Nikon D300 User manual

Mastering the Nikon

D300/D300S

Darrell Young

Darrell Young (aka Digital Darrell)

Editor (Rocky Nook): Gerhard Rossbach

Editor (Nikonians): Tom Boné

Production editor: Jocelyn Howell

Copyeditor: Jocelyn Howell

Layout and type: Darrell Young

Cover design: Helmut Kraus, www.exclam.de

Printer: Lifetouch, Inc. through Four Colour Print Group, Louisville, Kentucky

Cover photo: Nikon USA

Back cover photo: Darrell Young

1st Edition

Rocky Nook Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Young, Darrell, 1958-

Mastering the Nikon D300/D300S / Darrell Young. -- 1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-933952-64-2 (soft cover : alk. paper)

1. Nikon digital cameras. 2. Single-lens reflex cameras. 3. Photography--Digital techniques. I. Title.

TR263.N5Y67 2011

771.3'2--dc22

2010028380

Distributed by O‘Reilly Media

1005 Gravenstein Highway North

Sebastopol, CA 95472

Many of the designations in this book used by manufacturers

and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as

trademarks of their respective companies. Where those

designations appear in this book, and Rocky Nook was aware

of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in

caps or initial caps. They are used in editorial fashion only

and for the benefit of such companies. They are not intended

to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may

be reproduced or utilized in any form, electronic or

mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any

information storage and retrieval system, without written

permission of the copyright owner. While reasonable care has

been exercised in the preparation of this book, the publisher

and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions,

or for damages resulting from the use of the information

contained herein.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

This book is dedicated to:

My wife of 32 years, Brenda, The love of my life and

best friend...

My children, Autumn, David, Emily, Hannah, and

Ethan five priceless gifts, growing wings ...

My mother, Barbara, who birthed me ...

My father, Joe, who guided my early life ...

My Nikonians editor, Tom Boné, without whose

assistance I could not possibly write books ...

My friends, J. Ramon Palacios and Bo Stahlbrandt,

who make it possible to belong to Nikonians.org, the

world’s best Nikon User’s Community ...

The wonderful staff of Rocky Nook, including Joan

Dixon, Jocelyn Howell, and Matthias Rossmanith ...

And, finally, to Nikon, who makes the world’s best

cameras and lenses.

Darrell Young – Author

Darrell Young (DigitalDarrell) is an information technology

engineer by trade. He’s been an avid photographer since 1968

when his mother gave him a Brownie Hawkeye camera.

Darrell has used Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses since

1980. He has an incurable case of Nikon Acquisition

Syndrome (NAS) and delights in working with Nikon’s

newest digital cameras.

Living near Great Smoky Mountains National Park has given

him a real concern for, and interest in, nature photography.

He loves to write, as you can see in the Resources area of the

Nikonians.org community. He joined the community in the

year 2000, and his literary contributions led to his invitation

to become a Founding Member of the Nikonians Writers

Guild.

Foreword

Nikonian Darrell Young, known to us as Digital Darrell for

many years, has consistently been a source of instructional

wisdom delivered with a touch of friendly humor. His

extensive collection of informative articles has been a

valuable resource in the articles knowledge base.... Resources

at Nikonians.

This work represents yet another progression in the rapid

growth of our international community of photographers from

all walks of life, recently exceeding 250,000 members from

nearly 150 countries. Providing educational books—such as

Mastering the Nikon D300/D300S—is a way to confirm our

Nikonians vocation in education. Additional ways include:

our more than 80 interactive forums, The Nikonian eZine,

Nikonians Academy Workshops, Nikonians News Blog,

Nikonians podcasts, our Wiki, and eBooks.

Nikonians has earned a reputation as a friendly, reliable,

informative, and passionate Nikon user’s community thanks

in great measure to members like our own Digital Darrell,

who have taken the time to share the results of their

experiences with Nikon imaging equipment, despite the

pressures of their day jobs.

The Nikonians community has long been known as a

welcoming worldwide home for Nikon®users, and Darrell’s

specialty in this community is the ability to share his

knowledge in the spirit of a friendly uncle in the comfort of

your own living room. He understands the Nikon D300/

D300s bodies from the perspective of a professional

photographer, a dedicated family man, and a good friend, all

at the same time.

This approach is crucial in his delivery of valuable

information, because it helps him draw examples of shooting

situations that are quickly understood by readers from all

walks of life.

We would like to congratulate Darrell for his work on this

project which goes much further than just delivering a series

of chapters and supporting images. In this, the seventh of the

NikoniansPress books, in association with Rocky Nook,

Darrell has extended his efforts to include work on the book’s

final layout. This extra step was inspired in great measure by

Darrell’s penchant for improving the quality of his books to

the benefit of his readers. If you are one of the many satisfied

owners of the original Mastering the Nikon D300 authored by

Darrell you will quickly see this is not just a mere update to

accommodate the D300s. This book has been redesigned from

scratch, based on the lessons learned during the D300 project

as well as the subsequent books in this series.

Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) and J. Ramón Palacios (jrp)

Nikonians Founders

www.nikonians.org

Camera Body Reference

Fig 1 (1–11)

1. Release mode dial lock release

2. QUAL button

3. WB Button

4. ISO Button

5. Release mode dial

6. Accessory shoe (hot shoe)

7. Control panel

8. MODE button

9. Exposure compensation button

10. Shutter-releasebutton

11. Power switch

Fig 2 (12-18)

12. Flash pup-up button

13. Flash mode button

14. Built-in microphone

15. Flash sync terminal (cover)

16. Ten-pin remote terminal (cover)

17. Lens release button

18. Focus-mode selector

Fig 3 (19-22)

19. Sub-command dial

20. AF-assist illuminator

21. Depth-of-field preview button

22. FN (FUNC.) Button

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