Nikon D4 Service manual

Professional
Setting Guide

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Table of Contents
Taking Photographs
Taking Photographs
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1
Improving Camera Response ........................................... 2
Settings by Subject............................................................. 6
Matching Settings to Your Goal...................................... 12
Reducing Camera Blur: Vibration Reduction ..................12
Preserving Natural Contrast: Active D-Lighting ............13
Quick Setting Selection: Shooting Menu Banks............14
Finding Controls in the Dark: Button Backlights ...........15
Reducing Noise at High ISO Sensitivities.........................15
Reducing Noise and Blur: Auto ISO Sensitivity Control.. 16
Reducing Shutter Noise: Quiet and Silent Release.......17
Optimizing White Balance.....................................................18
Varying White Balance: White Balance Bracketing .......22
Copying White Balance from a Photograph ...................26
Creating a Multiple Exposure...............................................28
Choosing a Memory Card for Playback ............................30
Copying Pictures Between Memory Cards......................31
Copying Settings to Other D4 Cameras ...........................31
Keeping the Camera Level: Virtual Horizon ....................32
Composing Photographs: The Framing Grid..................34
Resizing Photographs for Upload: Resize ........................ 34
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Autofocus Tips ................................................................... 35
Focusing with the AF-ON Button........................................35
Choosing the Number of Focus Points .............................35
AF-C Priority Selection............................................................36
AF-Area Mode............................................................................38
Focus Point Selection and Camera Orientation.............41
Adjusting Autofocus to the Lens: AF Fine-Tune ............ 42
Focus Tracking with Lock-On ...............................................44
Movies 4
Movies 4
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Before Filming ................................................................... 46
Sound............................................................................................46
Movie Settings...........................................................................47
Starting Movie Live View........................................................50
Exposure Mode .........................................................................51
White Balance ............................................................................ 51
Using Autofocus........................................................................52
Lens Vibration Reduction (VR) .............................................54
Adjusting Settings During Live View.................................55
The Information Display.........................................................56
Checking Focus .........................................................................57
Filming Movies .................................................................. 58
Starting and Ending Recording...........................................58
Editing Movies........................................................................... 59
Time-Lapse Movies ........................................................... 60
Time-Lapse Movies ..................................................................60
HDMI Output ..................................................................... 64
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Table of Contents
First-Time Users 6
First-Time Users 6
7
7
Customizing the Command Dials.......................................68
Reversing Indicators................................................................68
Choosing the Primary Slot ....................................................69
Adjusting Monitor Brightness..............................................69
Choosing the Monitor o Delay.......................................... 69
Metering ......................................................................................70
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1
Taking Photographs
This chapter describes how the camera
can be congured for improved shutter
response and settings adjusted for dif-
ferent subjects, and gives tips on using
autofocus.

2
Improving Camera Response
This section introduces settings for reliably and quickly
photographing athletes and other moving subjects.
Continuous-Servo AF (AF-C)
Continuous-Servo AF (AF-C)
Press the AF-mode but-
ton and rotate the main
command dial to select
AF-C. Focus is adjusted
continuously while the
shutter-release button is
pressed halfway or the
Bbutton is pressed.
Main command
dial
AF-mode
button
Dynamic-Area AF
Dynamic-Area AF
Press the AF-mode button and rotate the sub-command
dial until dynamic-area AF is selected in the viewnder
and top control panel. The focus point is selected manu-
ally prior to shooting, but if the subject briey leaves the
selected focus point, the camera will focus based on data
from surrounding focus points (choose from 9, 21, and 51
points as described on page 38).
Top control panel
AF-mode button Sub-command dial Viewnder

3
A
A
Custom Settings
Custom Settings
a1 AF-C priority selection > Release: The camera
gives priority to shutter release over fo-
cus, ensuring that you never miss a shot
(page 36).
a10 Store points by orientation > Yes: Select
separate focus points in landscape and
portrait orientations for quick framing
(page 41).
c2 Standby timer > 1 min: Reactivating the
exposure meters introduces a slight
delay. Choose settings around 1 min
according to your subject, but note that
longer times increase the drain on the
battery.
f1 Multi-selector center button > Playback mode >
Zoom on/o: Use the center of the multi se-
lector for close inspection of focus during
playback.

4
f3 Assign Fn button/f4 Assign preview button >
Press > MY MENU: Add Custom settings
bank to My Menu and then use the Fn
or Pv button to quickly select a bank ac-
cording to the scene. To add items to
My Menu:
Select Add items.
In My Menu, highlight Add items
and press 2.
Add items.
Navigate to the item you wish to
add and press J, then position the
new item and press Jagain to add
it to My Menu.
Custom Settings Banks
Custom settings are stored in four banks (A, B, C, and D).
Changes to one bank have no eect on the others.
f10 Customize command dials > Menus and play-
back > On: Use the main command dial to
scroll through pictures in full-frame play-
back without changing the zoom ratio, a
handy feature when you want to check
focus for multiple pictures.
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22
Taking Photographs

5
Improving Camera Response
f16 Assign movie record button > Press + command
dial > ISO sensitivity: When taking photos,
use your right hand on the movie record
button and main command dial to set
ISO sensitivity without taking your eye
from the viewnder.
Lens Vibration Reduction (VR)
Lens Vibration Reduction (VR)
Lens VR switch > OFF: Vibration is unlikely to
aect photographs at shutter speeds of
⁄ s or faster. For accurate framing at
high shutter speeds, turn vibration re-
duction o.
D
D
Playback Menu
Playback Menu
Image review > O: Turning image review
o improves shutter response during
burst photography. Pictures can be
viewed by pressing K.

6
In addition to the changes described above under “Im-
proving Camera Response”, you can ne-tune settings to
improve response for specic subjects.
Situation
Situation
AF-C priority
selection
(page 36)
AF-area
mode
(page 38)
Focus tracking
with lock-on
(page 44) See also
Most team sports (e.g., soccer/rugby). Choose these
basic settings if subjects are often partially ob-
scured by other objects or focus shifts quickly
between nearby and distant subjects.
Subjects are often obscured by other athletes (e.g.,
track events). Select a long lock-on to maintain
focus on your subject.
Subjects appear suddenly or are hard to track (e.g.,
diving/ski-jumping). Increasing number of dynam-
ic-area focus points ensures that camera will
focus based on information from surrounding
focus points if subject briefly leaves selected
focus point. Most effective where there is sepa-
ration between subject and background.
Lock-on targetLock-on target
Settings by Subject