Modern
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Relationship between Shutter Speed and Aperture
The amount of light reaching the film plane is determined by a combination of the shutter speed and the lens aperture. A shutter speed of 1/125 sec. lets in twice as much light as a setting of 1/250 sec. and only half as much light as 1/60 sec.. An aperture setting of f/11 lets in twice as much light as f/16, half as much as f/8. Thus, if the correct exposure for a particular picture-taking situation is 1/125 at f/11, then 1/125 at f/8 or 1/60 at f/16 will give the same exposure. The table above illustrates the interrelationship between shutter speed and aperture. The best combination will depend on the results you want. Use fast shutter speeds to freeze motion; use slow shutter speeds to produce deliberate blur. Also, small apertures give greater depth of field, while large apertures restrict the zone of sharp focus to the main subject. A good rule to follow in preventing camera shake is to select a minimum shutter speed which is the reciprocal of the focal length of the lens in use. For example, when using a normal 50mm lens, select a speed no slower than 1/60 sec. (the closest number to 1/50). For a 200mm super-telephoto, use no less than 1/250 sec. and so forth. Refer to this section for more information on Shutter Speed, Aperture, Exposure and Depth of Field.
When you shoot at a certain aperture and focusing distance, you will find that not only the main subject but objects in a certain distance range in front of and behind it will be sharp in the final photograph. Objects beyond this range become increasingly out of focus. This 'in-focus zone' is known as depth of field. When this zone of sharpness is large, the depth of field is said to be deep; when it is small, the depth of field is said to be shallow. Note: Certain Zoom Nikkor and special purpose lenses do not have a depth-of-field scale.The following information may be helpful to help you understand more in relation to depth of field:
- The smaller the shooting aperture (i.e. the larger the numerical f-number), the deeper the depth of field; the larger the aperture, the shallower the depth of field.
- The farther away the subject is from the lens, the deeper the depth of field becomes; the closer to the lens, the shallower the depth of field.
- The longer the focal length of a lens, the shallower the depth of field at each f/stop; the shorter the focal length, the deeper the depth of field.
- There is greater depth of field behind the main subject than in front of it. The depth of field at each aperture is indicated on the lens by a set of colour-coded lines (corresponding to the colours of the f-numbers on the aperture ring) which is used in conjunction with the distance scale. The range is indicated by the distance between the lines.
Depth-of-field preview button When a lens with an automatic diaphragm is used, the image in the viewfinder is viewed with the lens at the maximum aperture. However, by depressing the depth-of field preview button, the lens will be stopped down to the aperture set, enabling you to examine the depth of field before shooting. The image in the viewfinder darkens according to the selected f-number: the smaller the aperture (i.e. the larger f-number), the darker the image.
Components of the picture that appear in focus when the button is depressed will be in the zone of sharp focus. Note that the button should be depressed all the way.Note: When shooting in the automatic exposure mode with an AI lens, do not release the shutter while depressing the preview button; improper exposure may result.
In the vast majority of cases, the F3AF provides the correct exposure on Automatic. However, certain situations require a deviation from the automatic exposure setting. For this purpose, the F3AF features both an exposure compensation dial and a memory lock.This dial adjust the exposure by increasing or decreasing the automatic selected shutter speed. When the scene is usually light or dark in tone (e.g. a snow scene), exposure compensation must be made to prevent over or under-exposure. Or under normal shooting conditions, you can intentionally over or under-expose the shot to create special "high-key" or "low-key" effects. To make exposure compensation, push the locking button (63) as you rotate the exposure compensation dial. It is graduated in one-third stop increments: -1 and -2 indicate one and two stops less exposure, whereas +1 and +2 indicate one and two stops additional exposure. At ASA/ISO 6400, the compensation extends to only -1; at ASA/ISO 12, up to +1. After use, make sure to reset the dial to "0". The recommended exposure compensation settings for various subjects and picture-taking situations are shown above.
Note: Because the LCD shows only discrete shutter speeds, a slight adjustment of the exposure compensation dial, such as +1/3, may not be reflected in a change in shutter speed.Memory lock button Another way of making exposure compensation with the F3AF on automatic is to use the exposure memory lock button. When there is a substantial difference in brightness between the main subject and the background, such as a strongly backbit subject, the camera's exposure meter is likely to be fooled, resulting in under- or over exposure.
To compensate for this, centrer the main subject in the viewfinder or move in close to the subject, depress the memory lock button and hold it; then recompose and shoot .Note: In autofocus operation, you must also depress the focus lock button when recomposing with the subject off-centrer to keep it in sharp focus.
Stop Down Exposure Measurement When using a non-AI lens or certain close-up accessories, you must push the meter coupling lever release button and lock the meter coupling lever in the "up" position before mounting a lens or attaching an accessory. In this case, the diaphragm in the lens does not link with the meter coupling lever on the camera body.
Therefore, you must perform stop-down metering. The procedure is as follows.For non-AI lenses with automatic diaphragms
(Skip this section IF all your Nikkor lenses have a minimum of an AI-Spec)On auto: Push the depth of field preview button all the way in and hold it as you trip the shutter. Caution: If the depth of field preview button is not depressed all the way, the mirror may remain in the "up" position. On manual: Select a shutter speed. Then hold the preview button and turn the lens aperture ring (68) until the -+ symbol appears in the viewfinder. Release the preview button and take the shot.
For non-AI lenses or accessories without automatic diaphragms On auto: Stop the lens down manually until the desired shutter speed appears in the viewfinder. Then take the picture. On manual: Adjust the shutter speed or aperture until the -+ sign appears.
For Fixed-aperture lenses, photomicrography or astrophotography On auto: No control is necessary; just take the picture. On manual: Adjust the shutter speed dial until the -+ appears. If correct exposure is unobtainable, use an ND (neutral density) filter or change the illumination to adjust the exposure.
Shutter Release Button Depressing the button halfway switches on the exposure meter and autofocus function and activates the viewfinder LED and LCD display for focus/exposure information. Both displays stay on for approx. 16 sec., even after taking your finger off the button, then turns themselves off automatically to conserve battery power. Depressing the button all the way down releases the shutter.
The shutter release button is threaded in its centrer to accept a standard cable release for tripping the shutter with the camera mounted on a tripod.Notes:
Backup Mechanical Release Lever
This lever is provided as an alternative method of releasing the shutter in case the camera's batteries become weak or completely exhausted. To operate the lever, first use your fingernail to pull it down to the ready position. Then push it down to trip the shutter.
The shutter operates at a mechanical speed of approx. 1/60 sec. at any setting on the shutter speed dial, except T. At T, push down the backup mechanical release lever with the power switch off.Caution: If you advance the film while holding down the backup mechanical release lever, the shutter will fire immediately at the completion of the film advance stroke, thus wasting a frame. Also, if you fail to advance the film completely and then use the lever to trip the shutter, the mirror will remain in the "up" position; when the additional stroke is made to complete the film winding, the shutter will fire, also wasting a frame.
Film Advance Lever
The film advance lever is coaxial with the shutter release button and is specially contoured to fit the thumb. To advance the film, wind the lever to the right all the way until it stops. It automatically returns to the standoff position the moment you take your thumb off it.
One complete stroke or a series of shorter ones advances the film by a single frame and simultaneously cocks the shutter. At the end of the film roll, the lever stops working. Do not attempt to wind the lever further, just rewind the film.Note: If the lever becomes difficult to operate at the beginning of the roll, this means that the film is not winding onto the take-up spool properly. In this case, rewind the film immediately and load the film again.
To keep track of the number of exposed frames, the frame counter is graduated from two frames below ) up to 40. Blue numerals appear every 5 frames (0, 5, 10 etc.), with dots in between. White marks at 12, 24 and 36 indicate the number of frames available on most film cartridges.
When making blank shots with the shutter speed dial set to "A", the shutter will fire at 1/80 sec. until the frame counter reaches the first frame. In addition, the LCD shows 80 in the finder. Or, if you set the dial manually between 1/125 sec. and 1/2000 sec., the shutter will still fire at 1/80 sec. In the finder, an M 80 is displayed. However, if the speed is manually set to 1/80 sec. (X) or below, the shutter will fire at the speed set with the LCD indicating that speed. Therefore, to speed up film loading, set the dial to A or 1/125 sec. or above. When the camera back is opened, the frame counter automatically resets to two frames below zero.| Previous | NEXT | Basic Operations 7/12
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Modern
Classic SLRs Series : |