how to | Picturing Change

Top Tips and Tricks for the Canon 5D Mark III

OK, I admit, I’m being a bit deceptive. While this post will include “tips” for taking full advantage of the Canon EOS 5D Mk III, it won’t really contain any “tricks.” That is because with digital photography, especially a camera as powerful and complex as the 5D3, there really aren’t any tricks. Tricks implies shortcuts, and to paraphrase Euclid, there is no royal road to dSLR photography. Instead there are techniques and camera controls that can and should be learned. These will then allow you to adapt not just to a specific situation or emulate a certain image or style, but will give you the tools and knowledge to adapt to any situation and create the images you desire.

I spent several intimate weeks with the Canon 5D Mk III as I researched and wrote my dSLR camera guide, Canon 5D Mark III Experience, the first (and hopefully best!) book available for the 5D Mk III. In the process I learned and discovered a few obvious and not so obvious things about the 5D3 that will help you get the most from your camera.

Detail of the Canon 5D Mark III

Learn and Take Advantage of the Autofocus System

First and foremost is to learn, understand, and make full use of the new 61 Point autofocus system. This powerful and highly customizable AF system will allow you to capture more sharp images of a variety of moving subjects which was not previously possible with the 5DII, or even the 7D. But to do this you will need to take control of it in order to focus on, or begin tracking, your intended subject. This involves making use of the AF Modes as well as the AF Area Selection Modes and AF Points.

For moving subjects you can then employ the AF Cases and their settings to let the camera know what to expect as far as subject movement. AF subject tracking works in part by predicting where the subject will be when the Shutter is pressed, so if the camera knows the subject is going to be moving erratically about the frame and changing its rate of speed, then it can take measures to better follow this than if it is set for a subject that is expected to move smoothly at a steady rate. Ten tips could easily be written about the autofocus system alone, but I will limit it to a few (my e-book guide Canon 5D Mark III Experience contains extensive explanation of the AF system and all its elements, if you wish to learn it inside and out.)

Simulated image of the Canon 5D Mark III viewfinder showing the 61 autofocus points, with the desired AF Point shown as the larger black square.

One of the essential steps in taking a successful and sharp photo is controlling where the camera autofocuses. If you allow the camera to autofocus by automatically choosing its own focus point(s) (such as in Auto+ Shooting Mode or with One-Shot AF Mode and Auto Selection – 61 Point AF Area Selection Mode) it typically focuses on the closest object. This may or may not be what you want to focus on, so you should select or at least narrow down where the camera focuses using the autofocus AF Points or Zones. By doing so you are telling the camera exactly where to autofocus or to look to find a moving subject to track. For example, you often want to focus on a subject’s eyes, but if you allow the camera to choose the autofocus point itself, it may select another part of the face, or somewhere else on the body, or even a raised hand that is nearer to the camera than the face to focus most sharply on. If you are capturing an image of a bird in a tree, the camera has no idea you want the autofocus system to zero in on the bird so that it is in sharp focus and not the branches or leaves near it or the perhaps even the leaves closer to you.

You will select an AF Mode based on whether the subject is still or moving, and select an AF Area Selection Mode based on how large of an area you want the camera to look at to find your intended subject – ranging from a small spot to a wider Zone to all the available 61 AF Points. You can set the AF Modes and AF Area Selection Modes in a variety of combinations based on what and how you are shooting.

Activate all the Available AF Area Selection Modes at first and experiment with them all. Then if you decide that you will never or rarely use one or more of them, de-activate those modes so that you don’t have to “click” through them every time to select your desired mode.

Available AF Area Selection Modes of the Canon 5D Mark III

Spot AF is Not Necessarily More Accurate than Single-Point AF. You may be inclined to use Spot AF all the time, assuming it will be more accurate than Single-Point AF, but this is not advised. Spot AF is designed for specific situations and autofocusing challenges, where you need to focus on a very precise area and avoid any surrounding or foreground objects that the AF system may otherwise lock onto. This can include making sure you zero-in on a bird that is sitting among leaves and branches, or perhaps shooting through a fence to a subject beyond. In those situations you may find that Single-Point AF searches back and forth between the near leaves/ fence and the further subject, because the area it is looking at to find the subject encompasses both potential subjects. Spot AF will allow you to target in on a more precise area. Although Spot AF is indicated in the Viewfinder by the tiny square within the larger selected AF Point square, Spot AF will actually pinpoint the focus to an area about the size of the larger square.

So while Spot AF will be more accurate in certain situations as described, it should not be used for general use. Because it is so precise, the area it looks at to find contrast or a detail on which to focus may be an area of solid color. For example if you used Spot AF to quickly focus on the general cheek and eye area of a face, it may be aimed at an area of skin without contrast, whereas the Single-Point AF area might encompass the cheek and the eye and thus find enough contrast to be able to properly and quickly focus.

Decide How Many Selectable AF Points you wish to Choose From. If you are coming from a Canon 5D Mark II, the 60D, or any number of other previous Canon dSLR cameras, you may be used to only having 9 AF Point to choose from. If you still wish to manually select a specific point or zone, you may find that 61 points are a bit overwhelming at first. Even if you are used to the 19 AF Points of the Canon 7D, you may not wish to suddenly jump up to 61 AF Points. So you can limit the number of AF Points you wish to choose from to either 15 or 9, or to just the more accurate cross-type points. Unfortunately, the 9 points are not in the nice diamond pattern of previous EOS cameras, but you may find them to be more manageable.

Limit your Selectable AF Points if 61 are too many to deal with.

Choose Your Priority when Working in AI Servo – Focus or Release. You will need to tell the camera what your priority is when shooting in AI Servo AF mode – is it to ensure that the subject is in focus, or that the shutter is release immediately, whether or not the subject is in focus? There are two menu items to set the priority for the first image and the second and subsequent images if shooting in Continuous Shooting Mode.

For AI Servo 1st Image Priority, Release priority will prioritize shutter release, or immediately capturing the initial shot at the possible expense of exact focus. Generally when taking a photo, you are supposed to half-press the Shutter Button, allow the camera to focus, then continue the full-press of the Shutter Button to take the image. If you simply “mash” down the Shutter Button, this setting will cause the camera to take the photo without bothering to focus first. Sometimes when photographing sports, news, or events, capturing the “decisive moment” may take priority over exact focus.

Setting for Focus priority will prioritize focus for the first shot, ensuring that the subject is in focus before the picture is taken. So when you fully press the Shutter Button, this setting may cause a brief, perhaps micro-seconds delay while the camera confirms focus before actually releasing the shutter.

Equal priority is a slight compromise between Release and Focus priorities. It allows a brief (perhaps micro-seconds) pause for the camera to possibly find focus before releasing the shutter. It does not guarantee that the image will be in focus, but merely gives it more of a chance to find focus. It generally seems to make more sense to choose Release or Focus based on your priority.

AI Servo 1st Image Priority menu to determine if capturing the shot or getting the subject in-focus is the priority.

AI Servo 2nd Image Priority is similar except that it applies to the second and subsequent images in the burst. Setting for Speed (Shooting speed priority) will prioritize shutter release, or continuing the high speed burst at the possible expense of exact focus.

Setting for Focus will prioritize focus tracking for the following shot(s), ensuring that the subject is in focus as you continue to take the burst of images. Again, this may cause a brief, perhaps micro-seconds delay while the camera confirms focus before releasing the shutter for each image.

Equal priority again allows a slight pause before each of the subsequent shots to perhaps give the camera time to find focus before releasing the shutter. This pause may be slightly more pronounced when shooting in low light or low contrast situations.

These 1st Image Priority and 2nd Image Priority settings should be set in conjunction with each other, based on the type of situation you are photographing and thus your priorities. Generally, it sharp images are your goal, you will want to set both for Focus Priority. You may sacrifice the maximum 6 frames per second (fps) continuous shooting speed (if you have the Drive Mode set for High Speed Continuous) as there might be a couple micro-seconds or more delays as the camera ensures that the subject is in focus before taking the subsequent shots. If you are capturing a “decisive moment” such as a runner at the finish line or a goal being scored, you will want to set one or both of the settings to Release Priority/ Speed Priority, but ensure somehow that you have pre-focused on the subject distance so the result is not wildly out of focus. Again, I go into much more detail about the various combinations and when to make use of them in my e-book.

Set the Custom Controls for Multi-Controller Direct. This will allow you to manually select your AF Point or Zone more quickly by simply toggling the Multi-Controller thumb joystick, without having to first press the AF Point Selection Button. You have probably noticed, to the dismay of your muscle memory, that the AF Point Selection Button no longer controls image zoom. This is because there are many more image review options that are now made possible by Comparative Playback (side by side image review), discussed just below.

Set the Multi-Controller for AF Point Direct Selection for ease and speed.

Take Advantage of Comparative Playback (Side by Side Image Review). Of course you can instantly review the image you just captured on the rear LCD Monitor, but the 5D Mk III now also offers Comparative Image Playback Mode (Two-Image Display) which gives you the ability to simultaneously compare two images or two different sections of the same image. Whereas before, one would have to “flip” back and forth between two images and navigate around the images, this feature allows for some extremely helpful and flexible image analysis that was previously only possible once you were back at your computer.

To enter Comparative Playback Mode during image playback or review, press the Creative Photo / Comparative Playback Button (at the top of the row on the left of the camera back), which is also indicated by the side-by-side blue squares icon for side-by-side image playback. Use the SET Button to highlight which of the two image windows you wish to navigate, then use the Quick Control Dial or Main Dial to scroll or jump to the desired image, the Magnify Button followed by the top Main Dial to zoom in or out of the selected image, and the Multi-Controller to navigate around the selected image frame. You can press the INFO Button repeatedly to change the Shooting Information Display in order to view shooting information and/ or the Histograms. If you zoom in on a specific area of one image and wish to zoom in on the other image to the same magnification and same area of the image, press the SET Button to switch to the other image window, then press the [Q] Button. Also, press and hold the Playback Button to view the highlighted image as a single, full-screen image.

Comparative Playback Mode view of two different images, also showing the images’ Histograms.

There are several different viewing options and potential uses for Comparative Playback, whether you are simultaneously viewing two separate images or two areas of the same image.

-Display the active AF point(s).
-Preview alternate cropping guides.
-View the thumbnail plus the Luminance Histogram.
-View the thumbnail plus the RGB Histograms.
-View the thumbnail plus basic exposure information.

For two different images:
-Compare the compositions of two images simultaneously.
-Zoom in and simultaneously compare a specific area for focus or exposure.
-View the thumbnails along with histograms or basic exposure information of both images.

For the same image:
-Zoom in and simultaneously compare two separate areas of the same image to have a closer look at focus or exposure.
-View the entire image for overall composition while also zooming in to view an area of detail for focus or exposure (see Figure 61).

Set the Default Magnification for Image Review. In order to immediately review your images according to your preferences, you should set the initial magnification and position that you will view an image during image review (Playback) when you press the Magnify Button. You can set for no magnification (1x) and then use the top Main Dial to zoom in and out. This can be handy if you have the image review set to initially show the Shooting Information Display with the Histogram. Since the image in that view is a thumbnail, you can then press the Magnify Button to show the full size image. After this initial zoom, you can then use the Main Dial to zoom in or out.

Or set for 2x, 4x, 8x, or 10x magnification and it will instantly zoom to that magnification when the Magnify Button is pressed. Again, after this initial zoom, you can then use the Main Dial to zoom in or out. Each of these magnifications will zoom from the center of the image. Or you can set it to quickly zoom in to full size, 100% view of the pixels, zoomed into the AF Point where focus was achieved, using setting Actual size (from selected pt). This can be useful to quickly check for precise focus, though note that if you focused with a selected AF Point and recomposed, it will zoom into the final position of that AF Point in the composition, not the actual position where you used it to focus on your subject. But if you only recomposed slightly, it will often be easy to quickly navigate to the actual area of focus. The setting Same as last magnif. (from ctr) will zoom in at the same magnification that you last viewed an image at, centered at the image center.

Magnification menu to set how images are initially viewed during Playback when the Magnify Button is pressed.

I’m still putting this post together but wanted to share what I had already written. Next week I will go into more detail about the tips below:

Turn on the Viewfinder Warnings

Auto Rotate Images in the Camera and on Your Computer

Use the Q Button for Quick Access to a Variety of Features for Still Images

Make Use of the Silent Control Touch Pad and Q Button for Movie Shooting

All of the above information – and much, much more – can be found in Canon 5D Mark III Experience, my latest Full Stop dSLR user’s guide e book, which goes beyond the manual to help you learn the features, settings, and controls of the powerful and highly customizable EOS 5D Mk III, plus most importantly how, when, and why to use the functions, settings, and controls in your photography.

Written in the clear, concise, and comprehensive style of all Full Stop guides, Canon 5D Mark III Experience will help you learn to use your Canon 5D Mk 3 quickly and competently, to consistently create the types of images you want to capture. The e-book is available in either PDF, EPUB, or MOBI format for reading on any device.

Learn more about it, preview it, and purchase it here:
http://www.dojoklo.com/Full_Stop/Canon_5DMkIII_Experience.htm

As one Canon user has said about Full Stop guides, “I don’t know how I could fully take advantage of all the features the camera has to offer without this publication! It’s well-organized, easy to understand, and succinct enough to keep your attention while still containing a wealth of information to get the most out of your camera.”

Take control of your 5D Mk III, the image taking process, and the photos you create!

The First Canon 5D Mark III e book user’s guide Now Available!

Canon 5D Mark III Experience is my latest Full Stop dSLR user’s guide e book, which goes beyond the manual to help you learn the features, settings, and controls of the powerful and highly customizable EOS 5D Mk III, plus most importantly how, when, and why to use the functions, settings, and controls in your photography.

Learn more about it, preview it, and purchase it here:
http://www.dojoklo.com/Full_Stop/Canon_5DMkIII_Experience.htm

Take control of your 5D Mk III, the image taking process, and the photos you create!

For experienced photographers coming to the 5D Mk III from previous EOS models, this guide explains the new and advanced features to quickly get you up and running and taking advantage of these capabilities, including the new 61 Point Autofocus System and its Modes, Area Modes, Menu options and AF Case Presets. Plus it explains the new camera controls, the in-camera HDR and Multiple Exposures features, introduces the new video capabilities, and guides you through all the Menu and Custom Function items to help you set up the camera for your specific needs. This guide is also designed for Intermediate and Enthusiast dSLR Photographers who wish to take fuller advantage of the capabilities of the camera to go beyond Auto+ and P modes and shoot competently in Av, Tv, and M modes; take control of the sophisticated 61 point autofocus system; learn how, when, and why to use the controls, buttons, and features of the 5D Mk III, and much more. It covers basic dSLR camera functions and exposure concepts for those learning digital SLR photography, and explains more advanced camera controls and operation such as using the various metering modes and exposure compensation for correct exposure of every image.

Canon 5D Mark III Experience focuses on still-photography with an introduction to the movie menus and settings to get you up and running with video. Sections include:

Setting Up Your 5D Mk III – Explanations of all of the Custom Function settings and Menu options, with recommended settings.

Auto Focusing Modes and Drive Modes – Taking control of the new 61 point autofocus system will enable you to successfully capture more sharp images in still and action situations. Learn the AF Modes, AF Area Modes, and AF Configuration Presets and how and when to take advantage of them.

Aperture (Av), Shutter (Tv), and Manual (M) Modes – How and when to use them to create dramatic depth of field, freeze or express motion, or take total control over exposure settings.

Exposure Metering Modes – How they differ, how and when to use them for correct exposures in every situation.

Histograms, Exposure Compensation, Bracketing, and White Balance – Understanding these features for adjusting to the proper exposure in challenging lighting situations.

HDR Shooting mode and Multiple Exposure mode – Configure and use these new features.

The Image Taking Process – Descriptive tutorials.

Composition – Brief tips, techniques, and explanations, including the creative use of depth of field.

Lenses – Canon lens notations and choosing L series lenses.

Photography Accessories – Useful accessories for the 5D Mk III and for dSLR photography.

Introduction to Video Settings – Explanations of the settings and options to get you started.

This digital guide to the Canon 5D Mark III is a 195 page illustrated e-book that goes beyond the manual to explain how, when, and why to use the features, settings, and controls of the 5D Mark III to help you get the most from your camera.

Learn more about Canon 5D Mark III Experience e book manual for the EOS 5DIII, preview it, and purchase it on my Full Stop website here:
http://www.dojoklo.com/Full_Stop/Canon_5DMkIII_Experience.htm

Take Control of your Canon 5D Mark III with my e-book guide!

I have completed my e-book guide for the new Canon EOS 5D Mark III, called Canon 5D Mark III Experience. This Still Photography Guide to the EOS 5D Mark III goes beyond the EOS 5D Mk III manual to help you learn when and why to use the various controls, features, and custom settings of this powerful camera, including the advanced and sophisticated 61 point autofocus system, the numerous Menu and Custom Function options, and the new controls and features. Written in the clear and concise manner of all Full Stop guides, Canon 5D Mark III Experience can help you learn to use your Canon 5DIII quickly and competently, to consistently create the types of images you want to capture.

Take control of your Canon 5D Mk III and the images you create!

As one Canon user has said about on of my previous guides:

“I don’t know how I could fully take advantage of all the features the camera has to offer without this publication! It’s well-organized, easy to understand, and succinct enough to keep your attention while still containing a wealth of information to get the most out of your camera.”

This book is now available! To learn more about it, please click on the cover or the link below to have a look at my Full Stop e-book website:

http://www.dojoklo.com/Full_Stop/Canon_5DMkIII_Experience.htm

What Readers Had to Say about Doug’s Previous dSLR Camera Guides:

Brilliant – just what I was looking for! A manual that was exciting, clear to follow, had examples and was used by a professional who gave just the right amount of technical info with explanations of why you use those settings, when to use those settings and so on…all properly explained. Doug’s book is a joy to follow, well thought through and well written. The camera company should be employing Doug to write their cameras manuals!
-Robert D.

A Must-Have Accessory – What a great addition to my bag. This is a well written, full body of work that explains, in plain English, how to get the most out my new camera. Doug provides the knowledge and experience to bring you to the next level. I look forward to learning more every time I open the book.
-Steven

Definitely reduces the slope of the learning curve to an easy gradient – I found that it was easy to read and understand, full of important hints and suggestions and allowed me to get to grips with the tools available in the camera in a very short time indeed. Excellent value!
-O.B.

It’s the first guide I’ve read which has taken me through all the settings in an understandable way. I now feel that I have control over the camera.
-Peter S.

How to Use Your New dSLR

I know many people happily unwrapped a new dSLR this holiday. And now after playing with it for a bit, you may be discovering that there is a bit of a learning curve to learning all the features and functions of your camera. So if your are eager to learn how to use your new T3i, D5100, 60D, D7000, or whichever Canon or Nikon dSLR you received, be sure to have a look around my blog at the various articles discussing how to use your autofocus system, metering system, and other functions, plus photography techniques once you have started to get a hang of the controls.

Have a look at the front page of this blog to see these different categories and find the articles about Canons, Nikons, Photography Techniques, Lenses, Accessories, Books, and more.

And to quickly learn the ins and outs of your camera, also be sure to have a look at my e-book camera guides, which will not only teach you the functions and controls of your dSLR, but when and why to use them.

Happy shooting, and let me know if you have any questions.

Nikon D5100 Autofocus System Video

I’ve written a detailed article about Taking Advantage of the Nikon D5100 Autofocus System, but I decided to make a video as well, to introduce and explain the Focus Modes, Autofocus Area Modes, and the AF Custom Settings of the D5100, in order to help one use their camera to its full capabilities:

Change the viewer settings to 720p to watch in HD

To learn more about about the Nikon D5100 autofocus system as well as how to fully take control of your camera in order to consistently capture better images, please have a look at my e-book user’s guide Nikon D5100 Experience. It not only explains all the features and controls but also when and why to use them in real life photography.

Understanding and Using Exposure Compensation and Bracketing

One of the key elements for obtaining the proper exposure of your images when working in Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority modes is making use of Exposure Compensation. Although all the exposure related settings of a dSLR are intimately intertwined (such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO setting plus the exposure metering mode you are using, etc.) and it is challenging to speak of one without addressing the others, I will focus here on exposure compensation and when and how to use it.

The following text is excerpted from my e-book guide Ten Steps to Better dSLR Photography, where you can learn more about exposure compensation plus apertures, shutter speeds, exposure metering modes, composition and more. Click on the cover at the end of the post to learn more about the guide, preview it, or purchase it.

Why Exposure Compensation is Needed

If you take an image that turns out to be darker or lighter than you desire, based on reviewing the image and/ or its histogram on your rear LCD screen, you can use exposure compensation in the non-Auto shooting modes to “override” the exposure that the camera is selecting, in order to brighten or darken the next image’s exposure. You may want to do this if you have seen that your highlights have run off the right side of the histogram and been blown-out, resulting in complete loss of detail in those areas of the image. Consult your manual to determine how to adjust exposure compensation on your specific camera. With some Canon models, you press the Exposure Compensation [+/-] button and turn the Main Dial. With other Canon models you use the Quick Control Dial to adjust this setting. With Nikon, Sony, Pentax, and Olympus models you typically press the Exposure Compensation [+/-] button and turn a dial. You will then see the exposure compensation amount change in your viewfinder and/ or on the top or rear LCD screen. If the exposure level indicator in one of these places is not changing, press the shutter button half-way to first wake up the camera, or move/ press the Lock switch/ button near the rear dial on a Canon.

Putting Exposure Compensation to Use

If you have taken a photo that is too dark and you wish to retake the image and make the next exposure of the scene lighter, adjust exposure compensation in the positive (+) direction. To make the next exposure darker, adjust exposure compensation in the negative (-) direction. Try changing the Exposure Compensation by perhaps 1/3, 1/2, or 2/3 in the direction you desire, retake the shot, and see if your exposure problem is solved. Increase or decrease the exposure compensation as needed. Remember to set the exposure compensation back to zero when you are done with that situation and move on to take different images! This is one reason why you should check your camera’s settings often – to make sure you haven’t left the camera on the settings from a previous situation. This can often happen with the ISO setting and exposure compensation setting. Check your current settings on the top or rear LCD display or in the viewfinder.

To remember how to compensate – which direction to turn the dial – think of the histogram peaks on the graph. If you wish to shift the peaks to the left, to the darker side, to make the image darker, turn the dial so that the exposure compensation level moves to the negative side (-1, -2, etc.). If you wish to shift the peaks to the right, to the lighter side, to make the image lighter, turn the dial so that the exposure compensation level moves to the positive side (+1, +2, etc). Curiously, some cameras put the negative side of the exposure level indicator on the left, and others put it on the right, so look in the manual or viewfinder to see how yours operates.

Bracketing

Exposure compensation can also be used to “bracket” an exposure. Bracketing is when you take at least three photos of the same scene, one at the “proper” exposure, one under-exposed, and one over-exposed (see the image below). For example you may take the second and third shot with the exposure compensation set at +1 and then -1. This is done to ensure that you capture exactly the right exposure you desire. In the days of film this was a helpful technique, especially for critical situations, since one didn’t have the immediate feedback of the image on an LCD screen and a histogram. It can still be used today for critical situations or for test shots when determining the right exposure settings. Digital SLR cameras typically have an auto exposure compensation feature so that this process is more automated. You set the amount of under- and over-exposure desired (such as +1, -1 or +1 2/3, -1 2/3) and then take three images in a row. The camera automatically adjusts the exposures for each shot in order to bracket the second and third shots. If your camera is set on continuous drive mode, you can just hold down the shutter button and the camera will take the three shots in a row.

Weaver Constructing the Keshwa Chaca, Huinchiri, Peru – Three bracketed exposures of the same scene: the “proper” exposure as determined by the camera (Evaluative metering mode) in the center, under-exposed -2/3 stop on the left, over-exposed +2/3 stop on the right. The desired exposure, for my eye, lies somewhere between the “proper” exposure and the over-exposure. With auto exposure bracketing you can often customize the order that the bracketed images are taken, for example proper/under/over or under/proper/over. In this example they were taken proper/under/over, so they are displayed here in a different order than actually captured. Center exposure: Shutter speed 1/1000, aperture f/5.0, ISO 100, focal length 105mm.

Exposure compensation and bracketing are also used in HDR (high dynamic range) photography to take three or five or more photos of the same scene at various exposures. All the images are then combined by the photographer, using HDR software, into a single image which will contain a much broader dynamic range of light and dark than is possible with a single image.

Beyond Exposure Compensation

As I mentioned at the start, exposure is determined by a number of controls and settings on your dSLR. If you are consistently taking images that are under- or over-exposed, you may wish to explore the other metering modes, to ensure that the camera is metering your exposures exactly where and how you want. Have a look at my previous post on Exploring Metering Modes to learn more about this, or have a look at my e-book guide Ten Steps to Better dSLR Photography to learn about all the aspects of exposure and how they relate.

Two Hot New Releases!

My two latest photography e-book guides, Canon 7D Experience and Ten Steps to Better dSLR Photography are both “Hot New Releases” in the Amazon Kindle Photography Equipment category!

Of course, I’m always second fiddle to Bryan Peterson…

Each of these guides can help you to learn more about the functions, settings, and features of your camera and assist you in improving your photography.

Take control of your camera and the images you create!

Please visit my Full Stop e-book site to learn more about my guides, preview them, and purchase them.

Ten Steps to Better dSLR Photography

Ten Steps to Better dSLR Photography is an e-book guide to help digital SLR photographers take control of their camera and the images they create.

Capturing great images with your dSLR should not be the occasional result of chance and luck. By taking control of your camera, its functions, and its settings you can begin to work with consistency and intention and take the photos you desire.

Readers of my popular dSLR camera guides such as Nikon D5100 Experience and Your World 60D have benefited from the clear and concise explanations of digital SLR photography functions and concepts. With Ten Steps to Better dSLR Photography all photographers can learn these essential elements necessary for taking full advantage of a dSLR including how, when and why to use the camera’s various functions and settings.

With this guide you will learn:

Controlling Your Autofocus System – focus where you want for sharp photos of still and moving subjects.
Understanding Apertures and using Aperture Priority Mode to capture dramatic depth of field.
Understanding Shutter Speed and using Shutter Priority Mode to freeze or express action.
Choosing the Metering Mode, Adjusting Exposure Compensation, and Using the Histogram for proper exposure in all lighting situations.
Determining proper ISO Settings and White Balance Settings.
Selecting JPEG or RAW image file format to save your images.
Improving Image Composition.
The Image Taking Process – a tutorial making use of all the steps learned.
…and more!

These are not simply photography “tips and tricks” but rather clear, concise, and useful explanations and examples of the fundamental functions, settings, and concepts of digital SLR photography. This 54 page illustrated PDF guide can help the novice or intermediate photographer better understand their camera and how to use it to its full capabilities to consistently capture better images, whether you shoot with a Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, or Olympus dSLR camera.

Author: Douglas Klostermann
Format: PDF – Instant Download
Page Count: 54 pages, illustrated
ISBN: 978-1-4524-4764-3
Price: ~~$8.99~~ new release sale! $6.99
secure payment with PayPal or Credit card (via PayPal)
(plus 6.25% sales tax for residents of Massachusetts)

Other versions of Ten Steps to Better dSLR Photography are available:

The Kindle edition is available on Amazon
The Nook version is available at BarnesandNoble.com
The iPad and iBooks version is available through iTunes or through the iBooks App on your iPhone/iPad

Take control of your dSLR camera and the images you create!

New E-Book Camera Guide for the Canon 7D

I have completed an e-book camera user’s guide for the Canon EOS 7D called Canon 7D Experience.

Like all my previous Full Stop camera guides, Canon 7D Experience explains not only the features, functions, settings, and controls of the camera, but also – and more importantly – when and why to use them in your photography. This includes metering modes, aperture and shutter priority modes (Av and Tv), advanced autofocus use, and more. It also describes all the Menu settings and Custom Function settings – with recommended settings. The guide also thoroughly explains the versatile and sophisticated autofocus system, which helps to make this such a unique and powerful camera.

Take control of your camera and the images you create!

Click on the cover image below or click here to learn more, preview, and purchase Canon 7D Experience.

The E-Book Handbook – Now Available!

My latest e-book, The E-Book Handbook, is now available!

The E-Book Handbook – A Thoroughly Practical Guide to Formatting, Publishing, Marketing, and Selling Your E-Book is a comprehensive guide that will help you create, publish, and market your own e-book, and sell it online through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple iTunes and iBooks – all easily and inexpensively.

The E-Book Handbook e book ebook how to create format publish market sell Amazon Kindle Nook iPad for dummies

It explains how to properly format and convert your text for PDF, tablet, and e-reader versions (such as the Kindle and Nook), create interactive bookmarks and table of contents, and include a book cover and images. It includes step-by-step instructions for easily uploading and selling your e-book on major retail websites including Amazon through Kindle Direct Publishing, Barnes and Noble through PubIt!, and Apple’s iBooks and iTunes through Smashwords, plus setting up the e-book’s descriptions and author pages – all at no cost. And it describes how to set up and automate sales and digital delivery from your own website and blog using reliable, low-cost services like E-Junkie and PayPal.

This instant download e-book explains multiple ways to market your e-book to increase sales, including detailed instructions for setting up a website and blog, marketing through various channels on the Internet, optimizing search engine results so that your e-book and sites are found, and monetizing your website and blog through advertising and affiliate programs. The E-Book Handbook also explains how to keep track of and evaluate sales, income, and expenses and offers a detailed spreadsheet to record and monitor this information. Throughout the text, the guide contains links to every website and retailer discussed, as well as comprehensive lists in the Appendixes.

The E-Book Handbook will provide you with the knowledge and tools to successfully create, publish, market, and sell your own e-book. It includes tips and straightforward information from the author’s experiences as a best-selling e-book writer and publisher, in order to make the process as low-cost and efficient as possible.

The E-Book Handbook is a 112 page, illustrated PDF document that can help turn you into an e-book author and publisher. This PDF e-book can be read on your computer and printed on your printer, or transferred and read on an iPad, Android, or other tablet, Kindle, Nook, or other e-reader.

Author: Douglas Klostermann
Format: PDF – Instant Download
Page Count: 112 pages, illustrated
ISBN #: 978-1-4524-0474-5
Price: $9.99 – secure payment with PayPal or Credit card (via PayPal)
(plus 6.25% sales tax for residents of Massachusetts)

Other versions of The E-Book Handbook are available:

The Kindle edition is available on Amazon.com
The Nook edition is available on BarnesandNoble.com
The iPad and iPhone version is available through iTunes or through the iBooks App

Doug Klostermann is a travel, culture, and humanitarian photographer and successful, best-selling e-book author and publisher. He has sold over 4,000 e-book camera guides which are regularly at or near the top of the Kindle and Amazon bestseller lists for Photography Equipment and Reference.

Doug has photographed for numerous organizations in Latin America and the United States, been recognized by the United Nations Development Programme for his humanitarian photography, and been published in magazines and books including Conde Nast Traveler, Sherman’s Travel, South American Explorer, and Viva Travel Guides. Doug is a member of the National Press Photographers Association. View his images at www.dojoklo.com. Learn more about e-books and photography equipment and techniques on his blog Picturing Change at http://blog.dojoklo.com/.

Ten Tips and Tricks for the Nikon D7000

In addition to delivering great image quality, exceptional low light/high ISO performance, and rugged construction, the Nikon D7000 is an extremely sophisticated camera that can be highly customized to work exactly how you want or need it to. Its autofocus system and metering system can be set up and tweaked according to your preferences, its buttons and dials can be assigned and customized for your most-used functions, its frame rates can be adjusted, its white balance fine-tuned, and much more. I’ve spent a lot of time with the Nikon D7000 as I researched and wrote my e-book user’s guide to the D7000 called Nikon D7000 Experience, and here are the some of the top “tips and tricks” I’ve discovered for setting up and using this powerful dSLR (in no particular order):

(Looking for additional tips for the Nikon D7100? New post here.)

Nikon D7000 tips tricks book guide download how to learn
Detail of the Nikon D7000 – photo by author

1. Take Control of your Autofocus System: In order to always ensure that the camera autofocuses where and how you want, you need to take control of your AF system. Use AF-S Autofocus Mode and Single Point AF Autofocus Area Mode for still subjects, and use AF-C Autofocus Mode and Dynamic Area AF or 3D-Tracking Autofocus Area Mode for tracking moving subjects. Select your desired AF point so that the camera focuses on, or begins to track, your intended subject. Press the AF Mode Button and then turn the Command and Sub-Command Dials to change the Autofocus Mode and Autofocus Area Mode as you view the settings on the top LCD screen. There is so much more you can do with the AF system, including selecting the number of active AF points and determining exactly how it tracks moving subjects. I wrote an entire previous post that goes into more detail about the settings and capabilities of the D7000 autofocus system.

2. Set up your Dual SD Memory Card Slots: The two memory card slots of the D7000 can function in a couple different ways, including using one for RAW and the other for JPEG files, saving all your images to both cards simultaneously, using the second card as overflow when the first one fills up, or saving stills to one and movies to the other. You can set this up in the Shooting Menu under “Role played by card in slot 2.” To set how the cards function for saving videos, use the Shooting Menu > Movie Settings > Destination.

3. Set or Create a Picture Control for your JPEG Images and Movies: If you are shooting in RAW (NEF) or JPEG and will be post-processing your images in Photoshop, Lightroom, or using the Nikon software, then you don’t need to worry about Picture Controls. If that is the case, set the Picture Control for Standard or Neutral and that way the images that you view on the camera’s rear LCD screen will be close to how they will appear in the actual RAW image file. However if you are not post-processing, you will want the images to come out of the camera looking as you want them to, so you will need to set, customize, or create a Picture Control that best creates your desired look. Adjust the contrast, saturation, brightness, and sharpening to achieve the look you are after. Save the Picture Controls you have created to access them later. You can even create your own styles using the included software, or find them online and download them. There are styles to be found online that recreate the look of various roll films including Kodachrome and Velvia.

4. Verify that you Haven’t Over-Exposed Your Highlights: View your histogram along with your image during image review or image playback to confirm that you haven’t over- or under-exposed your image. To see the Overview image-view that shows the histogram, press up or down on the Multi-controller during image playback to flip through the different available views. The histogram will show you if your highlights or shadows have run off the graph, indicating that those areas of the image contain no detail in the highlights or shadows other than pure white or pure black. In the RGB Histogram and Highlights view, the over-exposed highlights will also blink in the tiny image, indicating that those areas of the image have been “blown-out” and that there is no detail other than pure white in those parts of the image. If you have over- or under-exposed your image, then…

5. Make use of Exposure Compensation: Explore the various options in Custom Setting b3 to customize exactly how exposure compensation works. Set it so that you press the Exposure Compensation Button first before turning a dial to change EC, or have it set so that you can just turn a dial to quickly and directly change EC. You can even select which dial you use with Custom Setting f6. And you can set it so that the EC amount that you dialed in stays set for the subsequent shots, or that it is automatically reset to zero, depending on which controls you use to set EC. This last option is the most sophisticated and most flexible, and may be the best one to learn and use. Using this option, On (Auto reset), you can choose to turn a dial to directly adjust EC, but your EC setting will be reset when the camera or exposure meter turns off . This is because you can still continue to use the Exposure Compensation Button with a Command Dial to set EC, but by setting it this way, EC will not be reset when the camera or meter turns off. EC will only be automatically reset if you set it directly using the dial without the button. So if you wish to use EC for just one shot, you can adjust EC with just the dial. But if you wish to take a series of shots with the same adjusted EC, you can use the button/ dial combination to set it more “permanently.” Pretty powerful stuff! This is why you got the D7000, right? So that you can take advantage of these sophisticated controls!

Brief Commercial Interruption: Are you already getting a little confused? Want to learn more about these and other features of the D7000? I recently completed an e-book user’s guide for the Nikon D7000 called Nikon D7000 Experience that explains all of this and much more. The guide covers all the Menus, Custom Settings, functions and controls of the Nikon D7000, focusing modes, exposure modes, shooting modes, white balance, etc., PLUS when and why you may want to use them when shooting. As one reader has said, “This book, together with the manual, is all you need to start discovering all the camera’s potential.” It will help you to take control of your camera and the images you create! Learn more about the features and settings discussed in the ” tips and tricks” here and much more. To read more about the book, preview it, and purchase it, see my Full Stop bookstore website here!

Nikon D7000 Experience by Douglas Klostermann

6. Fine-Tune the Exposure Metering Modes: Using Custom Setting b5, you can fine-tune the exposure for each of the different Exposure Metering Modes (Matrix, Center-Weighted Average, Spot), all independently. For example, if you find that Center-Weighted metering is slightly under-exposing all the time, fine-tune it for +1/3 or +2/3 using Custom Setting b5. This tweaks the exposure behind the scenes, independent of exposure compensation. You can still continue to use EC as always, on top of this fine-tuning.

7. Lock Exposure and Focus Independently: Sometimes you need to lock the focus distance before recomposing, or lock the metered exposure setting for one shot or for several shots in a row. Or sometimes you need to lock both focus and exposure for the same shot, perhaps independently of each other. By default, the Shutter Button locks focus when you half-press it and exposure is determined when you fully press the Shutter Button to take the shot. You can use Custom Setting c1 to have the Shutter Button half-press also lock exposure, or better yet use Custom Setting f3 to use the Fn Button for locking exposure. You can even set it so that you either press and hold the Fn Button or just press it and release. Then you can use Custom Setting f5 to set the AE-L/AF-L Button for locking focus. This is known as back-button focusing and that way you can lock these settings independently. Learning to use back-button focus and even exposure lock can be awkward at first, and you may not fully understand why it is necessary. But I highly recommend starting to experiment with them, then hopefully getting in the habit of using them all the time – especially if you shoot a lot of action scenes or situations where you are rapidly taking lots of photos (perhaps a wedding and reception), or if you are recomposing your framing between when you focus and when you take the shot. You may soon find them both indispensable and wonder how you once managed without them!

Nikon D7000 tips tricks how to instruction book download user guide learn
Detail of the Nikon D7000 – photo by author

8. Reverse the Values of the Exposure Indicators: In the viewfinder and on the top LCD screen of the Nikon D7000, the exposure indicator shows the negative values on the right and the positive values on the left. Perhaps you find this as counter-intuitive as I do. Ever since grade school, negative values have always been to the left! Plus with the histogram, the brighter values are shown on the right of the graph, and thus to make use of exposure compensation you would dial to the negative side to correct for over-exposed values, thus moving your histogram to the left. So why do you have to move the value to the right on the exposure indicator? It can obviously cause great confusion! Use Custom Setting f9 to reverse the indicators to the more logical orientation.

9. Put Your Most Used Settings in My Menu: Instead of digging into the menus and Custom Settings all the time to find your most used settings, you can create your own custom menu called My Menu, which is then quickly and easily accessed with the Menu Button. You can even decide what order to list the items in. Set up My Menu by selecting Choose Tab in the Recent Settings menu, and select My Menu. Then Add Items and Rank Items in the order you desire. You can add items from most all of the Menus and Custom Settings Menus. Determine what settings you are digging into the menus to look for and change most often, and put them in My Menu, such as maybe Format and White Balance (for more WB options and fine-tuning). I recommend you include Format since you should re-format your memory card each time you are ready to clear off that card, and not just Erase All. However, put Format lower down in My Menu so that you don’t have a tragic memory card accident.

10. Make Use of the Other Exposure Modes: While Matrix Metering will do an excellent job of determining the proper exposure of an image the majority of the time, there are some situations where you may wish to use the other exposure modes – Center-Weighted Metering and Spot Metering. This includes dramatically backlit situations, subjects with a dramatically dark background, scenes that contain a wide range of highlights and shadow areas, or other dramatic lighting situations. It is best to turn to one of these other modes to ensure you properly meter for the subject and don’t blow the shot. If the background is not dramatically lighter or darker than the subject, but you still want to ensure that the camera’s metering system concentrates on the subject and not the entire scene, use Center-Weighted. This is a situation where you may wish to lock in the exposure and recompose if your subject is not going to be in the center in the final framing. You can even use Custom Setting b4 to change the size of the area being metered with Center-Weighted metering. If the background is very dark or light and you want the camera to ignore it and just meter on a certain critical area of the scene, use Spot metering. Again, meter for that critical area, lock the exposure, and recompose.

10a. Quickly Use Spot Metering to Determine a Critical Exposure: You can use Custom Setting f4 to assign the Depth-of-Field Preview Button to Spot Metering so that you can quickly meter for a precise area without having to take your eye from the viewfinder and change the Metering Mode. Versatile Custom Settings such as this are a big part of what makes the D7000 such a powerful, customizable camera, and this demonstrates why it is worthwhile to completely understand and take advantage of these advances capabilities.

There are many more great features and settings of the Nikon D7000 to take advantage of. You have a powerful camera in your hands, so why not learn to take advantage of its advanced features?! Have a look at my e-book guide Nikon D7000 Experience to learn more about the settings, features, and controls mentioned here, and so much more. Learn to take control of your camera and the images you create!

Also, please know that there aren’t really any tips or tricks for better photography. To improve your photography, simply learn your camera inside and out and learn the techniques of dSLR photography (with my e-book!) and then practice, practice, practice taking images, study the results, and look at and learn from the work of talented photographers.

Have a look at that post I mentioned earlier about the autofocus system of the D7000, and another post I’ve written which discusses the Menus and Custom Settings of the D7000. Some of the same items are addressed, but there is also much additional information to be found in the older posts.

Was this post helpful? Please let others know about it by clicking the Facebook or Twitter sharing buttons below, linking to it from your blog or website, or mentioning it on a forum. Thanks! Want to help support this blog with no cost or effort? Simply click on the Amazon and B&H Photo logos on the left side of this page to go to those sites and make your purchases. They will then give me a little referral bonus!

Best-Selling, Most Popular Guide to the Nikon D5100 Currently Available

My e-book user’s guide for the Nikon D5100, called Nikon D5100 Experience, is the best-selling, most popular guide to the camera currently available! How did I learn this? Because it is the only guide to the D5100 currently available!

Through the flexibility of independent e-publishing, Nikon D5100 Experience is available months before any of the other guides for this dSLR are available. OK, so maybe one of the other ones is selling more in pre-orders – I have no way of knowing that. But for all the guides currently available…mine is on top! And is in the top spot for Kindle Hot New Releases in the Photo Equipment AND Photo Reference categories. And I’m quite proud of it.

Even if it wasn’t the only one currently available, I still think it is the most helpful guide out there, explaining not only the features, controls, and functions of the camera, but more importantly when and why to use them in your photography.

You can learn a lot more about the guide on my Full Stop bookstore website here:
http://www.dojoklo.com/Full_Stop/Nikon_D5100_Experience.htm

Want to become an affiliate and earn 25% commission for selling the PDF version of this e-book? See here for complete details on how to sign up as an affiliate and make money referring sales of Full Stop e-books on your blog or website!

Taking Advantage of the Nikon D5100 Autofocus System

Learn How to Use the Nikon D5100 Autofocus System

The autofocus system of the Nikon D5100 may not be quite as complicated as the 39 point AF system of the Nikon D7000, but it does offer many of the same capabilities and options, and can be a little confusing to figure out. The autofocus system includes not only the three Focus Modes used in various combinations with four Autofocus Area Modes, but also includes a few Custom Settings as well as the optional AF-L or Autofocus Lock Button.

Nikon D5100 autofocus system AF focus mode autofocus area mode
Image by author – copyright 2011 – please do not use without permission!

You will first want to set up the autofocus Custom Settings so that the AF system functions how you desire.

a1: AF-C priority selection – This setting determines if attaining focus is top priority when you are in Continuous-servo AF mode (AF-C autofocus mode), or if you just want the shots to be taken even if exact focus is not attained for each shot. If exact focus is your priority, set on Focus. If getting the shots at all costs is the priority, set for Release.

a2: Built-in AF-assist illuminator – This is used to enable or disable the autofocus assist light, to assist you in autofocusing in low light. Note that the AF-assist lamp only works in AF-S mode or when the camera is in AF-A and choosing single-servo (not always under your control), and when in Auto-area AF area mode or only with the center AF point in other AF area modes.

a3: Rangefinder – This setting is used to help obtain focus when you have turned off autofocus and are using Manual Focus mode (MF) and manually focusing. (Be sure to also set the autofocus switch on your lens to M) The exposure indicator in the viewfinder is used to indicate if the subject is correctly in focus.

f2: Assign AE-L/AF-L button – This is to assign the function of the AE-L/AF-L Button., which gives you the option to use this button to lock focus or to initiate focus, and this separate those functions from the Shutter Button.

This should get you started, and I go into more detail about each of these Custom Settings, as well as all the other D5100 Custom Settings in my e-book guide Nikon D5100 Experience.

Using Autofocus
The information below is also excerpted from my e-book user’s guide Nikon D5100 Experience, so I hope you have a look at the guide in order to learn more about the AF system as well as all the other functions and controls of the D5100.

One of the essential steps in taking a successful photo is controlling where the camera focuses. If you allow the camera to autofocus by choosing its own Focus Point(s), it typically focuses on the closest object or human subject. This may or may not be what you want to focus on. So you should choose where the camera focuses using the autofocus Focus Points and selecting a specific AF point. This does not mean you have to manually focus the camera, it means you tell the camera exactly where to autofocus. But you also need to select the desired Focus Mode and Autofocus Area Mode, based on your subject and its type of movement (or lack of movement).

Focus Modes

The D5100 has three different Focus Modes to choose from, typically depending if your subject is still or moving. It also has four different Autofocus Area Modes (see below) to specify how many of the AF points are active and how they track a moving object. You can set these two functions in various combinations. First the Focus Modes.

Single-Servo AF (AF-S)
Use this mode when your subject is stationary, or still and not going to move, or if your subject is not going to move very much, or if the distance between you and the subject is not going to change between the time you lock focus, recompose, and take the shot. Lock focus on the subject and recompose if necessary. When using AF-S, you can select from two Autofocus Area Modes, either Single-Point AF where you select the AF point, or Auto-Area AF, where the camera selects the AF point(s) for you. I suggest you nearly always select your own desired AF point so that the camera focuses exactly where you want it to.

Continuous-Servo AF (AF-C)
Use this mode when your subject is moving. If the subject is moving towards you or away from you, the camera will keep evaluating the focus distance, as long as the Shutter-Release Button is kept half-pressed. You will need to use this in conjunction with the Autofocus Area Modes to determine if and how the camera tracks the subject laterally to the surrounding AF points, or if it will only track the subject if it remains at the initially selected AF point. Single-Point AF will only track the subject’s distance as it moves near or far if it remains under the selected point. It will not track lateral movement if the subject leaves the selected AF point. If the subject is going to be moving somewhat unpredictably and may leave your selected AF point before you can react, use the Dynamic-Area AF mode so that the surrounding AF points are used to maintain focus while you realign your selected AF point with the subject. If the subject is going to be moving across your field of view, set the AF-Area Mode to the 3D-Tracking mode so that the camera tracks it in any direction as it moves to the other AF points.

Focus on the moving subject with the selected AF point when using Dynamic Area Mode or 3D-Tracking Mode, or let the camera select the AF point in Auto-Area AF Mode, and then as long as the Shutter-Release Button remains half-pressed the camera will track the subject to the other focus points if it moves to them and as it moves closer or farther in distance.

Auto-Servo AF (AF-A)
This mode is a hybrid of the two other focus modes. It starts in Single-Servo AF (AF-S) mode then changes to Continuous-Servo AF (AF-C) mode if your subject starts moving. Why shouldn’t you use this all the time, then? Well, if you are focusing and then recomposing, as you may often be doing, your movement of the camera may fool it into thinking that the subject is moving and your resulting focus may not be where you want it to be, or may not be as accurate as it might be if you are using Single-Servo AF.

Manual Focus
Sometimes you may be taking several photos of the same subject from the same distance, or for some other reason want to keep the same focus distance and not have to keep re-focusing and re-composing. Or you may be taking multiple photos for a panorama. In these situations, turn off the auto-focus with the autofocus switch on the lens itself (set to M) and change your camera’s Focus Mode to MF (Manual Focus). Just remember to switch them back when you are finished. You may also wish to do this if you want to precisely manually focus with the focus ring on your lens. (Note that for lenses with “full time manual focus” you don’t need to switch to M in order to manually override when slightly tweaking the autofocus with the lens focus ring. These lenses will have M/A and M on the lens focus mode switch instead of A and M.) Use the Rangefinder feature of the D5100 to assist with manual focus – Custom Setting a3.

Autofocus Area Modes

The Autofocus Area Modes are used to set if just a single AF point is active or else how many AF points surrounding your selected AF point will be used to track a moving subject if you are using AF-C or AF-A Focus Modes.

Nikon d5100 autofocus af auto focus system lock point area mode
Selecting an AF Point using Single-Point AF and locking focus

Single-Point AF
Only one AF point will be active, and surrounding AF points will not become active to track a subject that moves away from the one selected point. This is typically used along with Single-Servo AF (AF-S) to focus on a stationary or still subject, or in a situation where you will be reframing the shot after you lock focus at a specific distance. It can also be used with accuracy with AF-S mode for moving subjects if you take the photo quickly or if you recompose and take the shot quickly after locking in focus, especially if the camera-to-subject distance does not change at all or very much in that period between locking focus and taking the photo. Use the Multi Selector to choose your active AF point as you look through the viewfinder and use the OK Button to quickly select the center AF point. If you choose Single-Point AF with Continuous-Servo AF (AF-C) or Auto-Servo AF (AF-A) for tracking moving subjects, it will only track the subject as long as it is positioned at the selected AF point, and it will not be tracked laterally to the other, surrounding points. As noted above, the single AF point you select will track a subject if it moves closer or farther away, but the AF system will not track the subject if it moves left, right, up, or down and away from your selected AF point. To do this, you use Dynamic-Area AF mode or 3D-Tracking mode.

Dynamic-Area AF
With the Dynamic-Area AF Mode, you select an AF point to tell the camera where to autofocus, and if your subject briefly moves away from that point to a neighboring point or if you lose the subject from your AF point while panning, the camera will use the surrounding AF points to help maintain focus on it. Select Dynamic-Area AF when you are photographing moving or potentially moving subjects using Continuous-Servo AF (AF-C) or Auto-Servo AF (AF-A). These modes are ideal for a subject moving closer or further from the camera but which may also move laterally away from the selected AF point faster than you can react in order to keep it located at that point, or for when you are panning and following the subject and attempting to keep it located at the selected AF point, but may have a little or a lot of difficulty doing so. Remember that you need to keep the Shutter Button half-pressed in order for the continuous focusing at the initial point or the surrounding points to occur. Note that the camera may pick up and start tracking a new subject that falls under the selected AF point if you lose your initial subject.

The Dynamic-Area AF Mode is not used to track and maintain focus on a subject that is moving across the various AF points in the frame, but rather is used to stay focused on a moving subject that you attempt to keep located at your selected AF Point. To track a subject that is moving across the frame, intentionally passing from one AF point to the next, use 3D-Tracking.

3D-Tracking
This mode is used for subjects moving across the frame in any direction, or subjects moving erratically from side-to-side in the frame, and they are tracked by areas of color. This is used when you don’t wish to necessarily pan or follow the subject to keep it located in the same part of the frame, but rather when you wish to keep the camera relatively still as the subject moves across the frame. You may select this option when you are tracking and photographing moving subjects using Continuous-Servo AF (AF-C) or Auto-Servo AF (AF-A). Again, you choose the initial AF point to locate the subject and begin the tracking. If the area of color you wish to track is too small or if it blends into the background, this mode might not be very effective.

Auto-Area AF
The camera uses all 11 AF points to detect what it thinks is the subject and automatically choose the appropriate AF point(s). Typically, the camera will select the nearest subject or a human in the frame, so it may not focus on exactly what you wish to focus on. That is why it is best to use one of the other modes and select the AF point yourself. However in certain situations such as quick sports or action scenes you may have to make use of this.

Locking Focus

The next step is to learn to lock focus independent of locking exposure, typically through the use of the AE-L/AF-L Button as noted in the f2 Custom Setting above. But for that, and numerous other important functions of the D5100, you are going to have to have a look at my e-book, Nikon D5100 Experience!

I’ve put together a video introduction to the D5100 autofocus system to compliment this article:

To learn about another important reason why you need to take control of your autofocus system, see the related post:

Don’t Let the Locations of the AF Points Dictate Your Composition

What do you do when, with your desired framing, your subject is not located exactly under or near an AF point? Even with all the AF points of an advanced Nikon D5100 or D7000, this will often be an issue. Have a look at the above post to learn why this is an issue and how to resolve it.

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Taking Advantage of the Nikon D810/ D610 / D7100 / D5300 Autofocus System

This was originally written for the Nikon D7000, but as the Nikon D7100, the Nikon D7000, the Nikon D610 / D600, the Nikon D810 / D800, and the Nikon D5200 / D5300 all share a similar Autofocus system, most of this information will apply to all of them. And even though some of the models have 51 AF Points instead of the 39 AF Points of the other cameras, all the same settings and actions apply.

The Nikon D7100, the Nikon D7000, the Nikon D610 / D600, the Nikon D810 / D800, and the Nikon D5200 / D5200 dSLRs all share very similar, and quite sophisticated autofocus systems – especially if you are coming from a D90, D5100, or earlier camera. With their 39 AF points or 51 AF points that can be used independently or together in a variety of ways, its Autofocus Custom Settings that affect many of the functions of the AF system, and the three different Autofocus Modes that are used in various combinations with the four different Autofocus AF-Area Modes, it is no wonder that users are having difficulty figuring it all out. (Plus the D810 offers an additional Group Area AF Area Mode!)

Nikon D600 D7000 autofocus af system 39 point auto focus control learn use how to dummie book guide manual
Some of the Autofocus controls of the Nikon D600, located near the base of the lens (to the left of the FX badge and below the Lens Release Button).

First, the Autofocus Controls on the D810/ D800, D610/ D600, D7100, and D7000 are a bit different than previous cameras. You can change the Autofocus Mode and AF Area Mode by pressing the AF Mode Button (located inside the Focus Mode Selector switch) and then use the Command Dials to adjust the settings as you view them on the top LCD Control Panel or in the Viewfinder.

Focus Mode Selector – This switch is used to turn on or off autofocus. Set to AF for autofocus and M for manual focus. Be sure to set the similar switch on the lens as well. If your camera does not seem to be autofocusing, be sure to check this switch and the one on your lens.

AF Mode Button – This button, located inside the Focus Mode Selector switch, may be confusing at first to those who have not previously seen or used it on the Nikon D7000 or D600, though you should quickly find that it is a convenient design. It is used to select the Focus Mode as well as the autofocus AF-Area Mode. Press this button and turn the rear Main Command Dial to select the Focus Mode, such as AF-A or AF-C, while viewing the setting on the top Control Panel or in the Viewfinder. Press this button and turn the front Sub-Command Dial to set the AF-Area Mode, such as Single-Point AF or 39-Point Dynamic-Area AF. Again, you can view the selected setting on the top Control Panel or in the Viewfinder. The autofocus system including the Focus Modes and AF-Area Modes will be explained below.

Next you will need to set up some of the autofocus Custom Settings to begin to customize how the AF system functions for your needs (Some of these options may not be available with the D5200):

AF-C priority selection – This setting determines if attaining focus is top priority when you are in Continuous-servo AF (Auto-Focus) Mode (AF-C), or if you just want the shots to be taken even if exact focus is not attained for each shot. If exact focus is your priority, set on Focus. If getting the shots at all costs is the priority, set for Release.

AF-S priority selection – This is similar to above, except that this setting is for when you are working in Single-servo AF Mode (AF-S), typically used when your subject is not moving. Since AF-S is typically used with subjects that are not moving, it makes more sense to make sure focus is attained, thus you should typically select Focus for this setting.

Focus tracking with lock-on – This setting determines how the autofocus system reacts to sudden, dramatic changes in the distance of the subject when you are working in AF-C or AF-A modes. Decide if you wish to have the camera quickly refocus on a new or closer subject (1-Short), wait awhile until it ideally picks up the intended subject again (5-Long), somewhere in between, or immediately refocus on a new subject at a large distance from the initial subject (Off). Keep this option in mind with the various AF-C and AF Area Mode configurations, as it may change depending on your subject and situation. Sometimes you don’t want the camera to quickly refocus on a closer or more distant subject, while other times you do.

AF point illumination – This is used to set whether or not the selected autofocus point (AF Point) is illuminated in the viewfinder. Since you pretty much always want to know where your camera is focusing, this should be set for On.

Focus point wrap-around – This determines if the AF Point selection will “wrap around” to the other side of the screen when you reach an edge. In other words, if you are selecting your AF Point (as you should be doing at almost all times) and you reach an AF Point on the far right, when you click right again, do you want to “wrap around” to a focus point on the far left, or do you wish to stop at the edge and not continue to the other side?

Number of focus points – This setting determines the number of autofocus points that are available for selection in your viewfinder. If you are always selecting your AF Point (as you typically should) you may find that it is quicker and easier, at least at first, to limit the number of AF Points to 11 – AF11. If you prefer to have all the AF Points available for your selection, set this at AF39 (or AF51 with the D7100). If you set to 11 AF points your selection will be limited to those 11 AF points, but the additional surrounding AF points will still be active to be used by the camera in the AF-Area Modes and in subject tracking, so the camera is still taking advantage of all the AF points of the autofocus system.

Built-in AF-assist illuminator – This is used to enable or disable the autofocus assist light. Turn this On to assist you in autofocusing in low light, but be sure to turn it Off if you are working in situations where it will be distracting, unwanted, or unnecessary.

and

Assign AE-L/AF-L button (f4 on the D600 and D7100) – This is to assign the function of the AE-L/AF-L Button. You may want to use this in conjunction with the Function or Fn Button and use one to lock exposure and the other to lock focus. In that case, you would typically set this to AF lock only to use this button to lock focus.

I go into much more detail about each these Custom Settings, how you may wish to set them up, and recommended settings in my e-book guides for all the current and previous cameras including Nikon D600 Experience, Nikon D7100 Experience, and Nikon D5200 Experience – but this should get you started.

Using Autofocus
Now on to using the AF system. (All of the information below is also adapted from my e-book user’s guides, so I hope you will have a look at them to learn more.)

One of the essential steps in taking a successful photo is controlling where the camera focuses. If you allow the camera to autofocus by choosing its own Focus Point(s), it typically focuses on the closest object or a person in the scene. This may or may not be what you want to focus on. So you should choose where the camera focuses using the autofocus Focus Points. But first you will need to select an appropriate Autofocus Mode and an Autofocus Area Mode, based on your subject and situation.

Autofocus Modes
The D7100, D7000, D600, and D5200 each have three different Autofocus Modes to choose from, typically depending if your subject is still or moving. They also have four different Autofocus Area Modes (see below) to specify how many of the AF points are active and how they track a moving object. You can set these two functions in various combinations. First the Autofocus Modes:

Continuous-Servo AF (AF-C)
Use this mode when your subject is moving. If the subject is moving towards you or away from you, the camera will keep evaluating the focus distance, as long as the Shutter Button is kept half-pressed. You will need to use this in conjunction with the Autofocus Area Modes to determine if and how the camera tracks the subject laterally to the surrounding AF points, or if it will only track the subject if it remains at the initially selected AF point. If the subject is going to be difficult to follow or is moving across your field of view, set the AF-Area Mode to one of the Dynamic-Area AF modes or to the 3D-Tracking mode. Focus on the moving subject with the selected point if using Single-Point, one of the Dynamic Area Modes, or 3D-Tracking, or let the camera select the AF point in Auto-Area AF, and then as long as the Shutter Button remains half-pressed the camera will track the subject as it moves closer or farther in distance. Depending which AF Area Mode you are using, the camera may also maintain focus or track the subject to some or all of the surrounding focus points if it moves away from the initially selected point. More about this in the Autofocus Area Modes section just below.

Nikon D600 autofocus 39 point af system use learn tutorial how to auto focus mode area
The arrangement and position of the 39 AF points of the Nikon D600, shown with the optional viewfinder grid display.

Manual Focus
Sometimes you may be taking several photos of the same subject from the same distance, or for some other reason want to keep the same focus distance and not have to keep re-focusing and re-composing. Or you may be taking multiple photos for a panorama. In these situations, turn off the auto-focus on your lens by switching from AF to M with the camera’s Focus Mode Selector switch and with the A/M switch on the lens itself. Just remember to switch them back when you are finished. You may also wish to do this if you want to precisely manually focus with the focus ring on your lens. For lenses with “full time manual focus” however, you don’t need to switch to M in order to manually override the autofocus with the lens focus ring. These lenses will have M/A and M on the lens focus mode switch instead of A and M.

Autofocus Area Modes
The Autofocus Area Modes are used to set if just a single AF point is active or else how many AF points surrounding your selected AF point will be used to maintain focus or to track a moving subject if you are using AF-C or AF-A Autofocus Modes.

Single-Point AF
Only one AF point will be active, and surrounding AF points will not become active to maintain focus or to track a subject that moves away from the one selected point. This is typically used along with Single-Servo AF (AF-S) to focus on a stationary or still subject, or in a situation where you will be reframing the shot after you lock focus at a specific distance. It can also be used with accuracy with AF-S mode for moving subjects if you take the photo quickly or if you recompose and take the shot quickly after locking in focus, especially if the camera-to-subject distance does not change at all or very much in that period between locking focus and taking the photo. Use the Multi Selector to choose your active AF point as you look through the viewfinder and use the OK Button to quickly select the center AF point. Also, remember that Custom Setting a6 allowed you to choose between having all 39 AF points available or to limit the camera to 11 AF points. If you are just starting out with manually selecting a single Focus Point, you may wish to limit them to 11 now, and when you get the hang of it or when you are using one of the other AF Area Modes described below, increase it to 39 to take full advantage of all the AF points of the D7000 autofocus system. If you choose Single-Point AF with Continuous-Servo AF (AF-C) or Auto-Servo AF (AF-A) for tracking moving subjects, it will only track the subject as long as it is positioned at the selected AF point, and it will not be tracked laterally to the other, surrounding points. In other words, the single AF point you select will track a subject if it moves closer or farther away, but the AF system will not follow or track the subject if it moves left, right, up, or down and away from your selected AF point. To do this, you use Dynamic-Area AF Mode or 3D-Tracking.

Dynamic-Area AF
With the Dynamic-Area AF Modes, you select an AF point to tell the camera where to autofocus, and if your subject briefly moves away from that point to a neighboring point or if you lose the subject from your AF point while panning, the camera will use the surrounding AF points to help maintain focus on it. Select one of the Dynamic-Area AF options (below) when you are photographing moving or potentially moving subjects using Continuous-Servo AF (AF-C) or Auto-Servo AF (AF-A). These modes are ideal for a subject moving closer or further from the camera but which may also move laterally away from the selected AF point faster than you can react in order to keep it located at that point, or for when you are panning and following the subject and attempting to keep it located at the selected AF point, but may have a little or a lot of difficulty doing so. Remember that you need to keep the Shutter Button half-pressed in order for the continuous focusing at the initial point or the surrounding points to occur. Note that the camera may pick up and start tracking a new subject that falls under the selected AF point if you lose your initial subject, in part determined by your setting for Custom Setting a3.

9-Point Dynamic-Area AF will use the immediate surrounding AF points to help maintain focus on a subject that briefly leaves the selected AF point. This can be used with predictably moving subjects, like a runner or vehicle moving towards you or one that you can easily follow laterally by panning.

21-Point Dynamic-Area AF will use even more of the surrounding AF Points, more than half the total AF Points, to help maintain focus on a subject that briefly leaves the selected AF point. This should be used for more unpredictably moving objects, like sports players on a field, which may quickly move further away from your selected AF point before you have a chance to realign that point over the subject.

39-Point Dynamic-Area AF (or 51-Point Dynamic-Area AF with the D7100) will use all of the 39 AF points (or 51 points) to help maintain focus on a subject that briefly leaves the selected AF point. It can be used for very quick and unpredictably moving subjects, like pets, birds or other wildlife, and all 39 AF points will be used to maintain focus on the subject as you attempt to realign the selected AF point with the subject.

The Dynamic-Area AF Modes are not used to track and maintain focus on a subject that is moving across the various AF points in the frame, but rather are used to stay focused on a moving subject that you attempt to keep located at your selected AF Point. To track a subject that is moving across the frame, intentionally passing from one AF point to the next, use 3D-Tracking.

Nikon D5200 autofocus af system viewfinder 39 point how to use learn manual guide book instruction dummies tutorial area mode dynamic
A simulated image of the Nikon D5200 viewfinder, showing the autofocus focus points active with 9-Point Dynamic Area AF area mode, when the center AF point is selected. (Image shown at 50% opacity to better view AF points.)

Auto-Area AF
The camera uses all 39 AF points to detect what it thinks is the subject and automatically choose the appropriate AF point(s). Typically, the camera will select the nearest subject or a human in the frame, so it may not focus on exactly what you wish to focus on. That is why it is best to use one of the other modes and select the AF point yourself.

Group Area AF
The Nikon D810 and D4s include the Group Area AF autofocus area mode, which makes use of a group of 5 AF Points arranged in a cross-shaped pattern. And instead of selecting a primary point with the surrounding points being “helper points,” you will actually be selecting the group of five points, which will all be used to attempt to focus on the subject. Unlike the other AF Area Modes with multiple points, the Viewfinder will actually display the four outer points of the group, but for some reason not the central point – perhaps so that you can better view the subject.

Keep in mind that with the other somewhat similar Dynamic Area AF modes, you choose a primary point and attempt to keep the subject located at that point, and the surrounding points act as “helper” points if the subject happens to move away from the primary point. But with Group Area AF you select the entire group of AF Points, and they all work equally to focus on the subject. This mode can be used similar to Single Point AF but when it might be challenging to locate the subject under an individual point. When working in AF-S Focus Mode and using Group Area AF, the selected AF points will give priority to faces if they are present, otherwise they will focus on the closest subject.

The next step is to learn to lock focus independent of locking exposure, and customize the camera’s controls to perform these functions how you wish. But you are going to have to have a look at my e-book guides Nikon D7100 Experience, Nikon D7000 Experience, Nikon D600 Experience and Nikon D5200 Experience to learn about this and many other important functions of your sophisticated Nikon D600, D5200, or D7000!

To learn about another important reason why you need to take control of your autofocus system, see the related post:

Don’t Let the Locations of the AF Points Dictate Your Composition

What do you do when, with your desired framing, your subject is not located exactly under or near an AF point? Even with all the AF points of an advanced Nikon D7000 and D600, this will often be an issue. Have a look at the above post to learn why this is an issue and how to resolve it.

Still need to purchase your D7100, D7000, D5200 or D600. Please use my links to have a look at them on Amazon:

Nikon D7100 24.1 megapixel DX format dSLR camera

Nikon D7000 16.2 megapixel DX format dSLR camera

Nikon D600 24.3 megapixel full-frame FX format dSLR camera

Nikon D5200 24.2 megapixel DX format dSLR camera

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Ten Tips and Tricks for the Nikon D5100 / D5200

edit 3012-05-07: While this post was originally written for the Nikon D5100, all of these tips also apply to the D5200. So while I work on an updated Nikon D5200 Tips and Tricks post, start out by making use of these tips. And of course, they all still apply to the D5100.

nikon d5100 autofocus af system use learn tips tricks how to
Detail of the Nikon D5100

nikon d5200 autofocus af system use learn tips tricks how to dummies guide manual instruction tips tricks
Detail of the Nikon D5200

I’ve spent quite a bit of time with the Nikon D5100 as I researched and wrote my eBook user’s guide Nikon D5100 Experience (and now Nikon D5200 Experience also!), and here are some of the handy “tips and tricks” I’ve learned that may prove useful for you as you set up and use your D5100. This camera has many features, Menu settings and Custom Settings you can use to make it operate how you want it to and to match your needs and shooting style, so it is worth-while to learn them and/ or to set them up according to your preferences. For example, in no particular order:

1. Change the Flash Mode and Flash Exposure Compensation Quickly: You can quickly set your desired Flash Mode and then adjust the amount of Flash Exposure Compensation with the press of a button or two and the Command Dial. Press the Flash Mode Button to raise the flash in P, A, S, or M mode, then press and hold it and turn the Command Dial to change the Flash Mode (Fill Flash, Red-Eye Reduction, Rear-Curtain Sync, etc.). Press the Flash Mode Button (also the Flash Compensation Button) and the Exposure Compensation Button and turn the Command Dial, and you can quickly change the Flash Compensation as you view it on the Information Display Screen.

Nikon D5100 tips tricks book guide manual instruction user guide for dummies experience
Top of the Nikon D5100 with flash settings controls

2. Assign the Function (Fn) Button: You can use Custom Setting f2 to assign a different function to the Function (Fn) Button than the default Self-Timer setting. Figure out which setting you change most often or need handy at your fingertips. Some that I think are most useful are ISO Sensitivity, White Balance, or Auto Bracketing. You can also assign it to +RAW so that if you are shooting in JPEG but have a great image you want an NEF(RAW) copy of also, press the Fn Button first then take the photo, and you will save a copy of the image in both formats.

3. Adjust the Auto Off Timers: Use Custom Setting c2 to set how long the various displays stay visible on the rear LCD Monitor. Though it may be convenient for them to stay on a long while, that will drain your battery more quickly. But if they turn off too soon, it is annoying and could affect your shooting in a demanding situation. So find a happy compromise. You can set them all to stay on for a reasonable length by setting for NORM, or you can adjust them individually. My preference is Playback/ menus 20s or 1min; Image review 4s or 8s; Live View 3 min or 5 min; Auto meter-off 20s or 1 min. The first person to leave a comment on this post correctly telling the difference between Playback and Image Review will get a FREE copy of my latest eBook user’s guide for the Nikon D5100 called Nikon D5100 Experience! See later in this post for more info on this user’s guide – the only guide currently available for the Nikon D5100!

Custom Setting c2 – Auto-off timers

4. See if You Have Over-Exposed Your Highlights: You have to tell the camera which playback views you would like the option of seeing when you look at your images on the rear LCD Monitor, and thus be able to view your histograms and over-exposed highlights. In the Playback Menu under Playback Display Options, check the ones you want to be able to view. Two of the most important ones are Highlights and Overview. These two will let you know if you’ve blown-out (over-exposed) your highlights. The Highlights view will do this by having those areas of your image blink. The Overview view will show you by displaying the histogram, which will show you if your highlights or shadows have run off the graph, indicating that those areas of the image contain no detail in the highlights or shadows other than pure white or pure black.

Overview playback view showing the histogram – (note you should set your JPEGs for FINE not NORMAL as I realized the camera default is set at)

5. Set a Precise Fluorescent White Balance: When you change the White Balance (WB) setting using the i Button and Information Display Screen, you can choose from several white balance options including Fluorescent White Balance. However, there are several types of fluorescent light bulbs ranging in temperature from perhaps 3,000K to 6,5000K. To tell the camera which one to adjust for, you have to go behind the scenes to the WB options in the Shooting Menu. There you can set which fluorescent option to use, such as Warm-white or Cool-white. You can also access this menu item to set your own custom Preset White Balance using a couple different methods.

6. Put Your Most Used Settings in My Menu: Instead of digging into the menus and Custom Settings all the time to find your most used settings, such as the White Balance settings just described, you can create your own custom menu called My Menu, which is then quickly and easily accessed with the Menu Button. You can even decide what order to list the items in. Some possible items to add could be perhaps auto bracketing or HDR if you often make use of those.

Brief Commercial Interruption: How did I learn all these useful and convenient settings? I just completed an eBook user’s guide for the Nikon D5100 called Nikon D5100 Experience. (and now Nikon D5200 Experience also). Following in the footsteps of my bestselling Nikon D7000 Experience, these guides cover all the Menus, Custom Settings, functions and controls of the Nikon D5100 and D5200, focusing modes, exposure modes, shooting modes, white balance, etc., PLUS when and why you want to use them when shooting. As one reader has said of my previous D7000 guide, “This book, together with the manual, is all you need to start discovering all the camera’s potential.” It will help you to take control of your camera and the images you create! Learn more about the features and settings discussed in the tips and tricks here and much more. To read more about them, preview them, and purchase, see my Full Stop bookstore website here!

Nikon D5100 Experience eBook user’s guide

7. Lock Your Focus and/ or Your Exposure Settings Before Recomposing Your Shot: When you press and hold the Shutter-Release Button, the focus distance is locked (or you start tracking the subject in AF-C and AF-A modes), but the exposure is determined when the photo is taken. You can customize how this button and the AE-L/AF-L button function so that you can do back-button focusing, lock the exposure, swap the function of the two buttons, or several other options dealing with focus and exposure.

8. Create Images with More Impact Without Photoshop, Using Picture Controls: If you are not going to be processing all your images in Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, etc, you can set or create a Picture Control so that your JPEG images (and videos) have the look you want. Boost the contrast and saturation, or sharpen them a bit. You can even shoot in black and white or sepia (though it is best to shoot in color and capture an image with all the original information first). You can save your custom Picture Controls, create your own with the included software, or find ones online then load them on your camera. Some available online include Picture Controls that mimic the look of roll films such as Kodachrome or Velvia. But be careful with setting or adjusting Picture Controls if shooting in RAW. Find out why in my user’s guide!

Adjusting the Picture Control settings

9. Set the ISO Sensitivity Control to Help you out in Difficult Situations: Of course you can adjust the ISO setting on the fly, but you can also set up the camera to automatically adjust some settings if you are in a situation where the lighting changes and the camera determines you will not be able to get the shot without some adjustments to the ISO and/ or shutter speed. You can set this in the Shooting Menu under ISO Sensitivity Settings, where you can turn this option on, then tell the camera the maximum ISO and minimum shutter speed to use in these situations. I suggest you set the ISO no higher than 3200 or 6400 if you are willing to accept some noise, and the minimum shutter speed for around 1/30, which you can still hand-hold if careful. However, if you are carefully metering and adjusting your settings and you don’t like the camera making these types of settings changes without your expressed permission, be sure to turn this setting off.

Setting the ISO Sensitivity Settings

10. Have the Camera Assist You with Manual Focusing: Although digital SLR cameras are designed to be used with their sophisticated autofocus systems, some users prefer to manually focus or are using older manual focus lenses. And situations such as close up and macro photography sometimes require precise manual focusing. If you are going to be turning off the autofocus on your camera and lens, you can have the camera assist you in focusing with the Rangefinder. The camera uses the exposure indicator in the viewfinder to tell you if you are focusing in front of or behind your subject, or if you are in focus.

There are numerous other cool settings you can take advantage of with your D5100 or D5200, including things like Auto Bracketing for Exposure, in-camera HDR, reversing the direction of your Command Dial or exposure indicator, changing the format and color of your Information Display, adjusting your file sizes and types to maximize your maximum continuous burst rate, and determining your best settings for video shooting. All of these and more are discussed in my e-book user’s guides, Nikon D5100 Experience and Nikon D5200 Experience, both available now. Learn more about the books, preview them, and purchase at my Full Stop website here. Learn to take control of your camera and the images you create!

I put together a video and a more in-depth article to introduce and further explain the D5100 autofocus system:

For more detailed information read the article Taking Advantage of the Nikon D5100 Autofocus System.

Still haven’t purchased your Nikon D5100, or need a better lens? Check them out on Amazon below. I appreciate it if you use these referral links to make your purchase – Amazon will give me a small referral bonus which helps support this blog! Or use the other camera store links on the left side of this page. Thanks!

See and buy the Nikon D5100 with 18-55mm Lens on Amazon

See and buy the Nikon D5100 – Body Only on Amazon

Look for a new Nikon Lens on Amazon – I suggest considering the high quality, versatile, all-purpose
Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

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Nikon D5100 Experience e-book user’s guide Now Available!

Nikon D5100 User’s Guide

My latest eBook user’s guide, Nikon D5100 Experience – The Still Photographer’s Guide to Operation and Image Creation with the Nikon D5100, is available for purchase! This guide will not only help you to learn the functions, controls, and custom settings of the D5100, but also when and why to use them. As one reader has said of the Nikon Experience guides, “This book, together with the manual, is all you need to start discovering the camera’s full potential.”

Go beyond the Nikon D5100 manual and take control of your camera, the image taking process, and the photos you create.

Learn more about it, view a preview, and purchase it on my Full Stop ebook website:

http://www.dojoklo.com/Full_Stop/Nikon_D5100_Experience.htm

Go Beyond the Nikon D5100 Manual with this D5100 e Book User’s Guide

Nikon D5100 User’s Guide

My latest e-book, a user’s guide for the Nikon D5100 digital SLR, is called Nikon D5100 Experience – The Still Photographer’s Guide to Operation and Image Creation. This guide goes beyond the manuals to help you set up and learn the camera, plus more importantly when and why to use the various controls, features, and custom settings when photographing. As one reader has commented about my previous Nikon D7000 guide, “This book, together with the manual, is all you need to start discovering the camera’s full potential.”

This instant download Nikon D5100 e book is for those who wish to get more out of their camera and to go beyond Auto and Program modes and shoot in A mode and S mode. To get you started, it includes explanations and recommended settings for all Playback, Shooting, and Setup Menus, Custom Settings, and Movie Mode settings of the D5100. It covers basic dSLR camera functions and exposure concepts for those new to digital SLR photography, and explains more advanced camera controls and operation, such as using the various metering modes and exposure compensation for correct exposure of every image, controlling autofocus modes and focus points for sharp focus of still or moving subjects, and utilizing dramatic depth of field for professional looking photographs. This guide builds on the information provided in the manuals and explains essential settings and information to help you get out there shooting in the real world.

You can preview Nikon D5100 Experience at the following link. The preview shows the Table of Contents and Introduction, a sample D5100 Menu Settings page, a sample Custom Settings page, and a sample text page.

http://www.dojoklo.com/writing/Nikon-D5100-Experience-Preview.pdf

Nikon D5100 Experience not only covers the various settings, functions and controls of the Nikon D5100, but it also explains when and why to use them for your photography. The guide focuses on still-photography with a brief introduction to the movie menus and settings to get you up and running with video. Sections include:

Setting Up Your D5100 – All of the D5100 Custom Settings and Playback, Shooting, and Setup Menus, with brief descriptions and recommended settings for practical, everyday use. Set up and customize the advanced features of your dSLR to work best for the way you photograph.
Aperture Priority Mode (A) and Shutter Priority Mode (S) – How and when to use them to create dramatic depth of field or to freeze or express motion.
Auto Focusing Modes and Area Modes and Release (Drive) Modes – How they differ, how and when to use them to capture sharp images of both still and moving subjects. Also how and when to use focus lock.
Exposure Metering Modes of the Nikon D5100 – How they differ, how and when to use them for correct exposures in every situation. Also how to make use of exposure lock.
Histograms, Exposure Compensation, Bracketing, and White Balance – Understanding and using these features for adjusting to the proper exposure in challenging lighting situations, and setting custom white balance.
Composition – Brief tips, techniques, and explanations, including the creative use of depth of field.
The Image Taking Process – A descriptive tutorial for using the settings and controls you just learned to take photos.
Photography Accessories – The most useful accessories for day-to-day and travel photography including accessories specific to the D5100.
Introduction to Video Settings – Some basic settings to get you started

This digital guide to the Nikon D5100 is a 70 page, illustrated PDF document that expands upon the information found in the D5100 manuals, to help one begin to master their dSLR and learn to use the Nikon D5100 to its full capabilities! It is packed with helpful information applicable to the new and intermediate dSLR photographer – to begin to turn you into an advanced digital photographer!

Author: Douglas Klostermann
Format: PDF – Instant Download – read on your computer, print on your printer, transfer to your iPad, Android, or other tablet, transfer to your Kindle, Nook or other e-reader.
Page Count: 70 pages, illustrated
Price: $10.99
(plus 6.25% sales tax for residents of Massachusetts)
Secure payment with PayPal or Credit card

This PDF version is 8.5″x11″ and can be read on your computer, printed, or loaded to your tablet, e-reader, or iPad or iPhone following these instructions on the FAQ page

Other versions of Nikon D5100 Experience e-book:

The Kindle edition is available on Amazon.com
The Nook edition is available on BarnesandNoble.com
The iPad and iPhone version is available through Apple’s iTunes or through the iBooks App on your mobile device.

What Readers are Saying about Nikon D5100 Experience:

I read it from front to back in one sitting, playing with the camera as I went along, and I found it covered all the major things I was having trouble with. It left me much more confident about focusing and exposure issues particularly. If you are new to DSLRs or want to bypass hours of hunting through manuals, this is great. There are many sensible real-world suggestions for configuring the camera that are very helpful, the author writes clearly and concisely, and his approach is accessible and friendly. If you’re having trouble getting going with your new camera, I think this is well worth it.
–Jay M.

Great manual! This book made it much easier to operate my new Nikon D5100. It basically expands on the manual that comes with the camera and tells you what each setting is and what you should set it at. It also gave me some great pointers on Aperture priority mode, Shutter and ISO. Highly recommended!
-GK

From beginners to experienced users: This guide is very useful for beginners to experienced users. When you buy this kind of camera you want to understand the best ways to freeze moments which is exactly explained in this book. This book is written in a human way by an experienced photographer who gives you the tips you need to create a beautiful picture – how to prepare your camera, create shortcuts, or activate such options to make you efficient in the field. I would recommend this e-book to every new Nikon D5100 buyer!
-Oliver

What Readers are Saying about Doug’s previous guide, Nikon D7000 Experience:

This book, together with the manual that came with your camera, is all you need to start discovering the full potential of the D7000.
-Max M.

It’s the first guide I’ve read which has taken me through all the settings in an understandable way. I now feel that I have control over the camera.
-Peter S.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get a quick start to using the D7000. Manuals are nice, but this eBook highlights the important information and gives a quick easy to understand explanation of most all of the functions and controls.
-Ray M.

I found the Nikon manual good for understanding how to set things up but not much on the why – this book really focuses on the “why.” I would like to thank you for saving me time – now I’m confident that my camera is well tuned!
-Benoit A.

This manual is a clearly written, concise and useful explanation of the rationale for the seemingly infinite and often confusing settings options for the D7000. Used in conjunction with the Nikon manual I feel a bit more confident in understanding how to at last proceed in getting better photographs.
-WLS

It’s clear, concise and gets to the heart of the camera’s multiple and often confusing options. Very highly recommended – for experienced user and beginner alike. As previous reviewers have remarked, the official manual is very good on what to do, but not so clear on why.
-GSA

Learn to use your D5100, quickly and competently, to create the types of images you want to capture. The Nikon D5100 is a sophisticated and customizable tool, and this guide explains how to start to use it to its full capability. It will help you begin to take control of your camera, the image taking process, and the photos you create.

See and buy the Nikon D5100 with 18-55mm Lens on Amazon $899

See and buy the Nikon D5100 – Body Only on Amazon $799

Any other purchase on Amazon.com (use this link or any of my Amazon links to help support this blog. Thanks!)

I have also created a video introduction to the D5100 autofocus system:

Nikon D5100 Unboxed – Hands On

The Nikon D5100 has arrived!
Nikon D5100 dslr camera photo dummies preview review book how to user guide unbox box manual compare vs
Photo by author – copyright 2011 – please do not use without permission!

I’ll be putting together a user’s guide ebook for the D5100, Nikon D5100 Experience, following in the tradition of my popular and well received Nikon D7000 Experience ebook. See here to learn more about the new book, and be sure to check back in the upcoming weeks to see when it will become available!

The Nikon D5100 Reference Manual is available online here. My Nikon D5100 Experience user’s guide builds upon the information found in the manual to help you learn the features, settings, and controls of your camera, plus when and why to use them in your photography!

I wrote a post comparing the new D5100 with the D7000, D90, and D3100, which can hopefully help you decide which model is the right dSLR for you. Below are some brief hands on notes from the first couple days of use. I leave the image quality reviews to the pixel-peepers, or better yet DPReview and dxomark.

Nikon D5100 Hands on Experience: The camera body of the D5100 fits nicely in the hand, and is a little bit taller than the D3100, so the pinky doesn’t fall off the grip quite as easily. The rubber gripping surface and rubber thumb spot work nicely, and help retain the grip on the body, even when holding it at your side or carrying it around without a strap, and the light weight of the camera also adds to this ease of portability. Those who prefer the ergonomics of a larger, more solid feeling camera body will have to look at the D90 or D7000. The Live View switch, placed on the top of the camera at the mode dial, feels and sounds a little plasticy, but works find, and the record button for movies is conveniently placed on the top of the camera, near the shutter button. The FN button, on the front near the lens mount, can be customized to adjust one of a number of settings quickly, like image quality, white balance, HDR, or +RAW (to take a RAW file in addition to a JPEG if set on just JPEG). I prefer to make it an ISO button. The side mounted rear LCD screen is a definite improvement over the bottom mounted, limited screen of the D5000, and rugged and durable. The view through the viewfinder is a bit tiny and cramped, as is typically the case in this level of dSLR. Changing settings is quick and easy with the “i” button and rear LCD screen. Overall, the body, feel, controls, and LCD screen of the D5100 make for a great image taking experience.

See and buy the Nikon D5100 with 18-55mm Lens on Amazon $899

See and buy the Nikon D5100 – Body Only on Amazon $799

First images from the D5100, unedited:
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Celebrate “Read an E-Book Week”

To celebrate “Read an E-Book Week” (March 6-12) as well as the release of my newest eBook Canon T3i Experience, some of my previous e books are on sale, including Your World 60D for the Canon 60D and T2i Experience for the Canon T2i / 550D.

Just go to my Full Stop ebook bookstore, (www.dojoklo.com/Full_Stop/) where you can learn all about the eBooks.

Also available, the brand new Canon T3i Experience as well as Nikon D7000 Experience.

Learn how to set up and customize the menus, settings, and functions of your Canon T3i / 600D, Nikon D7000, Canon 60D, or Canon T2i / 550D. Then start to learn to use your powerful dSLR to its full potential so that you can improve your photography and consistently take better photos! Download your ebook instantly and start learning right away.

Canon Rebel T3i / EOS 600D e Book User’s Guide

Go beyond the Canon Rebel T3i / EOS 600D manual with my new book, now available!

T3i Experience – The Still Photographer’s Guide to Operation and Image Creation – an eBook user’s guide and tutorial for the Canon Rebel T3i / EOS 600D.

Learn to use your Rebel T3i / EOS 600D, quickly and competently, to create the types of images you want to capture. The T3i / 600D is an advanced tool, and this guide explains how to use it to its full potential. Take control of your camera, the image taking process, and the photos you create.

This instant download Canon T3i / 600D book is for those who wish to get more out of their camera and to go beyond Full Auto and Program modes and shoot in Av mode and Tv mode. To get you started, it includes explanations and recommended settings for all Menu settings, Movie Mode Menu settings, and Custom Function settings of the T3i/600D. It covers basic dSLR camera functions and exposure concepts for those new to digital SLR photography, and explains more advanced camera controls and operation, such as using the various metering modes and exposure compensation for correct exposure of every image, controlling autofocus modes and focus points for sharp focus of still or moving subjects, and utilizing dramatic depth of field for professional looking photographs.

You can preview T3i Experience at the following link. The preview shows the Table of Contents and Introduction, a sample T3i/600D Menu Settings page, a sample Custom Functions Settings page, and a sample text page.

http://www.dojoklo.com/writing/Canon_T3i_Experience-Preview.pdf

Canon T3i Experience not only covers the various settings, functions and controls of this digital SLR, but it also explains when and why to use them for your photography. And it describes every T3i / 600D Menu setting and Custom Function setting, with recommended settings to get you started quickly, including Movie Mode menu settings. Note that it focuses on still-photography and not video except for a brief introduction to video menus and settings to get you up and running. Sections include:

Setting Up Your Camera – All of the Menu settings and Custom Function settings for the T3i / 600D, including movie mode menus, with brief descriptions and recommended settings for practical, everyday use. Set up and customize the advanced features of this dSLR to work best for the way you photograph.
Aperture Priority Mode (Av) and Shutter Priority Mode (Tv) – How and when to use them to create dramatic depth of field or to freeze or express motion.
Auto Focusing Modes and Drive Modes – How they differ, how and when to use them to capture sharp images of both still and moving subjects. Also how and when to use focus lock and back-button focusing.
Exposure Metering Modes of the Canon T3i / 600D – How they differ, how and when to use them for correct exposures in every situation. Also how to make use of exposure lock.
Histograms, Exposure Compensation, Bracketing, and White Balance – Understanding and using these features for adjusting to the proper exposure in challenging lighting situations.
Composition – Brief tips, techniques, and explanations, including the creative use of depth of field.
The Image Taking Process – A descriptive tutorial for using the settings and controls you just learned to take photos.
Lenses – Explanation of Canon lenses and choosing your next lens.
Photography Accessories – The most useful accessories for day-to-day and travel photography including those specific to this camera, plus recommended photography books.
Introduction to Video Settings – Some basic settings to get you started.

This digital field guide to the Canon Rebel T3i / EOS 600D is a 60 page, illustrated PDF document that builds upon the information found in the Canon Rebel T3i / EOS 600D manual, and will help one begin to master their dSLR and learn to use it to its full capabilities!

Author: Douglas Klostermann
Format: PDF – Instant Download – can be read on your computer, printed on your printer, transferred to your iPad, Android or other tablet, Kindle, Nook, or other e-reader (see here for iPad/ iPhone transfer instructions).
Page Count: 60 pages, illustrated
Price: $9.99 – Available Now!
(plus 6.25% sales tax for residents of Massachusetts)
Secure payment with PayPal or Credit card

Other versions of Canon T3i Experience e-book available for purchase:

The Kindle version is available on Amazon.com
The Nook version is available at BarnesandNoble.com
The iPad and iPhone version is available through Apple’s iTunes or through the iBooks App.

What Readers are Saying about Doug’s Previous Guide, T2i Experience:

Best Guide to using a T2i – I don’t know how I could fully take advantage of all the features the T2i has to offer without this publication! It’s well-organized, easy to understand, and succinct enough to keep your attention while still containing a wealth of tips and tricks to get the most out of your camera. I’m very happy that I found this guide.
-Nathan K.

Essential Travel Companion – Alas, a comprehensive and concise guide for hobbyists who desire to enhance their photography experiences. I highly recommend this guide to anyone who wants to ease out of auto mode and learn how to take high-quality photos. It brilliantly explains how to apply advanced techniques and tips, walks you through the daunting task of menu settings, and smoothly guides you through the image-taking process. The instructions and brief explanations are easy to follow and well organized. The guide is a portable class on digital photography! A must-have if you want to learn how to use your camera to its fullest advantage.
-Elizabeth J.

A Fantastic Book For Beginning T2i Users – This book has exactly the no frills condensed practical advice on camera settings that I was looking for. The author has a gift for separating the wheat from the chaff. I didn’t have a clue how to operate a digital camera, let alone know the definition of the technical terms. After reading this book, I now understand all the critical functions of the Canon T2i and how to take advantage of them. This is a book I plan to keep handy for years to come.
-TP

What Readers are Saying about Doug’s other dSLR User’s Guides:

This book, together with the manual that came with your camera, is all you need to start discovering all the potential of this camera.
-Max M.

It’s the first guide I’ve read which has taken me through all the settings in an understandable way. I now feel that I have control over the camera.
-Peter S.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get a quick start to using their camera. Manuals are nice, but this eBook highlights the important information and gives a quick easy to understand explanation of most all of the functions and controls.
-Ray M.

I found the (camera’s) manual good for understanding how to set things up but not much on the why – this book really focuses on the “why.” Prior to reading the book I was setting up my metering on Spot Metering thinking it was much better than Matrix (Evaluative) – the guide helped me understand why to use specific settings for specific needs. The Custom Settings sections helps to make firm decisions on how to apply settings by understanding the usage of each in addition to knowing how to set them up. I would like to thank you for saving me time – now I’m confident that my camera is well tuned!
-Benoit A.

This manual is a clearly written, concise and useful explanation of the rationale for the seemingly infinite and often confusing settings options. Used in conjunction with the (camera’s) manual I feel a bit more confident in understanding how to at last proceed in getting better photographs.
–WLS