A few D300 questions

viper_biker

viper_biker

Suspended / Banned
Messages
550
Name
Gareth
Edit My Images
Yes
1. On Page 284 of the manual it says you can change the colour priority to White writing on a Black background, how?

2. With the ISO button down what do the 'L' and 'H' numbers mean?

3. What is the 'Fn' button and what is its function (ie when would I need to use it?)

4. What is the button above the 'Fn' button?

5. Is there a way to have the HUD on the top of the camera to keep it illuminated for night-time shooting?

6. Should the 'WB' used in any other option other than 'Auto'?

7. What does [Shoot A] and [Custom A] mean in the UHD?

8. Finally, what does 'L' stand for on the Multi Selector?

These are my questions so far. I've not had the camera that long and I'm still getting to grips with all its function so your help is much appreciated, thank you.
 
viper_biker said:
1. On Page 284 of the manual it says you can change the colour priority to White writing on a Black background, how?
Click to expand...

It's either in the custom functions menu or the shooting functions menu.
That's if you mean the shooting info display = when holding the camera you can press the info button and this will bring up a display of all your current settings on the LCD, if your shooting in a dark environment then the display will have white BG and black writing, vice versa in a bright environment.

viper_biker said:
2. With the ISO button down what do the 'L' and 'H' numbers mean?
Click to expand...

L means low setting and H means high setting, you have L1,L2 and L3 I believe, for example L1 can be ISO 100, L2 can be ISO 125 etc.

viper_biker said:
3. What is the 'Fn' button and what is its function (ie when would I need to use it?)
Click to expand...
There is an explanation of this in the manual, it will explain it far better than me.

viper_biker said:
4. What is the button above the 'Fn' button?
Click to expand...
As above.

viper_biker said:
5. Is there a way to have the HUD on the top of the camera to keep it illuminated for night-time shooting?
Click to expand...

I don't think there is a way of switching it on permanently but you can flick the power switch over to the right and this turns on the lights for a little while, It's very easy to find in the dark.
You wouldn't really want the light on permanently anyway because it will assist in battery drain as does longer exposures.

viper_biker said:
6. Should the 'WB' used in any other option other than 'Auto'?
Click to expand...

Yes. You have to choose accordingly to your conditions.

viper_biker said:
7. What does [Shoot A] and [Custom A] mean in the UHD?
Click to expand...

Shoot A is a user defined bank for all the options in the shooting menu.
Custom A is a user defined bank for all the custom functions.
Basically you choose all your most used settings in a given situation and save them to banks, for example, your shooting some team portraits at a football match, after you have the shot you may have to start shooting the game immediatley, instead of changing each individual setting one by one you can change all of them at once provided you have correctly programmed each bank before hand.

viper_biker said:
8. Finally, what does 'L' stand for on the Multi Selector?
Click to expand...

Lock.
 
Good info from Tomas there, if however your having trouble with the manual (i know i generally do) take a look at this book HERE i have only just got it so not had chance to look in detail, but on first glance my impressions are it's very good and far more comprehensive than the manual, it even covers capture NX software which came with the camera, i got mine from the "book depository" through Amazon.co.uk as i had used them before and new they were reliable, hope that helps :)
 
IF you mean LCD illumination always on at night, its d8 in the menu bank, you can opt for it always on, or off, and it just comes on when you flick the power swicth round one notch further for it to come on for 20 seconds or so. I wouldnt opt for always on though, not even at night, the 300 is much more battery heavy than a 200 to begin with so anything that uses power is reducing the number of shots you will get from that battery.
 
Just going to revive this old thread rather than start a new one. Can someone explain what the AF-L and AE-L button does and would it be any good in motor-sport?
 
The "Fn" (Function) button is a button that can be assigned to something you want it to do. I think by default it is for bracketing.

The button above is the "depth of field preview" button. It allows you to preview what is in focus in your shot before you take it iirc.
 
viper_biker said:
Just going to revive this old thread rather than start a new one. Can someone explain what the AF-L and AE-L button does and would it be any good in motor-sport?
Click to expand...

AF-LF and AE-L are auto focus and auto exposure lock. Good in motorsport? I couldn't tell you.

But basically if you meter for the sky and then set AE-L on, the camera metering won't change when you refocus elsewhere. Same kind of thing with auto focus lock. You focus on something and then set AF-L on and point your camera elsewhere, it won't change focus if you're using continuous auto-focus (I think that's how it works.. I don't use it personally).
 
If you can pan accurately to a spot on the track then you can use the af-l on that spot and move back up the track to follow the approaching vehicle releasing the shutter when you get to the right spot. With the right DOF the shot may be sharp.

Similar to what I used to do back in the 80's although the AF lock was simply a MF lens pre focussed on a spot.
Using 3d AF may well work better though
 
redhed17 said:
For anyone reading this and hasn't heard of Ken Rockwell, I'd get whatever he says verified from another source. ;) :lol:
Click to expand...

Take him with a pinch of salt, but his camera guides are pretty good, and a lot easier to follow than Nikons manuals, and they are free ... ;)

His guide on how to set up off camera flash, using the onboard as a commander unit is simple to follow, the Nikon instruction book is not.

But he is fickle.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top