SLM6 User Manual v 1
Taking Hemiphotos
z
13
Using the Nikon Coolpix 8400 Camera
Taking Hemiphotos
The Coolpix 8400 is a very capable camera, and the user has a lot of
control over the settings. This does mean that getting the right settings
can be complicated. It is well worth taking some time to learn how the
camera works before using it in the field. The following notes will point you
towards the appropriate sections of the camera manual. Page numbers
refer to the English version of the manual supplied with the camera.
Image size and compression
There is a trade-off between image quality and the number of images you
can store on a memory card. Keep image size at 3264 x 2448 for
maximum spatial resolution. We recommend using Fine image quality. At
this setting, a typical hemiphoto will take up about 4 MByte. Normal image
quality may be adequate for many canopies, particularly broad-leaved
canopies, and will double the number of images you can store. Do a trial
comparison on your site to see if the image quality makes any significant
difference. See Camera Manual p 33.
Camera settings
The optimum setting depends on the nature of the picture. We
recommend the following Shooting Menu settings as a starting point for
new users (see Camera Manual p 94 onwards):
•
White balance
Auto
•
Metering
Matrix
•
Image
Adjustment Normal
•
Saturation
Normal
•
Image
sharpening Normal
•
Lens
Normal
Note: the Fisheye lens setting is not recommended as it gives you a
very restricted range of settings, including disabling the flash - which
is needed for the alignment marks. On the other hand, temporarily
setting the Lens to Fisheye sets the zoom correctly to maximise the
diameter of the hemiphoto in the image. You can then change it to
“Normal” to let you take pictures using use the flash without losing the
correct zoom position.
To simplify this procedure move the lens option to the top of your “My
Settings” page. Then, with “My Menu” selected using the Menu
