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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016
Discover the essentials to getting better photos with the Nikon DLSLR D3400 The Nikon D3400 hits stores as Nikon's most advanced entry-level DSLR camera. Along with the pixel power to deliver sharp images, it also offers tools to be instantly creative and quickly share photos to a smartphone. This book will get you up to speed on the D3400 in a flash--teaching you all the basic photography skills needed to get great shots from a DSLR camera, while also giving you clear, hands-on guidance through the D3400's specific controls. Nikon D3400 for Dummies helps you learn the ins and outs of the Nikon D3400, including how to get started right away in auto mode, get creative with scene modes, and take full control in manual mode. Filled with practical, easy-to-follow instructions, this book will help you transform from an inexperienced beginner to an advanced shutterbug whose shots could grace the cover of any popular magazine. * Get the lowdown on the controls and settings on a Nikon D3400 * Learn how pro photographers set their cameras to get better shots * Discover the tools that control your camera's exposure settings * Put your newfound knowledge together to shoot better portraits, action shots, and low-light images If you're ready to put down your dinky, dim-lit, non-zooming smartphone and pick up a real professional-grade DSLR camera, do so with the help of Nikon D3400 for Dummies.
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Nikon® D3400 For Dummies®
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Trademarks: Wiley, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and may not be used without written permission. Nikon and D3400 are trademarks of Nikon Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2016959685
ISBN 978-1-119-33624-2 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-33623-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-33632-7 (ebk)
Nikon® D3400 For Dummies®
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Nikon D3400 For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Table of Contents
Cover
Introduction
About This Book
How This Book Is Organized
Icons and Other Stuff to Note
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Fast Track to Super Snaps
Chapter 1: Getting Up and Running
Preparing the Camera for Initial Use
Exploring Basic Camera Features
Displaying Help Screens
Familiarizing Yourself with the Lens
Working with Memory Cards
Taking a Few Final Setup Steps
Restoring Default Settings
Chapter 2: Reviewing Five Essential Picture-Taking Options
Choosing an Exposure Mode
Setting the Release Mode
Checking Image Size and Image Quality
Adding Flash
Chapter 3: Taking Great Pictures, Automatically
Shooting in Auto and Auto Flash Off Modes
Taking Advantage of Scene Modes
Part 2: Beyond the Basics
Chapter 4: Taking Charge of Exposure
Introducing the Exposure Trio: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO
Stepping Up to Advanced Exposure Modes (P, S, A, and M)
Checking the Exposure Meter
Choosing an Exposure Metering Mode
Setting Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO
Solving Exposure Problems
Chapter 5: Controlling Focus and Depth of Field
Choosing Automatic or Manual Focusing
Exploring Standard Focusing Options (Viewfinder Photography)
Focusing During Live View and Movie Shooting
Manipulating Depth of Field
Chapter 6: Mastering Color Controls
Understanding White Balance
Choosing a Color Space
Taking a Quick Look at Picture Controls
Chapter 7: Putting It All Together
Recapping Basic Picture Settings
Shooting Still Portraits
Capturing Action
Capturing Scenic Vistas
Capturing Dynamic Close-Ups
Chapter 8: Shooting, Viewing, and Trimming Movies
Shooting Movies Using Default Settings
Adjusting Video Settings
Controlling Audio
Exploring Other Recording Options
Manipulating Movie Exposure
Screening Your Movies
Trimming Movies
Saving a Movie Frame as a Still Image
Part 3: After the Shot
Chapter 9: Playback Mode: Viewing Your Photos
Picture Playback 101
Choosing Which Images to View
Adjusting Playback Timing
Enabling Automatic Picture Rotation
Shifting from Single-Image to Thumbnails Display
Displaying Photos in Calendar View
Magnifying Photos During Playback
Viewing Picture Data
Creating a Digital Slide Show
Viewing Your Photos on a Television
Chapter 10: Working with Picture and Movie Files
Rating Photos and Movies
Deleting Files
Protecting Photos and Movies
Taking a Look at Nikon's Photo Software
Downloading Pictures to the Computer
Processing Raw (NEF) Files
Preparing Pictures for Online Sharing
Part 4: The Part of Tens
Chapter 11: Ten Fun (And Practical) Ways to Manipulate Your Photos
Applying the Retouch Menu Filters
Removing Red-Eye
Straightening Tilting Horizon Lines
Removing (Or Creating) Lens Distortion
Correcting Perspective
Adjusting Exposure and Color
Cropping Your Photo
Applying Effects to Existing Photos
Shooting in Effects Mode
Combining Two Photos with Image Overlay
Chapter 12: Ten Special-Purpose Features to Explore on a Rainy Day
Adding Hidden Image Comments
Adding a Copyright Notice
Creating Custom Image Folders
Turning Off the AF-Assist Illuminator
Adjusting Automatic Shutdown Timing
Changing the Look of the Information Display
Keeping the Information Display Hidden
Changing the Function Button’s Function
Customizing the AE-L/AF-L Button
Using the Shutter Button to Lock Exposure and Focus (or Not)
Appendix: Intro to Nikon SnapBridge
What Can I Do with SnapBridge?
Getting Familiar with the SnapBridge App
Understanding SnapBridge-Related Camera Options
Glossary of Digital Photography Terms
About the Author
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
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Introduction
Nikon. The name has been associated with top-flight photography equipment for generations. And the introduction of the D3400 has only enriched Nikon’s well-deserved reputation, offering all a terrific blend of features for capturing both still photos and high-definition digital movies. You even get tools for cropping, resizing, and enhancing pictures right in the camera. The D3400 even has built-in Bluetooth technology, which enables you to transfer photos wirelessly to certain smartphones, tablets, and other devices.
In fact, the D3400 offers so many features that sorting them all out can be more than a little confusing, especially if you’re new to digital photography, SLR photography, or both. For starters, you may not even be sure what SLR means or how it affects your picture-taking, let alone have a clue about all the other techie terms you encounter in your camera manual — resolution, aperture, white balance, and so on. And if you’re like many people, you may be so overwhelmed by all the controls on your camera that you haven’t yet ventured beyond fully automatic picture-taking mode.
Therein lies the point of Nikon D3400 For Dummies. With the help of this book, you can take full advantage of everything the D3400 has to offer.
About This Book
Unlike many photography books, this one doesn’t require any previous knowledge of photography or digital imaging to make sense of things. In classic For Dummies style, everything is explained in easy-to-understand language, with lots of illustrations to help clear up any confusion.
Even if you have some photography experience — or quite a bit of experience, for that matter — this book has plenty to offer, however. I provide detailed information about all the camera’s advanced exposure, focus, and color controls, explaining not just what each feature does but why and how to put it to best use.
In short, what you have in your hands is the paperback version of an in-depth photography workshop tailored specifically to your Nikon picture-taking powerhouse.
How This Book Is Organized
This book is organized into four parts, each devoted to a different aspect of using your camera. Although chapters flow in a sequence that’s designed to take you from absolute beginner to experienced user, I’ve also made each chapter as self-standing as possible so that you can explore the topics that interest you in any order you please. Here’s a brief preview of what you can find in each part of the book:
Part 1
: Fast Track to Super Snaps:
Part 1
contains three chapters to help you get up and running.
Chapter 1
guides you through initial camera setup and shows you how to view and adjust camera settings.
Chapter 2
introduces you to basic picture options such as Exposure mode, Release mode, Image Size (resolution), and Image Quality (JPEG or Raw) and also provides information on flash photography with the D3400.
Chapter 3
walks you through the steps of taking your first pictures using the Auto and Auto Flash Off exposure modes as well as the Scene modes (Portrait, Landscape, Sports, and so on).
Part 2
: Beyond the Basics:
Chapters in this part help you unleash the full creative power of your camera by detailing the advanced shooting modes (P, S, A, and M).
Chapter 4
covers the critical topic of exposure;
Chapter 5
explains how to manipulate focus; and
Chapter 6
discusses color controls.
Chapter 7
summarizes techniques explained in earlier chapters, providing a quick-reference guide to the camera settings and shooting strategies that produce the best results for portraits, action shots, landscape scenes, and close-ups.
Chapter 8
shifts gears, moving from still photography to HD movie recording.
Part 3
: After the Shot:
This part offers two chapters, both dedicated to tasks you do after you press the shutter button.
Chapter 9
explains how to review your pictures on the camera monitor and connect your camera to a TV for large-screen playback.
Chapter 10
topics include rating, deleting, and protecting photos, downloading images to your computer, processing Raw files, and preparing pictures for online sharing.
Chapter 10
also introduces you to two free Nikon photo programs, Nikon ViewNX-i and Capture NX-D.
Part 4
: The Part of Tens:
In keeping with
For Dummies
tradition, this book concludes with two top-ten lists containing additional bits of information and advice.
Chapter 11
covers the photo-editing and effects tools found on the camera's Retouch menu and also shows you how to use the Effects exposure mode to add special effects to movies and photos as you record them.
Chapter 12
wraps up the book by detailing some features that, although not found on most “Top Ten Reasons I Bought My D3400” lists, are nonetheless interesting, useful on occasion, or a bit of both.
Appendix
: Intro to Nikon SnapBridge:
Nikon SnapBridge is an app that you can install on certain Android- and Apple iOS smartphones, tablets, and other smart devices. It’s this app that enables you to use the camera’s Bluetooth wireless technology to connect your D3400 to your smart device. After making the connection, you can transfer photos to the device for viewing or easy uploading to your favorite social media site. Check out the
appendix
for an overview of the app, an explanation of camera menu options related to it, and details on how to access the online SnapBridge help site, which provides full information about using the app on various devices.
Glossary
:
If you’re new to digital photography or to Nikon, the glossary is a handy reference to look up terms you might not be familiar with.
Cheat sheet:
When you have a minute or two, visit
www.dummies.com
and enter the name of this book in the search box. You’ll find a link to a cheat sheet, which provides a handy reference guide to important camera settings and terms.
Icons and Other Stuff to Note
If this isn’t your first For Dummies book, you may be familiar with the large, round icons that decorate its margins. If not, here’s your very own icon-decoder ring:
The Tip icon flags information that will save you time, effort, money, or some other valuable resource, including your sanity. Tips also point out techniques that help you get the best results from specific camera features.
When you see this icon, look alive. It indicates a potential danger zone that can result in much wailing and teeth-gnashing if ignored. In other words, this is stuff that you really don’t want to learn the hard way.
Lots of information in this book is of a technical nature — digital photography is a technical animal, after all. But when I present a detail that is useful mainly for impressing your tech-geek friends, I mark it with this icon.
I apply this icon either to introduce information that is especially worth storing in your brain’s long-term memory or to remind you of a fact that may have been displaced from that memory by another pressing fact.
Additionally, replicas of some of your camera’s buttons and onscreen graphics appear in the margins and in some tables. I include these images to provide quick reminders of the appearance of the button or option being discussed.
Where to Go from Here
To wrap up this preamble, I want to stress that if you initially think that digital photography is too confusing or too technical for you, you’re in very good company. Everyone finds this stuff mind-boggling at first. So take it slowly, experimenting with just one or two new camera settings or techniques at first. Then, every time you go on a photo outing, make it a point to add one or two more shooting skills to your repertoire.
I know that it’s hard to believe when you’re just starting out, but it really won’t be long before everything starts to come together. With some time, patience, and practice, you’ll soon wield your camera like a pro, dialing in the necessary settings to capture your creative vision almost instinctively.
So without further ado, I invite you to grab your camera, a cup of whatever it is you prefer to sip while you read, and start exploring the rest of this book. Your D3400 is the perfect partner for your photographic journey, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to act as your tour guide.
Part 1
Fast Track to Super Snaps
IN THIS PART …
Familiarize yourself with the basics of using your camera, from attaching lenses to navigating menus.
Find out how to select the exposure mode, Release mode, Image Size (resolution), and Image Quality (JPEG or Raw file type).
Discover options available for flash photography.
Get step-by-step help with shooting your first pictures in Auto Mode, Flash Off Mode, and the Scene modes.
Chapter 1
Getting Up and Running
IN THIS CHAPTER
Preparing the camera for its first outing
Getting acquainted with camera features
Viewing and adjusting camera settings
Setting a few basic preferences
Restoring original camera settings
Shooting for the first time with a camera as sophisticated as the Nikon D3400 can produce a blend of excitement and anxiety. On one hand, you can’t wait to start using your new equipment, but on the other, you’re a little intimidated by all its buttons, dials, and menu options.
Well, fear not: This chapter provides the information you need to start getting comfortable with your D3400. The first section walks you through initial camera setup; following that, you can get an overview of camera controls, discover how to view and adjust camera settings, and get my take on some basic setup options.
Preparing the Camera for Initial Use
After unpacking your camera, you have to assemble a few parts. In addition to the camera body and the supplied battery (be sure to charge it before the first use), you need a lens and a memory card. Later sections in this chapter provide details about working with lenses and memory cards, but here’s what you need to know up front:
Lens: You can mount a wide range of lenses on your D3400, but some aren’t compatible with all camera features. For example, to enjoy autofocusing, you need an AF-P or AF-S lens. (The 18-55mm lens featured in this book and sold in a kit with the D3400 body is an AF-P lens.) Your camera manual offers details about lens compatibility.
The AF in AF-S and AF-P stands for autofocus. The S in AF-S stands for a silent wave focusing motor; the P refers to an autofocusing technology known as a “stepping motor.” Both are designed to deliver faster and quieter autofocusing. How you implement autofocusing differs between the two types, however. Read more about this issue later in this chapter, in the section “Familiarizing Yourself with the Lens.”
SD (Secure Digital) memory card:
Your camera accepts only this type of card. A card with the simple SD designation is an older, lower capacity card that holds a maximum of 4GB of data. Newer SD cards carry the designation SDHC (for
High Capacity
) or SDXC (for
eXtended Capacity
), depending on how many gigabytes (GB) of data they hold. SDHC cards hold from 4GB to 32GB of data; the SDXC moniker is assigned to cards with capacities greater than 32GB.
With camera, lens, battery, and card within reach, take these steps:
Turn off the camera.
Install the battery into the compartment on the bottom of the camera.
Attach a lens.
First, remove the caps that cover the front of the camera and the back of the lens. Then align the mounting index (white dot) on the lens with the one on the camera body, as shown in Figure 1-1. After placing the lens on the camera mount, rotate the lens toward the shutter-button side of the camera. You should feel a solid click as the lens locks into place.
Insert a memory card.
Open the card-slot cover on the right side of the camera and orient the card, as shown in Figure 1-2. (The label faces the back of the camera.) Push the card gently into the slot and close the cover. The memory-card access light, labeled in the figure, illuminates briefly to let you know that the camera recognizes the card.
Turn on the camera.
If using a retractable lens, unlock and extend the lens.
The lens barrels of AF-P kit lenses, as well as some AF-S lenses, extend and retract. When you’re not shooting, you can retract the lens so that it takes up less space in your camera bag. But before you can take a picture or even access most camera menu items, you must unlock and extend the lens. A message appears on the camera monitor to remind you of this step.
To extend the lens, press the retractable-lens barrel button, highlighted in Figure 1-3, while rotating the lens barrel toward the shutter-button side of the camera. To retract the lens, press the button while rotating the lens in the other direction.
Set the camera language, time zone, date, and time.
When you power up the camera for the first time, the monitor displays a message asking you to select the menu language and set the time zone, date, and time. Navigate the screens and adjust the settings by using the Multi Selector and the OK button (refer to Figure 1-2):
Press the edge of the Multi Selector up and down to move the highlight cursor vertically; press right/left to travel horizontally. Press OK or press the Multi Selector right to reveal options related to the highlighted setting.
When a value box is highlighted, press the Multi Selector up/down to change the value. Press left/right to jump to the next value box.
After making your selections on a screen, press OK.
(The later section “Ordering from camera menus” provides more help with using menus.)
The date/time information is included as metadata (hidden data) in the picture file. You can view metadata in some playback display modes (see Chapter 9) and in certain photo programs, including Nikon ViewNX-i and Nikon Capture NX-D. (Refer to Chapter 10.)
Adjust the viewfinder to your eyesight.
Tucked behind the right side of the rubber eyepiece that surrounds the viewfinder is a dial that enables you to adjust the viewfinder focus to accommodate your eyesight. I highlighted the dial in Figure 1-4.
This step is critical: If you don’t adjust the viewfinder to your eyesight, subjects may appear sharp in the viewfinder when they aren’t actually in focus, and vice versa.
To set the viewfinder focus, remove the lens cap, look through the viewfinder, and then press the shutter button halfway to display data at the bottom of the viewfinder. (In dim lighting, the flash may pop up; ignore it for now and close the unit after you adjust the viewfinder.) Now rotate the dial until the data appears sharpest. The markings in the center of the viewfinder, which relate to autofocusing, also become more or less sharp.
FIGURE 1-1: Align the white dot on the lens with the one on the camera body.
FIGURE 1-2: Insert the memory card with the label facing the back of the camera.
FIGURE 1-3: Press this button while rotating the lens barrel to extend and retract the lens.
FIGURE 1-4: Rotate this dial to set the viewfinder focus for your eyesight.
That's all there is to it — the camera is now ready to go. From here, my recommendation is that you keep reading the rest of this chapter to familiarize yourself with the main camera features. But if you’re anxious to take a picture right away, I won’t think any less of you if you skip to Chapter 3, which guides you through the process of using the camera’s automatic shooting modes. Just promise that at some point, you’ll read the pages in between, because they actually do contain important information.
Exploring Basic Camera Features
If you’re new to dSLR photography, some aspects of using your camera, such as working with the lens, may be unfamiliar to you. But even if this isn’t your first dSLR, it pays to take some time before your first shoot to get familiar with its controls. To that end, the upcoming pages provide an overview of the D3400’s main features and also offer a primer on working with lenses and memory cards.
Checking out external controls
Scattered across your camera’s exterior are numerous controls that you use to change picture-taking settings, review your photos, and perform various other operations. In later chapters, I discuss all camera functions in detail and provide the exact steps to follow to access them. This section provides just a basic “what’s this thing do?” guide to each control. (Don’t worry about memorizing the button names; throughout the book, I show pictures of buttons in the page margins to help you know exactly which one to press.)
Topside controls
Your virtual tour begins with the bird’s-eye view shown in Figure 1-5. There are a number of features of note here:
On/Off switch and shutter button:
Okay, I’m pretty sure you’ve already figured out this combo button. But you may not be aware that you need to press the shutter button in two stages: Press and hold the button halfway and wait for the camera to initiate exposure metering and, if you're using autofocusing, to set the focusing distance. Then press the button the rest of the way to take the picture.
Exposure Compensation button:
This button activates Exposure Compensation, a feature that enables you to tweak exposure when working in the P (programmed autoexposure), A (aperture-priority autoexposure), or S (shutter-priority autoexposure) modes. I cover this feature in
Chapter 4
. To set the amount of Exposure Compensation, press the button while rotating the Command dial (the black dial on the upper-right corner of the camera back). In M (manual exposure) mode, press this button while rotating the Command dial to adjust the aperture setting, another exposure control explained in
Chapter 4
.
Info button:
This button performs two functions depending on whether you’re using the viewfinder to frame shots or taking advantage of Live View, the feature that enables you to see the live scene on the monitor.
Viewfinder photography: Press the Info button to display the Information screen, which displays the most critical picture-taking settings. To turn off the screen, press the Info button again.
You also can display the screen by pressing the shutter button halfway and releasing it.
Live View photography:
After you press the LV (Live View) button on the back of the camera, the viewfinder goes dark, and the live scene appears on the monitor. During Live View photography, press the Info button to change the amount and type of data displayed along with the live scene. You can turn the monitor off only by exiting Live View mode (press the LV button again).
Movie-Record button:
After shifting to Live View mode, press this button to start recording a movie. Press again to stop recording. (You can’t use the viewfinder when recording movies.)
Mode dial: With this dial, you choose the exposure mode, which determines how much control you have over camera settings. For normal shooting, you can choose from fully automatic, semiautomatic, or manual exposure control; I introduce you to the auto modes in Chapter 3 and cover the semiautomatic and manual modes (P, S, A, and M) in Chapter 4.
By turning the dial to Effects, you can apply special effects as the image or movie is captured, a feature you can explore in Chapter 11.
Select the Guide setting to access guided menus, covered later in this chapter.
AF-assist lamp:
When you use autofocusing, the camera may emit a beam of light from this lamp in dim lighting; the light helps the camera find its focus target. The lamp also lights when you use Red-Eye Reduction flash and the Self-Timer shutter-release mode, both covered in
Chapter 2
.
Flash hot shoe:
A
hot shoe
is a connection for attaching an external flash head. See
Chapter 2
for an introduction to flash photography.
Speaker:
When you play a movie, the sound comes wafting out of these holes.
Focal plane indicator: If you need to document the exact distance that exists between your subject and the camera, the focal plane mark is the key. The mark indicates the plane at which light coming through the lens is focused onto the camera’s image sensor. Basing your measurement on this mark produces a more accurate camera-to-subject distance than using the end of the lens or another external point on the camera body as your reference point.
FIGURE 1-5: Rotate the Mode dial to choose an exposure mode.
Back-of-the-body controls
On the back of the camera, shown in Figure 1-6, you find these features:
Viewfinder adjustment dial:
Rotate this dial to adjust the viewfinder focus to your eyesight; see the first section of this chapter for details.
AE-L/AF-L button: Pressing this button initiates autoexposure lock (AE-L) and autofocus lock (AF-L). Chapter 4 explains autoexposure lock; Chapter 5 talks about autofocus lock.
In playback mode, pressing the button activates the Protect feature, which locks the picture file — hence the little key symbol that appears above the button — so that it isn’t erased if you use the picture-delete functions. See Chapter 10 for details. (The picture is erased if you format the memory card, however.)
Command dial:
After you activate certain camera features, you rotate this dial to select a setting. For example, to choose a shutter speed when shooting in shutter-priority (S) mode, you rotate the Command dial.
Playback button:
Press this button to switch the camera into picture review mode.
Chapter 9
details playback features.
Menu button:
Press this button to access menus of camera options. See “
Ordering from camera menus
,” later in this chapter, for details.
Zoom In button:
In playback mode, pressing this button magnifies the currently displayed image. Note the plus sign in the middle of the magnifying glass — plus means enlarge.
Zoom Out button:
As you can probably deduce from the three symbols that mark this button, it has not one, but three primary functions:
Reduce image magnification during playback:
If you magnify an image during playback, pressing the button reduces the magnification amount. The magnifying glass with the minus sign tips you off to this function.
Display thumbnails during playback: After you press the Playback button to shift to playback mode, pressing the Zoom Out button enables you to switch from single-image view, which shows one photo or movie at a time, to thumbnails view, which displays multiple images on the screen. Press once to display 4 thumbnails; press again to display 9 thumbnails; and press a third time to see 72 itty-bitty thumbnails. A fourth press shifts the display to Calendar playback, which makes it easy for you to locate pictures taken on a particular day.
To cycle back to thumbnails view, press the Zoom In button; keep pressing to reduce the number of thumbnails until you get to single-image view.
Display help screens:
The question mark symbol above the button is a reminder that you can press this button to display helpful information about certain menu options. See the section “
Displaying Help Screens
,” later in this chapter, for details.
i
button:
During shooting, pressing this button activates a control strip on the Information and Live View displays, enabling quick access to certain picture settings. See the upcoming section “
Adjusting settings via the control strip
” for details.
LV (Live View) button:
As its name implies, this button turns Live View on and off. In Live View mode, the scene in front of the lens appears on the monitor, and you can't see anything through the viewfinder. You then can compose a still photo using the monitor or begin recording a movie. I provide additional guidelines about using Live View later in this chapter.
Multi Selector/OK button: This dual-natured control plays a role in many camera functions. You press the outer edges of the Multi Selector left, right, up, or down to navigate camera menus and access certain other options. At the center of the control is the OK button, which you press to finalize a menu selection or another camera adjustment.
In this book, the instruction “Press the Multi Selector left” simply means to press the left edge of the control. “Press the Multi Selector right” means to press the right edge, and so on.
Release Mode button:
Press this button to display a screen where you can select the shutter-release mode. By default, the option is set to Single Frame, which results in one picture each time you press the shutter button. You can explore other settings in
Chapter 2
.
Delete button:
Sporting a trash can icon, the universal symbol for delete, this button enables you to erase pictures from your memory card.
Chapter 10
explains the steps.
FIGURE 1-6: Use the Multi Selector to navigate menus and access certain other camera options.
Front-left features
The front-left side of the camera, shown in Figure 1-7, sports these features:
Flash button: In the advanced exposure modes (P, S, A, and M), pressing this button raises the built-in flash. In other modes, the camera controls whether flash is enabled.
By holding the Flash button down and rotating the Command dial, you can adjust the Flash mode (Fill Flash, Red-Eye Reduction, and so on). In advanced exposure modes, you also can adjust the flash power by pressing the button while simultaneously pressing the Exposure Compensation button and rotating the Command dial. The little plus/minus symbol that appears below the Flash button — the same symbol that’s on the Exposure Compensation button — is a reminder of the button’s role in flash-power adjustment.
Check out Chapter 2 for details on flash options.
Function (Fn) button:
By default, this button gives you quick access to the ISO setting, which controls the camera’s sensitivity to light. (
Chapter 4
explains.) If you don’t adjust that setting often, you can use the button to perform other operations;
Chapter 12
shows you how. Note that you can’t control ISO in the Auto and Auto Flash Off exposure modes or Night Vision Effects mode, so pressing the Fn button has no result in those modes.
Microphone:
The three little holes just above the silver D3400 label lead to the camera’s internal microphone. See
Chapter 8
to find out how to disable the microphone if you want to record silent movies.
Lens-release button:
Press this button to disengage the lens from the camera’s lens mount so that you can remove the lens. Don’t confuse this lock button with the one on the kit lens (and other retractable lenses) — you press the button on the lens to unlock it so that you can extend or retract the lens barrel. (See the first section of this chapter for help.)
Connection port door:
Open this little door to expose the camera’s USB and HDMI connection ports, explained next.
FIGURE 1-7: Press the Flash button to use the built-in flash in P, S, A, or M mode.
Connection ports and a few final features
Hidden under the cover on the left side of the camera are the following connection ports, labeled in the photo shown on the left side of Figure 1-8:
USB port: Through this port, you can connect your camera to a USB port on a computer for picture downloading and to connect the camera to certain printers for direct printing of photos on the memory card. However, Nikon does not supply the USB cable with the camera; if you want to download or print via USB, buy the UC-E21 USB cable, which sells for about $12.
Before you rush out to get the cable, though, consider whether you really need it. Instead of connecting the camera directly to your computer for picture transfer, you can use a memory card reader. Chapter 10 explains more about the picture-download options. As for printing, many printers have built-in card readers, so you may not need the cable to enjoy that function, either. In addition, only printers that offer a technology called PictBridge support direct printing from the camera via a USB connection.
HDMI port:
You can use this port to connect your camera to a high-definition TV, but again, you need to buy the required cable. Look for a Type C mini-pin HDMI cable.
Chapter 9
offers details on television playback.
FIGURE 1-8: Look on the left side of the camera for USB and HDMI ports; the wireless remote-control sensor is on the front of the camera.
If you turn the camera over, you find a tripod socket, which enables you to mount the camera on a tripod that uses a 1/4-inch screw, plus the battery chamber. At the right edge of the battery-chamber cover, you also see a tab that you lift to expose the connector for the optional AC power supply. (More about that accessory momentarily.)
Two final features to note that relate to available accessories for your camera:
Wireless remote control:
Although the D3400 doesn’t work with a wired remote shutter-release cable, you can use the Nikon ML-L3 wireless remote. The camera has a single sensor for picking up the remote signal; the sensor is on the front of the camera, as shown on the right side of
Figure 1-8
.
AC adapter:
If you regularly use your camera for extended periods, you may want to invest in an AC adapter, which enables you to power the camera via AC electrical power rather than the supplied battery. You need two components to make this work: the EP-5a power connector and the EH-5b AC adapter. The power connector goes into the battery compartment on the camera; the AC adapter plugs into the connector. The supply connector runs about $50; the AC adapter, about $120. Another option, of course, is to simply buy a spare battery (part EN-EL14a), which sells for about $60.
As for the Bluetooth symbol printed above the port cover door, it’s just there to remind you that the camera can connect via Bluetooth wireless technology to compatible smart devices. This feature requires that you install a Nikon app, SnapBridge, on your device. The app is available only for certain versions of Android and Apple iOS operating systems. The appendix introduces you to SnapBridge and Bluetooth basics.
Ordering from camera menus
Pressing the Menu button gives you access to a slew of options in addition to those you control via the external buttons and dials. But what type of menu screens you see depends on the setting of the Mode dial:
Guide:
Pressing the Menu button brings up the first screen of the guided menus, which provide a simple, walk-me-through-it approach to using the camera.
All other settings:
Pressing the Menu button brings up the normal, text-based menus.
The next two sections provide an overview of using both types of menus.
Using the guided menus
The guided menus work much like interactive menus you encounter in other areas of your life — on cellphones, bank machines, and the like — except that instead of pressing buttons on the screen, you use the Multi Selector and OK button to make your menu selections. And thankfully, your camera also doesn’t nag you to hurry up and “please place the item in the bagging area!” every 3 seconds like the self-checkout machines in some grocery stores.
To explore the guided menu feature, set the Mode dial to Guide, as shown in Figure 1-9.
FIGURE 1-9: Set the Mode dial to Guide to use the guided menus.
You see the initial guided menu screen, shown on the left in Figure 1-10. Using the Multi Selector, highlight one of these options:
Shoot:
Select this icon to access screens that walk you through the process of choosing basic picture-taking settings and shooting pictures.
View/Delete:
Select this category to access picture-playback functions and erase pictures from your memory card.
Retouch:
This choice takes you to the built-in photo editing functions, such as red-eye removal and cropping.
Set Up:
Choose this icon to access camera setup options — things like setting the date and time, adjusting monitor brightness, and so on.
FIGURE 1-10: Use the Multi Selector to highlight an option and then press OK to display the next guided screen.
After choosing an option, press OK to display the first screen associated with that category. For example, if you choose Set Up, you see the screen shown on the right in Figure 1-10. From there, use the Multi Selector to choose a task and press OK to move on to the next screen. Just keep highlighting your choice and pressing OK to make your way through the menus. To return to the preceding screen, press the Multi Selector left (the Back symbol at the bottom of the screen reminds you of this trick).
Although I appreciate the idea of the guided menus, I have a few quibbles about how they’re implemented on the D3400. First, you can’t access all your camera’s features through the guided menus. Second, some choices Nikon made for the arrangement of the guided menus set you up for confusion down the line. For example, the Image Size and Image Quality options, which control resolution and file type (see Chapter 2), are found in the Set Up section of the guided menus but live on the Shooting menu in the regular menus. So if you get used to selecting those options in one place when you use guided menus, you have to learn a whole new organization when you move on to the regular menus. Additionally, when you adjust certain settings, including Image Size and Image Quality, your changes apply only in Guide mode. So when you return to another shooting mode, you have to adjust those settings again.
Don’t get me wrong: If you like the guided menus, by all means, take advantage of them. But my guess is that you don’t need much help from me to do so, which is why this is the last you’ll read of them in this book.
Ordering off the main menus
To display regular menus, rotate the Mode dial to any setting but Guide and then press the Menu button. You then see a screen similar to the one shown in Figure 1-11. The icons along the left side of the screen represent the available menus. (Table 1-1 labels the icons and includes a brief description of the goodies found on each menu.) In the menu screens, the icon that’s highlighted or appears in color is the active menu; options on that menu automatically appear to the right. In the figure, the Shooting menu is active, for example.
TABLE 1-1 D3400 Menus
Symbol
Open This Menu …
… To Access These Functions
Playback
Viewing, deleting, and protecting pictures
Shooting
Basic photography settings
Setup
Additional basic camera operations
Retouch
Built-in photo-retouching options
Recent Settings
Your 20 most recently used menu options
FIGURE 1-11: Highlight a menu in the left column to display its contents.
I explain all menu options elsewhere in the book; for now, just familiarize yourself with the process of navigating menus and selecting options therein:
To select a different menu: Press the Multi Selector left to jump to the column containing the menu icons. (Refer to Figure 1-6 if you need help finding the Multi Selector.) Then press up or down to highlight the menu you want to display. Finally, press right to jump over to the options on the menu.
A color detail to mention here: When the icon list is active, the selected menu icon appears yellow, as in Figure 1-11. After you press the Multi Selector right to access the selected menu’s options, the icon changes color, with each menu having its own color scheme. The Shooting menu icon, for example, turns green, as shown in Figure 1-12.
To select and adjust a function on the current menu: Again, use the Multi Selector to scroll up or down the list of options to highlight the feature you want to adjust and then press OK. Settings available for the selected item then appear. For example, if you select the Image Quality item from the Shooting menu, as shown on the left in Figure 1-12, and press OK, the available Image Quality options appear, as shown on the right in the figure. Repeat the up-and-down scroll routine until the choice you prefer is highlighted. Then press OK to return to the previous screen.
In some cases, you see a right-pointing arrowhead instead of the OK symbol next to an option. That’s your cue to press the Multi Selector right to display a submenu or other list of options. (Although, most of the time, you also can just press the OK button if you prefer.) If any menu options are dimmed in the menu, you can’t access them in the current exposure mode; remember, to use all the camera's features, you must set the Mode dial to P, S, A, or M. Some settings also become off-limits when you enable options that conflict with those settings. (I explain these conflicts when discussing the affected features.)
To quickly access your 20 most recent menu items: The Recent Settings menu lists the 20 menu items you ordered most recently. So if you want to adjust those settings, you don’t have to wade through all the other menus looking for them — just head to this menu instead. Again, press the Multi Selector right to jump to the menu-icon strip and then highlight the Recent Settings icon, as shown in Figure 1-13. Press the Multi Selector right to access the options on the menu. You can remove an item from the menu by highlighting it and pressing the Delete (trash can) button twice.
Exit menus and return to shooting:
Just give the shutter button a quick half-press and then release it. You also can press the Menu button (you may need to press the button twice to back out of all the menu screens).
FIGURE 1-12: Select the option you prefer and press OK again to return to the active menu.
FIGURE 1-13: The Recent Settings menu offers quick access to the last 20 menu options you selected.
Switching to Live View mode
Like many dSLR cameras, the D3400 offers Live View, a feature that enables you to use the monitor instead of the viewfinder to compose photos. Turning on Live View is also the first step in recording a movie; using the viewfinder isn't possible when you shoot movies.
To shift to Live View mode, press the LV button. You hear a clicking sound as the internal mirror that normally sends the image from the lens to the viewfinder flips up. The viewfinder goes dark, and the scene in front of the lens appears on the monitor. To exit Live View mode, press the LV button again.
Here are a few pointers about using Live View mode:
Press the Info button (on top of the camera) to change the type of data displayed on the monitor.
You can choose from the displays shown in
Figure 1-14
:
Show Photo Indicators:
Reveals extensive shooting data for still photography. The camera uses this display mode by default.
Show Movie Indicators:
Displays data related to movie recording, as shown in the upper-right screen in
Figure 1-14
. At some recording settings, including the default movie resolution and frame rate, a
crop frame
(gray borders) appears to show you how much of the screen area will be included in the movie. I discuss movie settings in
Chapter 8
.
Hide Indicators:
Displays only the basic shooting data shown in the lower-left example in
Figure 1-14
. The gray movie-crop frame is replaced by four corner markings; I labeled one of them in the figure.
Framing Grid:
Adds a grid and the movie-crop framing marks.
Cover the viewfinder to prevent light from seeping into the camera and affecting exposure.
You can cover the viewfinder with your hand or a small piece of paper or you can invest in an official Nikon eyepiece cover, which has the part number DK-5 and sells for under $5. This same practice is suggested for self-timer photography or other occasions in which your eye won’t be on the viewfinder when you take the shot.
The monitor turns off by default after 10 minutes of inactivity.
When monitor shutdown is 30 seconds away, a countdown timer appears in the upper-left corner of the screen. You can adjust the shutdown timing via the Auto Off Timers option on the Setup menu;
Chapter 12
has details.
Using Live View for an extended period can harm your pictures and the camera. In Live View mode, the camera heats up more than usual, which can create the proper electronic conditions for noise, a defect that gives your pictures a speckled look. Perhaps more importantly, the increased temperatures can damage the camera. For that reason, Live View is automatically disabled if the camera detects a critical heat level. In extremely warm environments, you may not be able to use Live View mode for long before the system shuts down.
When the camera is 30 seconds or fewer from shutting down, the countdown timer appears to let you know how many seconds remain for shooting. The warning doesn’t appear during picture playback or when menus are active, however.
Aiming the lens at the sun or another bright light also can damage the camera.
Of course, you can cause problems by doing this even during viewfinder shooting, but the possibilities increase when you use Live View. You can harm not only the camera’s internal components but also the monitor (not to mention your eyes).
Some lights may interfere with the Live View display.
The operating frequency of some types of lights, including fluorescent and mercury-vapor lamps, can create electronic interference that causes the monitor display to flicker or exhibit odd color banding. Changing the Flicker Reduction option on the Setup menu may resolve this issue. At the default setting, Auto, the camera gauges the light and chooses the right setting for you. But you also can choose from two specific frequencies: 50 Hz and 60 Hz. (In the United States and Canada, the standard frequency is 60 Hz; in Europe, it’s 50 Hz.)
FIGURE 1-14: Press the Info button to change the Live View display data.
Viewing critical picture settings
Your D3400 gives you the following ways to monitor the most important picture-taking settings:
Information screen (viewfinder photography): The left screen in Figure 1-15 gives you a look at the Information screen available for viewfinder photography. The screen appears when you first turn on the camera and then disappears after a few seconds. To redisplay it, take any of these steps:
Press the Info button.
Press once to display the screen; press again to turn off the monitor.
Press the shutter button halfway and release it.
Pressing and holding the button halfway down turns off the screen and fires up the autofocusing and exposure metering systems. Because those two systems use battery power, avoid this technique when the battery is running low.
In this book, I explain the display as it works by default. But you can modify its behavior via the Setup menu; look for details in Chapter 12. Note that by default, the screen background is light gray, as in Figure 1-15, which you shoot in any exposure mode except P, S, A, or M. In those advanced exposure modes, the background is dark gray, as shown in many figures later in the book.
Live View display:
When you press the LV button to switch to Live View mode, the shooting data appears atop the live preview. (Refer to the right side of
Figure 1-15
.) You can vary the type of data displayed by pressing the Info button;
Figure 1-15
shows the default display style.
Viewfinder:
You also can view some settings at the bottom of the viewfinder, as shown in
Figure 1-16
. The information that appears depends on the exposure mode.
FIGURE 1-15: Press the Info button to view picture-taking settings on the monitor.
FIGURE 1-16: Picture settings also appear at the bottom of the viewfinder.
If what you see in Figures 1-15 and 1-16 looks like a confusing mess, don’t worry. Many settings relate to options that won’t mean anything to you until you explore later chapters. But make note of the following bits of data that are helpful from the get-go:
Battery status indicator: A full-battery icon (refer to Figure 1-15) shows that the battery is fully charged; if the icon appears empty, look for your battery charger.
Just for good measure, the camera also displays a low-battery symbol in the viewfinder, as shown in Figure 1-16. If the symbol blinks, the camera won’t take more pictures until you charge the battery.
Shots remaining:
Labeled in
Figures 1-15
and
1-16
, this value indicates how many more pictures you can store on the memory card. If the number exceeds 999, the initial
K
appears, indicating that the value is in the thousands. For example, 1.6K means that you can store 1,600 more pictures. (
K
is a universally accepted symbol indicating 1,000 units.) The number is rounded down to the nearest hundred. So if the card has room for, say, 1,230 more pictures, the value reads 1.2K.
Bluetooth symbol:
By default, the camera’s Bluetooth feature, which enables you transfer photos wirelessly to certain smartphones and other devices, is disabled. When you do turn on the feature, you see the symbol labeled in
Figure 1-15
.
WHAT DOES [R 04] IN THE DISPLAY MEAN?
When you look in your viewfinder to frame a shot, the initial value shown in brackets at the right end of the viewfinder display indicates the number of additional pictures that can fit on your memory card. But as soon as you press the shutter button halfway, which kicks the autofocus and exposure mechanisms into action, that value changes to instead show you how many pictures can fit in the camera’s memory buffer. For example, [r 04] value tells you that four pictures can fit in the buffer.
So what’s the buffer? It’s a temporary storage tank where the camera stores picture data until it has time to fully record that data onto the camera memory card. This system exists so that you can take a continuous series of pictures without waiting between shots until each image is fully written to the memory card.
When the buffer is full, the camera automatically disables the shutter button until it catches up on its recording work. Chances are, though, that you'll rarely, if ever, encounter this situation; the camera is usually more than capable of keeping up with your shooting rate.
For more information about rapid-fire photography, see the section on action photography in Chapter 7.
Adjusting settings via the control strip
Found on the lower-left corner of the camera back, the i button activates a control strip that gives you quick access to some critical shooting settings. Here’s how to use the control strip for viewfinder photography:
Make sure that the camera is in any shooting mode except Guide.
Display the Information screen, shown on the left in Figure1-15.
If the camera is in playback mode or you’re viewing a menu screen, press and release the shutter button halfway to display the Information screen. You also may need to take this step if the camera has “gone to sleep,” turning off the monitor automatically to save battery power. You also can press the Info button on top of the camera to turn the screen on and off.
Press the i button.
The top part of the display dims, and you see the control strip — the two rows of settings at the bottom of the screen — as shown on the left in Figure 1-17. The currently selected setting appears highlighted, and its name is displayed above the control strip. For example, in the left screen in Figure 1-17
