common D70 settings

[stephen]

Hi Guys can anyone post there common settings while taking shots with the camera ,i feel my photos come out a little flat and lifeless(default settings) at the moment and although someone with pp experience could soon fix this if i could change some settings in camera so that i am closer to the mark i would be more than happy to do so. Thanks Stephen

[Matt. K]

Here's a couple...exposure compensation +0.3 and WB sunny -2
Shoot in colourmode ADOBE sRGB and ignore the "experts" who claim you should be in ADOBE RGB.

[stubbsy]

Good job I'm not an expert. I recommend adobeRGB because it has a wider gamut, but see my tag line

Also Stephen I suggest a search here:

eg there's this recent post and this more helpful one as starting points. I used Camera AND settings for this search.

[sirhc55]

Matt - when us ’experts’ are producing work for ’real’ printing, on press, then AdobeRGB is the only way to go

[big pix]

Matt - when us ’experts’ are producing work for ’real’ printing, on press, then AdobeRGB is the only way to go

I agree......

[MCWB]

Chris and Bernie: why? If it's all your lab takes then that's a fair enough reason, but surely the gamut of every ink/paper comination in existance is miles smaller than either sRGB or aRGB?

[neroli]

Hi Stephen

Another 'non pro' opinion, but you're really not doing yourself any favours by shooting in sRGB as aRGB will capture a lot more detail.

You will only get the real 'popping' colour and results by doing some post processing. It's well worth the effort to learn even the most basic PP stuff, the results are much more satisfying.

DSLR pics are typically 'flat' and slightly hazy straight out of the camera, but the bare basics in PP will give them a life of their own.

I started out shooting jpegs till I got comfortable with my D70 then took the plunge and started shooting RAW. Huge difference in the end result and well worth the effort of the extra learning curve.

Hope these comments are helpful.

Cheers
Judy

[xerubus]

My common settings are:

Exp. 0.3+
aperture priority mode
wb auto, and all other in camera adjustments off.
af-c
spot metering
RAW

I use adobe98, purely because that is the format my lab uses for printing.

cheers

[Aussie Dave]

Hi Stephen
some great advice above. More often than not, pics straight out of the camera won't look their "best" until you conduct some Post Processing (PP) on them. This is not to say you cannot produce some great looking photos without PP, but that little extra finesse you can add in post will often make people stand up and say "WOW....how clear is that photo". Even the pro's have to PP, & some would say they often go overboard....just pick up any mens magazine these days and take a look. The photo you see on the cover is highly likely to be a far-cry from the original the photographer took.

Learning the basic PP steps like White Balance, Levels, Curves Adjustments, Image Resizing & Sharpening will get you a long way. Or for a complete list of tips, read this.

Also, as for my common settings, I usually:
- shoot in Manual mode
- manually compensate for exposure by choosing relevant aperture/shutter settings (keeping in mind that the D70 meters for slight underexposure)
- ISO200 (unless I really need to bump it up)
- WB Auto (-1), occassionally use PRE WB
- AF-S
- Matrix/Ctr-Weight/Spot metering (whatever will give the best outcome for the scene)
- aRGB (I can easily convert to sRGB from PC)
- ALWAYS shoot in RAW/NEF

This is not to say that these are the correct settings for anyone else to use, they are my preference and what I find works best for me.

Hope this is of some help

[Matt. K]

neroli
The only "extra" information you capture is a slightly wider colour gamut. However, your monitor can't display these "extra" colours and your printer can't print them. Both monitor and printer will reduce the gamut to sRGB...sometimes with unexpected results. Shooting in sRGB is more like What you see is what you get. It's more predictable. Furthermore...I defy any photographer to be able to look at a print on the wall and tell me which of the 2 colour modes in was shot in. It is true that if you carry out extensive PP then ADOBE RGB gives you slightly more meat before you hit the bone, but the above comments still hold true. On the other hand...I would advise any photographer to use whatever mode works best for him or her. However my advice to those who are starting out is still to set up the workflow for sRGB. You will give away almost nothing in doing so.

Chris
I understand that professional printers usually require their files in ADOBE RGB...but are you telling me they are producing the entire colour gamut in their prints? I believe that only a few very specialised printers worlwide can do that.

As an aside you can now buy a computer monitor that will display the complete ADOBE RGB colour gamut. I think it costs about $10000.

[Matt. K]

Aussie Dave
I can't believe that there are still some photographers who shoot in manual mode? The Nikon matrix metering system is so damned fine it hits it on the nose 95% of the time. The other 5% you will pick before you shoot and add or minus a bit of compensation.

[sirhc55]

Chris
I understand that professional printers usually require their files in ADOBE RGB...but are you telling me they are producing the entire colour gamut in their prints? I believe that only a few very specialised printers worlwide can do that.

Hi Matt - all files that I send to offset print are in CYMK which makes life even harder. When I first started doing this from a computer back in the 80’s it was so difficult because colour sync and the such were not in place. The art then was to view a proof against the monitor and then adjust the pics to closely resemble the proof. Archaic - yes, but it worked. Today it is easier but there is one factor that no computer or camera can replace and that is experience

[sirhc55]

There is one more factor that a lot of people do not realise. If anyone has ever used a paintbox or similar then you will recall that all on screen colour processing is done in a dark room.

Ambient light will always give different on screen results - try looking at a pic during the day on screen and then do it at night under tungsten light and then with the lights off.

[Matt. K]

Chris
Good point. In fact the kind of lighting that the print will be viewed under has an enormous affect on the image itself. Skilled printers usually colour balance to suit the viewing illumination. That means that if you are making 2 prints...1 to hang in an area flooded with natural light, and the other to hang on a wall illuminated by tungsten light, then you had to make 2 prints and adjust the colour balance for each one. I know you know this Chris....I mention it for those members who don't.

[shutterbug]

Aussie Dave
I can't believe that there are still some photographers who shoot in manual mode? The Nikon matrix metering system is so damned fine it hits it on the nose 95% of the time. The other 5% you will pick before you shoot and add or minus a bit of compensation.

I shoot in "P" mode for Professional and if required change to other modes. As for WB I use the presets and AW. Capture all in jpeg

[Aussie Dave]

Aussie Dave
I can't believe that there are still some photographers who shoot in manual mode? The Nikon matrix metering system is so damned fine it hits it on the nose 95% of the time. The other 5% you will pick before you shoot and add or minus a bit of compensation.

Forgive me if I am incorrect here, but isn't the camera still using the Matrix metering even when I'm in Maual mode ? If I have Matrix metering selected, but choose to work out my own shutter & aperture settings, the camera is still metering the scene (via the Matrix system), and displaying the EV bar in the viewfinder for me to see where the exposure is sitting (middle being where the D70 would put it in Shutter or Aperture Priority - with no exp. compensation).

By me using Manual mode, I effectively lock in my exposure, so I don't need to use "exposure lock", and by making small shutter/aperture adjustments I dial in what I would consider "manual exposure compensation". This way, I can meter for a particular part of a scene, then when I recompose the settings will not change. In Aperture/Shutter Priority they are likely to and I will have to then use EV comp.

Am I incorrect in my thinking here ??? I am far from an expert on this but it seems to work quite fine for me. I find it a pain to set, for instance, Aperture Priority, meter the scene, possibly have to lock exposure (if I am exposing for a particular part of the scene), add/subtract EV compensation then focus, recompose the scene and fire the shutter.

I guess it comes down to what you are used to.

If I am completely out of the ballpark in my way of thinking, can someone please let me know so I can re-evaluate my entire process.

[Matt. K]

Aussie Dave
I think you are correct...damned good question though and one I haven't seen or considered before. But the bottom line is that you will still arrive at a shutter speed/F stop combination that the camera would offer in P, A or S mode....and the only thing you would have to do is spin the command dial to rotate through all of the equivelant exposures. However...if that is your favourite way of working, ( in manual mode), then stick with it. I guess the only time I work in manual mode is when I want to set an exposure value clearly outside of the correct exposure as chosen by the camera. There is no advantage that I can see in working in either mode.....I can control my shutter speed from the P mode, A mode or S mode or even from manual mode. I choose the P mode because I find it very convenient.

Cheers

[Aussie Dave]

Aussie Dave
I think you are correct...damned good question though and one I haven't seen or considered before. But the bottom line is that you will still arrive at a shutter speed/F stop combination that the camera would offer in P, A or S mode....and the only thing you would have to do is spin the command dial to rotate through all of the equivelant exposures. However...if that is your favourite way of working, ( in manual mode), then stick with it. I guess the only time I work in manual mode is when I want to set an exposure value clearly outside of the correct exposure as chosen by the camera. There is no advantage that I can see in working in either mode.....I can control my shutter speed from the P mode, A mode or S mode or even from manual mode. I choose the P mode because I find it very convenient.

Cheers

very true. Essentially, they all do the same thing. As you mention, you would use manual mode if you want to clearly set an exposure outside of the correct one.....however you can still do that in P, A or S, by using exposure compensation.

It's all doing the same thing, it just depends on how you prefer to work it. None of the modes are better than any other. As long as you know how to use them correctly to achieve whatever results you are after, you can use any of them

[stephen]

So as a newbie what would be the first mode to reccomend to try apart from auto and what are the first things i will have to start monitoring instead of Point and shooting?.Cheers

[ozczecho]

Hi Stephen
some great advice above. More often than not, pics straight out of the camera won't look their "best" until you conduct some Post Processing (PP) on them.

......

This is not to say that these are the correct settings for anyone else to use, they are my preference and what I find works best for me.

Hope this is of some help

Mate, your above post is what makes this forum great. A post that probably took a while to compose and is full of usefull knowledge - even to "forum veterans" like me . Great stuff and appreciated.

[stubbsy]

So as a newbie what would be the first mode to reccomend to try apart from auto and what are the first things i will have to start monitoring instead of Point and shooting?.Cheers

Stephen

Try either A or S. I prefer A. Basically in the mode you choose you control one facet and the camera adjusts the other.

eg in A mode I determine what size aperture I want based on how good I want the DOF. If I want shallow DOF then I'll dial up a low value (say 4 or 5.6) if I want excellent DOF I'll dial up say F16. In both cases the camera then works out the shutter speed needed to correctly expose the image (it will be a faster speed at F5.6 than at F16). If light is low and I'm hand holding I'll choose a low F value since I know that I'll get a faster shutter speed than if at a high F value and that even then it will be a longish exposure (purists will no doubt say I should turn to S mode in that case and choose a fast shutter speed myself, but the end result is the same). The reason for the lower F value here is to get the fastest shutter speed in the conditions since the longer the exposure the more camera shake becomes an issue.

As suggested in Dave's post above, there's one other thing I also do. I also keep an eye on the histogram on the viewfinder to give a feel for how my exposure is looking (ideal is a bell curve rather than pushed up one end or the other). If I'm too far to the left the image is probably under exposed so I'll adjust the EV a bit (say +0.7). If it's too far to the right I'll go to -0.7. Having adjusted I'll try again and repeat (and increase EV) as necessary.

When I first did this it all sounded very daunting, but it doesn't take long to get the hang of it. If you need more info (like what dials adjust what) speak up.

[Aussie Dave]

Hi Stephen
some great advice above. More often than not, pics straight out of the camera won't look their "best" until you conduct some Post Processing (PP) on them.

......

This is not to say that these are the correct settings for anyone else to use, they are my preference and what I find works best for me.

Hope this is of some help

Mate, your above post is what makes this forum great. A post that probably took a while to compose and is full of usefull knowledge - even to "forum veterans" like me . Great stuff and appreciated.

thanks ozczecho. That's what this place is all about, helping each other & having a few laughs along the way.

Stephen, I'd concur with Stubbsy on trying out Aperture Priority first. Basically, this allows YOU to choose the aperture (f-stop) you want to shoot at and the camera will automatically vary the shutter speed to determine correct exposure for whatever the lens is pointing at, at the time.

A few things to watch out for when in Aperture Priority:

1. keep an eye on what shutter speed the camera is choosing. Remembering that when handholding a camera, your shutter speed should match "at least - if not slightly more" than your focal length. So shooting at 70mm, you should try to keep your shutter speed up around 1/80th sec or more. If you are shooting at 70mm and you notice the camera has chosen a shutter speed of 1/20th sec (because light levels are quite low), the photo is highly likely to have motion blur. The longer the focal length, the more exaggerated this consequence will be.

From here, to obtain a workable shutter speed, you can either change your aperture setting accordingly, which will make the camera change the shutter speed OR change the ISO level to a higher setting OR obtain more light (say from a flash or studio lighting etc..) OR if possible, use a tripod which will severely reduce the possibility for motion blur, allowing you to now shoot at 1/20th sec.

2 the D70/D70s is manufactured to slightly underexpose, to save blowing highlights. To combat this, most people tend to dial in some + exposure compensation (+0.3 to +0.7).

Have a play around in all the modes so you begin to understand what happens in each. In my mind the advantages for each mode are:

Aperture - when YOU want to control depth of field (portraits/landscapes)
Shutter - when YOU want to control motion in the photo (freeze or blur movement (ie. waterfalls or F1 car speeding past)
Manual - when you want to control both

They all do the same thing, they just allow the photographer to be in control of different aspects.

Hope this makes sense....

[stephen]

Thanks Guys that is EXACTLY the information i was after ,i will try these out (when it stops raining) and im sure ill be back with more questions .Dont know about Sydney but Perth is getting the tailend of cyclone claire and it has now rained for pretty much 15 hrs straight which is Very unusual for here . Cheers

[Technik]

This question probably have been asked before:

In regard to adjustment for exposure (+/- 0.3) or WB setting, does it matter if you shoot the photo in RAW format?

I'd have thought you probably should be able to make adjustment in the photoshop later on. So am i correct to say it wouldn't matter what D70s setting you shoot in any case!?!

[Link]

Technik,

Yes, you can adjust the exposure and WB in photoshop if you have the RAW plug-in. However, if you're shooting at high ISO value (800 and above), it's worth getting the exposure right in camera because any post-processing tweaking (like EV +0,3) will make noise an issue.

Link.

[Aussie Dave]

Technik
I agree with Link. High ISO shots demand exposure to be optimal to avoid creating too much noise in the darkened/underexposed areas of the photo.

Also, the more you can get correct "in-camera", the less you have to do in PP. PP is always somewhat destructive to an image and the best possible quality is always straight out of the camera. The destruction to the image may be negligable, in most cases, but when people get carried away and heavily PP an image, it's quality can suffer.

Obviously, most people tend to try and get it close to correct (whilst shooting) & then fix any exposure problems later in PP. Digital now affords the "late" film photographers amongst us, who didn't have darkroom experience, control of the "after-shot" process as well (ie. Post-Processing).

What an age we live in

[stubbsy]

One other point Technik re: EV. If you've totally blown or totally under exposed part of the image no amount of PP on the RAW file can get it back since all the detail is missing. That's one reason why you make adjustments to EV when shooting raw on top of what has been said already.

[Alpha_7]

Can I ask since shutter mentioned using 'P' mode, what is P mode good for ? Why would I use it when I have A S and M ?

[Aussie Dave]

Can I ask since shutter mentioned using 'P' mode, what is P mode good for ? Why would I use it when I have A S and M ?

Basically it's similar to the AUTO mode, which sets everything for you. The differences between the 2 are:

AUTO - sets aperture & shutter based on what exposure the scene requires, using whatever ISO level & flash compensation you've set. This mode does not let you play with "exposure compensation"

P (Programmed Mode) - sets shutter & aperture settings for you, as does AUTO mode, however by using the rear command dial in conjunction with the AE button (to the right of the viewfinder), you can adjust the settings which will give you an "equal to" exposure for the same scene (eg. 1/100 @ f8 OR 1/200 @ f5.6 OR 1/50 @ f11) - hence giving you the ability to affect the camera's settings in your favour (shutter speed to capture/show motion OR aperture to gain/lose DOF).

I guess you'd use P or AUTO mode if you don't know too much about photography and wanted the camera to do most of the work....or you could use one of the programmed settings.

If you want to be in control of the aperture or shutter settings exclusively, you'd use S or A........or M (for complete control)

[Raskill]

I made a decision when I got the D70 to try and learn how to drive the thing in manual mode. Most of my images are taken in manual, but occasionally I use S or A modes. I figure if I have a camera with the abilities of the D70, and I want to improve my skills, then manual is the way to go.

Of course I I could be just talking out my ass, it's happened before

[Aussie Dave]

I made a decision when I got the D70 to try and learn how to drive the thing in manual mode. Most of my images are taken in manual, but occasionally I use S or A modes. I figure if I have a camera with the abilities of the D70, and I want to improve my skills, then manual is the way to go.

Of course I I could be just talking out my ass, it's happened before

Raskill
I, too mainly shoot in M mode as I prefer to be in control of all settings (which sometimes shows up my inadequacies as a photographer ), however one could also argue that if you wanted to use the D70, and it's wonderful technological abilities, you would set it to AUTO, let the camera work it's magic and you could concentrate fully on composing the photo (which Nikon are yet to produce in a camera - predictive composition compensation). Though I'm sure it will be an adittion in the D5 series....

[wendellt]

hi stephen

half of takign a good photo is searchign for good light well in my opnion
if your images look flat perhaps it's the lighting and/or choice of subject matter that is more of an issue
it's hard to add contrast using camera settings to a dull uniform subject,if the subject is lit nicely with great contrast any automatic mode on the camera would take it nicely

but i just use manual, with auto white balalnce -2 gives you a slightly warmer image which adds some punch to the final image

[gstark]

I made a decision when I got the D70 to try and learn how to drive the thing in manual mode. Most of my images are taken in manual, but occasionally I use S or A modes. I figure if I have a camera with the abilities of the D70, and I want to improve my skills, then manual is the way to go.

Of course I I could be just talking out my ass, it's happened before

The surprising part of this though is just how much control you still have, even though you may be shooting in A or S modes.

For instance, as you're taking an exposure reading - you're in A mode - you check the settings and see that the camera's telling you it's going to set a shutter speed of 1/25 for your f/8 aperture setting. Given that you've got the kit lens mounted and you're at the pointy end of its travel (70mm) you know that the shutter speed is slower than optimal, so it's a simply matter of giving the command dial a nudge, opening the aperture a stop, and thereby bumping your shutter speed into the the lower echelons of the acceptable range for the focal length you're using.


The key, though, is to be alert, and not alarmed. Damn! worng speech!

No matter what settings you're using, always pay attention to the whole content of what's within your viewfinder.

That applies not just to the image content that you're shooting, but also to the settings content that the camera is telling you. Like dialog boxes in Windows, that information is being given to you for a purpose, and it's up to you to use it, and to use it intelligently.

And it's equally easy to screw up your settings in A, S, P ar M. You can (I frequently do) forget, for instance, that you've set ISO to 1600, or EV compensation to -2.

That's enough to royally screw up just about any shot,, and with an amazing amount of ease.

[gstark]

This question probably have been asked before:

In regard to adjustment for exposure (+/- 0.3) or WB setting, does it matter if you shoot the photo in RAW format?

I'd have thought you probably should be able to make adjustment in the photoshop later on. So am i correct to say it wouldn't matter what D70s setting you shoot in any case!?!

Actually, it's quite important to try to get the best possible exposure right from the start.

While digital photography is extremely forgiving, and you can recover an amazing amount of detail from some pretty horribly screwed up images, there's simply no substitute for getting it right in the first instance, and thereby maximising your options as you progress down the PP track with the image.

[Aussie Dave]

I made a decision when I got the D70 to try and learn how to drive the thing in manual mode. Most of my images are taken in manual, but occasionally I use S or A modes. I figure if I have a camera with the abilities of the D70, and I want to improve my skills, then manual is the way to go.

Of course I I could be just talking out my ass, it's happened before

The surprising part of this though is just how much control you still have, even though you may be shooting in A or S modes.

For instance, as you're taking an exposure reading - you're in A mode - you check the settings and see that the camera's telling you it's going to set a shutter speed of 1/25 for your f/8 aperture setting. Given that you've got the kit lens mounted and you're at the pointy end of its travel (70mm) you know that the shutter speed is slower than optimal, so it's a simply matter of giving the command dial a nudge, opening the aperture a stop, and thereby bumping your shutter speed into the the lower echelons of the acceptable range for the focal length you're using.

A great example Gary !

And it's equally easy to screw up your settings in A, S, P ar M. You can (I frequently do) forget, for instance, that you've set ISO to 1600, or EV compensation to -2.

That's enough to royally screw up just about any shot,, and with an amazing amount of ease.

...this is the exact reason why I mainly shoot manual and adjust aperture/shutter to "manually exposure compensate". If you never use the exp. comp. function, it can never screw you over...

[Technik]

thanks for all the helpful advice guys.

I learn something new everyday!

[gstark]

And it's equally easy to screw up your settings in A, S, P ar M. You can (I frequently do) forget, for instance, that you've set ISO to 1600, or EV compensation to -2.

That's enough to royally screw up just about any shot,, and with an amazing amount of ease.

...this is the exact reason why I mainly shoot manual and adjust aperture/shutter to "manually exposure compensate". If you never use the exp. comp. function, it can never screw you over...

Dave,

I never consider that sort of thing to be the camera screwing me over. It's my issue if (when) I forget to check and change my settings.

I realise that you're talking with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek here, but I think it's important to be crystal clear - most exposure (or other, for that matter) problems can - and should - be ascribed to user error, rather than some form of camera malfunctionor failure.

[Onyx]

...but I think it's important to be crystal clear - most exposure (or other, for that matter) problems can - and should - be ascribed to user error, rather than some form of camera malfunctionor failure.

I agree, but having said that - a 'smart' camera exposure system and interface minimises the chances of these operator errors.
eg. forgetting that the ISO is set to 1600. It seems to have happened to all of us at some stage or another. As you mentioned, paying attention to the shutter speed and aperture with respect to the lighting conditions and what exposure would normally expect - through knowledge and shooting experience, may hint at an abnormal ISO setting without having it displayed in the viewfinder ala D200.

[Matt. K]

Be all that it may...if you screw around with the controls in manual and think you are in charge....and if your exposure is not quite as accurate as the the camera could determine using its accurate and sophisticated matrix metering...then you really are not maximising your image quality.
The D70 is not an F2!

[Aussie Dave]

I realise that you're talking with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek here, but I think it's important to be crystal clear - most exposure (or other, for that matter) problems can - and should - be ascribed to user error, rather than some form of camera malfunctionor failure.

Quite true Gary. It is important to keep this information as clear as possible. I did not mean it to sound like the camera was in error. It is almost always the fault of the user (as you mention). Perhaps using the term "screw you over" was a poor choice in words.

Be all that it may...if you screw around with the controls in manual and think you are in charge....and if your exposure is not quite as accurate as the the camera could determine using its accurate and sophisticated matrix metering...then you really are not maximising your image quality.
The D70 is not an F2!

But if you are judging your exposure by using the meter displayed inside the D70 viewfinder, isn't this the same as what the camera does (as both methods rely on the abilities of the Matrix Metering System ? Whether I then choose to make slight adjustments to aperture or shutterspeed (to force + or - compensation), or the camera meters the scene and I use + or - exposure comp., it's the same thing....isn't it ?

I understand that the D70's metering ability is not that of the F2, however both methods I describe above are still limited by the same metering technology (within the D70). And in my mind, unless I'm incorrect, both would come to the same conclusions in the end anyway....

[thaddeus]

I think that repeated user errors can often be overcome with good interface design.

One problem I've had with the camera is that the interface is all over the place: there are menu items in the software, and buttons and knobs all over the camera. There's no way I can quickly look at the camera and know its state.

Personally I'd like to have a "reset to user preferences" button on my camera. One button which takes me back to a known configuration from which I can then make adjustments. That way when I'm taking a shot, I can concentrate on taking the shot rather than going through a checklist of settings.