Nikon D800 Quick start guide

Technical Guide

ii
Introduction
This “Technical Guide” details the principal techniques used
to create two of the more technically advanced photographs
in the D800/D800E brochure. Take this opportunity to admire
the skills of professional photographers who have mastered
the D800/D800E.
While its groundbreaking 36 megapixels give the D800/D800E
resolution unrivalled by previous digital SLR cameras, a side
eect of such high resolution is that blur, whether the result
of imprecise focus or camera shake, becomes that much more
noticeable. Realizing the full potential of a camera with over
30-million pixels involves a thorough understanding of the
causes and characteristics of blur, careful selection of settings
and tools (lenses, tripods, etc.), and working with the best
possible subjects.

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Table of Contents
Introduction iIntroduction iii
Shooting TechniquesShooting Techniques 22
Still Subjects...............................................................................2
Lesson 1: Use a Tripod.................................................................. 5
Lesson 2: Use Live View ............................................................... 6
Lesson 3: Avoid Very Small Apertures .................................11
Same Shot with Viewnder Framing ....................................13
Portrait Subjects..................................................................... 14
Lesson 1: Choose the Proper Focus Settings .....................17
Lesson 2: Choose the Proper Exposure Settings ..............18
Learn from Mistakes: Same Shot, Dierent Focus Point ... 21
Quick Tips 2Quick Tips 222
1. High ISO Sensitivity........................................................... 22
2. Auto ISO Sensitivity Control ............................................ 24
3. Improving Optical Performance ..................................... 26
4. Backlit Portraits.................................................................. 28
The D800EThe D800E 3030
1. High Resolution Images with the D800E .......................30
2. Aperture and Complex Subjects..................................... 32
3. Color Aliasing and Moiré ................................................. 34
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2
Shooting Techniques
Still Subjects
—Keeping Blur to a Minimum—

3

4
Shooting Techniques
At the high resolutions oered by the D800/D800E, even the
slightest camera shake can result in blur. The technique re-
vealed in this section minimizes blur through a combination
of live view photography and the use of a tripod.
Technical Data
■Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 14–24mm f/2.8G ED ■Exposure mode:
Manual ■Shutter speed: 1 s ■Aperture: f/8 ■White balance:
Choose color temp. (5000 K) ■ISO sensitivity: 100 ■Picture con-
trol: Standard
Note: This photo was shot in 14-bit NEF (RAW) and processed
using Capture NX 2.
Photo © Benjamin Anthony Monn

5
Still Subjects
Lesson 1: Use a Tripod
Use a tripod to reduce blur when
photographing static subjects. It
should be as sturdy as possible;
avoid extending the legs or center
column farther than necessary. A
large head helps keep the camera
steady.
Tripod Mode
Some lenses, such as the AF-S
NIKKOR 200 –400mm f/4G ED
VR II, oer vibration reduction
with a TRIPOD option that is par-
ticularly eective at reducing
blur at shutter speeds of ⁄–1 s.
This option is generally recom-
mended when the camera is
mounted on a tripod. The NOR-
MAL option is preferred, howev-
er, if the tripod head is not xed
or when a monopod is used.

6
Shooting Techniques
Lesson 2: Use Live View
Live view can be used to achieve sharper focus and prevent
blur.
Live View Photography
Rotate the live view selector to Cand press ato raise the
mirror and display the view through the lens in the monitor.
Live view selector abutton

7
Still Subjects
Why Use Live View?
1. The mirror is raised prior to shooting, reducing blur.
At the high resolutions oered by the D800/D800E, even the
slight movement that occurs when the mirror is raised can
sometimes be enough to blur photographs. With live view,
the mirror is raised well before the shutter is released, reduc-
ing one possible cause of blur.
Reducing Blur with Viewnder Framing
If the live view display is dicult to see outdoors or under
bright ambient light, use the viewnder to frame photo-
graphs. Use mirror-up mode when using the viewnder
to frame photos to reduce the blur that sometimes occurs
when the mirror is raised. Press the release mode dial lock
release and rotate the release mode dial to MUP.
After focusing, press the shutter-release button all the way
down once to raise the mirror and again to release the
shutter. An optional remote cord can be used to prevent
the camera from moving when the shutter-release button
is pressed, or an option other than O can be selected for
Custom Setting d4 (Exposure delay mode) to delay shutter
release until 1–3 s after the mirror is raised. Use of a tripod
is recommended.

8
Shooting Techniques
Why Use Live View?
2. Focus anywhere in the frame.
With live view, the multi selector can be used to
position the focus point anywhere in the frame,
regardless of the options selected for AF/MF and
autofocus.
The ability to position the focus point anywhere within the
monitor’s angle of view greatly expands the range in which
the camera can focus.
In autofocus mode, press the shutter-release button halfway,
or press the Bbutton, to focus on the subject in the select-
ed focus point. In manual focus mode, focus can be adjusted
by rotating the lens focus ring.

9
Still Subjects
Why Use Live View?
3. Zoom in for precise focus.
Press the Xbutton to magnify the
view in the monitor by up to 23×
for precise focusing with live view.
This is particularly eective with
manual focus.
Xbutton
A navigation window will appear
in a gray frame at the bottom of
the display. Use the multi selector
to scroll to areas of the frame not
visible in the monitor.
Navigation window

10
Shooting Techniques
Suggested Settings
White balance > Choose color temp.:
White balance can be adjusted
in steps as small as 10 K. To ad-
just white balance on the amber
(A) –blue (B) axis, hold down the
Ubutton and press 4or 2to
highlight a digit and 1or 3to
change it.
Framing guide: Framing guides,
helpful in composing photo-
graphs, can be displayed with
live view photography by press-
ing the Rbutton.
Virtual horizon: The Rbutton can
also be used to display pitch and
roll indicators that help keep the
camera level with live view pho-
tography.

11
Still Subjects
Lesson 3: Avoid Very Small Apertures
Stopping down the aperture in manual (h) and aperture-prior-
ity auto (g) exposure modes increases depth of eld, bringing
both the foreground and the background into focus. Stop the
aperture down too far, however, and the eects of diraction
may actually result in images with less denition. The optimal
aperture setting — that which produces the greatest depth of
eld with no loss of sharpness — varies from lens to lens. With
the AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED used in this example, an
aperture setting of f/8 produces the sharpest image.
f/8
Amount of detail visible in
window leads and frieze is
less than at f/8
f/11

12
Shooting Techniques
Camera Control Pro 2
The optional Camera Control Pro 2 software can be used
to control most camera functions from a computer. To use
Camera Control Pro 2, start the computer and connect the
camera using the supplied USB cable as shown below.
Camera Control Pro 2 supports
live view. When the live view dis-
play in the Camera Control Pro 2
image area is zoomed in, more
detail is visible than is possible
with the live view display in the
camera monitor.
Photographs are saved directly
to the computer, where they can
be inspected and retouched us-
ing the optional Capture NX 2
software.

13
Still Subjects
Same Shot with Viewnder Framing
The second sample image below was captured without us-
ing live view. As the mirror was not raised until the photo was
taken, the resulting image is slightly blurred.
With live
view
Without live
view
Book edges and
other details are
blurred

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15
Shooting Techniques
Portrait Subjects
—Focusing on a Selected Point—

16
Shooting Techniques
This section introduces a technique that achieves sharp focus
on a selected point when framing portrait subjects through
the viewnder.
Technical Data
■Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II ■Exposure mode:
Manual ■Shutter speed: ½ s ■Aperture: f/4.5 ■White balance:
Keep warm lighting colors ■ISO sensitivity: 640 ■Picture control:
Portrait
Note: This photo was shot in 14-bit NEF (RAW) and processed
using Capture NX 2.
Photo © Cli Mautner
Vibration Reduction (VR)
When aVR lens is used, setting the
VR switch to ON is recommended.
Vibration reduction is activated
when the shutter-release button
is pressed halfway, stabilizing the
view through the viewnder and
making it easier to frame pictures
and focus.
If the lens has a vibration reduction mode switch, choose
NORMAL for hand-held photography or when using a mono-
pod. Vibration reduction should generally be turned o
when the camera is mounted on a tripod (exceptions may
be made for the AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II and other
lenses with a TRIPOD option).

17
Portrait Subjects
Lesson 1: Choose the Proper Focus Settings
A tripod is rarely used for portrait photography. Though por-
trait subjects can and do move a little, they generally remain
still long enough for eective use of single-point, single-servo
autofocus. The photo shoot introduced here shows that the
photographer must be able to focus reliably on a selected
point; hence the use of single-point AF, which, unlike auto-
area and dynamic-area AF, ensures that the camera always
focuses on the point selected by the photographer.
To choose an autofocus mode,
press the AF-mode button
and rotate the main command
dial.
AF-mode button
To choose an AF-area mode,
press the AF-mode button and
rotate the sub-command dial.
AF-mode button
Note
Even slight changes in composition may result in the cam-
era focusing on something other than the intended subject.
Choose the focus point after composing the photograph.

18
Shooting Techniques
Lesson 2: Choose the Proper Exposure Settings
Aperture
Use a wide aperture for a softer feel.
An aperture setting of f/4 captures facial expressions.
Depth of eld is sucient to clearly reproduce the range from
the lips to the outer corners of the eyes, but focus gets softer
from the earrings back.