Mastering the Nikon D7100

561 Pages·2013·52.32 MB·English

by  Darrell Young

Mastering the Nikon D7100

Darrell Young (Digital Darrell) is an information technology engineer by trade.
He’s been an avid photographer since 1968 when his mother gave him a Brownie
Hawkeye camera.

Darrell has used Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses since 1980. He has an in-

curable case of Nikon Acquisition Syndrome (NAS) and delights in working with
Nikon’s newest digital cameras.

Living near Great Smoky Mountains National Park has given him a real con-

cern for the natural environment and a deep interest in nature photography.

He loves to write, as you can see in the Resources area of the Nikonians Online

community (www.Nikonians.org). He joined the community in the year 2000,
and his literary contributions led to his invitation to become a Founding Member
of the Nikonians Writers Guild.

Mastering the Nikon D7100

Darrell Young

Darrell Young (aka Digital Darrell)

Editor: Jocelyn Howell
Copyeditor: Jeanne Hansen
Layout: Petra Strauch
Cover Design: Helmut Kraus, www.exclam.de
Printer: Sheridan Books, Inc.
Printed in USA

ISBN 978-1-937538-32-3

1st Edition
© 2013 Darrell Young

Rocky Nook, Inc.
802 E. Cota Street, 3rd Floor
Santa Barbara, CA 93103

www.rockynook.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Young, Darrell, 1958-
Mastering the Nikon D7100 / by Darrell Young. -- 1st edition.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-937538-32-3 (softcover : alk. paper)
1. Nikon digital cameras--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Single-lens reflex cameras--Handbooks,
manuals, etc. 3. Photography--Digital techniques--Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.
TR263.N5Y688 2013
771.3--dc23
2013023238

Distributed by O‘Reilly Media
1005 Gravenstein Highway North
Sebastopol, CA 95472

All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced
or utilized in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any in-
formation storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher.

Many of the designations in this book used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their prod-
ucts are claimed as trademarks of their respective companies. Where those designations appear in
this book, and Rocky Nook was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed
in caps or initial caps. All product names and services identified throughout this book are used in
editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of
the trademark. They are not intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.
Adobe Photoshop™ and Adobe Lightroom™ are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc. in
the United States and other countries.

While reasonable care has been exercised in the preparation of this book, the publisher and
author(s) assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use
of the information contained herein or from the use of the discs or programs that may accom-
pany it.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

This book is dedicated to:

My wife of many years, Brenda; the love of my life and best friend…

My children, Autumn, David, Emily, Hannah, and Ethan,

five priceless gifts …

My mother and father, Barbara and Vaughn, who brought me into this world and

guided my early life, teaching me sound principles to live by …

My Nikonians editor, Tom Boné,

without whose assistance I could not possibly write books …

My friends J. Ramon Palacios and Bo Stahlbrandt, who make it possible to belong to

Nikonians.org, the world’s best Nikon Users’ Community …

The wonderful staff of Rocky Nook, including

Gerhard Rossbach, Joan Dixon, Jocelyn Howell, and Matthias Rossmanith …

My copyeditor, Jeanne Hansen (www.hansenedits.com), whose eye for detail and

knowledge of the English language made this book much nicer for its readers …

And, finally, to Nikon, who makes the world’s best cameras and lenses.

Special Thanks to:

Brad Berger of www.Berger-Bros.com (800-542-8811) for helping me obtain a Nikon
D7100 early in its production cycle so that I could write this book. I personally buy from
and recommend Berger-Bros.com for Nikon cameras, lenses, and accessories. They offer
old-time service and classes for your photographic educational needs too!

Steve Wise of www.atomos.com (503-388-3236) for allowing me to use a powerful
Atomos Ninja-2 external HDMI video recorder. The revolutionary Ninja-2 is the go-to
“Smart Production Weapon” for Nikon HD-SLR camera owners who want to record the
highest quality, uncompressed video their camera can output.

Michael Tapes of mtapesdesign.com (321-752-9700) for providing samples of their excel-
lent products: WhiBal for white balance ambient light (PRE) readings and accurate white
balance control; LensAlign and FocusTune for calibrating and fine-tuning autofocus in
Nikon DSLRs.

1

xiv
Foreword

xvi
Camera Body Reference

xxi
Color and Wording Legend

528 Credits for Nikonians’ Chapter

Opening Images

531 Index

2
Basic Camera Setup

4
Learning about the Nikon
D7100

6
What Is the Purpose of This
Book?

7
Things to Know When Reading
This Book

7
Downloadable Resources
Website

8
Five Steps for First-Time
Camera Configuration

11
Accessing the Camera Menus

12
Camera Functions for Initial
Configuration

14
Settings Recommendations

14
Author’s Conclusions

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
vii

3
2

16
Playback Menu

18
Delete

24
Playback Folder

26
Hide Image

29
Playback Display Options

36
Copy Image(s)

42
Image Review

43
After Delete

44
Rotate Tall

46
Slide Show

49
DPOF Print Order

52
Author’s Conclusions

54
Shooting Menu

56
User Settings U1 and U2

58
Configuring the Shooting
Menu

59
Reset Shooting Menu

60
Storage Folder

62
File Naming

64
Role Played by Card in Slot 2

66
Image Quality

74
Image Size

76
Image Area

79
JPEG Compression

81
NEF (RAW) Recording

85
White Balance

88
Set Picture Control

97
Manage Picture Control

105 Color Space
108 Active D-Lighting
111 HDR (High Dynamic Range)
114 Auto Distortion Control
116 Long Exposure NR
119 High ISO NR
121 ISO Sensitivity Settings
131 Remote Control Mode (ML-L3)
133 Multiple Exposure
136 Interval Timer Shooting
138 Movie Settings
142 Author’s Conclusions

viii
Table of Contents

5
4

144 Custom Setting Menu
145 Using the Camera’s Help

System

146 The User Settings and the

Custom Setting Menu

147 Using the Custom Setting

Menu

148 a Autofocus
159 b Metering/Exposure
167 c Timers/AE Lock
175 d Shooting/Display
194 e Bracketing/Flash
214 f Controls
236 g Movie
241 Modified Custom Setting

Notice

242 Author’s Conclusions

244 Setup Menu
247 Format Memory Card
249 Save User Settings
251 Reset User Settings
252 Monitor Brightness
252 Clean Image Sensor
254 Lock Mirror Up for Cleaning
256 Image Dust Off Ref Photo
259 Flicker Reduction
259 Time Zone and Date
262 Language
264 Auto Image Rotation
265 Battery Info
266 Image Comment
267 Copyright Information
269 Save/Load Settings
272 Virtual Horizon
272 Non-CPU Lens Data
276 AF Fine-Tune
280 HDMI
282 GPS
287 Wireless Mobile Adapter
288 Network
289 Eye-Fi Upload
291 Firmware Version
292 Author’s Conclusions

Table of Contents
ix

7
6

294 Retouch Menu
297 Retouched File Numbering
297 Accessing the Retouch

Functions – Two Methods

297 Playback Retouching
298 Using Retouch Menu Items

Directly

298 D-Lighting
300 Red-Eye Correction
301 Trim
302 Monochrome
304 Filter Effects
311 Color Balance
313 Image Overlay
315 NEF (RAW) Processing
323 Resize
325 Quick Retouch
326 Straighten
327 Distortion Control
329 Fisheye
331 Color Outline
332 Color Sketch
334 Perspective Control
336 Miniature Effect
338 Selective Color
339 Edit Movie
343 Side-by-Side Comparison
344 Author’s Conclusions

346 My Menu and Recent

Settings

348 My Menu
353 Recent Settings
353 Author’s Conclusions

x
Table of Contents

9
8

354 Metering, Exposure Modes,

and Histogram

355 Section 1 – Metering
357
3D Color Matrix Metering II

358
Center-Weighted Metering

359
Spot Metering

361 Section 2 – Exposure Modes
361
Programmed Auto (P) Mode

364
Shutter-Priority Auto
(S) Mode

366
Aperture-Priority Auto
(A) Mode

367
Manual (M) Mode

369
Settings Recommendation
for Exposure Mode Selection

369
Auto Exposure (AUTO) Mode

371
SCENE and EFFECTS Modes

386
U1 and U2 User Settings

387
No Flash Mode

387 Section 3 – Histogram
388
Understanding the
Histogram

397 Author’s Conclusions

398 White Balance
399 How Does White Balance

Work?

400 Color Temperature
401 Manual White Balance Using

the WB Button

402 Manual White Balance Using

the Shooting Menu

404 Manual Color Temperature (K)

with the WB Button

405 Manual Color Temperature (K)

with the Shooting Menu

406 Measuring Ambient Light

Using PRE

408 Fine-Tuning White Balance
411 Editing the PRE White Balance

Comment Field

412 Using the White Balance from

a Previously Captured Image

413 Protecting a White Balance

Preset Manual Value

414 Auto White Balance
416 Should I Worry about White

Balance If I Shoot in RAW
Mode?

417 White Balance Tips and Tricks
417 Author’s Conclusions

Table of Contents
xi

11
10

418 Autofocus, AF-Area, and

Release Modes

419 Section 1 – Autofocus in

Viewfinder Photography

434 Section 2 – Autofocus in Live

View Photography

441 Section 3 – Release Modes
446 Custom Settings for Autofocus

(a1–a7)

446 Author’s Conclusions

448 Live View Photography
449 Using Live View Photography

Mode

452 Live View Photography Mode

Screens

455 Using the i Button in Live View

Photography Mode

461 Closing Notes on Live View

Photography Mode

463 Live View Camera Protection

System

464 Author’s Conclusions

xii
Table of Contents

13
12

466 Movie Live View
467 Understanding D7100 Video

Standards

468 Containers and Their Formats
470 Basic HD Video Information
473 Selecting Movie Live View

Mode

474 Movie Live View Still Images
475 Movie Live View Screens
482 Preparing to Make Movies
483 Using the i Button in Movie

Live View Mode

496 Final Settings Before

Recording Video

501 Selecting an Exposure Mode
502 Recording a Video with Your

D7100

506 Creating Commercial Video
506 Displaying Movies
509 Author’s Conclusions

510 Speedlight Flash
511 Light Is a Photographer’s

Friend!

511 What Is a Guide Number?
514 Flash Modes
520 Flash Compensation
520 Nikon Creative Lighting

System (CLS)

526 Author’s Conclusions

Foreword

Several years ago the Nikonians community decided to add Nikonians Academy
workshops and NikoniansPress books as photography educational tools for its
many members. The intent of these additions was to help you become a better
photographer as fast and enjoyably as possible.

This joint venture between Nikonians and Rocky Nook has developed a strong

following in the camera instruction genre, and Darrell Young’s fastidious atten-
tion to detail has been a key ingredient in that trend. Mastering the Nikon D7100
is the 10th book in the Mastering the Nikon DSLR series, which explains how to
best use many of Nikon’s premium DSLR and HD-SLR cameras.

When working with a new camera, Darrell‘s first step is to read the Nikon

User‘s Manual as many times as it takes to understand important concepts. Once
he grasps the concepts and basic directions available in the manual, he takes
those concepts and directions into the field, making sure he understands how
each camera feature can be applied to basic photography and specialty appli-
cations such as landscapes, weddings, events, and portraits. After he is satisfied
that he has mastered each new feature, he translates his experience into a sim-
ple-to-understand sequence of profusely illustrated steps, recommending the
best initial settings and shooting techniques to match.

Darrell Young‘s unique ability to mix highly specific camera instruction with

solid photography basics has been his pathway to success. He merges his friendly
advice with layout and graphics improvements suggested by readers of previous
books. This book is an excellent example of Darrell‘s penchant for perfection. It
also clearly shows his enthusiasm for the Nikon D7100. As you read the pages
that follow, you will be the beneficiary of diligence and painstaking attention to
detail. By reading this book—with camera in hand—your photography is bound
to improve.

We are proud to include Darrell’s impressive credentials and body of work in

the ever-growing and never-ending resources for our community, which include
the Nikonians forums, The Nikonian eZine, Nikonians Academy Workshops, the
Nikonians News Blog, Nikonians podcasts, our Wiki, and our always refreshed
library of articles.

Nikonians, now in its 13th year, has earned a reputation as a friendly, reliable,

informative, and passionate Nikon users‘ community thanks in great measure to
members, such as our own Darrell Young (Digital Darrell), who have taken the
time to share the results of their experiences with Nikon imaging equipment.

As you read and learn from this book, you will benefit from not only the qual-

ity of the information, but also the spirit in which it is presented. That spirit of