So I am using d5300 for few months , I have taken cca .. 2000shots, I think I have tried most of the optins in camera.
I am mostly using M and A mode...I have few questions which I havent found answers, not very important generally but to me it would make it easier..
I supose there is no panorama mode - how to make panoramas then, I mean I can tako some shots in panorama way , one to another, but usually cameras give you that preview in the corner of the screen of the last shot you took, so you can adjust additional images to latter ?
IS there maybe option for taking two shots and stich it in one photo, half of screen each ?
Standard battery - is mine faulty or what, I get arround 100-130shots, no video, very little usage od live view ?
I bought spare one from ebay, its much better..
1. Panorama. Use computer software.
Shoot overlapping images, usually horizontal. If you want larger then shoot multiple image ROWS. Use any panorama stitching program to stitch the shots. I use Microsoft free software - ICE, which does a good job. Here are a few precautions that you have to take
. Overlap by at least 30%. That gives the software enough control points to stitch properly.
. Once you have set the aperture, speed and ISO, switch to manual mode. That makes it easier for software to match intensities image to image.
. Avoid very large angles, that is do not try to shoot images which are near you and take up more than 120 degrees horizontally. In case you do so, you will get a lot of perspective errors.
. In case you have a wide lense which can take in the whole scene you have envisaged, use it to take an "overview shot", it will help you if stitching software refuses to align properly.
1b. HDR
Though you have not asked for it, processing HDR images in computer is much better than in camera. With wide DR of the sensor, you do not need more than 3 images in general. The sensor DR is nominally 12. So if you bracket at 5EV you can get a DR of 12+5+5=22. Very few situations demand that DR. In case the scene DR is less bracheting with 3EV is all that you need.
2. Battery Life.
Battery life depends on a lot of things
. How long the camera is on between shots. If you take shots every 10 minutes and the camera is on, you are wasting power. This is similar to having your car engine on in a jam - your average will drop drastically.
. Live View eats up battery power. If you use it a lot, expect battery life to be low.
. Reviewing images also uses up a lot of power.
. Flash will also eat up battery. If you are using flash at maximum power (illuminating at distance of 4m+ at high F number), expect the battery life to drop a lot.
. High or Low temperature, affects battery life. The batteries are designed for a nominal 25 degrees centigrade. If ambient is high (in Delhi it is 35+ from March to November), or very low - 5 degrees or less, the battery life plummets. Read up on the net the capacity drop with temperature.
In my case the D3300 is supposed to give 750 images, in reality I rarely get more than 350. If I use flash extensively, then it drops to 200.