Nikon D3S User manual

DIGITAL CAMERA
En
User's Manual
Printed in Japan
SB9J02(11)
6MB07411-02
No reproduction in any form of this manual, in whole or in part
(except for brief quotation in critical articles or reviews), may be
made without written authorization from NIKON CORPORATION.
En

Where to Find It
Find what you’re looking for from:
Help
Use the camera’s on-board help feature for help on menu items and other
topics. See page 25 for details.
Digitutor
Digitutor, a series of “watch and learn” manuals in movie form, is available
from the following website:
http://www.nikondigitutor.com/index_eng.html
iThe Table of Contents ➜0x–xvii
Find items by function or menu name.
iThe Q&A Index ➜0iv–ix
Know what you want to do but don’t know the function name?
Find
it from the “question and answer” index.
iThe Quick Start Guide ➜019–20
A brief guide for those who want to get started taking pictures right
away.
iThe Index ➜0425–430
Search by key word.
iError Messages ➜0403–407
If a warning is displayed in the viewfinder, monitor, or control panel,
find the solution here.
iTroubleshooting ➜0398–402
Camera behaving unexpectedly?
Find the solution here.
AFor Your Safety
Before using the camera for the first time, read the safety
instructions in “For Your Safety” (0xviii–xx).

i
Package Contents
Be sure all items listed here were included with your camera.
Memory cards are sold separately.
•Warranty
•User’s Manual (this guide)
•QuickGuide
• Software Installation Guide
• Software Suite CD-ROM
• Registration card
(U. S. A. only)
• D3S digital camera
(03)
• BF-1B body cap
(031, 375)
• BS-2 accessory shoe
cover ( 0 18, 186)
•EN-EL4arechargeable
Li-ion battery with
terminal cover
(026, 28)
•MH-22quickcharger
with power cable
and two contact
protectors
(026, 417)
•AN-DC5strap
(018)
• EG-D2 audio/video
cable (0269)
•UC-E4USBcable
(0254, 259)
• USB cable clip
(0255)

ii
Symbols and Conventions
To make it easier to find the information you need, the following
symbols and conventions are used:
Menu items, options, and messages displayed in the camera monitor
are shown in
bold .
ATrademark Information
Macintosh, Mac OS, and QuickTime are registered trademarks of Apple
Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft, Windows and
Windows Vista are either registered trademarks, or trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
CompactFlash is a trademark of SanDisk Corporation. HDMI, the HDMI
logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or
registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.
PictBridge is a trademark.
All other trade names mentioned in this manual or the other
documentation provided with your Nikon product are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders.
DThis icon marks cautions; information that should be read before
use to prevent damage to the camera.
AThis icon marks notes; information that should be read before
using the camera.
0This icon marks references to other pages in this manual.

iii
Introduction
Tutorial
Image Recording Options
Focus
Release Mode
ISO Sensitivity
Exposure
White Balance
Image Enhancement
Flash Photography
Other Shooting Options
Voice Memos
Connections
Menu Guide
Technical Notes
X
k
S
Z
r
J
l
t
e
Q
U
n
s
d
N
Q&A Index
Table of Contents
0iv
0x
01
021
077
089
0101
0109
0115
0149
0169
0185
0199
0245
0253
0273
0365
Framing Pictures in the Monitor (Live View)
x
Recording and Viewing Movies
y
053
065
More About Playback
I0221

iv
Find what you’re looking for using this “question and answer”
index.
❚❚ New Features
❚❚ Camera Setup
Q&A Index
Question Key phrase 0
How do I take pictures in 35mm format? Image area 78
How do I take high-quality NEF (RAW)
photos? 14-bit NEF (RAW) 85
Can I use the monitor as a viewfinder? Live view 53
How do I shoot movies? Movies 65
Can I shoot movies under low light? High-sensitivity movie
mode 72
How do I record photographs using two
memory cards? Slot 2 88
Can I control how photos are processed? Picture Controls 170
How do I preserve details in shadows
and highlights? Active D-Lighting 181
How do I focus on erratically moving
subjects? 3D-tracking 297
How do I tell if the camera is level? Virtual horizon 338
Can I adjust focus separately for
different lenses? AF fine tune 339
How do I remove dust from the low-pass
filter protecting the image sensor?
Cleaning the low-pass
filter 378
Question Key phrase 0
How do I keep the monitor from turning
off? Monitor off delay 306
How do I keep the shutter speed and
aperture displays from turning off? Auto meter off 45,
305

v
❚❚ Menus and Displays
How do I set the clock?
Time zone and date 34,
330
How do I set the clock for daylight
savings time?
How do I change time zones when I
travel?
How do I adjust monitor brightness for
menus or playback? LCD brightness 326
Can I reverse the exposure indicator? Reverse indicators 324
Can I display the menus in a different
language? Language 33,
331
Can I save menu settings for use on a
different D3S camera? Save/load settings 336
How do I restore default settings? Two-button reset 200
How do I restore shooting menu
defaults? Reset shooting menu 287
How do I restore Custom Setting
defaults? Reset custom settings 294
Question Key phrase 0
How do I get more information on a
menu? Help 25
How do I use the menus? Using the menus 22
Can I get quick access to frequently-used
settings? My Menu 359
Can I get quick access to recently-used
settings? Recent settings 363
What does this warning mean? Error messages and
displays 403
How much charge does the battery have
left? Battery level 43
Question Key phrase 0

vi
❚❚ Taking Photographs
How do I get more information about
the battery? Battery info 333
How do I keep the file number from
being reset when I insert a new memory
card? File number sequence 308
How do I reset file numbering to 1?
How do I clean the camera or lens? Cleaning the camera 377
Question Key phrase 0
How many more shots can I take with
this card?
Number of exposures
remaining 44
How do I take bigger photographs?
Image quality and size 83, 86
How can I get more photos on the
memory card?
How do I focus the viewfinder? Viewfinder focus 41
Can I control how the camera focuses? Autofocus 89
Can I choose the focus point? Focus point 94
How do I take a lot of photographs
quickly? Release mode 102
Can I change the frame advance rate? Shooting speed 104,
307
Can I take pictures under low light
without the flash? ISO sensitivity 110
Can the ISO sensitivity I choose be
adjusted to ensure optimal exposure?
ISO sensitivity auto
control 112
Can I make photos brighter or darker? Exposure compensation 134
How do I make a time exposure? Long time-exposures 128
Question Key phrase 0

vii
❚❚ Viewing Photographs
Can I vary exposure or flash level
automatically over a series of photos?
Exposure and flash
bracketing
136,
312
Can I create multiple copies of a photo
using different white balance settings?
White balance
bracketing
141,
312
Can I vary Active D-Lighting
automatically over a series of photos? ADL bracketing 145,
312
How do I adjust white balance? White balance 149
How do I change settings for optional
flash units? Flash mode 193
How can I record multiple shots as a
single photograph? Multiple exposure 202
Can I record voice memo when taking a
photograph? Voice memo 246
Can I pick the standard exposure level? Fine tune optimal
exposure 304
How can I reduce blur? Exposure delay mode 310
How do I select movie frame size,
microphone sensitivity, high-sensitivity
movie mode, and card slot options?
Movie settings 70
Question Key phrase 0
Can I view my photographs on the
camera? Camera playback 222
Can I view movies on the camera? Viewing movies 73
Can I view more information about
photos? Photo info 225
Why do parts of my photos blink? Photo info, highlights 227,
277
Question Key phrase 0

viii
❚❚ Retouching Photographs
How do I get rid of an unwanted photo? Deleting individual
photos 240
Can I delete several photos at once? Delete 242
Can I zoom in on pictures? Playback zoom 237
Can I protect photos from accidental
deletion? Protect 238
Can I hide selected photos? Hide image 275
How do I tell if parts of my photos may
be overexposed?
Display mode:
highlights
227,
277
How do I tell where the camera focused? Display mode: focus
point
226,
277
Can I view photos as they are taken? Image review 281
Can I record voice memos with photos? Voice memo 249
Is there an automatic playback (“slide
show”) option? Slide show 282
Question Key phrase 0
How do I bring out details in shadows? D-Lighting 344
Can I get rid of red eye? Red-eye correction 345
Can I crop photographs on the camera? Trim 346
Can I create a monochrome copy of a
photograph? Monochrome 347
Can I create a copy with different colors? Filter effects,
Color balance 348
Can I use the camera to create JPEG
copies of NEF (RAW) photographs? NEF (RAW) processing 353
Can I overlay two NEF (RAW) photos to
make a single image? Image overlay 349
Can I trim movies or save movie stills? Editing movies 74
Question Key phrase 0