers/AE Lock ..........................................................................273

c1: Shutter-Release Button AE-L .........................................273

c2: Auto Meter-off Delay........................................................273

c3: Self-Timer..............................................................................273

c4: Monitor off Delay...............................................................274

d: Shooting/Display......................................................................275

d1: Beep .......................................................................................275

d2: Viewfinder Grid Display ..................................................275

d3: Viewfinder Warning Display..........................................275

d4: Screen Tips...........................................................................276

d5: CL Mode Shooting Speed ..............................................276

d6: Max. Continuous Release ...............................................276

d7: File Number Sequence....................................................277

d8: Information Display..........................................................278

d9: LCD Illumination................................................................278

d10: Exposure Delay Mode ...................................................278

d11: MB-D10 Battery Type ....................................................279

d12: Battery Order....................................................................280

e: Bracketing/Flash .......................................................................281

e1: Flash Sync Speed ...............................................................281

e2: Flash Shutter Speed..........................................................282

e3: Flash Cntrl for Built-in Flash...........................................283

e4: Modeling Flash...................................................................289

e5: Auto Bracketing Set..........................................................289

e6: Auto Bracketing (Mode M).............................................290

e7: Bracketing Order................................................................290

f: Controls.........................................................................................291

f1: D Switch................................................................................291

f2: Multi Selector Center Button..........................................291

f3: Multi Selector.......................................................................292

f4: Photo Info/Playback ..........................................................292

f5: Assign Fn Button.................................................................292

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f6: Assign Preview Button ..................................................... 296

f7: Assign AE-L/AF-L Button .................................................296

f8: Customize Command Dials............................................ 297

f9: Release Button to Use Dial.............................................. 298

f10: No Memory Card?............................................................ 299

f11: Reverse Indicators ...........................................................299

B The Setup Menu: Camera Setup...............................................300

Format Memory Card .............................................................301

LCD Brightness.......................................................................... 301

Video Mode................................................................................ 301

HDMI............................................................................................. 302

Time Zone and Date ...............................................................302

Language .................................................................................... 303

Image Comment ......................................................................303

Auto Image Rotation ..............................................................304

Image Dust Off Ref Photo .....................................................305

Battery Info................................................................................. 307

Wireless Transmitter ...............................................................308

Image Authentication ............................................................308

Save/Load Settings.................................................................. 310

Virtual Horizon .......................................................................... 311

AF Fine Tune .............................................................................. 312

Eye-Fi Upload ............................................................................313

Firmware Version ..................................................................... 314

N The Retouch Menu: Creating Retouched Copies .............315

D-Lighting................................................................................... 319

Red-Eye Correction.................................................................. 320

Trim ............................................................................................... 321

Monochrome.............................................................................322

Filter Effects................................................................................ 322

Color Balance............................................................................. 323

Image Overlay ...........................................................................324

NEF (RAW) Processing ............................................................ 327

Resize............................................................................................ 329

Side-by-Side Comparison .....................................................331

O My Menu: Creating a Custom Menu ......................................333

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Technical Notes 339

Compatible Lenses ...........................................................................340

Optional Flash Units (Speedlights)..............................................347

The Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) ..........................348

Other Accessories ..............................................................................352

Caring for the Camera......................................................................357

Storage..............................................................................................357

Cleaning ...........................................................................................357

The Low-Pass Filter.......................................................................358

“Clean Now” ...............................................................................358

“Clean at Startup/Shutdown” ..............................................359

Manual Cleaning.......................................................................361

Caring for the Camera and Battery: Cautions..........................364

Defaults .................................................................................................368

Exposure Program.............................................................................372

Troubleshooting ................................................................................373

Error Messages ...................................................................................378

Specifications......................................................................................385

Approved Memory Cards ............................................................... 393

Memory Card Capacity ....................................................................394

Battery Life ...........................................................................................396

Index.......................................................................................................398

xvii

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For Your Safety

To prevent damage to your Nikon product or injury to yourself or to others, read the following safety precautions in their entirety before using this equipment. Keep these safety instructions where all those who use the product will read them.

The consequences that could result from failure to observe the precautions listed in this section are indicated by the following symbol:

This icon marks warnings. To prevent possible injury, read all

warnings before using this Nikon product.

❚❚ WARNINGS

A Keep the sun out of the frame

Keep the sun well out of the frame when shooting backlit subjects. Sunlight focused into the camera when the sun is in or close to the frame could cause a fire.

A Do not look at the sun through the

viewfinder

Viewing the sun or other strong light source through the viewfinder could cause permanent visual impairment.

A Using the viewfinder diopter control

When operating the viewfinder diopter control with your eye to the viewfinder, care should be taken not to put your finger in your eye accidentally.

xviii

A Turn off immediately in the event of

malfunction

Should you notice smoke or an unusual smell coming from the equipment or AC adapter (available separately), unplug the AC adapter and remove the battery immediately, taking care to avoid burns. Continued operation could result in injury. After removing the battery, take the equipment to a Nikonauthorized service center for inspection.

A Do not disassemble

Touching the product’s internal parts could result in injury. In the event of malfunction, the product should be repaired only by a qualified technician. Should the product break open as the result of a fall or other accident, remove the battery and/or AC adapter and then take the product to a Nikon-authorized service center for inspection.

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A Do not use in the presence of flammable

gas

Do not use electronic equipment in the presence of flammable gas, as this could result in explosion or fire.

A Keep out of reach of children

Failure to observe this precaution could result in injury.

A Do not place the strap around the neck of

an infant or child

Placing the camera strap around the neck of an infant or child could result in strangulation.

A Observe proper precautions when

handling batteries

Batteries may leak or explode if improperly handled. Observe the following precautions when handling batteries for use in this product:

• Use only batteries approved for use in this equipment.

• Do not short or disassemble the battery.

• Be sure the product is off before replacing the battery. If you are using an AC adapter, be sure it is unplugged.

• Do not attempt to insert the battery upside down or backwards.

• Do not expose the battery to flame or to excessive heat.

• Do not immerse in or expose to water.

• Replace the terminal cover when transporting the battery. Do not transport or store the battery with metal objects such as necklaces or hairpins.

• Batteries are prone to leakage when fully discharged. To avoid damage to the product, be sure to remove the battery when no charge remains.

• When the battery is not in use, attach the terminal cover and store in a cool, dry place.

• The battery may be hot immediately after use or when the product has been used on battery power for an extended period. Before removing the battery turn the camera off and allow the battery to cool.

• Discontinue use immediately should you notice any changes in the battery, such as discoloration or deformation.

xix

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A Observe proper precautions when

handling the quick charger

• Keep dry. Failure to observe this precaution could result in fire or electric shock.

• Dust on or near the metal parts of the plug should be removed with a dry cloth. Continued use could result in fire.

• Do not handle the power cable or go near the charger during thunderstorms. Failure to observe this precaution could result in electric shock.

• Do not damage, modify, or forcibly tug or bend the power cable. Do not place it under heavy objects or expose it to heat or flame. Should the insulation be damaged and the wires become exposed, take the power cable to a Nikon-authorized service representative for inspection. Failure to observe this precaution could result in fire or electric shock.

• Do not handle the plug or charger with wet hands. Failure to observe this precaution could result in electric shock.

• Do not use with travel converters or adapters designed to convert from one voltage to another or with DC-to-AC inverters. to observe this precaution could damage the product or cause overheating or fire.

Fai lure

A Use appropriate cables

When connecting cables to the input and output jacks, use only the cables provided or sold by Nikon for the purpose to maintain compliance with product regulations.

A CD-ROMs

CD-ROMs containing software or manuals should not be played back on audio CD equipment. Playing CD-ROMs on an audio CD player could cause hearing loss or damage the equipment.

A Observe caution when using the flash

• Using the camera with the flash in close contact with the skin or other objects could cause burns.

• Using the flash close to the subject’s eyes could cause temporary visual impairment. Particular care should be observed when photographing infants, when the flash should be no less than one meter (39 in.) from the subject.

A Avoid contact with liquid crystal

Should the monitor break, care should be taken to avoid injury due to broken glass and to prevent the liquid crystal from the monitor touching the skin or entering the eyes or mouth.

Page 23

Notices

• No part of the manu als in cluded w ith this product may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form, by any means, without Nikon’s prior written permission.

• Nikon reserves the right to change the specifications of the hardware and software described in these manuals at any time and without prior notice.

Notices for Customers in the U.S.A.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Radio Frequency Inter ference Statement

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for help.

If this equipment does cause

• Nikon will not be held liable for any damages resulting from the use of this product.

• While every effort has been made to ensure that the information in these manuals is accurate and complete, we would appreciate it were you to bring any errors or omissions to the attention of the Nikon representative in your area (address provided separately).

CAUTIONS

Modifications

The FCC requires the user be notified that any changes or modifications made to this device that are not expressly approved by Nikon Corporation may void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

Interface Cables

Use the interface cables sold or provided by Nikon for your equipment. Using other interface cables may exceed the limits of Class B Part 15 of the FCC rules.

Notice for Customers in the State of California WARNIN G: Handling the cord on this product

may expose you to lead, a chemical k nown to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.

hands after handling.

Nikon Inc., 1300 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, New York 11747-3064, U.S.A. Tel.: 631-547-4200

D300S

Wash

xxi

Page 24

Notices for Customers in Canada

CAUTION

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

Notices for Customers in Europe

This symbol indicates that this product is to be collected separately. The following apply only to users in European countries:

• This product is designated for separate collection at an appropriate collection point. Do not dispose of as household waste.

• For more information, contact the retailer or the local authorities in charge of waste management.

Disposing of Data Storage Devices

Please note that deleting images or formatting memory cards or other data storage devices does not completely erase the original image data. Deleted files can sometimes be recovered from discarded storage devices using commercially available software, potentially resulting in the malicious use of personal image data. Ensuring the privacy of such data is the user’s responsibility.

Before discarding a data storage device or transferring ownership to another person, erase all data using commercial deletion software, or format the device and then completely refill it with images containing no private information (for example, pictures of empty sky). Be sure to also replace any pictures selected for preset manual. Care should be taken to avoid injury when physically destroying data storage devices.

ATT EN TI ON

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

This symbol on the battery indicates that the battery is to be collected separately.

The following apply only to users in European countries:

• All batteries, whether marked with this symbol or not, are designated for separate collection at an appropriate collection point. household waste.

• For more information, contact the retailer or the local authorities in charge of waste management.

Do not dispose of as

xxii

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Notice Concerning Prohibition of Copying or Reproduction

Note that simply being in possession of material that has been digitally copied or reproduced by means of a scanner, digital camera, or other device may be punishable by law.

• Items prohibited by law from being copied or reproduced

Do not copy or reproduce paper money, coins, securities, government bonds, or local government bonds, even if such copies or reproductions are stamped “Sample.”

The copying or reproduction of paper money, coins, or securities which are circulated in a foreign country is prohibited.

Unless the prior permission of the government has been obtained, the copying or reproduction of unused postage stamps or post cards issued by the government is prohibited.

The copying or reproduction of stamps issued by the government and of certified documents stipulated by law is prohibited.

Use Only Nikon Brand Electronic Accessories

Nikon cameras are designed to the highest standards and include complex electronic circuitry. chargers, batteries, AC adapters, and flash accessories) certified by Nikon specifically for use with this Nikon digital camera are engineered and proven to operate within the operational and safety requirements of this electronic circuitry.

The use of non-Nikon electronic accessories could damage the camera and may void your Nikon warranty. rechargeable Li-ion batteries not bearing the Nikon holographic seal shown at right could interfere with normal operation of the camera or result in the batteries overheating, igniting, rupturing, or leaking.

For more information about Nikon brand accessories, contact a local authorized Nikon dealer.

Only Nikon brand electronic accessories (including battery

• Cautions on certain copies and reproductions

The government has issued cautions on copies or reproductions of securities issued by private companies (shares, bills, checks, gift certificates, etc.), commuter passes, or coupon tickets, except when a minimum of necessary copies are to be provided for business use by a company. Also, do not copy or reproduce passports issued by the government, licenses issued by public agencies and private groups, ID cards, and tickets, such as passes and meal coupons.

• Comply with copyright notices

The copying or reproduction of copyrighted creative works such as books, music, paintings, woodcuts, prints, maps, drawings, movies, and photographs is governed by national and international copyright laws. Do not use this product for the purpose of making illegal copies or to infringe copyright laws.

The use of third-party

xxiii

Page 26

A Before Taking Important Pictures

Before taking pictures on important occasions (such as at weddings or before taking the camera on a trip), take a test shot to ensure that the camera is functioning normally. damages or lost profits that may result from product malfunction.

Nikon will not be held liable for

A Life-Long Learning

As part of Nikon’s “Life-Long Learning” commitment to ongoing product support and education, continually-updated information is available on-line at the following sites:

• For users in the U.S.A.: http://www.nikonusa.com/

• For users in Europe and Africa: http://www.europe-nikon.com/support/

• For users in Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East: http://www.nikon-asia.com/ Visit these sites to keep up-to-date with the latest product information, tips, answers to frequently-asked questions (FAQs), and general advice on digital imaging and photography. available from the Nikon representative in your area. See the following URL for contact information: http://imaging.nikon.com/

Additional information may be

xxiv

Page 27

Introduction

This chapter covers information you will need to know before using the camera, including the names of camera parts.

Overview..................................................................................... 2

Getting to Know the Camera .................................................. 3

Camera Body ................................................................................................3

The Control Panel .......................................................................................8

The Viewfinder Display.......................................................................... 10

The Information Display........................................................................ 12

The BM-8 Monitor Cover ....................................................................... 16

Page 28

Overview

Thank you for your purchase of a Nikon single-lens reflex (SLR) digital camera. to get the most from the camera, and keep them where they will be read by all those who use the product.

D Use Only Nikon Brand Accessories

Only Nikon brand accessories certified by Nikon specifically for use with your Nikon digital camera are engineered and proven to operate within its operational and safety requirements.

ACCESSORIES COULD DAMAGE YOUR CAMERA AND MAY VOID YOUR NIKON WARRANTY.

D Servicing the Camera and Accessories

The camera is a precision device and requires regular servicing. recommends that the camera be inspected by the original retailer or a Nikon-authorized service representative once every one to two years, and that it be serviced once every three to five years (note that fees apply to these services). Frequent inspection and servicing are particularly recommended if the camera is used professionally. Any accessories regularly used with the camera, such as lenses or optional flash units, should be included when the camera is inspected or serviced.

A Camera Settings

The explanations in this manual assume that default settings are used.

Please be sure to read all instructions thoroughly

THE USE OF NON-NIKON

Nikon

Page 29

Getting to Know the Camera

Take a few moments to familiarize yourself with camera controls and displays. refer to it as you read through the rest of the manual.

You may find it helpful to bookmark this section and

Camera Body

1 Release mode dial.......................... 87

2 Release mode dial

lock release...................................... 87

3 QUAL (image quality/size)

button.........................................69, 71

Two-button reset button ...........182

4 Eyelet for camera strap 5 WB (white balance)

button........................... 135, 140, 141

6 ISO (ISO sensitivity) button .......... 96

7 Accessory shoe

(for optional flash unit)............... 347

8 BS-1 accessory shoe cover .........347

9 Power switch.............................37, 39

10 Shutter-release button ...........43, 44

11 E (exposure compensation)

button............................................. 118

Two-button reset button ...........182

12 I (exposure mode)

button............................................. 105

Q (format) button........................ 34

13 Eyelet for camera strap

14 Focal plane mark (E)................... 84

15 Control panel......................................8

Page 30

Camera Body (Continued)

1 Built-in flash .................................. 171

2 Flash pop-up button ................... 171

3 M (flash mode) button................. 171

Y (flash compensation)

button............................................. 177

4 Built-in microphone ................59, 62

5 Flash sync terminal cover........... 347

6 Ten-pin remote terminal

cover....................................... 198, 356

7 Flash sync terminal ......................347

8 Ten-pin remote terminal... 198, 356 9

Connector cover

.... 225, 229, 239, 241

A/V OUT

MIC

10 A/V connector ............................... 239

11 HDMI mini-pin connector .......... 241

12 Connector for external

microphone...............................58, 62

13 DC-IN connector for optional AC

adapter EH-5a or EH-5 ................352

14 USB connector ..................... 225, 229

15 Lens release button ....................... 27

16 Focus-mode selector...............74, 83

17 Meter coupling lever ...................387

18 Mirror ....................................... 93, 361

Page 31

1 AF-assist illuminator.................... 268

Self-timer lamp............................... 92

Red-eye reduction lamp............. 175

2 Sub-command dial...................... 297

3 Depth-of-field preview

button.................................... 105, 296

4 Fn button ....121, 125, 129, 179, 292

5 Battery-chamber cover................. 24

6 Battery-chamber cover latch....... 24

7 Contact cover for optional MB-D10

battery pack .................................. 352

8 CPU contacts

9 Mounting index .............................. 27

10 Lens mount................................27, 84

11 Tripod socket

12 BF-1A body cap ..................... 26, 355

D The Microphone and Speaker

Do not place the microphone or speaker in close proximity to magnetic devices. recorded with the camera.

Failure to observe this precaution could affect audio data

Page 32

Camera Body (Continued)

1 Viewfinder eyepiece...................... 36

2 DK-23 rubber eyecup ........... 91, 191

3 O (delete) button .................. 46, 220

Q (format) button........................ 34

4 K (playback) button ........... 45, 204

5 Monitor..............................45, 47, 204

6 G (menu) button ............. 18, 243

7 L (protect) button ................... 219

? (help) button ................................ 21

8 W (thumbnail/playback

zoom out) button......................... 216

9 X (playback zoom in)

button............................................. 218

10 J (OK) button................................. 19

Page 33

1 2

1 Diopter adjustment control......... 36

2 Metering selector ......................... 103

3 A (AE/AF lock)

button................................80, 81, 296

4 B (AF-ON) button .......50, 59, 75

5 Main command dial .................... 297

6 Multi selector .................................. 19

7 Multi selector center

button......................... 19, 59, 63, 291

8 Memory card slot cover................ 31

9 Focus selector lock......................... 78

10 Memory card access lamp .....33, 44

11 AF-area mode selector.................. 76

12 Speaker .......................................63, 64

13 R (info) button .............................. 12

14 a (live view) button ........49, 52, 58

10 11

Page 34

The Control Panel

1 2 3 4

Color temperature indicator......... 141

Shutter speed.......................... 108, 112

Exposure compensation value..... 118

Flash compensation value............. 177

ISO sensitivity ......................................96

White balance fine-tuning ............140

Color temperature........................... 141

White balance preset number...... 151

Number of shots in exposure, flash, or white balance bracketing

sequence ..................................121, 125

Number of intervals for

interval timer photography.......... 192

Focal length (non-CPU lenses)..... 197

Flash sync indicator......................... 281

Flexible program indicator............ 107

Exposure mode................................ 104

Image size.............................................71

Image quality ......................................69

Auto-area AF indicator......................77

AF-area mode indicator....................77

3D-tracking indicator ...............77, 265

White balance fine-tuning

indicator.............................................140

15 14

12 11

White balance ...................................135

“K” (appears when memory remains

for over 1000 exposures)..................38

Exposure indicator...........................113

Exposure compensation

indicator .............................................118

Bracketing progress indicator:

Exposure and flash bracketing...121

WB bracketing................................125

ADL bracketing..............................129

PC connection indicator.................224

Flash mode ........................................171

Aperture (f-number)

Aperture (number of stops)

Bracketing increment.............122, 126

Number of shots in ADL bracketing

sequence............................................129

Number of shots per interval ........192

Maximum aperture

(non-CPU lenses)..............................197

PC mode indicator ...........................224

Aperture stop indicator .........110, 343

................109, 112

...110, 343

Page 35

19 20

Flash compensation indicator...... 177

Exposure compensation

indicator.............................................118

FV lock indicator .............................. 179

CompactFlash (CF) card

indicator................................................32

Secure Digital (SD) card

indicator................................................32

“Clock not set” indicator..........30, 378

Multiple exposure indicator.......... 186

“Beep” indicator............................... 275

MB-D10 battery indicator.............. 280

Battery indicator.................................37

28 27 26 25 24 23

Number of exposures remaining ...38

Number of shots remaining before

memory buffer fills ............................ 89

Capture mode indicator .................224

Preset white balance

recording indicator..........................144

Manual lens number .......................197

ISO sensitivity indicator....................96

Auto ISO sensitivity indicator.......... 99

Exposure and flash

bracketing indicator........................121

WB bracketing indicator.................125

ADL bracketing indicator ...............129

GPS connection indicator...............200

Interval timer indicator...................192

Page 36

The Viewfinder Display

5 6 7 129118 10

18 20 21 19

14 15

Page 37

1 Framing grid (displayed

when On is selected for Custom

Setting d2) ..................................... 275

2 Focus points ........................... 78, 267

3 AF area brackets .......................36, 52

4 Battery indicator.................... 37, 275

(display can be turned off with Custom Setting d3)

5 Focus indicator .........................43, 84

6 Metering......................................... 102

7 Autoexposure (AE) lock .............. 116

8 Shutter speed....................... 108, 112

9 Aperture (f-number) .......... 109, 112

Aperture (number of stops) ...... 110

10 Exposure mode............................. 104

11 Flash compensation

indicator ......................................... 177

12 Exposure compensation

indicator ......................................... 118

13 ISO sensitivity.................................. 96

14 Number of exposures

remaining......................................... 38

Number of shots remaining before

memory buffer fills ..................43, 89

White balance recording

indicator ......................................... 144

Exposure compensation

value................................................ 118

Flash compensation value .........177

15 Flash-ready indicator................... 171

16 FV lock indicator ...........................179

17 Flash sync indicator ..................... 281

18 Aperture stop indicator .............. 110

19 Exposure indicator .......................113

Exposure compensation

display.............................................118

20 Auto ISO sensitivity

indicator ........................................... 99

21 “K” (appears when memory

remains for over 1000

exposures)........................................ 38

D No Battery

When the battery is totally exhausted or no battery is inserted, the display in the viewfinder will dim. malfunction. The viewfinder display will return to normal when a fullycharged battery is inserted.

This is normal and does not indicate a

D The Control Panel and Viewfinder Displays

The brightness of the control panel and viewfinder displays varies with temperature, and the response times of the displays may drop at low temperatures.

This is normal and does not indicate a malfunction.

Page 38

The Information Display

Shooting information, including shutter speed, aperture, the number of exposures remaining, buffer capacity, and AF-area mode, is displayed in the monitor when the R button is pressed.

A Turning the Monitor Off

To clear shooting information from the monitor, press the R button twice more or press the shutter-release button halfway. The monitor will turn off automatically if no operations are performed for about 10 seconds. The information display can be restored by pressing the R button.

A See Also

For information on choosing how long the monitor stays on, see Custom Setting c4 (Monitor off delay, 0 274). For information on changing the color of the lettering in the information display, see Custom Setting d8 (Information display, 0 278).

R button

Page 39

1 823 4 5 6 7

Exposure mode................................ 104

Flexible program indicator............ 107

Flash sync indicator......................... 281

Shutter speed.......................... 108, 111

Exposure compensation value..... 118

Flash compensation value............. 177

Number of shots in exposure, flash, or white balance bracketing

sequence .................................. 121, 125

Focal length (non-CPU lenses)..... 197

Color temperature........................... 141

Color temperature indicator......... 141

Aperture stop indicator.................. 110

Aperture (f-number).............. 109, 111

Aperture (number of stops).......... 110

Bracketing increment............ 122, 126

Number of shots in ADL bracketing

sequence ........................................... 129

Maximum aperture

(non-CPU lenses) ............................. 197

Flash mode........................................ 171

ISO sensitivity indicator ....................96

Auto ISO sensitivity indicator ..........99

White balance...................................134

White balance fine-tuning

indicator.............................................140

10 11

1314151617

“K” (appears when memory

remains for over 1000

exposures)............................................38

Number of exposures

remaining ............................................ 38

Manual lens number .......................197

Fn button assignment .....................292

AE-L/AF-L button assignment .........296

Picture Control indicator................155

Long exposure noise reduction

indicator .............................................258

Custom settings bank .....................262

Auto-area AF indicator......................77

Focus points indicator.......................78

AF-area mode indicator....................77

3D-tracking indicator...............77, 265

Image quality ......................................68

Primary/secondary slot..................... 72

Image size ............................................71

Exposure indicator...........................113

Exposure compensation

indicator .............................................118

Bracketing progress indicator:

Exposure and flash bracketing...121

WB bracketing................................125

ADL bracketing..............................129

Page 40

The Information Display (Continued)

252322

43 42

41 40

39 38 37

Exposure compensation

display................................................118

Flash compensation

indicator.............................................177

Interval timer indicator.................. 192

Eye-Fi connection indicator ..........313

GPS connection indicator.............. 200

Exposure and flash

bracketing indicator .......................121

WB bracketing indicator................ 125

ADL bracketing indicator............... 129

Metering ............................................ 102

Camera battery indicator..................37

MB-D10 battery type display........ 280

MB-D10 battery indicator.............. 279

“Beep” indicator............................... 275

27 28 29

3233343536

Depth-of-field preview button

assignment ........................................296

Color space indicator.......................166

Active D-Lighting indicator ...........165

High ISO noise reduction

indicator .............................................259

Shooting menu bank ......................254

Multiple exposure indicator ..........186

ADL bracketing amount .................130

“Clock not set” indicator.......... 30, 378

Image comment indicator .............303

Release mode (single frame/

continuous) indicator........................86

Continuous shooting speed............88

FV lock indicator...............................179

Page 41

❚❚ Changing Settings in the Information Display

To change settings for the items listed below, press the R button in the information display. selector and press J to view options for the highlighted item.

Highlight items using the multi

R button

1 Shooting menu bank .................. 254

2 High ISO noise reduction........... 259

3 Active D-Lighting......................... 164

4 Color space.................................... 166

5 Depth-of-field preview button

assignment.................................... 296

6 Fn button assignment................. 292

7 AE-L/AF-L button assignment..... 296

8 Picture Control.............................. 154

9 Long exposure noise

reduction ....................................... 258

10 Custom settings bank................. 262

678910

A To ol Ti ps

A tool tip giving the name of the selected item appears in the information display. (Screen tips; 0 276).

Tool tips can be turned off using Custom Setting d4

A Viewing Button Assignments

0, 2, and 4 icons indicate the “button press” function (0 292, 296) performed respectively by the depth-of-field preview button, Fn button, and AE-L/AF-L button. by 1, 3, and 5 icons. If separate functions have been assigned to “button press” and “button + dials,” the latter assignment can be viewed by pressing the W button.

The “button+dials” functions (0 295) are indicated

Page 42

The BM-8 Monitor Cover

A clear plastic cover is provided with the camera to keep the monitor clean and protect it when the camera is not in use. To at tach th e cove r, insert the projection on the top of the cover into the matching indentation above the camera monitor (q) and press the bottom of the cover until it clicks into place (w).

To remove the cover, hold the camera firmly and pull the bottom of the cover gently outwards as shown at right.

Page 43

Tutorial

This section describes how to use the camera menus, how to ready the camera for use, and how to take your first pictures and play them back.

Camera Menus ......................................................................... 18

Using Camera Menus ............................................................................. 19

Help .............................................................................................................. 21

First Steps ................................................................................. 22

Charge the Battery .................................................................................. 22

Insert the Battery ..................................................................................... 24

Attach a Lens............................................................................................. 26

Basic Setup................................................................................................. 28

Insert a Memory Card............................................................................. 31

Format the Memory Card ..................................................................... 34

Adjust Viewfinder Focus........................................................................ 36

Basic Photography and Playback......................................... 37

Turn the Camera On ............................................................................... 37

Adjust Camera Settings......................................................................... 40

Ready the Camera ................................................................................... 42

Focus and Shoot ...................................................................................... 43

Viewing Photographs............................................................................. 45

Deleting Unwanted Photographs ..................................................... 46

Page 44

Camera Menus

Most shooting, playback, and setup options can be accessed from the camera menus. view the menus, press the G button.

Tab s

Choose from the following menus:

• D: Playback (0 244) • B: Setup (0 300)

• C: Shooting (0 253) • N: Retouch (0 315)

• A: Custom Settings (0 260) • O/m: My Menu or Recent settings

(defaults to My Menu; 0 333)

Slider shows position in current menu.

Current settings are shown by icons.

Menu options

Options in current menu.

G button

If d icon is displayed, help for current item can be viewed by pressing L (Q) button (0 21).

Page 45

Using Camera Menus

❚❚ Menu Controls

The multi selector and J button are used to navigate the menus.

Multi selector

Move cursor up

Cancel and return to previous menu

Move cursor down

❚❚ Navigating the Menus

Follow the steps below to navigate the menus.

Select highlighted item

Select highlighted item or display sub-menu

J button

Select highlighted item

1 Display the menus.

Press the G button to display the menus.

2 Highlight the icon for the

current menu.

Press 4 to highlight the icon for the current menu.

G button

Page 46

3 Select a menu.

Press 1 or 3 to select the desired menu.

4 Position the cursor in the

selected menu.

Press 2 to position the cursor in the selected menu.

5 Highlight a menu item.

Press 1 or 3 to highlight a menu item.

6 Display options.

Press 2 to display options for the selected menu item.

7 Highlight an option.

Press 1 or 3 to highlight an option.

Page 47

8 Select the highlighted item.

Press J to select the highlighted item. To exit without making a selection, press the G button.

Note the following points:

• Menu items that are displayed in gray are not currently available.

• While pressing 2 or the center of the multi selector generally has

the same effect as pressing J, there are some cases in which selection can only be made by pressing J.

• To exit the menus and return to shooting mode, press the

shutter-release button halfway (0 44).

J button

Help

If a d icon is displayed at the bottom left corner of the monitor, help can be displayed by pressing the L (Q) button.

A description of the currently selected option or menu will be displayed while the button is pressed. scroll through the display.

Press 1 or 3 to

L (Q) button

Page 48

First Steps

Charge the Battery

The D300S is powered by an EN-EL3e rechargeable Li-ion battery (supplied). supplied MH-18a quick charger before use. quarter hours are required to fully recharge the battery when no charge remains.

1 Plug the charger in.

Insert the AC adapter plug into the battery charger and plug the power cable into an electrical outlet.

2 Remove the terminal cover.

Remove the terminal cover from the battery.

To maximize shooting time, charge the battery in the

About two and a

Te rm in a l cover

Page 49

3 Insert the battery.

Insert the battery into the charger. The CHARGE lamp will blink while the battery charges.

4 Remove the battery when charging

is complete.

Charging is complete when the CHARGE lamp stops blinking. and unplug the charger.

Remove the battery

Battery

charging

Charging complete

Page 50

Insert the Battery

1 Turn the camera off.

D Inserting and Removing Batteries

Always turn the camera off before inserting or removing batteries.

2 Open the battery-chamber cover.

Unlatch (q) and open (w) the batterychamber cover.

3 Insert the battery.

Insert the battery as shown at right.

Power switch

4 Close the battery-chamber cover.

Page 51

D The Battery and Charger

Read and follow the warnings and cautions on pages xviii–xx and 364–367 of this manual.

when the battery is not in use.

Do not use the battery at ambient temperatures below 0°C (32°F) or above 40°C (104 °F). Charge indoors at ambient temperatures in the vicinity of 5–35°C (41–95°F); for best results, charge the battery at temperatures above 20°C (68 °F). Battery capacity may temporarily drop if the battery is charged at low temperatures or used at a temperature below the temperature at which it was charged. If the battery is charged at a temperature below 5°C (41°F), the battery life indicator in the Battery info (0 307) display may show a temporary decrease.

The battery may be hot immediately after use. Wait for the battery to cool before recharging.

Use the charger with compatible batteries only. Unplug when not in use.

To prevent short-circuits, replace the terminal cover

D Incompatible Batteries

The D300S can not be used with EN-EL3 or EN-EL3a rechargeable Li-ion batteries for the D100, D70 series, or D50 or with the MS-D70 CR2 battery holder.

A EN-EL3e Rechargeable Li-ion Batteries

The supplied EN-EL3e shares information with compatible devices, enabling the camera to show battery charge state in six levels (0 37). The Battery info option in the setup menu details battery charge, battery life, and the number of pictures taken since the battery was last charged (0 307).

Page 52

Attach a Lens

Care should be taken to prevent dust from entering the camera when the lens is removed. An AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18–200mm f/3.5–5.6G IF-ED lens is used in this manual for illustrative purposes.

Mounting index

Focal length

scale

Lens cap

Focal length index

Focus mode switch (0 27, 83)

CPU contacts

VR (vibration reduction) switch

(0 340)

Rear lens cap

Zoom ring

VR mode switch

Focus ring (0 83)

1 Turn the camera off.

2 Remove the rear lens cap and the camera body cap.

Page 53

3 Attach the lens.

Keeping the mounting index on the lens aligned with the mounting index on the camera body, position the lens in the camera’s bayonet mount (q). careful not to press the lens-release button, rotate the lens counterclockwise until it clicks into place (w).

If the lens is equipped with an A-M or

M/A-M switch, select A (autofocus) or M/ A (autofocus with manual priority).

❚❚ Detaching the Lens

Be sure the camera is off when removing or exchanging lenses. press and hold the lens release button (q) while turning the lens clockwise (w). removing the lens, replace the lens caps and camera body cap.

To re m ove the le n s,

Being

After

Mounting index

D CPU Lenses with Aperture Rings

In the case of CPU lenses equipped with an aperture ring (0 340), lock aperture at the minimum setting (highest f-number).

Page 54

Basic Setup

The language option in the setup menu is automatically highlighted the first time menus are displayed. Choose a language and set the time and date. Note that if the time and date are not set, B will blink in the monitor and the time and date recorded with photographs will be incorrect.

1 Turn the camera on.

2 Select Language.

Press G to display the camera menus, then select Language in the setup menu. For information on using menus, see “Using Camera Menus” (0 19).

3 Select a language.

Press 1 or 3 to highlight the desired language and press J.

Power switch

G button

Page 55

4 Select Time zone and date.

Select Time zone and date and press 2.

5 Set time zone.

Select Time zone and press 2. Press 4 or 2 to highlight the local time zone (the UTC field shows the difference between the selected time zone and Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC, in hours) and press J.

6 Turn daylight saving time

on or off.

Select Daylight saving time and press 2. time is off by default; if daylight saving time is in effect in the local time zone, press 1 to highlight On and press J.

Daylight saving

7 Set the date and time.

Select Date and time and press 2. an item, 1 or 3 to change. Press J when the clock is set to the current date and time.

Press 4 or 2 to select

Page 56

8 Set date format.

Select Date format and press

Press 1 or 3 to choose the

2. order in which the year, month, and day will be displayed and press J.

9 Exit to shooting mode.

Press the shutter-release button halfway to exit to shooting mode.

A The Clock Battery

The camera clock is powered by an independent, rechargeable power source, which is charged as necessary when the main battery is installed or the camera is powered by an optional EH-5a or EH-5 AC adapter (0 352). months. If the B icon flashes in the control panel, the clock battery is exhausted and the clock has been reset. Set the clock to the correct time and date.

A The Camera Clock

The camera clock is less accurate than most watches and household clocks. reset as necessary.

Two days of charging will power the clock for about three

Check the clock regularly against more accurate time pieces and

Page 57

Insert a Memory Card

The camera has two memory card slots, one for Type I CompactFlash memory cards (Type II cards and microdrives can not be used) and another for Secure Digital (SD) memory cards (memory cards are available separately; 0 393). section describes how to insert and format a memory card.

The following

1 Turn the camera off.

Power switch

D Inserting and Removing Memory Cards

Always turn the camera off before inserting or removing memory cards.

2 Open the card slot cover.

Slide the card slot cover out (q) and open the card slot (w).

3 Insert the memory card.

CompactFlash memory cards: Insert the card into the CompactFlash card slot with the front label toward the monitor (q). When the memory card is fully inserted, the eject button will pop up (w) and the green access lamp will light briefly.

CompactFlash card slot

Eject button

Access lamp

Page 58

SD memory cards: Holding the card as

shown, slide it into the SD card slot until it clicks into place.

The green access

lamp will light briefly.

SD card slot

Access lamp

D Inserting Memory Cards

Inserting memory cards upside down or backwards could damage the camera or the card. correct orientation.

Check to be sure that the card is in the

If this is the first time the memory card will be used after being used or formatted in another device, format the card as described on page 34.

4 Close the card slot cover.

A Using Two Memory Cards

See page 72 for information on choosing the roles played by each card when two cards are inserted in the camera.

D Memory Card Icons

The memory cards currently inserted in the camera are indicated as shown (the example at right shows the icons displayed when both a CompactFlash and an SD card are inserted). the memory card is full or locked or an error has occurred, the icon for the affected card will blink (0 381).

Control panel

Information display

Page 59

❚❚ Removing Memory Cards

1 Turn the camera off.

Confirm that the access lamp is off and turn the camera off.

Access lamp

2 Remove the memory card.

CompactFlash memory cards: Open the memory card slot cover and press the eject button (q) to partially eject the card (w). removed by hand. memory card while pressing the eject button. observe this precaution could damage the camera or memory card.

SD memory cards: Open the memory card slot cover and press the card in to eject it (q). removed by hand (w).

The memory card can then be

Do not push on the

The memory card can then be

Failure to

Page 60

Format the Memory Card

Memory cards must be formatted before first use or after being used or formatted in other devices.

D Formatting Memory Cards

Formatting memory cards permanently deletes any data they may contain. Be sure to copy any photographs and other data you wish to keep to a computer before proceeding (0 224).

1 Turn the camera on.

2 Press the Q buttons.

Hold the Q (I and O) buttons down simultaneously until a blinking C appears in the shutter-speed displays in the control panel and viewfinder. cards are inserted, the primary card slot (0 72) will be selected; you can choose the secondary slot by rotating the main command dial. without formatting the memory card, wait until C stops blinking (about six seconds) or press any button other than the Q (I and O) buttons.

If two memory

To exit

O button I button

3 Press the Q buttons again.

Press the Q (I and O) buttons together a second time while C is blinking to format the memory card.

remove the memory card or remove or disconnect the power source during formatting.

Do not

Page 61

When formatting is complete, the control panel and viewfinder will show the number of photographs that can be recorded at current settings.

D Memory Cards

• Memory cards may be hot after use. removing memory cards from the camera.

• Turn the power off before inserting or removing memory cards. Do not remove memory cards from the camera, turn the camera off, or remove or disconnect the power source during formatting or while data are being recorded, deleted, or copied to a computer. Failure to observe these precautions could result in loss of data or in damage to the camera or card.

• Do not touch the card terminals with your fingers or metal objects.

• Do not bend, drop, or subject to strong physical shocks.

• Do not apply force to the card casing. Failure to observe this precaution could damage the card.

• Do not expose to water, high levels of humidity, or direct sunlight.

Observe due caution when

A The Write Protect Switch

SD memory cards are equipped with a write protect switch to prevent accidental loss of data. is in the “lock” position, photos can not be recorded or deleted and the memory card can not be formatted. To unlock the memory card, slide the switch to the “write” position.

When this switch

Write-protect switch

A No Memory Card

If no memory card is inserted, the control panel and viewfinder will show S. camera is turned off with a charged EN-EL3e battery and no memory card inserted, S will be displayed in the control panel.

If the

A See Also

See page 301 for information on formatting memory cards using the Format memory card option in the setup menu.

Page 62

Adjust Viewfinder Focus

The camera is equipped with diopter adjustment to accommodate individual differences in vision. viewfinder is in focus before shooting.

Check that the display in the

1 Turn the camera on.

Remove the lens cap and turn the camera on.

Power switch

2 Focus the viewfinder.

Rotate the diopter control until the viewfinder display, focus points, and AF area brackets are in sharp focus. When operating the diopter control with your eye to the viewfinder, be careful not to put your fingers or fingernails in your eye.

A Adjusting Viewfinder Focus

If you are unable to focus the viewfinder as described above, rotate the AF-area mode selector to K (single-point AF) and the focus mode selector to S, then frame a high-contrast subject in the center focus point and focus using autofocus. diopter control until the subject is clearly focused in the viewfinder. If necessary, viewfinder focus can be further adjusted using optional corrective lenses (0 353).

With the camera in focus, rotate the

AF area brackets

Focus point

Page 63

Basic Photography and Playback

Turn the Camera On

Before taking photographs, turn the camera on and check the battery level and number of exposures remaining as described below.

1 Turn the camera on.

Turn the camera on. The control panel will turn on and the display in the viewfinder will light.

Power switch

2 Check the battery level.

Check the battery level in the control panel or viewfinder.

Icon

DescriptionControl panel Viewfinder

L — Battery fully charged. K —

Battery partially discharged.J —

I —

H d

(blinks)

* No icon displayed when camera is powered by optional AC adapter.

(blinks)

Low battery. or ready spare battery. Shutter release disabled. Charge or exchange battery.

Prepare to charge battery

Page 64

3 Check the number of exposures remaining.

The exposure-count displays in the control panel and viewfinder show the number of photographs that can be taken at current settings (if two memory cards are inserted, the displays show the space available on

the card in the primary slot; 0 72). When this number reaches zero, A will flash in the exposure-count displays while the shutter-speed displays will show a blinking n or j and the icon for the affected card will blink.

A Large-Capacity Memory Cards

When enough memory remains on the memory card to record a thousand or more pictures at current settings, the number of exposures remaining will be shown in thousands, rounded down to the nearest hundred (e.g., if there is room for approximately 1,260 exposures, the exposure count display will show 1.2 K).

Page 65

A LCD Illuminators

Rotating the power switch toward D activates the exposure meters and the control panel backlight (LCD illuminator), allowing the display to be read in the dark. switch is released, the illuminators will remain lit for six seconds while the exposure meters are active or until the shutter is released or the power switch is rotated toward D again.

After the power

Power switch

A Auto Meter Off

The shutter speed and aperture displays in the control panel and viewfinder will turn off if no operations are performed for about six seconds (auto meter off), reducing the drain on the battery. shutter-release button halfway to reactivate the display in the viewfinder (0 44).

6 s

Exposure meters on Exposure meters off Exposure meters on

The length of time before the exposure meters turn off automatically can be adjusted using Custom Setting c2 (Auto meter-off delay, 0 273).

Press the

A Camera Off Display

If the camera is turned off with a battery and memory card inserted, the memory card icon and number of exposures remaining will be displayed (some memory cards may in rare cases only display this information when the camera is on).

Control panel

Page 66

Adjust Camera Settings

This tutorial describes the basic steps involved in taking photos.

1 Choose exposure mode e.

Press the I button and rotate the main command dial to select exposure

The camera will automatically

mode e. adjust shutter speed and aperture for optimal exposure in most situations.

2 Choose single frame

release mode.

Hold the release mode dial lock release down and turn the release mode dial to S (single frame). camera will take one photograph each time the shutter-release button is pressed.

At this setting, the

3 Choose single-point AF.

Rotate the AF-area mode selector until it clicks into place pointing to K (single-point

At this setting, the user

AF). can choose the focus point.

I button

Main command dial

Release mode dial lock release

Release mode dial

AF-area mode selector

Page 67

4 Choose single-servo

autofocus.

Rotate the focus-mode selector until it clicks into place pointing to S (single-servo autofocus). camera will automatically focus on the subject in the selected focus point when the shutterrelease button is pressed halfway. focus.

At this setting, the

Pictures can only be taken when the camera is in

Focus-mode selector

5 Choose matrix metering.

Rotate the metering selector to Y (matrix metering). metering uses information from the 1,005-pixel RGB sensor to ensure optimal results for the entire frame.

Matrix

6 Check camera settings.

Exposure mode

AF-area mode

Control panel Viewfinder display

Metering selector

Metering

Page 68

Ready the Camera

When framing photographs in the viewfinder, hold the handgrip in your right hand and cradle the camera body or lens with your left. lightly against your torso for support and place one foot half a pace ahead of the other to keep you upper body stable.

Hold the camera as shown at right when framing photographs in portrait (tall) orientation.

Keep your elbows propped

Page 69

Focus and Shoot

1 Press the shutter-

Focus point

release button halfway to focus (0 44).

At default settings, the camera will focus on the subject in the center focus point. Frame a photo in the viewfinder with the main subject positioned in the center focus point and press the shutter-release button halfway. the camera is able to focus, a beep will sound and the in-focus indicator (I) will appear in the viewfinder. dark, the AF-assist illuminator may light automatically to assist the focus operation.

Viewfinder display Description

I Subject in focus. I

(blinks)

While the shutter-release button is pressed halfway, focus will lock and the number of exposures that can be stored in the memory buffer (“t”; 0 89) will be shown in the viewfinder display.

Camera unable to focus on subject in focus point using autofocus.

Focus indicator

If the subject is

Buffer capacity

For information on what to do if the camera is unable to focus using autofocus, see “Getting Good Results with Autofocus” (0 82).

Page 70

2 Press the shutter-release

button the rest of the way down to shoot.

Smoothly press the shutterrelease-button the rest of the way down to take the picture. While the photograph is being

recorded to the memory card, the access lamp next to the card slot cover will light.

disconnect the power source until the lamp has gone out.

Do not eject the memory card or remove or

Access lamp

A The Shutter-Release Button

The camera has a two-stage shutter-release button. focuses when the shutter-release button is pressed halfway. To t ake t he photograph, press the shutter-release button the rest of the way down.

Focus Take photograph

The camera

Page 71

Viewing Photographs

NOROR

MALAL

1 Press the K button.

K button

A photograph will be displayed in the monitor. The memory card containing the picture currently displayed is shown by an icon.

2 View additional pictures.

Additional pictures can be displayed by pressing 4 or 2. To view additional information on the current photograph, press 1 and 3 (0 207).

AUTO 0, 0

20100D300S

/04/

To end playback and return to shooting mode, press the shutter-release button halfway.

2009

1/125

F5. 6

10DSC

10:15:29

1/ 10

_0001. JPG

200

NIKON

35mm

4288x2848

D300S

A Image Review

When On is selected for Image review in the playback menu (0 251), photographs are automatically displayed in the monitor for about 4 s after shooting.

A See Also

See page 217 for information on choosing a memory card slot.

Page 72

Deleting Unwanted Photographs

To delete the photograph currently displayed in the monitor, press the O button. deleted.

Note that photographs can not be recovered once

1 Display the photograph.

Display the photograph you wish to delete as described in “Viewing

Photographs” on the previous page.

2 Delete the photograph.

Press the O button. A confirmation dialog will be displayed (the location of the current picture is shown by the icon in the bottom left corner of the dialog).

Press the O button again to delete the image and return to playback.

To exit without deleting the picture, press K.

O button

A Delete

To delete multiple images or to select the memory card from which images will be deleted, use the Delete option in the playback menu (0 221).

Page 73

Framing Pictures in the Monitor (Live View)

This chapter describes how to frame pictures in the monitor using live view.

Framing Photographs in the Monitor ................................. 48

Page 74

Framing Photographs in the Monitor

Press the a button to frame pictures in the monitor. The following options are available:

• Tr ipod (h): Choose when the camera is mounted on a tripod

(0 49). for precise focus, making this option suitable for static subjects. Contrast-detect autofocus can be used to compose photographs with the subject positioned anywhere in the frame.

• Hand-held (g): Choose when taking hand-held shots of moving

subjects, or when framing photographs at angles that make it difficult to use the viewfinder (0 52). using phase-detection autofocus.

You can zoom in on the image displayed in the monitor

Camera focuses normally

A Phase-Detection Versus Contrast-Detect AF

The camera normally uses phase-detection autofocus, in which focus is adjusted based on data from a special focusing sensor. selected in live view, however, the camera uses contrast-detect autofocus, in which the camera analyses the data from the image sensor and adjusts focus to produce the greatest contrast. Contrast-detect autofocus takes longer than phase-detection autofocus.

When Tri po d is

Page 75

Tripod Mode (h)

00 s]

1 Frame a picture in the viewfinder.

With the camera mounted on a tripod or resting on a stable, level surface, frame the subject in the viewfinder.

2 Choose Trip od for

Live view mode.

To dis p l ay the menus , press the G button. Highlight Tri po d in the Live view mode menu and press J.

3 Press the a button.

The mirror will be raised and the view through the lens will be displayed in the camera monitor instead of the viewfinder.

G button

a button

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00 s]

4 Focus.

Autofocus (focus mode S or C): In tripod mode, the focus point for contrast-detect autofocus can be moved to any point in the frame using the multi selector.

Contrast-detect focus point

To focus using contrast-detect autofocus, press the B button.

The focus point will blink green and the monitor may brighten while the camera focuses.

If the camera is able to focus using contrast-detect autofocus, the focus point will be displayed in green; if the camera is unable to focus, the focus point will blink red.

D Contrast-Detect Autofocus

The camera will not continue to adjust focus while the B button is pressed in continuous-servo autofocus mode. In both singleservo and continuous-servo autofocus modes, the shutter can be released even when the camera is not in focus.

Manual focus (focus mode M; 0 83): Use zoom for precise focus.

To magnify the view in the monitor up to 13 × and check focus, press the X button.

While the view through the lens is zoomed in, a navigation window will appear in the bottom right corner of the display.

Use the multi selector to scroll to areas of the frame not visible in the monitor. Press J to exit zoom.

button

B button

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5 Take the picture.

Press the shutter-release button the rest of the way down to take the picture. The monitor turns off during shooting.

6 End live view.

Press the a button to end live view.

D Focusing with Contrast-Detect Autofocus

Contrast-detect autofocus will take longer than normal (phasedetection) autofocus. unable to focus using contrast-detect autofocus:

• The camera is not mounted on a tripod

• The subject contains lines parallel to the long edge of the frame

• The subject lacks contrast

• The subject in the focus point contains areas of sharply contrasting brightness, or the subject is lit by spot lighting or by a neon sign or other light source that changes in brightness

• A cross (star) filter or other special filter is used

• The subject appears smaller than the focus point

• The subject is dominated by regular geometric patterns (e.g., windows in a skyscraper)

• The subject is moving

Note that the focus point may sometimes be displayed in green when the camera is unable to focus.

Use an AF-S lens. lenses or teleconverters.

A Remote Cords

If the shutter-release button on a remote cord (available separately; see 0 356) is pressed halfway for over a second in tripod mode, it will activate contrast-detect autofocus. button is pressed all the way down without focusing, focus will not be adjusted before the picture is taken.

In the following situations, the camera may be

The desired results may not be achieved with other

If the remote cord shutter-release

Page 78

Hand-Held Mode (g)

00 s]

1 Choose Hand-held

for Live view mode.

To di s p lay the menu s , press the G button. Highlight Hand-held in the Live view mode menu and press J.

2 Press the a button.

The mirror will be raised and the view through the lens will be displayed in the camera monitor instead of the viewfinder.

3 Frame a picture in the monitor.

To magnify the view in the monitor up to 3 ×, press the X button.

button

G button

a button

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While the view through the lens is zoomed in, a navigation window will appear in the bottom right corner of the display. Use the multi selector to scroll within the AF area brackets.

Page 79

4 Focus.

Autofocus (focus mode S or C): Press the shutter-release button halfway or press the B button. focus normally and set exposure. either button is pressed, temporarily interrupting live view. Live view is restored when the button is released.

Manual focus (focus mode M; 0 83): Focus using the lens focusing ring.

The camera will

Note that the mirror will click back into place while

5 Take the picture.

Press the shutter-release button the rest of the way down to reset focus and exposure and take the picture. shooting.

The monitor turns off during

6 End live view.

Press the a button to end live view.

Page 80

D No Picture

00 s]

After shooting, play the picture back in the monitor to ensure that the photograph has been recorded. In hand held mode, note that the sound the mirror makes when the shutter-release button is pressed halfway or the B button is pressed can be mistaken for the sound of the shutter, and that if single-servo AF is used, a photograph will only be recorded if the camera is able to focus.

D Shooting in Live View Mode

Although they will not appear in the final picture, banding or distortion may be visible in the monitor under fluorescent, mercury vapor, or sodium lamps or if the camera is panned horizontally or if an object

moves at high speed through the frame. Bright light sources may leave after-images in the monitor when the camera is panned. Bright spots may also appear. When shooting in live view mode, avoid pointing the camera at the sun or other strong light sources. Failure to observe this precaution could result in damage to the camera’s internal circuitry.

Live view shooting ends automatically if the lens is removed.

Live view mode can be used for up to an hour. Note, however, that when used in live view mode for extended periods, the camera may become noticeably warm and its internal temperature may rise, resulting in image noise and unusual colors.

To prevent damage to the

camera’s internal circuits, live view shooting will end automatically before the camera overheats. will appear in the monitor 30 s before shooting ends. temperatures, this display may appear immediately when live view mode is selected.

During live view, the camera displays the shutter speed and aperture in effect at the start of live view.

Exposure is metered again when the

shutter-release button is pressed all the way down. Metering can not be changed during live view.

method before starting live view.

To reduce blur in tripod mode, choose

On for Custom Setting d10 (Exposure delay mode, 0 278).

A Exposure Compensation

In P, S, and A modes, exposure compensation can be adjusted by ±5 EV in increments of 1/3 EV (0 118).

27s

A count-down display

At high ambient

Choose a metering

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A The Information Display

00 s]

12020m m

00 s]

To hide or display indicators in the monitor in live view mode, press the R button.

Information on Information off

NORM

AUTO

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[1 20m 00s]

NORM

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00s

[1 20m 00s]

Virtual horizon

(not displayed during zoom)

Framing guides

(not displayed during zoom)

A AF area brackets

AF area brackets are displayed only in hand held mode.

TripodHand-held

Page 82

A Monitor Brightness

00 s]

Monitor brightness can be adjusted by pressing the K and 2 button. The brightness indicator at the right of the display will turn yellow; keeping the K button pressed, press 1 or 3 to adjust brightness (note that monitor brightness has no effect on pictures taken in live view mode).

To return to live view, release the K button.

A HDMI

When the camera is attached to an HDMI video device, the camera

monitor will turn off and the video device will display the view through the lens as shown at right.

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Page 83

Recording and Viewing Movies

This chapter describes how to record movies in live view.

Recording Movies.................................................................... 58

Viewing Movies........................................................................ 63

Editing Movies ......................................................................... 64

Page 84

Recording Movies

Movies can be recorded at 24 fps in live view mode. Before recording, choose a Picture Control (0 154) and color space (0 166).

1 Choose a live view mode.

To display the menus, press

the G button. an option in the Live view mode menu and press J:

• Tr ipod: In modes g and h,

movies are recorded at the aperture selected before live view starts (0 109, 111; the smallest aperture available with movies is f/16). be adjusted during shooting using contrast-detect AF.

• Hand-held: The camera automatically adjusts shutter speed and aperture in response to changes in subject brightness.

A Using an External Microphone

Instead of the built-in microphone, commercially-available external microphones can be used to avoid picking up sounds produced by the lens during focusing or vibration reduction. available with any microphone that has a stereo mini-pin jack (3.5mm diameter). Microphone sensitivity can be adjusted in the

Movie settings > Microphone menu (0 62).

2 Press the a button.

The mirror is raised and the view through the lens is displayed in the monitor instead of the viewfinder.

Highlight

G button

Focus can

Stereo recording is

D The 0 Icon

A 0 icon indicates that movies can not be recorded.

a button

Page 85

3 Focus.

Before shooting, frame the opening shot and either press the B button (Trip od ) or press the shutter-release button halfway (Hand-held) to focus on your subject. held mode, autofocus is not available after recording begins.

In hand-

B button

4 Start recording.

Press the center of the multi selector to start recording. Both video and monaural sound are recorded; do not cover the microphone during recording (the built-in microphone is located on the front of the camera). available are displayed in the monitor. by pressing the AE-L/AF-L button (0116) or altered by up to ±3 EV using exposure compensation (0118).

A recording indicator and the time

Recording indicator

Time remaining

Exposure can be locked

A Focusing During Recording

In tripod mode, the camera can be focused by pressing the B button (during shooting, a beep will not sound when the camera focuses, but note that other sounds made during contrast-detect autofocus may be picked up by the microphone). available in hand-held mode after recording begins; use manual focus to focus during recording (0 83; note that in hand-held mode, recording will end if the shutter-release button is pressed halfway or the B button is pressed).

Autofocus is not

Page 86

5 End recording.

00 s]

Press the center of the multi selector again to end recording (to end recording and take a still picture in live view, press the shutter-release button all the way down). automatically when the maximum size is reached or the memory card is full.

A Maximum Size

Individual movie files can be up to 2 GB in size. length is 5 minutes for movies with a frame size of 1280 × 720, 20 minutes for other movies; note that depending on memory card write speed, shooting may end before this length is reached.

A See Also

Frame size and microphone sensitivity can be selected in the Movie settings menu (0 62).

adjusted using Custom Setting f7 (Assign AE-L/AF-L button; 0 296).

A Adjusting Microphone Sensitivity

Microphone sensitivity can be adjusted without leaving live view. center of the multi selector to start recording, hold the K button and press 4. A microphone settings icon will be displayed in the monitor. Keep the K button pressed and press 1 and 3 to adjust microphone sensitivity.

The behavior of the AE-L/AF-L button can be

Before pressing the

Recording will end

The maximum

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D Recording Movies

00 s]

Banding or distortion may be visible in the monitor and in the final movie under fluorescent, mercury vapor, or sodium lamps or if the camera is panned horizontally or an object moves at high speed through frame. camera is panned. Jagged edges, false colors, moiré, and bright spots may also appear. When recording movies, avoid pointing the camera at the sun or other strong light sources. Failure to observe this precaution could result in damage to the camera’s internal circuitry.

In tripod mode, movies may be over- or under-exposed at some aperture settings. Before shooting, check the brightness of the scene in the monitor; if the picture is too bright or too dark, end live view and adjust aperture as necessary. Note that depending on the brightness of the subject, changes to exposure may have no visible effect.

Recording ends automatically if the lens is removed. Recording may end automatically before the maximum file size is reached when recording to memory cards with slow write speeds.

When used in live view mode for extended periods, the camera’s internal temperature may rise, resulting in image noise and unusual colors (the camera may also become noticeably warm, but this does not indicated a malfunction). To prevent damage to the camera’s internal circuits, recording will end automatically before the camera overheats. A count-down display will appear in the monitor 30 s before shooting ends. At high ambient temperatures, this display may appear immediately when live view mode is selected.

Matrix metering is used regardless of the metering method selected. The camera adjusts shutter speed and ISO sensitivity automatically.

Bright light sources may leave after-images when the

27s

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❚❚ Movie Settings

Adjust movie settings before recording.

1 Select Movie settings.

Press the G button to display the menus. Highlight Movie settings in the shooting menu and press 2.

2 Choose movie options.

To choose a frame size, highlight Quality and press 2. Highlight one of the following options and press J to select:

Option Frame size (pixels) Maximum length

1280× 720 (16 :9) 1280 × 720 5 min.

640×424 (3 :2) 640 × 424

320×216 (3 :2) 320 × 216

To turn the built-in or external microphone on or off or to adjust microphone sensitivity, highlight Microphone and press 2. off and press J. on and sets the microphone to the selected sensitivity.

To choose a destination when using two memory cards, highlight Destination and press 2. CompactFlash card, highlight CF card slot and press J. record movies to the SD memory card. The menu shows the time available on each card; recording ends automatically when no time remains.

To turn sound recording off, highlight Microphone

To record movies to the

G button

20 min.

Selecting any other option turns recording

Select SD card slot to

Page 89

Viewing Movies

Movies are indicated by a 1 icon in full-frame playback (0204). Press the center of the multi selector to start playback.

1 icon

Leng th

Current position/total length

Volu me

Guide

The following operations can be performed:

To Use Description

Pause 3/J Pause playback.

Play

Rewind/

advance

Adjust volume

Trim movie J See page 64 for more information.

Resume

shooting

Display menus G See page 243 for more information.

Exit 1 /K Exit to full-frame playback.

Resume playback when movie is paused or during rewind/advance.

While playback is in progress, speed doubles with each press, from 2× to 4 × to 8× to 16×;

4/2

keep pressed to skip to beginning or end of

While playback is paused, movie rewinds

movie. or advances one frame at a time; keep pressed for continuous rewind or advance.

Press X to increase volume, W to decrease.

X/W

Monitor turns off. immediately.

Photographs can be taken

A 2 icon

2 is displayed in full-frame and movie playback if Microphone off is selected for Microphone in Movie settings menu.

Page 90

Editing Movies

Trim unwanted footage to create edited copies of movies.

1 Display retouch options.

Display a movie in full-frame playback and press J to display retouch options.

2 Select Edit movie.

Highlight Edit movie and press

3 Choose an option.

To trim the opening footage from the copy, highlight Choose start point and press

Select Choose end point to

J. trim the ending footage.

4 View the movie and choose a

starting or end point.

Press the center of the multi selector to start or resume playback, 3 to pause, and 4 or 2 to rewind or advance (0 63; pause to rewind or advance one frame at a time). The X and W buttons control volume. desired frame, press 1 to delete all frames before (Choose start point) or after (Choose end point) the selected frame. Starting and ending frames are shown by h and i icons.

With the movie paused on the

Page 91

5 Save the copy.

Select Ye s and press J to save the edited

If necessary, the copy can be

copy. trimmed as described above to remove additional footage. indicated by a 9 icon in full-frame playback.

D Editing Movies

Movies must be at least two seconds long. be displayed in red if creating a copy at the current playback position would result in a movie less than two seconds long. The copy will not be saved if there is insufficient space available on the memory card.

To prevent the camera from turning off unexpectedly, use a fullycharged battery when editing movies.

Edited copies are

The current position will

A The Retouch Menu

Movies can also be edited from the retouch menu (0 315).

Page 92

Page 93

Image Recording Options

This section describes how to choose image quality and size.

Image Quality........................................................................... 68

Image Size................................................................................. 71

Using Two Memory Cards ...................................................... 72

Page 94

Image Quality

The D300S supports the following image quality options. See page 394 for information on the number of pictures that can be stored at different image quality and size settings.

Option File type Description

RAW data from the image sensor are saved directly to the memory card in Nikon Electronic

NEF (RAW) NEF

TIFF (RGB)

JPEG fine

JPEG normal

JPEG basic

NEF (RAW)+

JPEG fine

NEF (RAW)+

JPEG normal

NEF (RAW)+

JPEG basic

* Size priority selected for JPEG compression.

(RGB)

JPEG

NEF/ JPEG

Format (NEF). Use with images that will be transferred to a computer for printing or processing. Record uncompressed TIFF-RGB images at a bit

TIFF

depth of 8 bits per channel (24-bit color). TIFF is supported by a wide variety of imaging applications. Record JPEG images at a compression ratio of roughly 1:4 (fine image quality). Record JPEG images at a compression ratio of roughly 1:8 (normal image quality). Record JPEG images at a compression ratio of roughly 1:16 (basic image quality). Two images are recorded, one NEF (RAW) image and one fine-quality JPEG image. Two images are recorded, one NEF (RAW) image and one normal-quality JPEG image. Two images are recorded, one NEF (RAW) image and one basic-quality JPEG image.

A NEF (RAW) Recording

The NEF (RAW) recording item in the shooting menu controls compression (0 70) and bit depth (0 70) for NEF (RAW) images.

A JPEG Compression

JPEG images can be compressed for relatively uniform file size or optimal image quality. menu can be used to choose the type of compression (0 70).

The JPEG compression option in the shooting

Page 95

Image quality is set by pressing the QUAL button and rotating the main command dial until the desired setting is displayed in the control panel.

QUAL button

Main command

dial

Control panel

A NEF (RAW)

Once transferred to a computer, NEF (RAW) images can only be viewed using ViewNX (available on the supplied Software Suite CD) or Capture NX 2 (available separately; 0355). JPEG copies of NEF (RAW) images can be created using the retouch menu (0327). Note that the option selected for image size does not affect the size of NEF (RAW) images.

NEF (RAW) processing

option in the

A NEF (RAW)+JPEG

When photographs taken at settings of NEF (RAW) + JPEG are viewed on the camera with only one memory card inserted, only the JPEG image will be displayed. memory card, both copies will be erased when the photo is deleted. If the JPEG copy is recorded to a separate memory card using the Secondary slot function > RAW primary, JPEG secondary option, deleting the JPEG copy will not delete the NEF (RAW) image.

If both copies are recorded to the same

A The Image Quality Menu

Image quality can also be adjusted using the Image quality option in the shooting menu (0 253).

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The following options can be

G button

accessed from the shooting menu.

Press the G button to

display the menus, highlight the desired option and press 2.

❚❚ JPEG Compression

Choose the type of compression for JPEG images.

Option Description

Images are compressed to produce relatively uniform file size. Optimal image quality. File size varies with scene recorded.

Size priority

Optimal

quality

❚❚ NEF (RAW) Recording > Type

Choose the type of compression for NEF (RAW) images.

Option Description

Lossless

compressed

O Compressed

Uncompressed NEF images are not compressed.

NEF images are compressed using a reversible algorithm, reducing file size by about 20–40% with no effect on image quality. NEF images are compressed using a nonreversible algorithm, reducing file size by about 40–55% with almost no effect on image quality.

❚❚ NEF (RAW) Recording > NEF (RAW) Bit Depth

Choose a bit depth for NEF (RAW) images.

Option Description

q 12-bit NEF (RAW) images are recorded at a bit-depth of 12 bits.

NEF (RAW) images are recorded at a bit-depth of 14 bits,

r 14-bit

producing files roughly 1.3 times larger than 12-bit files but increasing the color data recorded. Maximum frame advance rate (0 89) falls to 2.5 fps.

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Image Size

Image size is measured in pixels. Choose from the following options:

Option Size (pixels) Size when printed at 300 dpi (approx.) *

L 4,288 × 2,848 36.3 × 24.1 cm (14.3 × 9.5 in.)

M 3,216 × 2,136 27.2 × 18.1 cm (10.7 × 7.1 in.)

S 2,144 × 1,424 18.2 × 12.1 cm (7.1 × 4.7 in.)

* Print size in inches equals image size in pixels divided by printer resolution in

dots per inch (dpi; 1 inch = approximately 2.54 cm).

Image size can be set by pressing the QUAL button and rotating the sub-command dial until the desired option is displayed in the control panel.

A The Image Size Menu

Image size can also be adjusted using the Image size option in the shooting menu (0 253).

QUAL button

Sub-command

dial

Control panel

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Using Two Memory Cards

When two memory cards are inserted in the camera, you can choose one as the primary card using the Primary slot selection item in the shooting menu. card in the CompactFlash card slot as the primary card, SD card slot to choose the SD memory card. primary and secondary cards can be chosen using the Secondary

slot function option in the shooting menu. Overflow (the secondary card is used only when the primary card

is full), Backup (each picture is recorded to both the primary and secondary card), and RAW primary, JPEG secondary (as for Backup, except that the NEF/RAW copies of photos recorded at settings of NEF/RAW + JPEG are recorded only to the primary card

and the JPEG copies only to the secondary card).

Select CF card slot to designate the

The roles played by the

Choose from

A “Backup” and “RAW Primary, JPEG Secondary”

The camera shows the number of exposures remaining on the card with the least amount of memory. either card is full.

Shutter release will be disabled when

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Focus

– Controlling How the Camera Focuses

This section describes the options that control how your camera focuses.

Focus Mode .............................................................................. 74

AF-Area Mode .......................................................................... 76

Focus Point Selection ............................................................. 78

Focus Lock ................................................................................ 80

Manual Focus ........................................................................... 83

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Focus Mode

Focus mode is controlled by the

Focus-mode selector

focus-mode selector on the front of the camera.

There are two autofocus (AF) modes, in which the camera focuses automatically when the shutter-release button is pressed halfway, and one manual focus mode, in which focus must be adjusted manually using the focusing ring on the lens:

Option Description

Camera focuses when shutter-release button is pressed

halfway. Focus locks when in-focus indicator (I) appears

in viewfinder, and remains locked while shutter-release

button is pressed halfway (focus lock). At default settings,

shutter can only be released when in-focus indicator is

displayed (focus priority).

Camera focuses continuously while shutter-release button

is pressed halfway. If subject moves, camera will engage

predictive focus tracking (0 75) to predict final distance to

subject and adjust focus as necessary. At default settings,

shutter can be released whether or not subject is in focus

(release priority).

Camera does not focus automatically; focus must be

adjusted manually using the lens focusing ring. If

maximum aperture of lens is f/5.6 or faster, viewfinder

focus indicator can be used to confirm focus (electronic

range finding; 0 84), but photographs can be taken at any

time, whether or not subject is in focus.

Single-servo

Continuous-

servo AF

Manual

(0 83)

Choose single-servo AF for landscapes and other stationary subjects. Continuous-servo AF may be a better choice with erratically-moving subjects. Manual focus is recommended when the camera is unable to focus using autofocus.

Nortel Networks D300S User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Q&A Index

For Your Safety

Notices

Introduction

Overview

Getting to Know the Camera

Camera Body

The Control Panel

The Viewfinder Display

The Information Display

The BM-8 Monitor Cover

Tutorial

Camera Menus

Using Camera Menus

Help

First Steps

Charge the Battery

Insert the Battery

Attach a Lens

Basic Setup

Insert a Memory Card

Format the Memory Card

Adjust Viewfinder Focus

Basic Photography and Playback

Turn the Camera On

Adjust Camera Settings

Ready the Camera

Focus and Shoot

Viewing Photographs

Deleting Unwanted Photographs

Framing Pictures in the Monitor (Live View)

Framing Photographs in the Monitor

Recording and Viewing Movies

Recording Movies

Viewing Movies

Editing Movies

Image Recording Options

Image Quality

Image Size

Using Two Memory Cards

Focus

Focus Mode