How to learn my D90

SReznikoff

New member
I grew up on a 35mm Nikkormat - so I understand the basics of exposure, ISO/ASA speed, shutter speed, aperture etc.

I've been shooting sailing scenes and vacation pictures using the camera as an expensive point and shoot (on automatic) and getting some good results based on taking a lot of pictures and throwing lots away (delete). With all the outdoor scenes I've been taking, I've been getting some washed out results that I think may just be poor metering and over exposure.

Now I'd like to learn how to get the most out of my camera. I guess the way to do that is to isolate just one feature at a time and shoot the same scene several times at several different settings, taking copious notes about performance and my preferences along the way.

I have two questions.

First, is there a better way to learn the camera than what I just described above?

Second, what order should I tackle features in?

  1. White Balance
  2. Active D Lighting (not even sure what this is)
  3. +/- exposure compensation
  4. Bracketing
  5. Meter Modes (matrix, spot, etc.)
  6. Focus Modes( manual, spot, etc.)
  7. Anything else
Thanks so much in advance, I've been looking for an article on how to learn a new digital SLR and not finding much advise.

Steve
 

pedroj

Senior Member
Welcome to the site Steve...

If I was you I would put the..

W/B in Auto...Turn the active D-lighting off..wouldn't worry about bracketing...I use spot mostly.....Exposure Comp on zero

Try aperture priority At F5.6 to F8.. Auto focus in Auto Focus Constant AF-C...ISO set to 200..

Have a read of your manual about Aperture priority and other stuff...Concentrate on one thing at a time and you tube is a great learning tool..
 

KWJams

Senior Member
Welcome, and congratulations for wanting to get more out of camera.

One of the best resources is your owners manual --- but that is pretty dry reading and tough to get through because it doesn't really explain what things actually do.

I am not familiar with the D90 but I would guess that it will be like all Nikon DSLR's and has a button with a question mark on it. Try a setting like metering as an example and hold in the question mark and it will explain on the LCD screen what that function does.

That is not an end all to your questions but it gives you a basic grasp of understanding each feature.

Hope this helps.
 

fotojack

Senior Member
And just so ya know...RAW is not an acronym for anything, and it doesn't really have to be in capitol letters. It's just a term used for raw data. Think of it as a digital negative. I mention this because several people have asked me what RAW means.
Well...now ya know! :)
 

John P

Senior Member
I have shot a D90 for quite a while. I leave white balance set at auto, and sometimes set it to cloudy to warm up a shot. I don't use D lighting. And turn off all noise reduction options.
I tend to shoot at 200 ISO almost all the time.

To address your outdoor washed out exposures. I have to meter mine at -2/3 for best outdoor results. Although a friend of mine shoots a D90 also. His does best outdoors metered at 0. So you might try under exposing @ -1/3, or -2/3 and just see what your meter likes.
I also shoot 99% of the time in manual mode. And almost never use exposure compensation.
Also for sailing shots. A circular polarizing filter might be a good idea. Might save those highlights.
 
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John P

Senior Member
I typically use matrix metering. Only switching to spot metering in very tricky lighting.

To answer your first question. The best way to learn the camera is to shoot the hell out of it. And make notes.
David Busch also has a pretty good book regarding the D90.
Happy shooting.
 
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Eye-level

Banned
Think of white balance as the kind of film you have...I shoot at around 5500K or flash in daylight always...especially with landscape type crap...gives it a great golden glow if you ask me. Active D lighting...bahhh... Exposure Compensation...not important on a DSLR unless you are shooting black on white or any of those same tricky situations you saw with film...with the DSLR you can chimp instead...it is faster IMO. Bracketing - great for HDR and also great for manual mode, manual focus, manual everything...grab three different exposures then check out the histogram on each select the best one burn the other two. Meter modes...learn to do without a meter...it isn't that hard really. Anything else? There is a helluva lot of other crap but I don't have the time to get into it and neither do I know it all...I'm still learning...it ain't easy but it ain't hard either! :)
 

aZuMi

Senior Member
Lots of great info already. Back when I was first learning my D90, I also noticed over exposed shots on my old sigma lens. But as you use it, you'll get used to it more. The settings I usually check if I have overexposed shots are:

- ISO - I even use low 1.0 if its really sunny.

- Shutter - if your shutter speed is "high", it will most likely be overexposed. The D90 max shutter is 4000, so make sure you're below that speed.

- Aperature - since you're shooting sailing scenes, I don't think bokeh is important, so you can make your aperture smaller to help reduce shutter.

- D-lighting off - I noticed D-lighting made my photos a little overexposed to my liking, so I just turned it off. (not sure if that helps, lol)

- Lastly, Cpl or ND filter - those are always welcome to have :)

Keeping these in mind helped me learn to control exposure under the sun with my D90. Hopefully it'll help you too..
 

Eye-level

Banned
Higher shutter speeds can lead to under exposure...fast shutter lets in little light

Slower shutter speeds can lead to over exposure....slow shutter lets in a lot of light

;)

CP filter and ND filter are probably the greatest accessory tools a person who shoots at boats on the water could ever have!
 

aZuMi

Senior Member
Sorry, I don't think I explained myself well enough regarding the shutter speed. Normally, when it states "High" in shutter, it will be overexposed since there's too much light going in (or 1/4000 isnt fast enough to properly expose the photo). But, once he lowers his ISO, increases the value of his Aperature - let's say by doing the two, it decreases the shutter speed from "high" to 1/2000. If he does that, then he's assured that it will be properly exposed.

Higher shutter speeds can lead to under exposure...fast shutter lets in little light

Slower shutter speeds can lead to over exposure....slow shutter lets in a lot of light

;)

CP filter and ND filter are probably the greatest accessory tools a person who shoots at boats on the water could ever have!
 

pedroj

Senior Member
I'm afraid your wrong azumi...Faster shutter speeds means less light...Slower shutter speeds more light...

I don't know where you got your numbers from...The poster said he was getting images over exposed so if you have your shutter open twice as long means a white out
 
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aZuMi

Senior Member
I'm afraid your wrong azumi...Faster shutter speeds means less light...Slower shutter speeds more light...

I don't know where you got your numbers from...The poster said he was getting images over exposed so if you have your shutter open twice as long means a white out

D90 has 1/4000 maximum shutter speed. If you point the D90 to the sun and it says "High", you will have an over exposed photo because the shutter is not fast enough to control the light and there is more light is coming in than what the shutter can cut off.

That's why, it's important for him to make sure it's not showing "High", because it means the shutter is not fast enough and his setting is allowing more light than what his maximum shutter can control.

Example; If you're shooting indoors and you increase your ISO to 1600. Then go outdoors to shoot sailing without adjusting you ISO, your shutter will show a "High" value because you didn't change the settings for outdoor. That's why all I'm saying is to keep the "high" shutter in mind in order to control the sunny day light when shooting sailing.

It was a common mistake for me back then because I would shoot indoors, increase my ISO. Then when I shoot outdoors, I had blown out photos since I didn't recognize that the shutter isn't fast enough to control the light.
 
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SReznikoff

New member
Thanks all so much for the advice. I'm supposed to be working on a proposal over the weekend, but I might just try to slip down to the marina, throw off my lines and get some shots of the Chesapeake while I test various D90 features.

Thanks again!

Steve
 
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