General D70 settings

[BBJ]

Hi Team, Was wondering on what setting some people was using? I read on a site about setting the D70 up mainly here:http://members.aol.com/bhaber/D70/setup.html
Auto iso on, is this ok? anyhow just ineterested as pics i ahve been taking are ok anyhow but havnt looked into setting it up as so on. Is it worth it?
Thanks in Advance for coments.
John
BBJ
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[gstark]

John,

I manually set ISO and wb, generally shoot on A or M, have most of my wb settings trimmed back to -1 (cloudy to -2, I think), Saturation +2, Sharpening high, spot metering.

That seems to give me mostly satisfactory results with minimal pp.

[Maximus]

I usually hate guys who say things like I'm about to say, but isn't this the "bargains" forum?

[gstark]

I usually hate guys who say things like I'm about to say, but isn't this the "bargains" forum?

Not any more.

Thanx for bringing this to my attention.

[BBJ]

OOOps Sorry my fault didnt realize what secting i was in. LOL
Sorry

[sheepie]

...Auto iso on, is this ok?

I can't imagine any situation where the Auto ISO would be advantageous. From what I read, the behaviour of this setting isn't ideal (and some have suggested at times erratic).

Suggest you stick to running (mostly) on Aperture or Shutter priority, and manually set ISO to suit conditions/effect wanted.

[ajo43]

My setup:

WB Auto -1 or 0 (I find that 0 works fine outside)
ISO Have been using it on auto lately but can be a bit trick as it pushes up to 1600 ISO pretty quickly some times without me noticing when I really should use flash
Custom Curve White Wedding
Sharpening +1
Saturation 0 (I find that +1 looks a bit strange with skin tones sometimes)
Hue -3 or 0 (see what you like)
Colour Space RGBs (was Adobe until last week when I read this doesn't help much)

Cheers

[Greg B]

The auto ISO setting was a problem. I want to decide the ISO, and if it needs to be changed, I want to know what it is changed to. So I go with manual on this one.

[gstark]

The auto ISO setting was a problem. I want to decide the ISO, and if it needs to be changed, I want to know what it is changed to. So I go with manual on this one.

I'm not sure, but I think that, as with P mode, the camera will be assuming that it's being used handheld, and thus will have a tendancy to push the ISO and maintain a reasonable (for handheld) shutter speed.

[BBJ]

Ok thanks, wasn't sure if there was a common setup as i know everyone changes to suit themselves, just have read about these cutom curves and people with d70 setups as like on that site.
This white weddings curves i have seen before on the fly around different sites and i think you need a proggy for that Nikon capture, you would think Nikon would supply when you brought the camera. Not sure on this or if it's even worth it. This side of it new to me,Big Dummy me is lol.

[Deano]

John,

It also depends on how you will be processing your images. For example, I shoot raw and use PS Elements 3 with Adobe Camera Raw to "develop" the images. In that case the settings for things like saturation, sharpening and even white balance are all adjusted as part of opening the file in Elements. Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) ignores what the camera settings are for everything but White Balance, and all settings can be changed in the PC.

As for Nikon Capture, you should have received a copy on the CD with your D70. That is a 30 day evaluation version which will stop working 30 days after install. You then need to buy a "real" copy. Unlike ACR, Nikon Capture does look at the settings in the camera when the image was taken and uses those as the starting point. These can then be changed to your taste.

However, if you are using JPEG, ignore all the above as the settings in camera will be applied to create the JPEG and are therefore "permanent".

Cheers
Dean

[birddog114]

As for Nikon Capture, you should have received a copy on the CD with your D70. That is a 30 day evaluation version which will stop working 30 days after install. You then need to buy a "real" copy. Unlike ACR, Nikon Capture does look at the settings in the camera when the image was taken and uses those as the starting point. These can then be changed to your taste.

Witn NC serial number, please do the searh on our forum with the word :"Allan" and you'll find the link to the valid key to use for lifetime with NC 4.xxxx and it's free just spend coupa second do the seacrh

[birddog114]

For newbies:
In the Important link section, I posted a thread about recommendation of setting for D70 since this forum started, it's very helful for the new toy that you guy have just acquired.

[BBJ]

Thanks Birdy, i will look that up and see how i go, have been outside playing and learnt something eles, so thats good and yes just checking my options out even tho i dont shoot in RAW but who knows.
Thanks Again
John
BBJ

[birddog114]

BBJ,
You'll regret if you don't shoot RAW, I was like you but switch to RAW since I've found the bible and never look back

[BBJ]

Hi Birdy, yes mate i prolly will regret it but yeh if i start i might have to start saving for more compact flash cards, i know it is the better mode to shoot and take more room. i will try a few shots in RAW and see how it goes.
Thanks
John

[birddog114]

Hi Birdy, yes mate i prolly will regret it but yeh if i start i might have to start saving for more compact flash cards, i know it is the better mode to shoot and take more room. i will try a few shots in RAW and see how it goes.
Thanks
John

BBJ,
1GB card you have now will do justice, at least it gives you nearly half a day work of shooting RAW.
Use NC and DEE as simple and play around with it later in PS

[Raydar]

Use NC and DEE as simple and play around with it later in PS

Funny thing Birdy, I'm starting to do the same.
I find it easier to use NC first & fine tune in PS to finish off

Cheers
Ray

[BBJ]

Ok will try that work tomorrow,looks like another wet bum, some of the builders here have athing about rain not stopping them from concreting. Anyhow i will give that a go just cant reboot computer yet to try NC as dwnloading some stuff but i will try it for sure. Will need to save and get some more cards before we start up at the race track again with the motorbikes.
John

[Matt. K]

OK. Here's my settings. Everybody else in this forum is wrong....in fact the whole world. Only I have the magical setings that will ensure that all of your images are outstanding, exhibition quality masterpieces.

Auto ISO off. WB set to sunny -1 or 2. Colour mode sRGB. Mode P (program) so you can dial throught the various settings to set your own priorities. Focus mode AFs. Quality JPG Fine, (until you become an expert). Sharpening low. Contrast and hue set to normal or low.
Leave the custom curves alone until you learn what the camera can deliver.
Now forget about the camera and explore the subjects that interest you.
If you have a 50mm lens then use it as much as possible.
Post your pics here often so that I can mecilessly dissect them for you.
Enjoy.

[goodrich62]

As a newbe there a 2 things I learned the hard way
Shoot RAW. It has 3 major advantages for me: I can leave most of the settings at default and change in Capture, I'm able to correct many of my newbe errors, there have been a lot, and I have a digital negative I can always go back to, as I learn more about PP I'm finding myself going back and fixing things I thought couldn't be
Don't use auto ISO !!!!!! I tried it and was very unhappy. I try to shoot wildlife and use shutter as much as possible. I rely on the "low" to tell me if the shutter is to fast for the conditions and change ISO and speed as required. I lost more then 1 good shot because the ISO was pushed to a level that was too noisy for my taste

There was 1 thing that I did not learn the hard way. I love this camera

Birddog tisk-tisk for posting that search criteria. Just jelouse could have saved me a few

[gstark]

Shoot RAW. It has 3 major advantages for me: I can leave most of the settings at default and change in Capture, I'm able to correct many of my newbe errors, there have been a lot, and I have a digital negative I can always go back to, as I learn more about PP I'm finding myself going back and fixing things I thought couldn't be

What you should be doing at this point is paying attention to which of the default settings you're not happy with (what values are you changing?) and adjust your camera's settings away from the defaults to those that you are assigning during your PP.

Then you'll start to get better images straight out of the camera, and you'll be spending less tim in PP, and more time (a) enjoyig the camera and (b) sitting here, on the forum, with a cold ale by your side, having fun.

[JordanP]

Gary from what I have seen before you shoot with in camera sharpening. Am I right? If so do you find it slows the write time or continuous shooting?

Cheers,

[gstark]

Craig,

I do, and no, I've not noticed any performance hits.

That's possibly because I'm shooting in raw, and the sharpening setting I'm using is simply a flag setting (or such), as compared with when shooting in jpg, where the setting is actually applied.

Basically, in raw, you're storing the (raw) image plus the settings that you've used. In jpg, you are actually applying the settings (never to be undone) to the image, and then storing the image.

In raw, if you don't like the settings, you can simply change them; the new (changed) settings, not the changed image, are what gets saved.

Does that make any sense?

[JordanP]

perfect sense - thanks

[Onyx]

WRT in camera sharpening (I'm a Jpeg'er), I find having it set to normal or higher accentuates noise and JPG artifacts noticeably, as it's a very simplistic sharpening algorithm. I tend to prefer no in camera sharpening and apply USM in PP.

And MattK is dead wrong. *I* have the magical settings that will have ALL your pictures looking their best! Auto WB -2, except for tungsten, where one might try: incan 0 for 100W bulb, +1 for 75W, and +2 for 50W or equivalent (this came from shooting many images of boring lightbulbs).

Since I shoot mainly Aperture Priority, I've switched the functions of the front and rear command dials so aperture is changed with the rear dial. This saves me from dropping my index finger off the shutter to change apertures. I have gotten so used to this that when I pick up another person's D70 it feels weird to have it "reversed".

Custom tone curves should be one of the first things to investigate. Since there's an anomaly with the exposure meter's calibration (Nikon alone is correct with the use of 12% grey as set by ANSI standard, the rest of the industry is DEAD WRONG with their 18% grey!), custom tone curves usually address this anomaly and alter the image contrast so exposures more closely match the rest of the industry (ie. to be 18% grey/wrong) without the need for exposure compensation. When used wisely, it also effectively gives greater dynamic range. That can be a good thing given the nature of electronic sensors compared to negative film.

[Matt. K]

Good post Onyx. Lots of info to digest. Now...the old argument about 18% gray versus 13% or which is what really...wow....You could open a can of worms with that! I have been hearing the cons, pros and opinions for a long time. I am not so sure that the 5% discrepency has any effect whatsoever....but I'm not going to stick my neck out eitherway.
(Would that equate to 5% of 1 stop?).
Come in Greg B You love mathamatics...you told us so.

[Onyx]

Warning: can of worms ahead.

From my understanding, the discrepency between Nikon's "middle grey" meter reading and all other manufacturers' "middle grey" came originally from the confusion between luminance and reflectance of the point half way between black and white (ie. middle grey). Thom Hogan has more to say here:
http://www.bythom.com/graycards.htm

The photographic consequence of this is that most people have observed that Nikon cameras tend to be conservative in exposure metering, and that it has a tendency to render slightly underexposed images by default. The difference has been estimated to be half a stop. This resultant constant need to dial in postive exposure compensation was the first issue tone curves addressed.

Fotogenic, one of the premier custom tone curve creators extensively tests and experiments with tone curves of the D100 and D70. He's infamous for his "white wedding" curves which do nothing more than add a consistent 0.33EV and 0.5EV (the curve itself is linear and follows the standard tone curve). It has recently been renamed "Point and Shoot" curve, to better reflect it's intended use. Get em here:
http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com

There are many other tone curves available that alters image contrast and remap the way light levels from the sensor are recorded onto the resultant image file in a non-linear way. These curves can change the look of images out of camera from a subtle difference to dramatically. I guess these are the items one could muck around with when one has mastered the functions of all the other image parameters, or lacking a photographic activity on a slow day...

[Greg B]

Good post Onyx. Lots of info to digest. Now...the old argument about 18% gray versus 13% or which is what really...wow....You could open a can of worms with that! I have been hearing the cons, pros and opinions for a long time. I am not so sure that the 5% discrepency has any effect whatsoever....but I'm not going to stick my neck out eitherway.
(Would that equate to 5% of 1 stop?).
Come in Greg B You love mathamatics...you told us so.

Yes I do Matt, but I am completely baffled by this line of discussion. I have an 18% gray card from my film days. I love that card. Almost everything looks interesting when compared to an 18% gray card.

My love of maths enables me to confirm that 13% + 5% is indeed 18%. Relating that to stops, however, is a whole different matter, and I have no idea.

I suppose 0% gray is black (or white) and 100% is white (or black). 18% gray appears to be neatly in the middle of the two, which doesn't make sense. But harking back to your 500th post, visual assessment of gray is a tricky business, hence the card.

I am a little tired.

[goodrich62]

goodrich62 wrote:
Shoot RAW. It has 3 major advantages for me: I can leave most of the settings at default and change in Capture, I'm able to correct many of my newbe errors, there have been a lot, and I have a digital negative I can always go back to, as I learn more about PP I'm finding myself going back and fixing things I thought couldn't be



What you should be doing at this point is paying attention to which of the default settings you're not happy with (what values are you changing?) and adjust your camera's settings away from the defaults to those that you are assigning during your PP.

Then you'll start to get better images straight out of the camera, and you'll be spending less tim in PP, and more time (a) enjoyig the camera and (b) sitting here, on the forum, with a cold ale by your side, having fun.

I spend a lot less time now then I did. When you try to shot a large very white egrid against a dark backround you learn to look for blown hightlights and adjust exposure also gives good practice on when to use spot or matrix metering
I try to shoot at ISO 200 as much as possible if I have to go above 400 I usually don't take the shot noise drives me crazy and I have yet to find a good noise reduction program any sugestions on a good cheap or free one
Most time spend now seeing if the shot looks better in color mode II or III bousting color if I think it needs it, some USM if required, crop and or resize usually 3 to 5 min then save as jpg, unless I have to go to PS to clone out some trash or unwant debris, that is after weeding out the keepers.
That's why I am spending more time here, but usually it's with a cold pilsner or Vodka and Grapefruit depending on the mood yelling into the next room " HOW DO YOU SPELL ...."

Rich

[Raydar]

I’ve spent the last two days getting to know the SB-800 properly.
I figured, you spend that sort of money on a flash, why stick it on the cam & go with A.
I recommend all owners of this flash get to know what all the modes can produce.
Tonight will be a test for the repeated flash mode to see what effect can be done with this.
So far I have been pleased with the out come of my quest, GN made is awesome once you get the hang of it.
One thing I have worked out is you can under expose the flash by -6 by setting -3 on the cam & -3 on the flash.
I will post any images of the test tonight if there’s anything worth looking at.

Cheers
Ray

[Tommo]

Sorry to bring up a slightly old thread, but I have a quick question thats applicable.

If shooting in RAW, I figured you'd want a "blank" setting (ie base white balance, normal quality etc), so that when you start doing some post shoot processing, your RAW images are a perfect base to start with?

Regards,
Tommo

[phillipb]

The way I understand it, when you shoot in Raw, all the other settings are ignored by the camera. You can then adjust them all to your taste in PP.

[W00DY]

The way I understand it, when you shoot in Raw, all the other settings are ignored by the camera. You can then adjust them all to your taste in PP.

Not quite (I think)...

I shoot in raw and I can still set all the settings in Camera. I think the main advantage is you can tweak the setings later in Nikon Capture.

For instance when shooting with the SB800 I set the WBto flash, but then I usually make the WB setting a little warmer (still set to flash though) to bring out better skin tones.

Anyone correct me if I have this wrong though.

W00DY