Nikon D5000 User manual

Je Revell
Snapshots to
Nikon D5000:
Great Shots
From

Nikon D5000: From Snapshots to Great Shots
Jeff Revell
Peachpit Press
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Berkeley, CA 94710
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Peachpit Press is a division of Pearson Education
Copyright © 2010 by Peachpit Press
All photography © Jeff Revell except where noted
Editor: Ted Waitt
Production Editor: Lisa Brazieal
Interior Design: Riezebos Holzbaur Design Group
Compositor: WolfsonDesign
Indexer: James Minkin
Cover Design: Aren Howell
Cover Image: Jeff Revell
Back Cover Author Photo: Scott Kelby
Notice of Rights
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electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission
of the publisher. For information on getting permission reprints and excerpts, contact permissions@
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The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis without warranty. While every precaution
has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability
to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or
indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products
described in it.
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All Nikon products are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nikon and/or Nikon Corporation.
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed
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ISBN-13 978- 0-321-65943-9
ISBN-10 0-321-65943-0
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed and bound in the United States of America

DEDICATION
For Buck & Sharon
Thanks for being the best parents anyone could ever ask for.
You’re the best!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
You might not know it, but this book is not the book I planned on writing a few short months ago. I was
all set to begin writing about a completely different camera model when Nikon announced the D5000.
After seeing all the great features built into the camera, I knew that I had to make this model the subject
of my next book. As always, the great folks at Peachpit Press were 100% onboard and helped me move
my focus towards writing this book. With the help and guidance of my editor, Ted Waitt, I have been able
to take the thoughts and concepts about this camera and its relationship to the photographic process
and wrap it all up in a neat little package. Of course, there are numerous dedicated folks at Peachpit that
have helped me along the way like production editor Lisa Brazieal, product marketing manager Sara Jane
Todd, director of marketing Scott Cowlin, publisher Nancy Aldrich-Ruenzel, and oh so many others in the
Peachpit family who make writing these books a much easier task.
I would also like to thank my friend Rich Harrington for some great advice he gave me about a year ago.
I was hosting a photowalk that Rich was attending, and we were discussing my first book that I was
writing at the time (the first in the Snapshots to Great Shots series). Rich, who is a fantastic author, told
me, “Just write, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Just get the thoughts on paper, and let your publisher
worry about everything else.” It seems so simple, but he was 100% right. That little snippet of advice
has served me well more than once.
Speaking of friends, it’s always great to have a few around to help keep you grounded, and I have many
who have no problems with that. Kevin B., Cyrus B., Russ K., Don S., Mike M., Matt K., Scott K., Kathy S.,
Dave M. (Hey you!), Rafael C., Debbie C., Rick T., Ricky L. (Moo), Ken C., Dan K., Dawn H., Tom M.,
Vinny V., and Pete S. I know I have left out many, and I will feel awful for forgetting once this has gone
to press, but you all know that I cherish our friendship, whether your name is on this page or not.
Finally, I couldn’t complete an acknowledgment section without paying some homage to my wonderful
family. To my sons, Alex and Matt, who not only provide me with inspiration and a neverending supply
of photo opportunities, but also for their support and patience during my writing efforts. They are my
greatest accomplishment and a constant source of joy and pride in my life. With neverending gratitude
for all my brothers, sister, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, and all the support they give
me. And last but not least, to my wife, Suzanne, who has been the great love of my life for the past 17
years. She continues to be my greatest inspiration and my biggest supporter, and I could not function
without her.

Contents
INTRODUCTION X
CHAPTER 1: THE D5000 TOP TEN LIST 1
Ten Tips to Make Your Shooting More Productive
Right Out of the Box
Poring Over the Camera 2
Poring Over the Camera 4
1. Charge Your Battery 5
2. Adjust Your Auto Off Timer setting 6
3. Set Your JPEG Image Quality 7
4. Turn Off the Auto ISO Setting 9
5. Set Your Focus Point and Mode 11
6. Set the Correct White Balance 13
7. Set Your Color Space 15
8. Know How to Override Auto Focus 17
9. Review Your Shots 18
10. Hold Your Camera for Proper Shooting 23
Chapter 1 Assignments 25
CHAPTER 2: FIRST THINGS FIRST 27
A Few Things to Know and Do Before You Begin Taking Pictures
Poring Over the Picture 28
Poring Over the Picture 30
Choosing the Right Memory Card 32
Formatting Your Memory Card 32
Updating the D5000’s Firmware 34
Cleaning the Sensor 36
Using the Right Format: RAW vs. JPEG 37
Lenses and Focal Lengths 40
What is Exposure? 46
Motion and Depth of Field 49
Video and the D5000 51
Chapter 2 Assignments 57
CONTENTS v

CHAPTER 3: THE AUTO MODES 59
Get Shooting with the Automatic Camera Modes
Poring Over the Picture 60
Poring Over the Picture 62
Auto Mode 64
Portrait Mode 65
Landscape Mode 66
Close-up Mode 67
Sports Mode 69
Night Portrait Mode 70
Child Mode 71
Flash Off Mode 72
Scene Modes 73
Why You May Never Want to Use the Auto Modes Again 78
Chapter 3 Assignments 80
CHAPTER 4: THE PROFESSIONAL MODES 83
Taking Your Photography to the Next Level
Poring Over the Picture 84
Poring Over the Picture 86
P: Program Mode 88
S: Shutter Priority Mode 91
A: Aperture Priority Mode 95
M: Manual Mode 100
How I Shoot: A Closer Look at the Camera Settings I Use 103
Chapter 4 Assignments 107
CHAPTER 5: MOVING TARGET 111
The Tricks to Shooting Sports and More
Poring Over the Picture 112
Poring Over the Picture 114
Stop Right There! 116
Using Shutter Priority (S) Mode to Stop Motion 119
Using Aperture Priority (A) Mode to Isolate Your Subject 122
The ISO Sensitivity Auto Control Trick 123
Keep Them in Focus with Continuous-Servo Focus
and AF Focus Point Selection 125
Stop and Go with 3D-Tracking AF 127
vi NIKON D5000: FROM SNAPSHOTS TO GREAT SHOTS

Manual Focus for Anticipated Action 128
Keeping Up with the Continuous Shooting Mode 130
A Sense of Motion 132
Tips for Shooting Action 135
Chapter 5 Assignments 138
CHAPTER 6: SAY CHEESE! 141
Settings and Features to Make Great Portraits
Poring Over the Picture 142
Poring Over the Picture 144
Automatic Portrait Mode 146
Using Aperture Priority Mode 146
Metering Modes for Portraits 150
Using the AE-L (Auto Exposure Lock) Feature 151
Focusing: The Eyes Have It 152
Classic Black and White Portraits 154
The Portrait Picture Control for Better Skin Tones 157
Detect Faces with Live View 159
Use Fill Flash for Reducing Shadows 160
Portraits on the Move 163
Tips for Shooting Better Portraits 165
Chapter 6 Assignments 173
CHAPTER 7: LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY 175
Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Get the Most Out of Your
Landscape Photography
Poring Over the Picture 176
Poring Over the Picture 178
Sharp and in Focus: Using Tripods 180
Selecting the Proper ISO 182
Using Noise Reduction 184
Selecting a White Balance 185
Using the Landscape Picture Control 188
Taming Bright Skies with Exposure Compensation 190
Shooting Beautiful Black and White Landscapes 192
The Golden Light 194
Where to Focus 196
Easier Focusing 198
CONTENTS vii

Making Water Fluid 200
Directing the Viewer: A Word About Composition 203
Advanced Techniques to Explore 208
Chapter 7 Assignments 216
CHAPTER 8: MOOD LIGHTING 219
Shooting When the Lights Get Low
Poring Over the Picture 220
Poring Over the Picture 222
Raising the ISO: The Simple Solution 224
Using Very High ISOs 226
Stabilizing the Situation 227
Focusing in Low Light 229
Shooting Long Exposures 232
Using the Built-In Flash 233
Compensating for the Flash Exposure 237
Reducing Red-Eye 238
Rear Curtain Sync 240
Flash and Glass 244
A Few Words about External Flash 244
Chapter 8 Assignments 245
CHAPTER 9: CREATIVE COMPOSITIONS 249
Improve Your Pictures with Sound Compositional Elements
Depth of Field 254
Angles 256
Point of View 257
Patterns 259
Color 259
Contrast 261
Leading Lines 262
Splitting the Frame 264
Frames within Frames 264
Chapter 9 Assignments 266
viii NIKON D5000: FROM SNAPSHOTS TO GREAT SHOTS

CHAPTER 10: ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 269
Impress Your Family and Friends
Poring Over the Picture 270
Poring Over the Picture 272
Spot Meter for More Exposure Control 274
Manual Mode 277
Avoiding Lens Flare 279
Bracketing Exposures 280
Macro Photography 283
Active D-Lighting 284
The My Menu Setting 286
Conclusion 288
Chapter 10 Assignments 289
INDEX 292
CONTENTS ix

Introduction
Walk into any bookseller, go to the photography section, and you will see countless books on
the subject of photography. Look a little further and you will locate the camera-specific books.
It is this divide between the camera-specific and instructional photography books that inspired
me to write this book. What I was seeing in the store was a lot of books that were just sort
of missing the mark—especially when it came to using a specific brand and model of camera
along with actual photographic instruction. So with that, I set about to write this book on the
Nikon D5000, not as a rehash of the owner’s manual but as a resource to teach photography
with the wonderful technology present in the D5000. I have put together a short Q&A to help
you get a better understanding of just what it is that you can expect from this book.
Q: IS EVERY CAMERA FEATURE GOING TO BE COVERED?
A: Nope, just the ones I felt you need to know about in order to start taking great photos.
Believe it or not, you already own a great resource that covers every feature of your camera:
the owner’s manual. Writing a book that just repeats this information would have been a
waste of my time and your money. What I did want to write about was how to harness cer-
tain camera features to the benefit of your photography. As you read through the book, you
will also see callouts that point you to specific pages in your owner’s manual that are related
to the topic being discussed. For example, in Chapter 6 I discuss the use of the AE-L button
but there is more information available on this feature in the manual. I cover the function
that applies to our specific needs, but I also give you the page numbers in the manual to
explore this function even further.
Q: SO IF I ALREADY OWN THE MANUAL, WHY DO I NEED THIS BOOK?
A: The manual does a pretty good job of telling you how to use a feature or turn it on in the
menus, but it doesn’t necessarily tell you why and when you should use it. If you really want
to improve your photography, you need to know the whys and whens to put all of those great
camera features to use at the right time. To that extent, the manual just isn’t going to cut it.
It is, however, a great resource on the camera’s features, and it is for that reason that I treat it
like a companion to this book. You already own it, so why not get something of value from it?
Q: WHAT CAN I EXPECT TO LEARN FROM THIS BOOK?
A: Hopefully, you will learn how to take great photographs. My goal, and the reason the
book is laid out the way it is, is to guide you through the basics of photography as they relate
to different situations and scenarios. By using the features of your D5000 and this book, you
will learn about aperture, shutter speed, ISO, lens selection, depth of field, and many other
photographic concepts. You will also find plenty of large full-page photos that include cap-
tions, shooting data, and callouts so you can see how all of the photography fundamentals
come together to make great images. All the while, you will be learning how your camera
works and how to apply its functions and features to your photography.
x NIKON D5000: FROM SNAPSHOTS TO GREAT SHOTS

xi
Q: WHAT ARE THE ASSIGNMENTS ALL ABOUT?
A: At the end of most of the chapters, you will find shooting assignments, where I give
you some suggestions as to how you can apply the lessons of the chapter to help reinforce
everything you just learned. Let’s face it—using the camera is much more fun than reading
about it, so the assignments are a way of taking a little break after each chapter and hav-
ing some fun.
Q: SHOULD I READ THE BOOK STRAIGHT THROUGH OR CAN
I SKIP AROUND FROM CHAPTER TO CHAPTER?
A: Here’s the easy answer: yes and no. No, because the first four chapters give you the
basic information that you need to know about your camera. These are the building blocks
for using the camera. After that, yes, you can move around the book as you see fit because
those chapters are written to stand on their own as guides to specific types of photography
or shooting situations. So you can bounce from portraits to shooting landscapes and then
maybe to a little action photography. It’s all about your needs and how you want to address
them. Or, you can read it straight through. The choice is up to you.
Q: I DON’T SEE ANY CHAPTERS DEVOTED TO VIDEO. DO YOU COVER THAT?
A: I know that one of the reasons you probably bought the D5000 was its ability to capture
video. I have covered some basic video setup information in Chapter 2, but I really wanted
the focus of this book to center around the photographic capabilities and possibilities.
Don’t worry, though; read the next Q&A and I think you’ll be happy.
Q: IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD KNOW BEFORE GETTING STARTED?
A: In order to keep the book short and focused, I had to be pretty selective about what I
put in each chapter. The problem is that there is a little more information that might come
in handy after you’ve gone through all the chapters. So as an added value for you, I have
written two bonus chapters, called “Pimp My Ride” and “D5000 Video: Beyond the Basics.”
The first chapter is full of information on photo accessories that will assist you in making
better photographs. In it, you will find my recommendation for things like filters, tripods,
and much more. The second chapter will lead you through some video tips and techniques
to make your D5000 videos even better. To access the bonus chapters, just log in or join
peachpit.com (it’s free), then enter the book’s ISBN. After you register the book, a link to
the bonus chapters will be listed on your Account page under Registered Products.
Q: IS THAT IT?
A: One last thought before you dive into the first chapter. My goal in writing this book has
been to give you a resource that you can turn to for creating great photographs with your
Nikon D5000. Take some time to learn the basics and then put them to use. Photography,
like most things, takes time to master and requires practice. I have been a photographer for
25 years and I’m still learning. Always remember, it’s not the camera but the person using
it who makes beautiful photographs. Have fun, make mistakes, and then learn from them.
In no time, I’m sure you will transition from a person who takes snapshots to a photographer
who makes great shots.

1
ISO 100
1/60 sec.
f/16
24mm lens

The D5000
Top Ten List
TEN TIPS TO MAKE YOUR SHOOTING MORE
PRODUCTIVE RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX
Whenever I get a new camera, I am always anxious to jump right in and
start cranking off exposures. What I really should be doing is sitting down
with my instruction manual to learn how to use all of the camera features,
but what fun is that? After all, we all know that instruction manuals are
for propping up that short leg on the family room table, right?
Of course, this behavior always leads me to frustration in the end—there
are always issues that would have been easily addressed had I known
about them before I started shooting. Maybe if I had a Top Ten list of
things to know, I could be more productive without having to spend
countless hours with the manual. So this is where we begin.
The following list will get you up and running without suffering many
of the “gotchas” that come from not being at least somewhat familiar
with your new camera. So let’s take a look at the top ten things you
should know before you start taking pictures with your Nikon D5000.
1

2 NIKON D5000: FROM SNAPSHOTS TO GREAT SHOTS
PORING OVER THE CAMERA
CAMERA FRONT
Red-Eye Reduction Lamp
Infrared Receiver
Lens Mounting Mark
Microphone
Lens Release Button

CHAPTER 1: THE D5000 TOP TEN LIST 3
CAMERA BACK
AM
N
G
O
L
K
I
J
H
B
C
D
E
F
A Delete Button
B Image Playback
C Menu
D Thumbnail/Playback Zoom Out
E Image Magnify
F Information Edit
G LCD/Information Screen
H Speaker
I Memory Card Door
J OK Button
K Multi-Selector
L Live View
M Command Dial
N Mode Dial
O AutoExposure/AutoFocus Lock Button

4 NIKON D5000: FROM SNAPSHOTS TO GREAT SHOTS
PORING OVER THE CAMERA
CAMERA TOP
Info Button
Shutter Release
Mode Dial
Exposure
Compensation/
Aperture
Adjustment
Flash Hotshoe

CHAPTER 1: THE D5000 TOP TEN LIST 5
1. CHARGE YOUR BATTERY
I know that this will be one of the hardest things for you to do because you really
want to start shooting, but a little patience will pay off later.
When you first open your camera and slide the battery into the battery slot, you will
be pleased to find that there is probably juice in the battery and you can start shoot-
ing right away. What you should really be doing is getting out the battery charger
and giving that power-cell a full charge. Not only will this give you more time to
shoot, it will start the battery off on the right foot. No matter what claims the manu-
facturers make about battery life and charging memory, I always find I get better life
and performance when I charge my batteries fully and then use them right down to
the point where they have nothing left to give. To check your battery level, insert it
into the camera, turn on the camera, and look for the battery indicator in the top-
right section of the information screen (Figure 1.1).
KEEPING A BACKUP BATTERY
If I were to suggest just one accessory that you should buy for your camera, it would
probably be a second battery. Nothing is worse than being out in the field and having your
camera die. Keeping a fully charged battery in your bag will always give you the confidence
that you can keep on shooting without fail. Not only is this a great strategy to extend your
shooting time, it also helps to lengthen the life of your batteries by alternating between
them. No matter what the manufacturers say, batteries do have a life and using them half
as much will only lengthen their usefulness.
FIGURE 1.1
The LCD shows how
much charge is left
on your battery.

6 NIKON D5000: FROM SNAPSHOTS TO GREAT SHOTS
2. ADJUST YOUR AUTO OFF TIMER SETTING
One of the things that really bugged me when I first began shooting with the D5000
was the short duration that the playback and menu screens stayed on while I was
working with the camera. This can be very frustrating when you are trying to learn
about the camera and its features and you have to keep pressing the Menu or Info
button to bring the screen back to life. This is also the case when reviewing images
on the screen after taking a picture. I
don’t know about you, but four seconds
seems like a very short time when you are
trying to assess whether or not you got
your shot. The answer to this problem is
to increase the timer setting to a longer
duration. The D5000 has four different
settings for the auto-off function: short,
normal, long, and custom. To make things
easy, I set my camera to the long setting,
which gives 20 seconds for playback/
menus, 20 seconds for image review, and
one minute for auto-meter off. If you so
choose, you can use the Custom setting to
individually adjust each of these options.
SETTING THE AUTO OFF TIMERS
1. Press the Menu button and navigate
to the Custom Menu tab.
2. Select item c: Timers/AE lock and press
the OK button (A).
3. Select items c2: Auto off timers and
press OK again (B).
4. Highlight your choice of timer settings
(my preference is Long) and press OK
a final time to lock in your change (C).
■
A
B
C

CHAPTER 1: THE D5000 TOP TEN LIST 7
3. SET YOUR JPEG IMAGE QUALITY
Your new D5000 has a number of image quality settings to choose from, and depend-
ing on your needs, you can adjust them accordingly. Most people shoot with the JPEG
option because it allows them to capture a large number of photos on their memory
cards. The problem is that unless you understand what JPEG is, you might be degrad-
ing the quality of your images without realizing it.
The JPEG format has been around since about 1994 and stands for Joint Photographic
Experts Group. JPEG was developed by this group as a method of shrinking the size
of digital images down to a smaller size for the purpose of reducing large file sizes
while retaining the original image information. (Technically, JPEG isn’t even a file for-
mat—it’s a mathematical equation for reducing image file sizes—but to keep things
simple, we’ll just refer to it as a file format.) The problem with JPEG is that, in order
to reduce a file size, it has to throw away some of the information. This is referred
to as “lossy compression.” This is important to understand because, while you can fit
more images on your memory card by choosing a lower-quality JPEG setting, you will
also be reducing the quality of your image. This effect becomes more apparent as
you enlarge your pictures.
The JPEG file format also has one other characteristic: to apply the compression to
the image before final storage on your memory card, the camera has to apply all of
the image processing first. Image processing involves such factors as sharpening, color
adjustment, contrast adjustment, noise reduction, and so on. Many photographers
now prefer to use the RAW file format to get greater control over the image process-
ing. We will take a closer look at this in Chapter 2, but for now let’s just make sure
that we are using the best-quality JPEG possible.
The D5000 has nine different settings for the JPEG format. There are three settings
each for the Large, Medium, and Small image size settings. The three settings (Basic,
Normal, and Fine) represent more or less image compression based on your choice.
The Large, Medium, and Small settings determine the actual physical size of your
image in pixels. Let’s work with the highest-quality setting possible. After all, our
goal is to make big, beautiful photographs, so why start the process with a lower-
quality image?