Nikon D100 tutorial | Shutterbug

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Submitted By: amarlow

Joined: Nov 2 2005

Posts:

Nikon D100 tutorial

Posted: November 2, 2005 - 7:03pm

First, an intro: I have just joined the forum, after reading for a few weeks. I am a happy amateur, tho not a very knowledgable one. I have used 'consumer grade' film SLRs since 1978 (Minolta XG7 then Nikon FG). I understand the very basics (aperture affects depth of field, that sort of thing...). For ~3 years I have used a Nikon e5000 as my initial dive into digital, and taken a few thousand pictures of my kids and our travels. I have been ready to make the step to dSLR for a while.

A very good friend recently purchased a Nikon D70, likes it for his purposes, and is giving me his 3 year old D100 and the original 18-35mm lens. This will give me something very nice to play with, to learn more than the basics, and to see what's important to me before I buy something more current.

So my question: Is there a good tutorial (online, on CD, in a book) that can reinforce my basic understanding, take me deeper into the technical stuff, and help me learn what is possible to do with a digital SLR, all based on using the D100?

As a side note: I would really like to get back into macro photography, something I never learned how to do well with the Coolpix.

Thanks for your time, and wish me luck!

~Allen

Submitted By: ronk

Location: Quensbury, NY

Joined: Mar 15 2005

Posts:

Re: Nikon D100 tutorial

Posted: November 3, 2005 - 7:14am

Hi Allen,
I switched to digital almost 3 yrs ago and found only 2 differences that I needed to get a handle on:
1-depth of field is greater at any given aperture with digital because of the smaller sized sensor.
2-exposure is more critical with digital. It is very intolerant of over exposure, just like slide films.
A few suggestions on learning:
1- Nikon's web site may have specific info on the camera
2- Olympus' web site has some free photo lessons
3-www.nyip.com has various digital and film camera tips
4-Kodak's "Joy of Photography" is a good primer on the
basics

I think you will find that you will be spending more time in an image editing program than actually taking pictures.

Submitted By: Bronislaus

Location: Northern Indiana

Joined: Mar 28 2005

Posts:

Re: Nikon D100 tutorial

Posted: November 3, 2005 - 12:34pm

Two web sites that are helpfull:

nikonians.org
bythom.com

You can download a manual in PDF from the Nikon site, and if you have a serial # it's a printable manual.

D100, in spite of being "obsolete" is a very nice camera.

Bron

Submitted By: amarlow

Joined: Nov 2 2005

Posts:

Re: Nikon D100 tutorial

Posted: November 3, 2005 - 1:12pm

Thanks Ronk,

I have seen your recommendation of the Kodak book before. I'll start looking for it (ebay??).

re. Image editing: is this a given? Are there no unmodified photos anymore? no non-photoshopped images worth keeping just as they come out of the box (or flash drive)?

~Allen

Submitted By: amarlow

Joined: Nov 2 2005

Posts:

Re: Nikon D100 tutorial

Posted: November 3, 2005 - 1:16pm

Thank you, too, Bron.

Is Thom Hogan's "Complete Guide to the Nikon D100" eBook a recommended route? Seems like exactly what I want, so really I am just checking for other's recommendations & comments.

~Allen

Submitted By: ronk

Location: Quensbury, NY

Joined: Mar 15 2005

Posts:

Re: Nikon D100 tutorial

Posted: November 3, 2005 - 3:40pm

Allen
The local library or Silver Pixel Press.

Submitted By: Anonymous

Re: Nikon D100 tutorial

Posted: December 1, 2005 - 4:43pm

I would also suggest that you sign up for one of the Nikon School courses and that you get a large (half-gig or larger) compactflash card and shoot in raw mode. Good exposure is still critical but you might be able to salvage some when your exposure is 'just a little off'.