Senior's Nikon Camera Book

Welcome to the new Senior’s Guide to Nikon, your essential guide to using your Nikon camera. It doesn’t matter if you’re an absolute beginner who’s just bought a new Nikon camera, or you’re a seasoned enthusiast who needs a refresher course, inside you’ll find all you need to know to really get to grips with your camera. With so many seemingly complex controls, menu settings and dials, where do you begin? Over the following pages you’ll discover all the vital camera techniques you need to master, from holding it correctly to using the viewfinder and menu features, from shooting in fully automatic mode, progressing all the way to using semi-automatic and manual shooting modes, when you’re able to take control of your camera’s settings. Once you’ve learned the basics, hopefully…

Before we look at the settings and controls on your camera, there are a few essential items that you need to get your camera up and running. Most of these will probably be pretty familiar, such as the battery and memory card, but there are some little tricks and habits that it’s worth getting to know before you start. Changing lenses The ability to change the lens is one of the main reasons for having an SLR, but the process of taking the lens off the camera and refitting it can be a little fiddly if you aren’t used to the process. Like when inserting and removing the memory card, it’s a good idea to make sure that the camera is switched off before taking the lens or body cap…

01 LENS RELEASE This button disengages the lock that holds the lens in place. 02 BUILT-IN FLASH In many exposure modes the pop-up flash will be activated automatically, but it can also be turned on by pressing the small button marked with a lightning symbol. 03 ACCESSORY SHOE Also known as the hotshoe, this is mainly for fitting an external flashgun. But it can also be used for other accessories suchas microphones. 04 ON/OFF SWITCH Switches the camera on and off. 05 SHUTTER RELEASE Inside the on/off switch you’ll find the shutter release button, which you use to take your shot. 06 MODE DIAL Used for selecting between the different exposure modes available on your camera. Some models have a locking button, which you need to press down to allow…

THE MODE DIAL Most Nikon cameras have a large dial on top of the camera to choose between the different exposure modes. This is very easy to use, because all you need to do is turn the dial so that the mode that you want to use is aligned with the white marker next to the dial. The only thing to be aware of with this type of dial is that it’s easy to change modes accidentally, such as when you’re taking the camera in or out of your camera bag, by simply knocking the dial. To help avoid this problem, some models have a locking button on top of the dial, which needs to be pushed in to move the dial. CHANGING MODES ON PROFESSIONAL MODELS On professional Nikon…

There are buttons on your camera to access many of the most common controls, and many models have direct access to more settings using the rear information screen, but you’ll need to learn how to navigate through the menus to access all of the settings and adjustments available on your Nikon. So before you start shooting it’s well worth familiarising yourself with how to access the main settings within the menu of your camera. It can take some time to become familiar enough with these menus to be able to find individual items quickly, so you’ll need to take some time to find out where the most useful settings are on your camera. You’ll find that you won’t need to access many of the menu options very often, so don’t…

Whether you’ve just got a new camera, or you’ve had your camera for some time, you’re probably itching to get out and shoot. But even though it may not seem important right now, it pays to go through a few things to set up your camera so you’re using the right basic settings, making it easier in the future to find images that you’ve shot. So the first thing to check is the date/time settings on the camera, and also make sure that you’re using the best file format for your shots. You also need to get into the habit of using the right methods to delete images from your card. Date/time Before you start shooting it pays to make sure that you’ve set the correct date and time on…