Nikon D5000 User manual

Je Revell

Snapshots to

Nikon D5000:

Great Shots

From

Nikon D5000: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Jeff Revell

Peachpit Press

1249 Eighth Street

Berkeley, CA 94710

510/524-2178

510/524-2221 (fax)

Find us on the Web at www.peachpit.com

To report errors, please send a note to [email protected]

Peachpit Press is a division of Pearson Education

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

electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission

of the publisher. For information on getting permission reprints and excerpts, contact permissions@

peachpit.com.

Notice of Liability

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.

Trademarks

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

as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark

claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names

and services identiﬁed throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the beneﬁt of such

companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade

name, is intended to convey endorsement or other afﬁliation with this book.

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

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