V1.02
Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D300
Page 313
the function will still tend to underexpose and reshuffle
data values, which is probably less than useful.
Active D-
Lighting
is really only useful for scenes that are near or
slightly exceed the camera’s dynamic range.
•
NEF shooters beware!
Only Capture NX can apply the
proper linearization curves automatically to get essentially
the same effect as what the camera does for JPEGs and
TIFFs. If you use another raw converter, though, consider
not using
Active D-Lighting
. The reason for that is
simple: you’re going to end up with images that are
underexposed, and you may have to manually apply
corrections to the shadow area, mid-tones, and highlights
simultaneously
. Because of the decrease in exposure,
noise presence tends to be increased when you do this
(especially if you do it aggressively and don’t use a post
processing noise reduction after conversion). Personally,
I’d say you’re better off—even Capture NX users—to
simply make sure that your exposure doesn’t have
channel blowout rather than using
Active D-Lighting
.
My advice is to use the
Active D-Lighting
function sparingly,
if at all. While it can produce out-of-camera usable pictures in
high contrast scenes that are better than with it turned off, it is
not a leave-it-on-all-the-time type of feature. You need to be
shooting in JPEG or TIFF format and know that you’ve got
highlight and shadow detail that might not show up visibly
without the function. NEF shooters facing high contrast
situations have better options for post processing (though note
that you might want to dial down exposures slightly, just as
Active D-Lighting
does).
White Balance
All light is not created equal. The perceived color of an object
depends upon the light source that illuminates it. Our brains,
however, are pretty good at overriding what our eyes see. If
someone wearing a white shirt walks from the sun into the
shade (where the light is usually “bluer” due to reflections and
light scatter), our brain knows that shirt itself isn’t getting
