J. Dennis Thomas - Nikon D5300 Digital Field Guide

Nikon D5300 Digital Field Guide

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John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Copyright 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-1-118-86726-6

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Credits

Acquisitions Editor

Aaron Black

Project Editor

Cricket Krengel

Technical Editor

George Maginnis

Copy Editor

Kim Heusel

Director, Content Development & Assembly

Robyn Siesky

Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Richard Swadley

About the Author

J. Dennis Thomas is an Austin, Texas-based photographer and the author of 20 Nikon Digital Field Guides by Wiley Publishing, as well as the author of Concert and Live Music Photography: Pro Tips from the Pit and Urban and Rural Decay Photography: Finding the Beauty in the Blight, published by Focal Press. He is also a frequent author of articles on photographic theory and technique for Digital Photo Magazine, MasteringPhoto.com, and his own website, the Nikon Digital Field Guide Online (http://NikonDFG.com).

He is represented by Corbis Images and has done freelance photography for Rolling Stone, SPIN, and Veri.Live magazines. His photographs have been featured in many notable publications including Rolling Stone, SPIN, People, Us Weekly, Elle, W magazine, Thrasher, Ebony, New York Post, Veri.Live, and many more.

When not out photographing or in front of his computer writing about photography, he can be found gracing the stages of the Live Music Capital of the World and popping up randomly in films and television shows.

As always, to my girls Henrietta and Maddie

Acknowledgments

These books wouldnt be possible without the great team at Wiley working behind the scenes to put out a great product. My name is on the cover, but there are so many folks behind me that contribute to these books and Id like to thank them all.

Id also like to thank the folks at Precision Camera and Video in Austin, Texas, Jack and Monica Puryear at Puryear Photography, and Sigma USA for making great lenses.

Chapter 1: Exploring the Nikon D5300

Nikons 5000 series of cameras occupy a special niche within the Nikon line of cameras. The D5300 is the only camera in Nikons current lineup to feature the articulating Vari-angle LCD monitor. To make room for this handy feature the D5300 is designed differently from all other Nikon cameras, and the result is that there are fewer buttons and dials; many common features are accessed through the D5300s menu.

Because the camera has been streamlined, many of the buttons and dials have more than one function, and its important to familiarize yourself with the layout and use of these buttons so that when youre shooting, youre not fumbling around trying to find the right button to access the features that you need.

Image courtesy of Nikon, Inc.

The Vari-angle LCD monitor is specific to the 5000 series of Nikon dSLR cameras.

Key Components of the D5300

As I mentioned previously, the D5300 doesnt have the plethora of buttons and dials that other Nikon camera models do, so the few controls the camera does have are very important. Most of them perform numerous duties depending on the camera mode, so understanding how each control functions is key to controlling your camera quickly so that you dont miss a shot.

The following sections break the camera features down into segments and go over each control.

The top of the camera

Most of the important buttons are on the top of the D5300. This makes it easier to find them, especially when you have your eye to the viewfinder. This is where you find the dial to change the shooting modes, as well as the all-important shutter-release button and the Movie record button.

The following list includes the controls/buttons on top of the camera:

• On/Off switch. Located concentric to the shutter-release button, this switch turns the camera on and off. Push it to the right to turn the camera on or to the left to turn the camera off.