D300 and D300s Tips and Tricks - Official thread

[soxOZ]

While the camera is in shooting mode (except for liveview), pressing the lock/info/? button by the LCD will give you a display on the back LCD of all the shooting info normally displayed on the top LED. Actually it gives you slightly more information, because it shows the current max frame rate, the current color space, and the status of long-exp and high-ISO noise reduction.

Just to add to this, you can have black text on white(well actually light blue) or white text on black.
Refer to page to 284 in the menu "Shooting Display" and "d7".

Exert from the manual
------------------------------------------------
d7: Shooting Info Display
At the default setting of [Auto] (AUTO), the color of the lettering in the information display (pg. 12) will automatically change from black to white or white to black to maintain contrast with the background.
To always use the same color lettering, select [Manual] and choose [Dark on light] (B; black lettering) or [Light on dark] (W; white lettering).
Monitor brightness will automatically be adjusted for maximum contrast with the selected text color.
--------------------------------------------------

 

[Aqualung]

Just to add to this, you can have black text on white(well actually light blue) or white text on black.
Refer to page to 284 in the menu "Shooting Display" and "d7".

Exert from the manual
------------------------------------------------
d7: Shooting Info Display
At the default setting of [Auto] (AUTO), the color of the lettering in the information display (pg. 12) will automatically change from black to white or white to black to maintain contrast with the background.
To always use the same color lettering, select [Manual] and choose [Dark on light] (B; black lettering) or [Light on dark] (W; white lettering).
Monitor brightness will automatically be adjusted for maximum contrast with the selected text color.
--------------------------------------------------

I have mine set for "Dark on Light", kinda reminds me of the Timex Indiglo....which I've long wished that Nikon would have used for the top LCD as well...didya see that when you hit the Info button, it also turns that top LCD light on as well.

 

[Retief]

No need to hold buttons like Mode/Quality/WB/ISO

Custom Function f8, set to On. Once you press one of the buttons such as Mode/Quality/WB/ISO you can release the button while you make the change. No need to hold the button while you move the wheel. Turns out this is also available on the D200/D2X(s) as well, just named more obtusely. A great time saver. And for those who are more familar with the dedicated ISO button on the back of the D2's, use this in conjunction with the Info button to get the display on the back LCD and it makes changing these items very nice and quite visible.

 

[Harry Lavo]

Tip: program in a quick change of focus areas

Tip, not a trick. I have found that programing the Function button to chose "Dynamic AF Area" is a godsend. It is then trivial to hold the function button in and scroll through 9pt/21pt/51pt to choose/experiment with the best focus choice (non-3d) for the situation; otherwise one has to use the menu for this choice. This is extremely useful for somebody like myself who shoots sports, and is probably also a godsend for bird shooters.

The choice is made in the custom menu f:controls section under "FUNC + Dials".

And if you've already selected something else for the funtion button or you have short fingers, you can do it using the preview button as well.

 

[Holmes]

That's how I had mine set up while chasing dogs, Harry. Works like a charm, eh?!

High ISO performance aside, the myriad of user customisation is what really sets the D300 apart in my opinion. It's a camera that can be tailored to so many different scenarios it nearly boggles the mind!

 

[this is me]

One I posted earlier:

I like the way you can program the FUNC button for use with the command dials. So, I set up up a Custom Setting bank for 'Action' shooting, and in that mode, I have the FUNC button./command dial set up to cycle me through the selection of focus point modes (9, 21, 51, 51 Auto Tracking). Nice to not have to dive into the menu system or into My Menu to change these real quickly when shooting.

Does anyone know if this is possible with the D3? I can't seem to be able to do it.

 

[Jonathan F/2]

The Sigma 500mm HSM f/4.5 can utilize the AF-ON button on the D300, without the lens needing a re-chip. The D200 AF-ON will not work with the Sigma 500mm unless the lens has been re-chipped.

 

[Aqualung]

Lazy White Balance...

I can't take credit for this tip, from the user "Higuma" over at DPReview....sounds pretty cool. Obviously for the D300 our WB button is on the top, not the back.

If you want to see exactly what manual white balance changes are going to do to your images or want to get a good look at what subtle shifts in Hue or temperature are going to do TRY THIS....
This is what I call "Lazy White Balance" - "Live-view White Balance" or LvRB...

Set LIVE VIEW to Tripod mode...

Select Live view on the release mode dial - press shutter once to activate LV mode...

Looking through the LCD press the WB button on the back and use the scroll wheel to migrate through the settings and view the changes "on screen"...
While doing this you can -
... Change temperatures in the color temp mode by spinning the front dial
or... Change hue in any other modes by spinning the front dial...


Go ahead and give it a try... I used this last night to get a fine tune on the florescent lighting at an event I was shooting... Worked quite well and gave me a infinitely more "interactive" method of seeing the subtle changes as they happened...

Might be real useful for effects shooting like "sunsets and night shooting with lighting involved by allowing you to see changes and tune the scene to what you want...

Certainly... you can always just do a Custom WB but this gives you a m,ore visual interactive fine tuning ability for those times when AWB doesn't give you what you were looking for...

Cheers...

 

[JeffKohn]

That's a neat tip about previewing WB on the LCD, although you have to keep in mind that the LCD is not calibrated/profiled and may not have completely accurate colors.

 

[Retief]

The Sigma 500mm HSM f/4.5 can utilize the AF-ON button on the D300, without the lens needing a re-chip. The D200 AF-ON will not work with the Sigma 500mm unless the lens has been re-chipped.

Jonathan, I believe that the D200 firmware update also resolved this issue. As the first person in the US to report the problem to Sigma, and to get a rechipped lens, I kept up on this out of my own interest :wink::wink:

 

[Electromen]

With the D300 and Camera Control Pro 2, you can use Live View and see the live image on the computer.

You can also edit shooting banks, all settings are shown on one screen and can easily be changed.

Comments can also be added to individual shots using the keyboard.

 

[Dave Dickerson]

Sensor cleaning solution recommendation

The following came to my attention via this article at Earthbound Light.

Photographic Solutions (makers of supplies like Eclipse fluid, Pec Pads, and Sensor Swabs used for wet sensor cleaning methods) recommends against using Eclipse on sensors whose AA filter is coated with indium tin oxide (ITO). The D300 and D3 both have ITO coated AA filters. Photographic Solutions carries another product, called E2, that is intended for use with ITO; it can also be used with non-ITO sensors. See this table for a listing of the recommended solution for many popular cameras.

Surprisingly, the table indicates that E2 is the recommended product for some older cameras such as the D70, D70s, and D2Xs (but not the D2x). I also find it interesting that Photographic Solutions recommends its Sensor Swab for sensor cleaning but not Pec Pads, which are used in the Copperhill method.

 

[Spanky]

I just purchased the Arctic Butterfly cleaning kit for my D80 a month ago. Now I have the D300. I'm sure this is the wrong cleaning solution for the D300. Thanks for the information. Probably saved a lot of people a repair bill.

 

[Clix Pix]

In the years I've been shooting with DSLRs I have yet to use the "wet" cleaning method on my cameras. I've been successfully able to get away with just using my Giottos Rocket Blower and everything's fine. I hope that this trend will continue! Tried out the auto-cleaning thing in the D300 the other day; interesting but I am not giving up the Giottos Rocket Blower method!

 

[Electromen]

In the years I've been shooting with DSLRs I have yet to use the "wet" cleaning method on my cameras. I've been successfully able to get away with just using my Giottos Rocket Blower and everything's fine. I hope that this trend will continue! Tried out the auto-cleaning thing in the D300 the other day; interesting but I am not giving up the Giottos Rocket Blower method!

Exactly! I'm with you 100%. In fact I may have learned about the Rocket from you a couple years ago.
thanks Connie

 

[Clix Pix]

Thanks, Greg! :smile: My cleaning method is quite simple. Before I go out on a shoot I take the time to give each camera a "blow job" with the Giotto Rocket Blower and I make sure that the lenses are clean at both ends. When I get home from said shoot I usually am busy with uploading CF cards and post-processing, so I've found that it's better to do the cleaning ritual before heading out again. I also take that time to check everything over and if I know what kind of situation I'll be encountering, I will do a little preliminary adjustment of camera settings, too. While this is going on batteries are being charged up and I'm reformatting CF cards, choosing lenses for the shoot, rearranging the bag, etc., too.

 

[madone]

The following came to my attention via this article at Earthbound Light.

Photographic Solutions (makers of supplies like Eclipse fluid, Pec Pads, and Sensor Swabs used for wet sensor cleaning methods) recommends against using Eclipse on sensors whose AA filter is coated with indium tin oxide (ITO). The D300 and D3 both have ITO coated AA filters. Photographic Solutions carries another product, called E2, that is intended for use with ITO; it can also be used with non-ITO sensors. See this table for a listing of the recommended solution for many popular cameras.

Surprisingly, the table indicates that E2 is the recommended product for some older cameras such as the D70, D70s, and D2Xs (but not the D2x). I also find it interesting that Photographic Solutions recommends its Sensor Swab for sensor cleaning but not Pec Pads, which are used in the Copperhill method.

Thanks Dave for the reiteration of my previous post on this subject:
(https://www.nikoncafe.com/vforums/showthread.php?p=1535614#post1535614)

I thought it was important for this thread as I did not know prior to reading a quick blurb in another D3 forum.

 

[Spanky]

Visible Dust Technical Support

I just purchased the Arctic Butterfly cleaning kit for my D80 a month ago. Now I have the D300. I'm sure this is the wrong cleaning solution for the D300. Thanks for the information. Probably saved a lot of people a repair bill.

I sent an email to tech support at Visible Dust and asked if their cleaning solution was safe for my D300. This is the email and their response.



"I recently purchased your Visible Dust SD800 Pro cleaning kit, sensor
> cleaning swabs, and V-Dust Plus cleaning solution. Is the V-Dust Plus
> cleaning solution safe for the new type AA-filters used on the Nikon
> D3/D300. The AA filters coated with indium tin oxide (ITO) may
> require a different cleaning solution based on claims by some of your
> competitors. Thanks for your reply."


"Hello"
"Our sensor cleaning solutions has been in the market for more than 4
years. We have had no report of indium Tin oxide removal. We don't use
industrial grade solutions. Our solutions are highest in quality. We are
mostly PhD in nano technology, pharmacy and related industrial field. So
our competition is using industrial grade solution which is cheap and
contain many other uncertain chemical from batch to batch.When the
purity is labeled it is against the water which makes no sense. So that
is why they are so confused with different type for different coating .
They have no quality control over batch to batch.
Thanks Technical David"
"visibledust"

Like most things in life I guess it comes down to choices. "Spanky"

 

[Dave Dickerson]

Thanks Dave for the reiteration of my previous post on this subject:
(https://www.nikoncafe.com/vforums/showthread.php?p=1535614#post1535614)

I thought it was important for this thread as I did not know prior to reading a quick blurb in another D3 forum.

Oops. Before posting, I did a quick look through the thread to make sure the topic hadn't been covered, but I missed your post somehow.

 

[madone]

Dave, no oops. It is a very important tip, I'm glad you brought it back up because mine got list in the shuffle.