Nikon D70 User manual

1
1
CHAPTER
Exploring the
Nikon D70
If you’ve taken your first picture or two (or 200!) with your
Nikon D70 or Nikon D70s, you’re probably eager to learn
more about your camera’s features and how to use them. The
Quick Tour covered just the basics you need to know to get
started. This chapter delves a little more deeply into the key
features of the camera, what they’re for, and how to use
them.
I’m going to avoid the deadly trap that most camera manuals
fall into when they provide three or four views of a camera
(usually front, back, top, and perhaps side or bottom) and
label everything willy-nilly without giving you a clue about
what each control actually is used for. If you want to know
where a specific button is located, you have to search for it in
Where’s Waldo? fashion amongst a thicket of labels. Then you
may have to thumb through the manual to see exactly what
the control does.
Although you’ve probably attempted to learn about your
D70’s buttons and wheels with the manual’s confusing dia-
grams, this chapter’s illustrations are more accessible
roadmaps that will help you sort through the D70’s features
and controls much more quickly, especially when you’re out
in the field taking photos.
This chapter does not cover the D70’s menu system. It con-
centrates on the buttons, dials, and other controls that you
can access directly, without visiting menus. Some of the set-
tings discussed in this chapter, such as flash options or white
balance, are duplicated in the menus or have additional
options available in there.
You can learn more about the D70’s menu setup
options in Chapter 2.
✦✦✦✦
In This Chapter
Up front
On top
On the back
Viewfinder display
LCD display
Viewing and playing
back images
Activating the onboard
flash
Metering modes
ISO sensitivity
Setting white balance
Programmed exposure
modes
Semiautomatic and
manual exposure
modes
✦✦✦✦
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COPYRIGHTEDMATERIAL

Up Front
The front panel of the Nikon D70 is shown
in figure 1.1. You can’t see all the buttons
and controls from a straight-on perspective,
so I’ll show you separate, three-quarters-
view looks at each half of the front panel,
which I’ve color-coded red (the left side of
the camera when looking at it head-on) and
green (the right side of the camera from this
angle). While this illustration shows the
D70, the D70s is identical except for the
model number plate.
The easiest way to hold the D70 is by wrap-
ping your fingers of your right hand around
the hand grip, with the left hand providing
support and usually activating most of the
controls. However, there are a few controls
within the reach of the right hand’s digits, as
shown in figure 1.2. These controls and fea-
tures include the following:
✦The handgrip: The grip is the
housing for the D70’s battery, and
also serves as a comfortable hand-
hold for your fingers.
✦Depth of field preview: This is a
small button (see the figure) next
to the lens mount. Press and hold
the depth of field preview button.
The lens stops down to the taking
aperture, the view through the
finder may dim a little (or a lot),
and you can see just how much of
the image is in focus.
✦Sub-command dial: This is a sec-
ondary control dial used to supple-
ment the main command dial on
the back of the D70. It’s used
when two different, related settings
can be made, as in manual expo-
sure mode when the shutter speed
is set using the main command
dial, and the aperture is adjusted
using the sub-command dial.
Another example of this use is in
setting the white balance (which
controls how the D70 reacts to illu-
mination sources of different col-
ors, such as daylight and
incandescent light). The main com-
mand dial flips among the different
light-source types, while the sub-
command dial fine-tunes those
settings. Although you can “swap”
the command dials (turning the
sub-command dial into the com-
mand dial, and vice versa) using
the D70’s menus, it’s best to leave
them in their default configuration
to start out.
✦Front lamp: This front-mounted
source of illumination serves three
different functions. Under dim
lighting conditions that make auto-
focusing difficult, this light source
can be set to cast a little extra light
on your subject to assist the auto-
focus system. If you’ve set your
camera to self-timer mode, so that
a picture is taken after a short
delay (or if you’re using the
optional remote control in delay
mode), the lamp blinks in a pat-
tern as a sort of countdown to the
16 Part I ✦Using the Nikon D70
1.1 The “business end” of the Nikon D70.
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eventual exposure. Finally, this
lamp also can send out a little
blast of light shortly before a flash
exposure, which can serve to close
down the pupils of your subjects’
eyes, and reduce the demon red-
eye effect.
Nikon Speedlights as well as the
Nikon SC-29 Speedlight cable
have their own less-obtrusive
focus assist lights that can take
over for the one built into the
camera.
✦Shutter release: Canted atop the
handgrip are the shutter-release
button and power switch.
The other side of the D70 has a few more
controls, as shown in figure 1.3. These
include the following:
✦Flash multi-button: Nikon has
kept the D70’s design clean by
assigning multiple functions to
many buttons, and this flash con-
trol is one of them. It serves three
different purposes, even though
Nikon calls it the Flash Exposure
Compensation button. Pressing the
button when the built-in electronic
flash is in its down/stowed posi-
tion causes the flash to flip up
(as shown in figure 1.4), ready for
use. Holding this button while
Note
Chapter 1 ✦Exploring the Nikon D70 17
Autofocus assist lamp
Self-Timer lamp
Red-Eye reduction lamp
Hand
g
rip Depth of field preview
On/Off switch
Shutter release
Sub-command dial
1.2 Nikon D70 left front side, viewed from the subject’s position.
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spinning the command dial on the
back of the camera changes
among flash sync modes, such as
red-eye reduction, or slow sync
(which combines flash and a regu-
lar exposure to lighten back-
grounds). Holding this button
while spinning the sub-command
dial adds or subtracts from the
flash exposure, making your flash
picture a little lighter or darker, as
you prefer.
✦Infrared receiver: This is a dark
red window (opaque to visible
light) that captures a signal from
the optional remote control.
Because it’s on the front of the
camera you must use the remote
from the front position.
✦Lens release: Press and hold this
button to unlock the lens so you
can rotate the lens to remove it
from the camera.
18 Part I ✦Using the Nikon D70
Flip-up flash
Lens focus mode selector
Flash lock release
Flash sync mode
Flash exposure compensation
Flash accessory shoe
Infrared receiver
Neck strap lug
Mode dial
Lens release
Camera body focus mode selector
AC power/
AC connector
cover
USB connector cover
1.3 Nikon D70 right-front side, viewed from the subject’s position.
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✦Focus-mode selector: The autofo-
cus/manual (AF/M) lever on the
camera body can be flipped to set
the focus mode for lenses that
don’t have such a control on the
lens barrel, or for manual focus
lenses. Figure 1.3 also shows such
a control on the 18–70mm kit lens.
✦AC Power/AV Connector/USB
Connector covers: On the side of
the camera, you’ll see two rubber
covers that protect the D70’s pri-
mary external connectors. These
include the AC power connector,
which can operate the camera
without batteries (for, say, studio
work or time-lapse photography).
Just below the AC power connector
is an AV plug that can link the D70
to an external monitor for viewing
pictures or menus. The bottom-
most connector accepts the USB
cable, which enables transferring
pictures directly from the camera
to your computer, and also lets you
control the camera’s functions
using the Nikon Capture software.
The Nikon D70s also has a connec-
tor for the wired remote control
accessory.
On Top
The top surface of the D70 has its own set
of controls, shown in figure 1.5. In addition,
a bird’s-eye view provides the best perspec-
tive of some of the controls on the lens. I’ve
divided these controls into a pair of bite-
sized color-coded pieces, too, with red
assigned to the lens controls, and green to
the camera-body controls.
You can see the basic controls found on
many zoom lenses in figure 1.6. Not all these
controls are found on all lenses, and some of
them may be in different positions on differ-
ent lenses (particularly those not produced
by Nikon). The key components are
Chapter 1 ✦Exploring the Nikon D70 19
Flip up electronic flash/speedlight
Flash lock release
Flash sync mode
Flash exposure compensation
1.4 Pressing the flash multi-button (Flash
Exposuer Compensation button) pops up
the built-in electronic flash, ready for use.
1.5 The top of view of the D70 and its kit
lens.
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✦Focus ring: This is the ring to turn
when manually focusing the lens. If
the autofocus/manual switch
(AF/M) on the lens or camera is
set to Auto, this ring has no effect.
Some lenses, such as the kit lens,
allow manual override of the cam-
era’s autofocus setting, and are
marked with an M/A-M switch
instead. By convention, turning the
ring toward the right (when look-
ing down on the lens from above)
increases the focused distance.
✦Distance scale: This is a scale that
moves in unison with the lens’s
focus mechanism (whether acti-
vated by manually focusing or by
the autofocus system) to show
approximately the distance at
which the lens has been focused.
It’s a useful indicator for double-
checking autofocus, and for
roughly setting manual focus.
✦Zoom ring: This is the ring turned
to change the zoom setting. With
many lenses, turning this ring to
the right increases the focal length,
but you may find that the opposite
is true with some lenses (which
can be very frustrating!).
✦Zoom scale: These markings on
the lens show the current focal
length set.
✦Lens hood alignment guide/bay-
onet: Used to mount the lens
hood for lenses that don’t use
screw-mount hoods.
Figure 1.7 shows a single focal length, or
prime lens, a 105mm Nikkor macro lens
used for close-up photography. This particu-
lar lens has some features not available on
the kit lens, but that are found on some
other zoom and non-zoom lenses. Of
course, because it doesn’t zoom, this lens
lacks the zoom ring and zoom scale. Other
components include the following:
✦Lens thread: Most lenses have a
thread on the front for attaching fil-
ters and other add-ons. Some also
use this thread for attaching a lens
hood (you’d screw on the filter
first, and then attach the hood to
the screw thread on the front of
the filter).
✦Limit switch: Lenses with an
extensive focus range (such as this
macro lens) often have a switch
that can be used to limit the range
used by the autofocus system. For
example, if you’re not shooting
close-up pictures, you can set the
lens to seek focus only at more
distant settings, which can save a
bit of time.
20 Part I ✦Using the Nikon D70
Zoom scale
Distance scale
Lens hood alignment guide
Lens hood bayonet
Focus ring Zoom ring
1.6 Key components of a typical zoom lens.
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✦Aperture ring: The kit lens, as
well as many other newer lenses,
use the camera’s electronics exclu-
sively to set the shooting aperture.
These lenses, which include a G
suffix in their name, have no aper-
ture ring at all, and are compatible
only with cameras that can set the
f-stop through a control on the
camera. Other lenses maintain
compatibility with earlier cameras
by including an aperture ring and a
pair of aperture readouts (the
numbers from f/32 down to f/2.8
in figure 1-7). The second, outer-
most readout is required by some
cameras. These lenses include a D
suffix in their name. Both G- and
D-type lenses work fine with the
Nikon D70 digital camera.
✦Aperture lock: When using a D-
type lens on the D70, you’ll need
to set the aperture ring to the
smallest f-stop, and then lock it in
that position using the aperture
lock. Set it once and then forget
about it, unless you need to mount
the lens on an older camera or
you’ve mounted the lens on an
accessory such as a bellows or
extension ring.
The top panel has relatively few controls.
They include:
✦Mode dial: This knurled wheel is
turned to change from the various
exposure and scene modes, dis-
cussed later in this chapter.
✦Flash accessory shoe: Mount an
external electronic flash unit (Nikon
calls them Speedlights), such as
the Nikon SB-600 or SB-800, on
this slide-in shoe. The multiple
electrical contacts shown in the
photo are used to trigger the
flash and to allow the camera and
flash to communicate exposure,
distance, zoom setting, and other
information. You can also attach
other flash units made by Nikon
and other vendors, but not all
functions may operate.
✦Monochrome LCD control panel:
This LCD readout provides informa-
tion about the status of your
camera and its settings, including
exposure mode, number of pic-
tures remaining, battery status, and
many other settings.
Chapter 1 ✦Exploring the Nikon D70 21
Lens thread
Aperture lock
Focus ring
Auto/manual focus switch
Aperture ring
Limit switch
1.7 Key components of a typical Type D lens.
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✦LCD Lamp/Format #1 button:
Press this button to backlight the
control panel for about 8 seconds
when working under illumination
that makes it difficult to view the
panel’s information without a little
help. This button also can be used
to reformat the D70’s digital mem-
ory card, if you hold it down simul-
taneously with the Format #1
button on the back panel
(described in the next section).
✦Sensor focal plane: Some special-
ized kinds of close-up photography
require knowing exactly where the
plane of the camera sensor is
located. This marker shows that
point, although it represents the
plane, not the actual location of
the sensor itself, which is placed
aft of the lens.
✦Metering Mode/Reset #1 but-
ton: Press this button while spin-
ning the command dial on the
back of the camera to change from
matrix to center weighted or spot
metering modes (explained later in
this chapter). This button also can
be used to reset the D70’s internal
settings to the original factory set-
tings if held down simultaneously
with the Reset #2 button
(described later in this chapter).
✦Exposure compensation button:
Hold down this button while spin-
ning the command dial to add or
subtract exposure from the basic
setting calculated by the D70’s
autoexposure system.
22 Part I ✦Using the Nikon D70
Mode dial
LCD lamp/Format #1
On/Off switch
Shutter release
Exposure compensation
Metering Mode/Reset #1
Sensor focal plane
Monochrome LCD control panel
Flash accessory shoe
1.8 Key components on the top panel of the D70.
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✦Shutter-release button: Partially
depress this button to lock in
exposure and focus; press it all the
way to take the picture. Tapping
the shutter release when the cam-
era has turned off the autoexpo-
sure and autofocus mechanisms
will reactivate both. When a review
image is displayed on the back-
panel color LCD, tapping this but-
ton will remove the image from the
display and reactivate the autoex-
posure and autofocus mechanisms.
✦Power switch: Flip this switch to
turn the D70 on or off.
On the Back
The back panel of the Nikon D70 is studded
with more than a dozen controls, many of
which serve more than one function. Where
other cameras may force you to access a
menu to set image quality, change the cam-
era’s sensitivity, or to activate the self-timer,
with the D70, just press the appropriate but-
ton, turn the command dial, and make the
setting you want. I’ve divided this crowded
back panel into four color-coded sections.
Upper left
The upper-left corner of the back panel
includes just two buttons:
✦Bracketing (BKT) button: Hold
the bracketing button while spin-
ning the main command dial
(to select the bracketing function),
and the sub-command dial (to
choose the type of bracketing to
be applied), as described later in
this chapter. This button also
serves as the Reset #2 button.
✦Shooting mode button: Hold this
button while spinning the main
command dial to choose from sin-
gle shot, continuous/burst mode,
self-timer, or remote-control opera-
tion. This button also serves as the
Format #2 button.
Chapter 1 ✦Exploring the Nikon D70 23
1.9 Key components on the back panel of
the D70.
Shooting Mode/Format #2
Bracket/Reset #2
1.10 Key components on the upper-left
corner of the back panel of the D70.
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Upper right
There are only a few controls located on the
upper-right corner of the D70. They include:
✦Viewfinder eyepiece: The rubber
eyecup shields the viewfinder from
extraneous light, much like a lens
hood — a necessary component
because light entering the
viewfinder can affect the exposure
meter. The eyecup is removable
and can be replaced by a cap to
block that extra light when the
camera is used on a tripod.
✦Diopter adjustment control:
Slide this lever to adjust the
diopter correction for your
eyesight.
✦AE/AF (autoexposure/autofocus)
lock button: Depending on set-
tings you make in the Setup menu
(see Chapter 2), pressing this
button will lock exposure, focus
setting, or both, either until you
release the button or press it a
second time.
✦Main command dial: This dial is
spun to change settings such as
shutter speed, bracketing, or shoot-
ing mode, depending on what
function button is being pressed at
the same time.
Lower left
This is the D70’s “hot corner,” with a collec-
tion of the function buttons you’ll use the
most. They can have multiple functions, so
you need to keep your camera’s current
mode (playback/shooting, and so on) in
mind when you attempt to access a specific
feature. A more complete description of
each button’s functions appears later in this
chapter. The buttons include:
✦Playback button: Enter picture
review (playback) mode.
✦Menu button: Access the D70’s
multilevel menu system.
✦Sensitivity (ISO)/thumbnail but-
ton: In any shooting mode, hold
this button and spin the main
command dial to change ISO. In
playback mode, use it to change
the number of thumbnails dis-
played on the LCD.
24 Part I ✦Using the Nikon D70
Viewfinder eyepiece
Diopter adjustment control Autoexposure/Autofocus lock
Main command dial
1.11 Key components on the upper-right corner of the back panel of
the D70.
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✦White balance/help/protect but-
ton: In any shooting mode, hold
and spin the main command dial
to change the white balance. When
viewing the Custom Settings menu,
press it to view the help screen.
In playback mode, press it to lock
the current image from accidental
erasure.
✦Image quality/size (QUAL)/
playback zoom/enter button:
Press and spin the main command
dial or sub-command dial to
change the image quality or picture
size. In playback mode, press it to
zoom in and out of the reviewed
image. When viewing menus, this
button services as an OK key.
Lower right
A second cluster of controls and compo-
nents is found in the lower-right corner of
the back panel (see figure 1.13):
✦LCD: The color LCD displays your
images for review and provides
access to the menu system.
✦Multi selector: Used to navigate
menus as well as scroll through
photos being reviewed (by press-
ing the up/down keys), and to
change the type of image informa-
tion displayed (by pressing the
left/right keys.)
✦Focus selector lock: Enables/dis-
ables manual focus area selection.
✦Delete button: Erases the cur-
rently viewed image during review.
✦Memory card access lamp: Blinks
when an image is being written to
the Compact Flash card.
✦Compact Flash compartment:
Your memory card goes here.
Chapter 1 ✦Exploring the Nikon D70 25
Image quality/
size (QUAL)/
playback zoom/
enter
White balance/
help/protect
Playback
MenuSensitivity ISO/thumbnail review
1.12 Key components on the lower left
panel of the D70.
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Viewfinder Display
The D70 provides lots of status information
in the viewfinder, although not all of it will
be visible at one time. Here’s the skinny:
✦Reference grid: This optional set
of reference lines can be used to
align images.
✦Center-weighted metering refer-
ence circle: Shows the 8mm circle
that’s the default area for center-
weighted meter readings. The size
of the circle used can be changed
in the menu system.
✦Autofocus/spot metering zones:
Shows the areas used by the D70
to focus and measure exposure.
✦In-focus indicator: Illuminates
when an image is focused
correctly.
✦Focus area/autofocus mode:
Shows the current focus area, and
which autofocus mode is in use.
✦Autoexposure (AE)/autofocus
(AF) lock indicator: Shows that
exposure and/or focus have been
locked.
✦Battery status: Current power
level of the battery.
✦Shutter speed: Selected shutter
speed.
✦Aperture: Selected lens opening.
✦Exposure display: Shows the
amount of over- or underexposure.
✦Flash compensation: Shows
added or subtracted flash
exposure.
✦Exposure compensation: Shows
added or subtracted exposure.
26 Part I ✦Using the Nikon D70
Multi selector
Delete
Compact Flash compartment
Focus selector lock
Memory card access lampLCD
1.13 Key components on the lower-right corner of the back panel of
the D70.
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✦Shots in buffer/other functions:
Multifunction display that shows
the number of shots remaining in
the buffer when the shutter release
is pressed. Also shows white bal-
ance preset status, exposure/flash
compensation values, and PC/USB
connection status.
✦Flash ready: Lights when the
Speedlight is charged for an
exposure.
✦ISO automatic indicator: Shows
that ISO is being set automatically.
✦Thousands of exposures indica-
tor: Shows that the number of
remaining exposures indicated
exceeds 1,000.
Chapter 1 ✦Exploring the Nikon D70 27
Reference grid
In-focus indicator
Focus area/
Autofocus mode
Autoexposure lock indicatorBattery status
Shutter speed
Flash ready
Thousands of
exposures indicator
Shots in buffer/White balance preset/
EV/Flash compensation/PC connection
Exposure compensation
ISO Automatic indicator
Flash compensationAperture
Exposure display
Center-weighted metering reference circle
Autofocus/spot metering zones
1.14 Viewfinder readouts and indicators.
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LCD Display
The top-panel monochrome LCD display
shows a broad range of current status infor-
mation. This display is a bit much to bite off
in one chunk, so I’ve color-coded it for you.
✦ISO auto: Indicates that ISO sensi-
tivity is being set automatically by
the camera.
✦Flash sync mode: Shows the cur-
rent flash synchronization setting.
✦Image quality: Shows whether
image files are being saved in RAW
format, Fine (JPEG), Normal (JPEG),
Basic (JPEG), or RAW+Basic.
✦Image size: Indicates the current
resolution being used, either
6 megapixels, 3.3 megapixels, or
1.5 megapixels, indicated by
L (large), M (medium) or S (small)
indicators.
✦Shutter speed: Current shutter
speed setting.
✦Aperture: Current f-stop.
✦Flexible program: Shows that
program mode is in use and that
shutter speed/f-stop combinations
can be changed to other equiva-
lent exposures by rotating the main
command dial.
✦EV/flash EV: Indicates that expo-
sure compensation or flash expo-
sure compensation are being used.
The amount of compensation (for
example +0.7) is shown in the
shutter speed readout area imme-
diately above these indicators.
✦Clock battery: Shows that the
date/time should be set, or that
the permanent built-in clock bat-
tery must be replaced by an
authorized technician.
✦Bracketing: When bracketing is
being used, the BKT indicator will
appear, the EV indicator on the
LCD and viewfinder will flash, and
the icons under the BKT indicator
will disappear as each bracketed
picture is taken.
✦Beep indicator: Shows whether a
beep will sound during certain
camera functions, such as self-
timer operation or when single
autofocus is achieved.
28 Part I ✦Using the Nikon D70
1.15 Top-panel LCD display readouts and indicators.
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✦Thousands of exposures: Appears
to show that the number of remain-
ing exposures exceeds 1,000.
✦Remaining Exposures:
Approximate number of pictures
remaining on your memory card.
(With RAW format, this estimate is
often about half of the true num-
ber of pictures available.)
✦Focus Area/autofocus Mode:
Shows the currently selected focus
area and type of autofocus opera-
tion in use.
✦Metering Mode: Indicates current
exposure metering mode.
✦White Balance Settings: Shows
whether white balance is being set
automatically, to one of the built-in
settings, or to a manually preset
value.
Viewing and Playing
Back Images
The D70’s playback mode lets you review
your images, delete the bad ones, and
decide on exposure or compositional tweaks
to improve your following shots.
Follow these steps to review your images:
1. Press the playback button to
produce the most recently taken
photo on the back panel LCD.
Chapter 1 ✦Exploring the Nikon D70 29
Aperture
Beep indicator
Thousands of exposures
Image size
Focus area/Autofocus mode Exposures remaining
Image quality White balance settings
Metering mode
Shutter speed Shooting modes
Clock battery
Flexible program
Battery
Flash sync mode
EV Flash EV BracketingISO
1.16 Monochrome LCD readouts.
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2. Press the thumbnail button
repeatedly to cycle among
single-picture display, or tiled
views that show four or nine
reduced-size thumbnails at one
time.
•In single-picture display, the up
and down keys on the multi
selector move to the next or
previous image.
•When viewing four or nine
thumbnails, the up and down
keys navigate among the avail-
able images. Press the playback
button to view a selected image
on the LCD in full size.
3. Press the playback zoom button
to enlarge the viewed image on
the screen.
•Use the multi selector’s cursor
keys to move the zoomed area
around within the enlarged
view.
•Hold down the thumbnail key
to view an inset area with a
miniature view of the entire
image, with the zoomed area
highlighted. You can move this
30 Part I ✦Using the Nikon D70
Playback
Previous
photo
Change information
Next photo
Delete
Thumbnails
Protect
Zoom
1.17 Review your photos using the color LCD.
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highlighted area around with
the multi selector’s cursor keys.
•Hold down the thumbnail key
and spin the main command
dial to change the size of the
zoomed area.
4. Press the left and right keys on
the multi selector while viewing
an image to change the type of
information shown with your
preview. Your options include:
•File Information: Shows the
image, its filename, frame num-
ber, size, quality, folder name,
and so on.
•Shooting Data 1: Gives you a
screen with more information,
including the info in the basic
File Information page, plus
camera name, date, time,
metering and exposure meth-
ods, shutter speed, aperture,
lens focal length, flash informa-
tion, and any EV adjustment
you’ve made.
•Shooting Data 2: Includes the
File Information basics, plus ISO
setting, white balance, sharpen-
ing, color mode, hue, satura-
tion, and some other data.
•Histogram: Adds to the basics
a histogram graph that displays
the relationship between the
dark and light tones in the
image.
•Highlights: The brightest areas
of an image are represented
with a flashing border so you
can easily see any portions that
might lack detail because of
overexposure.
5. Press the protect button to keep
the selected image from acci-
dental erasure. The photo can still
be removed if the card is reformat-
ted, however.
6. Press the delete button to erase
the selected image.
Activating the
Onboard Flash
In some scene modes, the built-in electronic
flash can be set to pop up automatically
when the D70 detects low light levels suit-
able for flash photography. Or you can man-
ually pop up the flash by pressing the flash
button on the left side of the camera. Once
Chapter 1 ✦Exploring the Nikon D70 31
1.18 Moving the zoomed area.
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the flash is in place, you have the following
options:
You’ll find more on using flash
in Chapter 4.
✦If you’re using programmed, shut-
ter priority, aperture priority, or
manual modes, hold down the
flash button and spin the main
command dial to switch among:
•Front curtain sync: The flash
fires as soon as the shutter
opens. Set the shutter speed of
your choice (generally up to
1/500 second), when using
manual or shutter priority
modes. In programmed and
aperture priority mode, the D70
sets the shutter speed between
1/60 and 1/500 second.
•Red-eye reduction: Triggers
the front-panel lamp (also used
for focus assist) 1 second prior
to exposure to reduce red-eye
effect.
•Slow sync: Uses slow shutter
speeds (as long as 30 seconds)
to add background illumination
to the flash exposure. Not avail-
able with shutter priority or
manual modes.
•Slow sync with red-eye: Adds
red-eye reduction to slow sync
mode.
•Rear-curtain sync: The flash is
delayed until just before the
shutter closes. This puts any
“ghost” images from the ambi-
ent light caused by moving
objects to appear behind the
flash image.
•Slow rear-curtain sync: Also
delays flash until just before the
shutter closes, but adds long
shutter speeds to add back-
ground illumination to the flash
exposure. Not available with
shutter priority or manual
modes.
✦If you’re using auto, portrait, or
close-up modes, hold down the
flash button and spin the main
command dial to switch among:
•Auto front-curtain sync:
Similar to front-curtain sync, but
the flash pops up automatically.
•Auto with red-eye: Same as
auto front-curtain sync, with
red-eye reduction.
•Off: Flash does not fire.
✦If you’re using the night portrait
mode, hold down the flash button
and spin the main command dial
to choose.
•Auto slow
sync:
Similar to
slow sync,
but the
flash pops
up auto-
matically.
•Auto slow
sync with
red-eye:
Same as auto slow sync, but
with red-eye reduction.
•Off: Flash does not fire.
In certain modes, such as
Programmed mode, the cam-
era’s viewfinder will signal the
user with an icon when flash is
suggested so that the flash but-
ton can be used to raise the
flash head.
Tip
32 Part I ✦Using the Nikon D70
1.19 Flash options.
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Metering Modes
The D70 can use any of three different expo-
sure metering methods when set to any of
the semi-automatic or manual exposure
modes (which are discussed later in the
chapter). Select the metering mode by hold-
ing down the metering mode button and
spinning the main command dial until one
of these metering modes appears in the
monochrome LCD:
✦Matrix: The camera examines
1,005 pixels in the frame and
chooses the exposure based on
that information (plus, with Type G
and D lenses, distance range data).
✦Center-weighted: The camera col-
lects exposure information over the
entire frame,
but when
making its
calculations
emphasizes
the 8mm
center circle
(or other
size chosen
by you)
shown
in the
viewfinder.
✦Spot:
Exposure is
calculated
entirely from
an area
approximating
the currently
selected focus
area.
ISO Sensitivity
The D70 can choose the sensitivity setting
(ISO) for you automatically, or you can man-
ually choose a setting. Just follow these steps:
1. If the LCD monitor is on, tap the
shutter-release button to cancel
the display.
2. Hold down the ISO button on
the back panel.
3. Rotate the main command dial
to choose an ISO setting from
ISO 200 to ISO 1600.
ISO and white balance can
alternatively be set using the
menu system, which is dis-
cussed in Chapter 2. You can
also find more information on
ISO and white balance in
Chapter 3.
Setting White
Balance
To more closely match the D70’s color ren-
dition to the color of the illumination used
to expose an image, you can set the white
balance. To use a preset value, follow these
steps:
1. If the LCD monitor is on, tap the
shutter-release button to cancel
the display.
2. Hold down the white balance
button on the back panel.
3. Rotate the main command dial
to choose a white balance from
among auto, incandescent, fluo-
rescent, direct sunlight, flash,
cloudy, shade, and preset.
Chapter 1 ✦Exploring the Nikon D70 33
1.20 Metering
modes.
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White balance can also be set using the
menu system, where you have additional
options for fine-tuning or defining a preset
value.
Programmed
Exposure Modes
The D70 has seven Digital Vari-Program
(DVP), or scene, modes that make some of
the setting decisions for you. You can
choose these modes from the mode dial.
They include:
✦Full auto: In this exposure mode,
the D70’s brains take care of most
of the settings, based on what kind
of shot you’ve framed in the
viewfinder. For example, the cam-
era knows how far away the sub-
ject is (from the automatic focus
mechanism), the color of the light
(which tells the camera whether
you’re indoors or outdoors), and it
can make some pretty good
guesses about what kind of subject
matter (landscape, portrait, and so
forth) from exposure data and
other information. After comparing
your shot to its 30,000-picture
database, the D70 decides on the
best settings to use when you
press the shutter-release button.
Auto is the mode to use when you
want one of those fumble-fingered
neophytes in your tour group to
take your picture in front of the
Eiffel Tower. Don’t use this mode if
you want every picture in a series
to be exposed exactly the same. If
you change shooting angles or
reframe your image, the D70 might
match your shot with a different
image in its database and produce
a slightly different (but still “opti-
mized”) look.
✦Portrait: In this mode, the D70
assumes you’re taking a portrait of
a subject (or two) standing rela-
tively close to the camera. So, it
automatically focuses on the near-
est subject and uses a wider lens
opening (which can throw the
background out of focus). The
camera’s built-in sharpening effects
are not used, to produce less
detailed, but smoother skin tones.
Exposure is also set to create
smoother tonal gradations that are
flattering for your subjects. Flash
(if used) is set to reduce red-eye
effects. Don’t use this mode if your
portrait subject is not the closest
object to the camera.
✦Landscape: Scenic photos are
usually taken of distant objects, but
the D70 doesn’t lock focus at infin-
ity; it uses the “closest subject” set-
ting, just as with portrait mode.
However, it does assume that elec-
tronic flash won’t be of much help
in shooting your vistas, so it locks
out the built-in Speedlight. The
camera automatically boosts sharp-
ness and color richness to help you
capture distant details and the
vivid colors of foliage. Don’t use
this mode if you need to use flash
as a fill-in to illuminate shadows in
subjects relatively close to the cam-
era who are posing in front of your
vistas.
34 Part I ✦Using the Nikon D70
1.21 White balance options.
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