Last updated 2.12..08.
Please let me know if you have, or find, a D300 / D700* golden nugget and I will include it here. *The D700 is bascialy a D300 with a full frame sensor. The tips and tricks included below for the D300 should also work with the D700.
The D300 has a huge menu system. OK, so you have glanced over the manual, but what you really need is someone who really knows the D300 menu system to show you what it is all about. Well here is the solution, six 'You Tube' Videos that simply shows and tells you all about it!
Nikon D300 Advanced menu walk through. Hosted by You Tube, each video is about 5 to 9 minutes long.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6.
At a recent photo shoot at my camera club, Gerry Coe, pointed out that D300 / D700 users do not need to use a dedicated trigger fitted to the hot shoe. To activate the studio lights you go to your camera menu, select flash and where you would set the built in flash to TTL or Commander mode select 'Manual'. Then from that menu go up one to set the flash at its minimum, (1/128 on the D300). Thats it. Pop up your built in flash and it will trigger the studio lights (when they are set to slave.)
I use the burst mode quite a bit. This is where you take a sequence of pictures all with the one pres of the shutter. the way I do it is
1. Set the camera up to do 5 or 7 frames in one stop incremenrs. Anything less is a waste of time. i.e. -2,-1-,0,1,2
2. Put camera into Cl or Ch Mode
3. Set the preferreed aperture for the sequence
4. Put the camera on a tripod (fundamnetal step) and use a cable release
5. Press and hold the shutter release util sequence is complete
This is the only reliable way to acjieve HDR's that are aligned properly and work seamlessly.
(Submitted by Trevor Craig)
Click here to go to the Nikon site
The following improvements have been made in version 1.10
- The Highlights playback display option has been moved from Display mode > Basic photo info > Highlights in the playback menu to Display mode > Detailed photo info > Highlights.
- The size and color of “Demo” displayed in the monitor with playback when No memory card? in the Custom Settings is set to Enable release, have been modified.
- The range of settings available for ISO sensitivity settings > ISO sensitivity auto control > Minimum shutter speed in the shooting menu has been increased from 1/250 – 1 s to 1/4000 – 1 s.
- When shooting in hand-held live view mode and the frame is magnified prior to autofocusing, operation has been modified so that display returns to the magnified display rather than full-frame display.
- Images captured with Rotate tall, in the playback menu, set to On are not automatically rotated for display immediately after capture (image review).
- A Copyright information item has been added to the setup menu. When Copyright information is enabled, the copyright symbol (©) is shown in the shooting info display.
- Recent settings can now be displayed in place of My Menu.
- Custom Setting e3 Flash cntrl for built-in flash (e3 Optional flash when an optional Speedlight is mounted on the camera) can now be added to My Menu using the Add items option in My Menu from Add items > Custom setting menu > e Bracketing/flash.
- The degree of the High ISO NR setting can now be confirmed in the shooting info display while the High ISO NR setting item, in the shooting menu, is being applied.
- Ankara, Riyadh, Kuwait, and Manama have been added to the Time zone options for the World time item in the setup menu.
- When a GPS device is used and no heading information is available, ---.--° is now displayed for the Position > Heading option in the GPS item in the setup menu.
- When shooting in live view mode using Camera Control Pro 2 (Ver. 2.2.0 or later) with a PC-E lens, the aperture setting can now be adjusted from the computer.
- Focus acquisition performance in dynamic-area AF mode has been improved.
- Focus acquisition performance with contrast-detect AF has been improved.
- Auto white balance performance has been improved.
- The fourth digit in seconds display for GPS latitude and longitude information is now rounded off rather than omitted.
- The current MB-D10 battery type setting can now be confirmed in the shooting info display when R6 / AA-size batteries are used with the Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10.
- An issue that caused an increase in noise with shooting in [M] exposure mode at a shutter speed setting of bulb with the shutter held open for less than 8 seconds and Long exp. NR enabled has been resolved.
- An issue that prevented shutter release at the specified shutter speed when no operations were performed for 30 seconds in mirror up mode has been resolved.
- An issue that caused abnormal image display when Image review was set to On and the playback zoom in button was pressed immediately after shooting at the following settings has been resolved.
. Image quality: NEF (RAW ) + JPEG
. NEF (RAW) recording: Lossless compressed or Compressed
. Image size: S or M
- When the Speedlight SB-800 was mounted on the camera with flash mode set to distance-priority manual (GN) mode, and the camera recovered from standby mode triggered by the auto meter off function, the distance information displayed on the SB-800 changed. This issue has been resolved.
Like most of you, I occasionally have to clean dust from my camera sensor. And like at least some of you, that sensor will now be the one on a new Nikon D300 digital SLR. But the D300 sensor has a key difference with earlier Nikon sensors that you should be aware of before cleaning it.
You may have thought that by getting a D300 your problems with cleaning off dust would be a thing of the past. After all, the camera features a new "sensor shake" mechanism built in. Go to the Setup menu, select "Clean image sensor" and press the button. All the hard work is then automatic. You can even set the camera to automatically clean the sensor this way at startup or at shutdown. Or both. That should do the trick, right?
Unfortunately, no.
It likely will help to a reasonable degree, but dust and particularly pollen grains have an amazing ability to "fuse" to your sensor and no amount of shaking (or brushing) will get rid of it. It's stuck and will need swabbing with an appropriate cleaning solution.
Read more here.
Don’t have the MB-D10 grip for your D300 but still want a taste of what 8 fps is like? Try this secret trick to fool your D300 into shooting at 8 fps.
Warning: Using your camera in a manner other than that described by the manual could possibly damage your camera, void your warranty, or cause impotence. Follow the steps described below at your own risk.
First, make the following custom setting adjustments:
- e5: Flash only
- e6: Flash only
- f4: Button press - Bracketing burst
- f4: Button + dials - Bracketing mode
Then set your camera to JPG or 12-bit RAW mode. Set exposure manually. Activate bracketing with the Fn + Command dial and set 9F (9 frames). Set your shooting mode to single-shot (S). Do not use flash. Then hold the Fn button and when you are ready to shoot, press the shutter release and continue holding the Fn button. The camera will fire up to 9 frames at 8 fps.
If you shoot a lot, intending to produce the image in mono, then set your camera to mono so that you can view the image in mono on the LCD. Of course if you are shooting in raw you still have all the colour info when editing. This is just to help you visualise what the scene will look ike in mono using your LCD. I love mono but find it hard to visualise the scen in mono, I am sure that eventually something will click inside my head, but untill then, this is my approach.
Preview Extractor V1.6. Allows you to see the number of times your shutter has been used. In Preview Extractor click on the Shutter Count item on the top menu bar.
Did you know that every nef contains a basic jpeg? This is what you see on your LCD. If you shoot in raw and want to very quickly look through some jpgs, simply extract the basic jpeg using Preview Extractor V1.6 So unless you really need to shoot in Raw + jpeg normal or fine, you will find that the basic one will do for quick checks. Save some space CF card space by shooting in NEF only.
If you have a D300 then you really should be using Capture NX2, I bought this e Book and my tip is that you have a D300 should do the same. Unlock the secrets to Nikon Capture NX 2.0 with this all-new eBook by Jason P. Odell, Ph.D. With over 400 pages, this eBook tutorial is the most comprehensive guide to Nikon Capture NX2 available. The easy to use guide is illustrated with step-by-step instructions that will help you get the most out of your Nikon DSLR and start generating professional results-- fast.
I bought this CDROM (over 150MB): Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the Nikon D300; helps you understand and master the use of the Nikon D300 digital SLR. With over 1000 pages of detailed, complete, and useful information, you'll find all your questions about the camera and how to use it answered.
NEF Codec is a module that makes Nikon RAW (.NEF) image files as easy to work with as JPEG and TIFF images (within Windows Explorer etc,, inc, Vista)
Ver.1.4.0 changes
* Supports NEF (RAW) images taken with the D700.
* Reflects the effects of optional Picture Controls.
* Reflects the effects ISO sensitivity settings below ISO 200 (LO 0.3–LO 1.0).
* Reflects the effects of the TN-A2 NEF (RAW) colour filter in Capture NX.
Some D300 users have the bad habit of pressing the shutter release too hard sometimes and accidentally taking a photo. Many times when composing a shot you are not ready to take the photo but obviously want to see it in focus. The D300 has an "AF-ON" button which you can set to exclusively control auto focus, removing that ability from the shutter release button.
By switching to using the "AF-ON" button exclusively I feel like I can take my time composing and don't have to worry about accidentally taking a shot.
Here's how to do it..
1) Turn on your camera and navigate to the Custom Settings listing (its the one that looks like a pencil)
2) Select the Auto focus listening and than go to a5 AF activation
3) Change to AF-ON only
For weddings and groups you not need the very fast burst speed offered by the D300. If someone blinks, or whatever, there is point in recording 3 photos of their eyes shut! . So 2-3 fps is more than enough. This means if you shoot raw then 14 bit is fine, despite its slower fps rate.
As many D300 users are avid Capture NX2 users, I thought you might like this NX2 batch setting. It alters the white balance to Daylight | Cloudy | and moves the warmth to the extreme right. It is intended to simulate the light you get at the 'Golden Hour'. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't - but it is worth playing with.
I have tried it on a number of images and I think it works well. I made this on the advice from Jason Odell's E Book on Capture NX2.
Just when you think you've gotten a handle on the JPEG versus RAW debate and which colour space is better than the other, along comes a new choice to make. From the earliest days of support for raw file capture with digital cameras, they have always been 12-bits per pixel. Now both the Nikon D300 and D3, as well as the Canon 40D can do 14-bit raw captures. But since 14-bit files are obviously bigger, are they really any better? To find out more click here.
I was bought a wireless remote for the D300. I have to say it works really well. Here is a photo taken by the D300 using the wireless remote. As you can see, you can't see me. I am hiding behind the bride at the back of the room, so I don't get in the photo. The D300 was on a beanbag, on a mantelpiece just in front of the bride and groom. Using this approach I was able to photograph all through the service without getting in the way.
Using the IR doofer with the D80, you would have probably seen my arm and hand pointing the device at the camera somewhere in the background. Do a search on ebay for "phottix cleon n8". In the past I have used HK supplies and would strongly recommend them.
I have found that if I don't need high speed bursts, I can leave Active D-Lighting ON at Normal. As I shoot in RAW (14bit) and use Capture NX2, I can always remove Active D-Lighting in NX if I wish. You cannot, of course, add it after the event, only change it or remove it.
As I upgraded from a D80 I had never seen the Shooting Bank before. Folk who have upgraded from a D200 and D2Xs ;-) will be aware of it. Basically it allows you to have four shooting profiles. This is now I set up mine.
- Shooting Bank A, I called it RAW 14, set it to 14 bit raw, ISO Auto off, Adobe RGB, Picture Control Standard,
- Shooting Bank B, I called it RAW 12, same as above, only set to 12 bit raw.
- Shooting Bank C, I called it JPG, set it jpeg fine, Auto ISO on, SRGB, etc.
I think this is a most useful feature. You can also add the shooting bank to your my menu, to make quick and easy changes.
The following came to my attention via this article at Earthbound Light.
Photographic Solutions (makers of supplies like Eclipse fluid, Pec Pads, and Sensor Swabs used for wet sensor cleaning methods) recommends against using Eclipse on sensors whose AA filter is coated with indium tin oxide (ITO). The D300 and D3 both have ITO coated AA filters. Photographic Solutions carries another product, called E2, that is intended for use with ITO; it can also be used with non-ITO sensors. See this table for a listing of the recommended solution for many popular cameras.
Surprisingly, the table indicates that E2 is the recommended product for some older cameras such as the D70, D70s, and D2Xs (but not the D2x). I also find it interesting that Photographic Solutions recommends its Sensor Swab for sensor cleaning but not Pec Pads, which are used in the Copperhill method.
More on keeping your D300 clean:
My cleaning method is quite simple. Before I go out on a shoot I take the time to give each camera a "blow job" with the Giotto Rocket Blower and I make sure that the lenses are clean at both ends. When I get home from said shoot I usually am busy with uploading CF cards and post-processing, so I've found that it's better to do the cleaning ritual before heading out again. I also take that time to check everything over and if I know what kind of situation I'll be encountering, I will do a little preliminary adjustment of camera settings, too. While this is going on batteries are being charged up and I'm reformatting CF cards, choosing lenses for the shoot, rearranging the bag, etc., too.
With the D300 and Camera Control Pro 2, you can use Live View and see the live image on the computer.
You can also edit shooting banks, all settings are shown on one screen and can easily be changed.
Comments can also be added to individual shots using the keyboard.
If you want to see exactly what manual white balance changes are going to do to your images or want to get a good look at what subtle shifts in Hue or temperature are going to do TRY THIS....
This is what I call "Lazy White Balance" - "Live-view White Balance" or LvRB...
- Set LIVE VIEW to Tripod mode...
- Select Live view on the release mode dial - press shutter once to activate LV mode...
- Looking through the LCD press the WB button on the back and use the scroll wheel to migrate through the settings and view the changes "on screen"...
While doing this you can - - Change temperatures in the colour temp mode by spinning the front dial
or...
Change hue in any other modes by spinning the front dial...
Go ahead and give it a try... I used this last night to get a fine tune on the florescent lighting at an event I was shooting... Worked quite well and gave me a infinitely more "interactive" method of seeing the subtle changes as they happened...
Might be real useful for effects shooting like "sunsets and night shooting with lighting involved by allowing you to see changes and tune the scene to what you want...
Certainly... you can always just do a Custom WB but this gives you a more visual interactive fine tuning ability for those times when AWB doesn't give you what you were looking for...
I have found that programming the Function button to chose "Dynamic AF Area" is a godsend. It is then trivial to hold the function button in and scroll through 9pt/21pt/51pt to choose/experiment with the best focus choice (non-3d) for the situation; otherwise one has to use the menu for this choice. This is extremely useful for somebody like myself who shoots sports, and is probably also a godsend for bird shooters.
The choice is made in the custom menu f:controls section under "FUNC + Dials".
And if you've already selected something else for the function button or you have short fingers, you can do it using the preview button as well.
Custom Function f8, set to On. Once you press one of the buttons such as Mode/Quality/WB/ISO you can release the button while you make the change. No need to hold the button while you move the wheel. Turns out this is also available on the D200/D2X(s) as well, just named more obtusely. A great time saver. And for those who are more familiar with the dedicated ISO button on the back of the D2's, use this in conjunction with the Info button to get the display on the back LCD and it makes changing these items very nice and quite visible.
Ali anD posted this; .Let me explain how I made fine focus adjustment (FFA) taking shots of a newspaper page.
- First thing is to make sure the entire set-up (newspaper, camera) is stable. Use a tripod if you can. I started with hand-held shots and I couldn't make sense of the results because the focusing point was always changing.
- I then set the lens to its minimal depth of field setting, ie max focal length and wide open (55mm & f/2.8 here), then I set the ISO to something reasonable to make sure there will be no shake but no noise either.
- I use a newspaper page with a lot of small font text with as little space as possible between the lines. I put this page vertical, at about a 45 degree angle to the film/ccd plane, at a short distance (again to minimize depth of field). Near the middle of the page, I draw a small cross sign next to a printed line, near the middle of the first printed character.
- I use single shot AF, single point AF mode, using the central captor only. Ideally, the size of the cross is big/small enough to fill the entire central focusing captor.
- I then take a picture using different fine focal adjustment values. I upload then on my computer, I do not trust (yet?) the camera screen. If some of the pictures in the sequence do not make sense, it is probably because the focusing point changed ever so slightly, and you have to repeat the test again... This is why you'll get results that are much easier to interpret if you use a tripod. I look at the pictures in both full size (about 25%) and 100%. Sometimes 100% gets you too close and you do not see what is happening. Your mileage may vary here.
- I do not look for the sharpness of the cross so much, I'm focusing on where the depth of field zone start and where it ends. What I see is essentially the depth of field zone moving around the cross sign when I change the FFA value. I pick the picture that seems to have the best balance of depth of field around the focusing point. This is why having a small print, small interline newspaper article helps, you can see that you can read, for example, the 3 lines before the cross sign and only one after the cross sign, meaning that, in that case, you must move the focus point away from you.
Tip: make sure the picture is the right side up! If the text is upside down or at an angle, for some reason I found that I had a harder time interpreting the picture... I guess the brain is more comfortable looking at text when it is oriented properly....
Some preferred "My Menu" settings:
#1 Exposure delay mode - I use that a lot
#2 Flash cntrl for built-in flash - I often switch internal flash from TTL to Master Control
#3 Active D-Lightning - I hate Capture NX's user interface, this reduces the need to use Capture NX
#4 D-Lightning - as before - if I need D-Lightning and didn't switch it on while shooting.
#5 Live View Mode - I like the Handheld mode, but for MF macro zooming in to focus in the tripod mode is the better way
#6 Dynamic AF area - should be accessible very fast when needed
#7 ISO sensitivity settings - to switch Auto ISO on and off
#8 clean image sensor - I don't like vibrating my sensor all the time, but when I do landscape with f11 I prefer cleaning instead of dust on my pics
#9 NEF (RAW) recording - set to 14bit, fast switch to 12bit for more fps
Buried deep in the menus, custom setting f10 allows one to reverse the "polarity" on the exposure indicator so that negative values (underexposure) are at the left, positive values (overexposure) at the right. That's the way I tend to think of these things.
First of all, the Phottix version of D300 is great. Do an ebay search for "Phottix BP-D300 Premium Grip for Nikon D300 MB-D10". It even allows you to top up the battery grip from a car charger. In the past I have used HK supplies and would strongly recommend them.
If you have the grip,either the Nikon one or the good Phottix clone, you can specify which battery to use first, i.e. grip vs. camera (CSM d11, pg. 287) and the top LCD shows which battery is in use, i.e. "BP" icon for Battery Pack. However for other clones, e.g... the "Ownuser" brand, this does not work,indeed in my experience almost nothing worked - it was just a grip!
I also have a little tip for storing the white Connector cover of the MB-D10. A big advantage of the new grip is that you can very fast screw or unscrew it when it is needed. It was very nice of nikon to provide a place for the D300 rubber cover, but where to put the white Connector cover of the MB?
I've just cut of the little white protruding pin on the cover to make it fit in the drawer with the Battery.
See here:
On the picture you can see, that I have cut of both of the pins, but it will be enough to just get rid of the one I've pointed out.
Then place the cover next to the battery like this.
And close the drawer it will fit nicely, plus you'll always have the cover available when removing the grip.
This will also work for the Phottix version.
This is in the manual, but I missed it. When the colour tone seems off, that is when Auto White Balance isn't doing the colour temp just right, hold down the WB and turn the front wheel to scale along the amber-blue scale for the right light. Of course, you can adjust the temp in PP, but you can get it right straight off the mark this way.
Also if you go into the shooting menu, and select the white balance option, you can select any of them and it takes you into a small colour palette. you can then choose to fine tune the white balance anywhere on the palette to get combinations of blue, amber, magenta, and green to get the white balance just right. also, under the fluorescent setting it has seven (7) different types of fluorescent's you can choose from, and fine tuning for each one.
The D300 doesn't have dedicated 'info' button. But while the camera is in shooting mode (except for live view), pressing the lock/info/? button by the LCD will give you a display on the back LCD of all the shooting info normally displayed on the top LED. Actually it gives you slightly more information, because it shows the current max frame rate, the current colour space, and the status of long-exp and high-ISO noise reduction.
This is actually pretty handy because sometimes I set the camera up at eye level on a tripod only to realize I have to stand on my tip-toes to see the top LED.
You can have black text on white (well actually light blue) or white text on black. Refer to page to 284 in the menu "Shooting Display" and "d7".
Advice from Wade
Good Natural Warmth for birding/wildlife settings:
aRGB colorspace (should convert to sRGB for web use or for some print labs, but the colours are best in aRGB)
Standard Mode,
Sharpening to taste for LCD or output (I shoot raw, so I set between 5 and 7 in case I want to print from the files without processing)
Saturation +1
everything else neutral or centred.
A good starting AF/metering settings for Birding/Wildlife:
AF mode selector to continuous
AF area mode Select Dynamic Auto focus mode, 21pt
A4 lock on normal
Cent er weighted metering for birds on sunny days (as a starting point)
WB auto
ISO 200-1600 (no I am not kidding)
Noise Reduction Normal
Release knob to constant high frames per second
UDMA CF Cards? - The Nikon D300 is able to take advantage of the blazingly fast write speeds of UDMA Compact Flash cards such as the San Disk Extreme IV which utilizes Mode 3 to achieve I/O speed of 40 MB/s. Pradipta shares a link to a a site explaining the specs behind UDMA cards.
Nikon D300 Camera Settings Spreadsheet - Because the Nikon D300 is such a complex camera to setup, DWM at Nikoninans.org has created a spreadsheet that lists all the available settings. You can record the value that you’ve specified for each setting for future reference.
Want to know whether your old Nikon / Nikkor lens is compatible with the D300? - This post by LilKnytt has a link that points to a Nikon Lens Serial Numbers site where you can determine the year of manufacture and type of your lens by serial number, and other lens construction details and features. Basically, if your lens is an AI Nikkor lens or a lens type manufactured after the AI series, you can use it on your D300 (but check your manual first). AI Nikkor lenses (see this Nikon Camera and Lens Compatibility Chart for details) were manufactured in 1977 to mid 80’s. In conclusion, it’s reasonably safe to assume that any lens manufactured by Nikon on (as long as it’s an AI lens - designated as Type Ai lens at the Nikon Lens Serial Numbers site) or after 1977 is compatible with your D300. Of course, this summary is still subject to speculation, because if you look carefully at the Compatibility Chart, you’ll notice that pre-AI lenses CAN be mounted on the D40 / D40x, so who knows?
How to calculate the equivalent ISO - On the D300, ISO values above 3200 are represented in the EXIF as a specific number of stops above ISO3200. The formula to use in calculating the equivalent ISO for say, 0.3 over 3200 is given by the formula 3200 * 2^0.3 = 3939.66212 (thanks to Andrew DB’s post), which is approximately ISO 4000. You can always use Google Calculator to help you with the calculation - to find out what the equivalent ISO for 1 EV above 3200 is, just enter 3200*2^1= in the Google search box, like this, and the answer is ISO 6400.
