Professional Technical Guide — Useful Features — En
Table of Contents Live View: Pinpoint AF......................................................... 4 Focus Stacking (Focus Shift Photography)..................... 8 • “Focus Shift Shooting”...................................................................10 • Before Shooting..............................................................................12 • Focus Shift Photography...............................................................13 • Suggested Settings.............................................
Muffling the Shutter.......................................................... 44 • “Quiet” Versus “Silent”....................................................................44 • Quiet Shutter-Release Mode........................................................45 • Silent Photography........................................................................46 • Movie Stills.......................................................................................47 Focus Peaking...................................
Live View: Pinpoint AF The D850’s live view features a new pinpoint AF-area mode for more precise focus than ever before. Pinpoint AF: The camera focuses precisely on the intended point (in this case, the stamens). Intended focus point (enlarged) Normal-area AF: The wider focus area may result in the camera not focusing on the intended point.
Follow the steps below to take pictures using pinpoint AF. Before proceeding, we recommend that you mount the camera on a tripod and select single-servo autofocus (AF‑S). 1 Start live view. Pinpoint AF is available in live view only. Press the a button to start live view. 2 Select 3. Keeping the AF-mode button pressed, rotate the subcommand dial until 3 (pinpoint AF) appears in the display.
3 Position the focus point. Use the multi selector or touch controls to position the focus point, or press the center of the multi selector to return the focus point to the center of the frame. 4 Zoom in. For greater accuracy, press the X button to zoom in on the selected focus point. 5 Take the picture.
Live View: Pinpoint AF Touch Controls When using touch controls to position the focus point, note that at default settings, the shutter will be released when you lift your finger from the dis‑ play (“touch shutter”); for more accu‑ rate focus, tap the touch shutter icon to turn the touch shutter off (X).
Focus Stacking (Focus Shift Photography) “Focus stacking” combines photos shot at different focus positions into a single image with increased depth of field. The D850’s new focus shift feature, which automatically varies focus over a series of shots, is used to take photos that will later be combined using focus stacking.
When shooting is complete, you can copy the photos to a computer and use third-party focus-stacking software to combine the areas that are in focus into a single image. The camera takes a series of shots (150 in this example), which are used to create a composite image containing only the areas that are in focus. Focus-Stacking Software The following applications support focus stacking. Note that Nikon neither endorses this software nor guarantees its operation.
l “Focus Shift Shooting” The Focus shift shooting item in the photo shooting menu is used to adjust settings for focus shift photography. The following options are available: • Start: Start shooting. The camera will change the focus distance by the selected amount with each shot. • No. of shots: Choose the number of shots (up to 300) that you will need when performing focus stacking. • Focus step width: Choose the amount the focus distance changes with each shot.
Focus Stacking (Focus Shift Photography) • Starting storage folder: Highlight options and press 2 to select or deselect. Choose New folder to create a new folder for each new focus shift sequence, Reset file numbering to reset file numbering to 0001 when a new folder is created.
l Before Shooting Use an AF-S or AF-P lens. After mounting the appropriate lens, choose an exposure mode of A or M so that aperture does not change during shooting (recommended). Once settings have been adjusted to your satisfaction, close the viewfinder eyepiece shutter to prevent light entering via the viewfinder interfering with photographs and exposure. Before shooting begins, mount the camera on a tripod, disable lens vibration reduction (VR), and select a release mode other than E.
Focus Stacking (Focus Shift Photography) l Focus Shift Photography Follow the steps below to take photographs using focus shift. 1 Rotate the focus-mode selector to AF. Focus shift is not available with manual focus lenses. 2 Focus. The camera takes a series of shots starting from a selected focus position and continuing toward infinity. The starting focus position should be slightly in front of the closest point on the subject. Do not move the camera after focusing.
3 Select Focus shift shooting. In the photo shooting menu, highlight Focus shift shooting and press 2 to display focus shift options. 4 Adjust settings. Adjust settings as described on “Focus Shift Shooting” (page 10). For more information, see “Suggested Settings” (page 16).
Focus Stacking (Focus Shift Photography) 5 Start shooting. Highlight Start and press J. Shooting starts after about 3 s. The camera takes photographs at the selected interval, beginning at the focus distance selected at the start of shooting and progressing out toward infinity by the selected focus step distance with each shot. Shooting ends when the selected number of shots has been taken or focus reaches infinity.
l Suggested Settings For focus shift photography, we recommend that settings be adjusted as described below. Aperture For improved contrast out to the edges of the frame, we generally recommend an aperture 2 to 3 stops from the maximum for the lens. ISO Sensitivity We recommend that you select Off for ISO sensitivity settings > Auto ISO sensitivity control and do not change ISO sensitivity while shooting is in progress. Focus Shift Settings No.
Focus Stacking (Focus Shift Photography) Exposure smoothing: Off is recommended if lighting and other conditions will not change during shooting, On when photographing landscapes and the like under variable lighting. Silent photography: Choosing On (recommended) limits camera shake and reduces power consumption and wear on the shutter.
l Choosing the Number of Shots The recommended number of shots varies with the lens, aperture, subject size, focus step width, and the distance to the subject, measured from the closest point on the subject to the focal plane mark (E) on the camera body. The figures given on pages 19 to 20 assume that the camera and subject are positioned as shown below.
Focus Stacking (Focus Shift Photography) Subject size (in.) Table 1: AF‑S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED, aperture f/5.6, distance 20 cm (7.9 in.) Focus step width 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 110 110 90 80 50 45 40 30 25 20 5 — — 240 200 135 110 90 65 55 45 10 — — 300 250 170 140 115 85 65 55 15 — — — 275 185 155 125 90 75 60 For example, around 135 shots would be needed to photograph a 5-inch subject at a focus step width of 5. Subject size (in.) Table 2: AF‑S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.
Subject size (in.) Table 3: AF‑S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF‑ED, aperture f/5.6, distance 35 cm (13.8 in.) Focus step width 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 130 80 70 65 60 55 40 30 25 25 5 — 220 200 185 150 130 100 85 70 60 10 — 300 270 255 200 175 135 110 90 80 15 — — — 290 225 195 155 125 100 90 Subject size (in.) Table 4: AF‑S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF‑ED, aperture f/8, distance 35 cm (13.8 in.
Focus Stacking (Focus Shift Photography) l Focus Shift: Tips Although you can reduce the number of shots by increasing the step width, if the step width is greater than the depth of field, you may notice a mix of in- and out-of-focus areas when the photos are stacked. The photos for this stack were shot with a focus step width of 10. A mix of in- and out-of-focus areas is visible on the wings. Setting the focus step width to 3 produces a smooth stack with no outof-focus areas.
If the subject moves during shooting (for example, because you are shooting outdoors), focus stacking may not produce the desired results. Zooming in on the petals reveals that they have been stacked in overlapping positions, giving the effect of a multiple exposure. l Before Stacking Delete any photos not in the desired focus range before stacking.
Focus Stacking (Focus Shift Photography) l Some Examples of Focus Stacking Here are some sample images, together with the gear and settings used to create them. Lens Distance to subject Subject size Aperture Shots taken/used * AF‑S Micro NIKKOR 60 mm f/2.8G ED 20 cm/8 in. Focus step width 5 cm/2 in. Interval until next shot f/5.6 Exposure smoothing 160/150 Silent photography 3 0 On On * The total number of shots taken/the number of shots actually used for focus stacking.
Focus Stacking (Focus Shift Photography) Lens Focal length Distance to subject Subject size Aperture Shots taken/used AF‑S NIKKOR 24–70 mm f/2.8E ED VR 70 mm Focus step width Approx. 1.5 m/4.9 ft Interval until next shot — Exposure smoothing f/8 Silent photography 15/10 Lens Distance to subject Subject size Aperture Shots taken/used 24 AF‑S Micro NIKKOR 60 mm f/2.8G ED 30 cm/12 in. Focus step width 15 cm/6 in. Interval until next shot f/5.
White Balance Tips and Tricks Auto white balance is recommended with most light sources. If the desired results cannot be achieved with auto white balance, choose an option from the list below or use preset white balance. l White Balance Options Choose from the following options: Option K* Description v Auto White balance is adjusted automati‑ Keep white (reduce cally. Suitable for most light sources; 3500– warm colors) if an optional flash unit is used, white 8000 balance is adjusted to match.
Option H Direct sunlight N Flash G Cloudy K* Description 5200 Use with subjects lit by direct sunlight. 5400 Use with optional flash units. 6000 Use in daylight under overcast skies. Use in daylight with subjects in the M Shade 8000 shade. Choose color 2500– Choose a color temperature from a K temp. 10,000 list of values. Use your subject or light source or L Preset manual — an existing photo as a reference (page 30). * Color temperature.
White Balance Tips and Tricks l Auto White Balance for Incandescent Lighting v offers a choice of AUTO 0 Keep white (reduce warm colors), AUTO1 Normal, and AUTO 2 Keep warm lighting colors. The warm cast of incandescent lighting can be eliminated by selecting Keep white (reduce warm colors) or preserved by selecting Keep warm lighting colors.
l Natural Light Auto Adapted as it is to natural light sources, D Natural light auto produces better results under natural lighting than comparable auto white balance options. White balance adapts to changes in lighting, producing results close to those seen by the naked eye whether your subject is a sunset or fall colors.
White Balance Tips and Tricks l Color Temperature Information The color temperature chosen for auto white balance can be viewed in the playback photo information display. Use this value as a reference when selecting a value for Choose color temp. To view color temperature, go to Playback display options in the playback menu and place a check next to Shooting data. Color temperature and other photo information can then be viewed by pressing 3 during fullframe playback.
l Measuring Preset Manual White Balance In live view, you can measure white balance from any white or grey object in the frame (spot white balance). 30 1 Select preset manual white balance. Press and hold the U button and rotate the main command dial until L (Preset manual) is displayed in the monitor. 2 Select a preset. Keeping the U button pressed, rotate the sub-command dial until the desired white balance preset (d‑1 to d‑6) is displayed. 3 Select direct measurement mode.
White Balance Tips and Tricks 4 Position the target over a white or grey area. While L flashes in the display, use the multi selector to position the target over a white or grey area of the frame. To zoom in for more precise positioning, press the X button. You can also measure white balance anywhere in the frame by tapping your subject in the monitor, in which case you can proceed directly to Step 6. 5 Measure white balance.
Digitizing 35 mm Film Digitizing film is a snap with an ES‑2 film digitizing adapter. With an ES‑2 and a bright light source configured as shown below, you can use the D850’s Negative digitizer to create positive copies of film negatives.
l What You’ll Need Review the required equipment and settings before proceeding. Required Equipment Before scanning 35 mm negatives, ready the items below. • An ES‑2 film digitizing adapter, which includes: ES‑2 62 mm adapter A 62 mm adapter B FH‑5 FH‑4 • A compatible lens. Any of the following can be used: ‣‣AF‑S DX Micro NIKKOR 40 mm f/2.8G ‣‣AF‑S Micro NIKKOR 60 mm f/2.8G ED (requires 62 mm adapter A)* ‣‣AI AF Micro-Nikkor 60 mm f/2.
Equipment and Settings for Scanning Negative Film In addition to the ES‑2 and one of the lenses listed on page 33, you’ll need the following when scanning negatives. Film Color or monochrome negatives FH‑4 * We recommend shooting in a sunny spot by a win‑ dow or using a photo light box, a studio LED lamp, Light source or a light source with a high Ra (color rendering in‑ dex) Use the Negative digitizer option. The camera func‑ Technique tions in mode A (aperture-priority auto).
Digitizing 35 mm Film Equipment and Settings for Scanning Positive Film In addition to the ES‑2 and one of the lenses listed on page 33, you’ll need the following when scanning positives.
l Handling Film Wear gloves to keep film free of smudges and fingerprints. Dust and lint can be removed with a blower. l Digitizing Negatives The recommended procedure for digitizing negatives using the ES‑2 is described below. 36 1 Ready the equipment. Set up the equipment as shown on page 32. 2 Start live view. Rotate the live view selector to C (live view photography) and press the a button to start live view. 3 Select Negative digitizer.
Digitizing 35 mm Film 4 Choose the film type. Highlight Color negatives or Monochrome negatives and press J. 5 Frame and focus. Position the FH‑4 so that the portion of the frame you wish to digitize is framed in the camera monitor. Additional adjustments can be made by rotating the ES‑2 or sliding it in or out while adjusting focus as necessary (manual focus is recommended, as autofocus may fail to produce the desired results depending on the content of the frame).
7 Take the photograph. Press the shutter-release button all the way down to take the photograph and save it in JPEG format. Using the Negative Digitizer No options are available for correcting dust, scratches, or uneven colors due to faded film. Photos are saved in JPEG format regardless of the option selected for image quality; photos taken with a JPEG option selected will be saved at the chosen setting, while photos taken with NEF (RAW) or TIFF (RGB) selected will be saved in JPEG fine★ format.
Digitizing 35 mm Film l Digitizing Positives (Slides) The recommended procedure for digitizing slides using the ES‑2 is described below. 1 Ready the equipment. Set up the equipment as shown on page 32. 2 Start live view. Rotate the live view selector to C (live view photography) and press the a button to start live view. 3 Adjust camera settings. We recommend using the Flat Picture Control and shooting in mode A at an aperture of around f/8.
4 Frame and focus. Position the FH‑5 so that the portion of the slide you wish to digitize is framed in the camera monitor. Additional adjustments can be made by rotating the ES‑2 or sliding it in or out while adjusting focus as necessary (manual focus is recommended, as autofocus may fail to produce the desired results depending on the content of the frame). For precise focus, press X to view your subject a higher magnification.
Digitizing 35 mm Film l Retouching Digitized Photos Digitized photos can be retouched using Capture NX‑D or other image editing software. The principal editing tools in Capture NX‑D are outlined below. Levels & Curves Adjust contrast, tones, and color balance. LCH Adjust lightness, chroma, and hue.
The Straighten Tool Straighten pictures by up to ±10°. The Crop Tool Crop unwanted areas from images. The Auto Retouch Brush Tool Remove dust and scratches.
Digitizing 35 mm Film Example The following example shows how Levels & Curves can be used to remove a green cast from an image. Before using other applications to view images processed us‑ ing Capture NX‑D, save the images in another format using the Convert Files option in Capture NX‑D.
Muffling the Shutter Choose quiet or silent photography where camera noise might be a distraction, for example at stage performances, during interviews, or when photographing wildlife. l “Quiet” Versus “Silent” The differences between quiet shutter release and silent photography are summarized in the following table. Silent photography Quiet shutter release Mode 1 Mode 2 Framing Viewfinder Live view Flash Available Not available Shutter release Quiet Silent Frame advance Qc: Approx.
l Quiet Shutter-Release Mode If quiet shutter-release mode is selected for viewfinder photography, the mirror stays up while the shutter-release button is pressed all the way down. The mirror is lowered (more quietly than in single-frame mode) only when the shutter-release button returns to the halfway position, allowing you to control the timing of the click made by the mirror. To choose quiet shutter-release mode, press the release mode dial lock release and rotate the dial to Q.
l Silent Photography In silent photography, the shutter remains open between shots, eliminating shutter noise altogether during live view. To enable silent photography, press the i button during live view and select On (Mode 1) or On (Mode 2) for Silent live view photography. • On (Mode 1): Reduce vibrations caused by the shutter when shooting landscapes and other static subjects. ISO sensitivity can be set to values of from Lo 1 to 25600.
Muffling the Shutter l Movie Stills Another way to reduce camera noise is to film movies silently and later make JPEG stills using Save current frame. 1 Pause playback on the desired frame. Press 3 to pause playback and then press 4 or 2 to display the desired frame. 2 Choose Save current frame. Press i or J, then highlight Save current frame and press J to create a JPEG copy of the current frame.
Focus Peaking In manual focus mode, the Peaking level item in the i-button menu can be used to enable focus peaking, which employs colored outlines to indicate objects that are in focus. Area in focus The options in the Peaking level menu are 3 (high sensitivity), 2 (standard), 1 (low sensitivity), and Off; the higher the setting, the greater the depth shown as being in focus. Focus Peaking Peaking remains in effect during focus zoom.
Cropping and Zoom Quick crop can be used during playback to save the crop currently visible in the monitor, creating a copy with an aspect ratio of 4∶3. Use it for quick “what-you-see-is-whatyou-get” cropping (for other aspect ratios, use the Trim option in the retouch menu). 1 Zoom in. Press the X button to zoom in on the image currently displayed in full-frame playback. Note that Quick crop is not available when an RGB histogram is displayed. X button 2 Choose a crop.
On-Camera Batch NEF (RAW) Processing JPEG copies can be created from NEF (RAW) images using the NEF (RAW) processing option in the camera retouch menu. l The Benefits of On-Camera Processing On-camera batch NEF (RAW) processing lets you apply identical settings to multiple images in a single pass; for greater efficiency, you can even select images by date.
l On-Camera NEF (RAW) Processing Follow the steps below to create JPEG copies of NEF (RAW) images using the camera NEF (RAW) processing option. 1 Select NEF (RAW) processing. Highlight NEF (RAW) processing in the retouch menu and press 2. 2 Choose a destination. If two memory cards are inserted, the NEF (RAW) images can be read from one card and the JPEG copies saved to the other, further reducing processing time (if only one memory card is inserted, proceed to Step 3).
3 Choose how images are selected. Choose from the options below. • Select image(s): Select images manually (proceed to Step 5). Use this option to process a single image or to select multiple images for batch processing. • Select date: Create JPEG copies of all the NEF (RAW) images taken on selected dates (proceed to Step 4). • Select all images: Create JPEG copies of all the NEF (RAW) images on the memory card (proceed to Step 4). 4 Select the source slot.
On-Camera Batch NEF (RAW) Processing 5 Select photographs. If you chose Select image(s) in Step 3, a picture selection dialog will be displayed. Highlight images using the multi selector and press the center of the multi selector to select or deselect; selected images are indicated by a L icon. To view the highlighted image full screen, press and hold the X button. Press J to proceed to Step 6 when your selection is complete; all selected images will be processed at the same settings.
6 Choose settings for the JPEG copies. Adjust the settings listed below. 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 7 54 Image quality Image size White balance Exposure compensation Picture Control 6 7 8 9 High ISO NR Color space Vignette control Active D‑Lighting Copy the photographs. Highlight EXE and press J to create the JPEG copies (if multiple photos are selected, a confirmation dialog will be displayed; highlight Yes and press J). To exit without copying the photographs, press the G button.
On-Camera Batch NEF (RAW) Processing NEF (RAW) Processing NEF (RAW) processing is available only with NEF (RAW) im‑ ages created with D850 cameras. Photos in other formats or shot with other cameras will not be listed in the photo selec‑ tion dialog in Step 5. In addition, white balance and vignette control cannot be applied to multiple exposures or pictures created with image overlay. Exposure compensation for NEF (RAW) processing can only be set to values between –2 and +2 EV.
Auto AF Fine-Tuning The D850 can fine-tune autofocus automatically. The results can be used with all lenses of the same type. Use only as required. AF fine-tuning should be performed at the focus distance at which the lens is normally used; finetuning performed at short focus distances may be less effec‑ tive with distant subjects and vice versa. 1 56 Ready the camera. Mount the camera on a tripod and aim the camera at a flat, high-contrast subject parallel to the camera focal plane.
Auto AF Fine-Tuning 2 Start live view. Rotate the live view selector to C and press the a button. 3 Adjust focus settings. Rotate the focus-mode selector to AF and use the AF-mode button and command dials to select the following: • Autofocus mode: AF‑S • AF-area mode: 5 (wide), 6 (normal), or 3 (pinpoint) 4 Select the center focus point. Press the center of the multi selector to select the center focus point. 5 Focus.
Auto AF Fine-Tuning 6 Perform auto AF fine-tuning. Press the AF-mode and movierecord buttons simultaneously and keep them pressed until the dialog shown in Step 7 is displayed (this should take AF-mode button slightly over two seconds). 7 Save the new value. Highlight Yes and press J to add the AF fine-tuning value for the current lens to the saved values list (CPU lenses only). Note that only one value can be stored for each type of lens. 8 Enable AF fine-tuning.
Unavailable Menu Options If you find that the menu items mentioned in this manual are grayed out, you may be able to access them by changing camera settings as described below. l The Photo Shooting Menu White balance (page 30) “Preset manual” > “Copy from existing photograph” unavailable • Check that a memory card is selected as the destination and that it is inserted, formatted, undamaged, and contains at least one photo. • Ensure the selected preset is not protected.
Unavailable Menu Options l The i-Button Menu (Live View Photography) Negative digitizer (page 32) “Negative digitizer” unavailable • End bracketing, HDR, and silent photography. • Exit image transfer mode. • End the connection to the SnapBridge app.
