Nikon D40/D40x for dummies

322 Pages·2008·20.43 MB·English

by  King, Julie Adair

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Nikon® D40/D40x
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
by Julie Adair King
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2008920737
ISBN: 978-0-470-23946-9
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
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About the Author
Julie Adair Kingis the author of many books about digital photography and
imaging, including the best-selling Digital Photography For Dummies.Her most
recent titles include Digital Photography Before & After Makeovers,Digital
Photo Projects For Dummies, Julie King’s Everyday Photoshop For Photographers,
Julie King’s Everyday Photoshop Elements, and Shoot Like a Pro!: Digital
Photography Techniques.When not writing, King teaches digital photography
at such locations as the Palm Beach Photographic Center. A graduate of
Purdue University, she resides in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Author’s Acknowledgments
I am extremely grateful to the team of talented professionals at Wiley
Publishing for all their efforts in putting together this book. Special thanks
goto my awesome project editor, Kim Darosett, who is the type of editor that
all authors hope for but rarely experience: supportive, skilled, and amazingly
calm in the face of any storm, including my not infrequent freakouts.
I also owe much to the rest of the folks in both the editorial and art depart-
ments, especially Heidi Unger, Rashell Smith, Shelley Lea, Steve Hayes, Andy
Cummings, and Mary Bednarek. Thanks, too, to Jonathan Conrad for provid-
ing the awesome nighttime shot for Chapter 7, and to agent extraordinaire,
Margot Maley Hutchison, for her continuing help and encouragement.
Last but oh, so not least, I am deeply indebted to technical editor Chuck
Pace, whose keen eye and vast experience set me on the right track when-
ever I mistakenly thought I should go left. Thank you, thank you, for sharing
your time and your expertise — the book would not have been the same
without it.
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Publisher’s Acknowledgments
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form
located at www.dummies.com/register/.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Composition Services
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Project Editor:Kim Darosett
Layout and Graphics: Alissa D. Ellet,
Executive Editor:Steve Hayes Jennifer Mayberry, Ronald Terry,
Erin Zeltner
Copy Editor:Heidi Unger
Proofreaders: Caitie Kelly, Betty Kish
Technical Editor:Chuck Pace
Indexer: Ty Koontz
Editorial Manager:Leah Cameron
Editorial Assistant:Amanda Foxworth
Sr. Editorial Assistant:Cherie Case
Cartoons:Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)
Wiley Publishing Technology Publishing Group
Richard Swadley,Vice President and Executive Group Publisher
Andy Cummings,Vice President and Publisher
Mary Bednarek,Executive Acquisitions Director
Mary C. Corder,Editorial Director
Publishing for Consumer Dummies
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Joyce Pepple,Acquisitions Director
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Gerry Fahey,Vice President of Production Services
Debbie Stailey,Director of Composition Services
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Contents at a Glance
Introduction.................................................................1
Part I: Fast Track to Super Snaps...................................7
Chapter 1: Getting the Lay of the Land............................................................................9
Chapter 2: Taking Great Pictures, Automatically.........................................................33
Chapter 3: Controlling Picture Quality and Size...........................................................51
Chapter 4: Reviewing Your Photos.................................................................................71
Part II: Taking Creative Control...................................89
Chapter 5: Getting Creative with Exposure and Lighting............................................91
Chapter 6: Manipulating Focus and Color...................................................................129
Chapter 7: Putting It All Together.................................................................................161
Part III: Working with Picture Files ...........................183
Chapter 8: Downloading, Organizing, and Archiving Your Photos..........................185
Chapter 9: Printing and Sharing Your Photos.............................................................213
Part IV: The Part of Tens...........................................239
Chapter 10: Ten Fast Photo-Retouching Tricks..........................................................241
Chapter 11: Ten Special-Purpose Features to Explore on a Rainy Day....................263
Appendix: Firmware Notes and Menu Map..................285
Index.......................................................................295
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Table of Contents
Introduction..................................................................1
A Quick Look at What’s Ahead.......................................................................1
Part I: Fast Track to Super Snaps.........................................................2
Part II: Taking Creative Control.............................................................2
Part III: Working with Picture Files.......................................................3
Part IV: The Part of Tens........................................................................3
Appendix: Firmware Notes and Menu Map.........................................3
Icons and Other Stuff to Note.........................................................................4
About the Software Shown in This Book.......................................................5
Practice, Be Patient, and Have Fun!...............................................................5
Part I: Fast Track to Super Snaps ...................................7
Chapter 1: Getting the Lay of the Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Getting Comfortable with Your Lens...........................................................10
Attaching a lens....................................................................................10
Removing a lens....................................................................................12
Focusing and zooming the lens..........................................................12
Adjusting the Viewfinder Focus...................................................................14
Working with Memory Cards........................................................................14
Exploring External Camera Controls...........................................................17
Topside controls...................................................................................17
Back-of-the-body controls...................................................................18
Front-left buttons..................................................................................20
Ordering from Camera Menus......................................................................21
Using the Shooting Info Display...................................................................23
Decoding Viewfinder Data.............................................................................25
Asking Your Camera for Help........................................................................26
Reviewing Basic Setup Options....................................................................27
Cruising the Setup menu.....................................................................27
Browsing the Custom Setting menu...................................................30
Chapter 2: Taking Great Pictures, Automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Getting Good Point-and-Shoot Results........................................................34
Using Flash in Automatic Exposure Modes................................................38
Exploring Your Automatic Options..............................................................41
Auto mode.............................................................................................41
Digital Vari-Program modes................................................................42
Changing the Shooting Mode........................................................................48
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Nikon D40/D40x For Dummies
Chapter 3: Controlling Picture Quality and Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Diagnosing Quality Problems.......................................................................52
Adjusting Resolution (Image Size)...............................................................54
Pixels and print quality........................................................................55
Pixels and screen display size............................................................56
Pixels and file size................................................................................57
Resolution recommendations.............................................................57
Accessing the Image Size control.......................................................59
Changing the File Type (JPEG or Raw)........................................................61
JPEG: The imaging (and Web) standard ...........................................61
NEF (Raw): The purist’s choice..........................................................64
My take: Choose JPEG Fine or NEF (Raw).........................................67
Adjusting the Image Quality setting...................................................67
Chapter 4: Reviewing Your Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Inspecting Your Pictures...............................................................................72
Setting Playback menu options..........................................................72
Displaying your pictures: The basics................................................75
Viewing multiple images at a time......................................................76
Zooming in for a closer view...............................................................77
Viewing picture data............................................................................79
Deleting Photos..............................................................................................84
Deleting the currently displayed photo.............................................84
Deleting all photos...............................................................................85
Deleting a batch of selected photos..................................................86
Protecting Photos..........................................................................................87
Part II: Taking Creative Control....................................89
Chapter 5: Getting Creative with Exposure and Lighting . . . . . . . . . . .91
Kicking Your Camera into Advanced Gear..................................................92
Introducing the Exposure Trio: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO..........93
Understanding exposure-setting side effects...................................95
Doing the exposure balancing act....................................................100
Monitoring Exposure Settings....................................................................101
Choosing an Exposure Metering Mode.....................................................104
Setting ISO, F-Stop, and Shutter Speed......................................................107
Controlling ISO....................................................................................107
Adjusting aperture and shutter speed.............................................111
Overriding Autoexposure Results with Exposure Compensation.........113
Using Autoexposure Lock...........................................................................117
Using Flash in Advanced Exposure Modes...............................................118
Choosing a flash mode.......................................................................118
Adjusting flash output.......................................................................124
Using an external flash unit...............................................................127