TAKING A PICTURE:
Following are the basic techniques. For more information and advanced
photography please study the Nikon® D800 instruction manual.
NOTE * Refer to the shooting tips section below for useful tips on custom
settings of the Nikon® D800 camera for underwater photography
1- Press the mode button (# 53) and select the desired exposure mode,
the chosen mode will appears on both the camera viewfinder and rear
LCD window (#37) if using the INFO option. Exposure Mode options in
sequence are: Programmed Auto (P), Shutter Priority Auto (S), Aperture
Priority Auto (A) or Manual Exposure (M).
* Full auto mode and scenes mode are not really useful in underwater
photography, most popular choice are either full manual or aperture
priority.
2- Control of Exposure Compensation (# 31 ) is achieved by the lever to
engage compensation function, select proper parameter by using either
the sub or main command knobs (see shooting tip section).
Note: When using strobes, it is recommended that the camera be used
only in Single Frame Motor Drive mode or there is the possibility that the
camera will fire before the flash or strobe can recycle.
3- Turn the Metering Pattern button (# 28) and select the metering pattern you
wish to use: 3D Matrix, Center-Weighted or Spot, from the rear LCD panel.
4- Pull the Shutter Release Lever partially back. This will activate the
camera’s meter and autofocus system.
5- If using manual focus use the Focus Knob (key # 14) on the housing or
on the flat port to focus.
6- If using Manual mode adjust the Main Command Knob (key # 3) and/or
sub-command (key # 2) to set the shutter speed and aperture.
7- Pull the Shutter Release Lever (key # 1) the rest of the way until the
camera fires.
SHOOTING TIPS:
The Nikon D800 Digital camera is loaded with interesting options in its
Custom Setting Menu section, these can be very helpful to the underwater
photographer, listed below are some of the most useful ones:
1) The lever (# 30) on the rear right hand side of the housing is used to
access either the AE-L/AF-L or AF-ON button by rotating an adjustment
collar (# 29). there is wide range of possible to modification to the original
purpose of these so that they can perform other functions, among the
most interesting options found on the AE-L/AF-L CSM Menu (f6) are:
- Isolating the focus lock
- Locking the Flash Value (with optically triggered strobe)
- Blocking the flash from triggering
The AF-ON is used for isolating the auto focusing from the triggering of
the camera, pressing the trigger will not affect focusing, it can be tailored
to very specific needs and is it worth exploring the multitude of options
available.
2) The DoF and Fn toggle (# 5) on the front of the housing gives an exclusive
access to the buttons of the same name on the camera, while depth of
field preview is obliviously of little interest, both the DoF and FN buttons,
can be modified to a long list of custom functions, available in the (f4) CSM
menu for the Fn button and (f5) CSM menu for the Preview button.
3) It is possible to invert the rotations of the command and sub command
controls, in normal situation, to give the photographers a natural feel when
using the housing controls, it is a simple procedure to invert them. Go to
the CSM menu, select (f9), Customize Command Dials”, select “Reverse
Rotation”, select “Yes” and confirm by pressing the OK button, you now
have the knobs rotating in the oposite direction as they would normally
be.
4) The Command and Sub Command dials can also be inverted, the front
one becoming the shutter speed, the rear one being transformed in the
aperture controls, this feature can be useful for manual strobe shooters,
you can change the lens aperture with your thumb while taking picture
continuously with your index, to do so, go to the CSM menu, select “f6”,
“Customize Command Dials”, select “Change Main/Sub”, select ON and
confirm with by pressing the OK button. You now have control of the aperture
on the rear knob and shutter speed on the front one.
5)One very well hidden, but so very useful, custom function is the ability
to modify the behavior of the camera push buttons, by default, when one
chooses to change a setting related to a button, one has to keep pressing
said button, rotate one of the two command dials and then let go of the
button, using the f7 custom function will let you press on the button once
and this one will stay engaged until you either press on it again, or gently
tap the shutter release to turn it off. Changing setting on the camera itself
is a simple procedure, not so when the camera is inserted into an
underwater housing, then that can quickly becomes awkward especially
with a housing loaded with strobes at the end of lengthy strobe arms. To
engage this feature, go to CSM menu; select “f7 Release Button To Use
Dial”, press OK button to accept. This is one of the most useful features
of the CSM repertoire.
Some of the controls that can benefit greatly from this CSM mode:
-
Exposure mode (# 53)
-
Exposure correction (# 31)
-
AF Mode (# 20)
-
Flash mode (# 11)
-
Flash exposure correction (# 11)
-
Bracketing (#49)
-
ISO (# 47)
-
Quality and size (# 50)
-
(WB) White Balance (# 51)
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5
Rotate collar and
push lever in to
access AF-L/AE-L
Rotate collar and
pull lever out to
access AF-ON
30
30
29
29
