Customization of Camera Body Controls for Event Photography

[kwanhan]

Hi all,

I'm wondering how you would normally customize your camera body for shooting events?

Would you suggest using Auto-ISO?

Under what circumstances would it be useful?

For my own leisure shooting I shoot fully manual.

Presently I also have mapped the preview button to suppressing the flash ...

... and the function button for spot metering (while I leave the body's dial to centre-weighted).


Any other Shooting Menu and Custom Menu tweaks that you save in banks for Event Photography (eg wedding?)

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I've been on my d300 and a tamron 17-50 for quite a while, this sat I have a wedding gatecrash from the groom's side to cover for the couple.

My friend will be lending me his gripped d700 + his nikon 28-70 f2.8.... and I'll attach my own sb700.


This is really a no obligations shoot which I volunteered for, since the pro (also the couple's friend) will be at the bride's house.

The deliverables I set for myself would be a burnt DVD of basic post-processed shots that I have selected.

I'm confident of my skills to produce decent shots... and more importantly, to stay out of the pro's way once we get to the bride's house :bsmilie:

(actual matrimony I won't be shooting either.)


Just want to learn from everyone here how you go about your settings!

Thanks in advance.

I know there's considerable agitation about spoiling the market and all, but hope everyone understands in my case its something I volunteered to cover (a small segment of the wedding), in order to bless the couple.

---

... waiting for d700 prices to drop once the new announcements are out... :devil:

 

[Dfive]

Try this PDF download

http://www.outthereimages.com/images/D300_Setup_Guide.pdf

FREE

 

[wmayeo]

I think Auto ISO works well only outdoors... I tried indoor before... didn't get good results.
Between I'm on D300s. Also the exposure keep changing, so I mostly shoot in Manual exposure mode... rarely in Aperture mode. Indoors I use with a flash so my ISO can go up to 3200.

For D300, keep it at 12-bit for events so that you can hit a high frame rate 6fps and 8fps with AA batteries in MB-D10.
I save as lossless compressed NEF to allow more files in fill in my 8Gb cards.

Usually the shooting & custom banks, I have preset some settings but I always use the Bank A... maybe more useful for wedding photography esp switching indoor and outdoor.
I always check and adjust some settings like the custom buttons before I reach the venue.

Sometimes using 11pts can be easier than 51pts, especially when most of your shots require centre AF pt to frame.
I set AF-L beside AF-on button for recompose shot in low light situation.
Fn button for "No flash". The AF-on on my MB-D10 also follow Fn button function as "No flash".
DoF preview button intact.

Add: I also use AE-L exposure lock at half press.

You can try a few times to get hang of your style. Everyone has their own set of preferences.

 

[kwanhan]

thanks for the replies so far

is there an advantage to setting AF-L instead of just using the half press shutter for recomposing?

anyway i'm thinking that it would be more feasible using the auto-iso + minimum shutter speed on the d700 since the ISO performance would be better. (probably max out at ISO 3200, min shutter at 1/125)

i'm aware that if i go indoors, lighting conditions will remain constant and then it won't be an issue to shoot in Manual. (also i would be using flash indoors)

yup i've set to 11 AF pts for easier selection.. 51 if i let the camera select for group shots (assuming shooting f5.6 and above, is there even a point letting so many AF boxes light up?)

what is your rationale for the AE-L?


hope to hear from more seniors on their customization preference and why!

 

[wmayeo]

thanks for the replies so far

is there an advantage to setting AF-L instead of just using the half press shutter for recomposing?

anyway i'm thinking that it would be more feasible using the auto-iso + minimum shutter speed on the d700 since the ISO performance would be better. (probably max out at ISO 3200, min shutter at 1/125)

i'm aware that if i go indoors, lighting conditions will remain constant and then it won't be an issue to shoot in Manual. (also i would be using flash indoors)

yup i've set to 11 AF pts for easier selection.. 51 if i let the camera select for group shots (assuming shooting f5.6 and above, is there even a point letting so many AF boxes light up?)

what is your rationale for the AE-L?


hope to hear from more seniors on their customization preference and why!

1. AF-L for focusing then recompose the frame. When you do a composition of your subject to the extreme left or right of the frame, the D300 can't focus well in low light environment & because the cross type sensors (15 of them) are all in the centre. That's why I use this function for this button... you could use the centre AF point to focus first, press the AF-L button to retain the distance between your subject and your position, recompose again to the desired framing. The other method is to use manual focusing.

2. 51 pts are great... gives you much flexibility to choose where you want to focus and tell your audience the focus. But if you really need the "speed" shooting, instead of selecting which points, you just want to capture the moments... maybe 11 pts is good enough.

3. AE-L same like what Neil VN has posted his preferred custom settings

http://neilvn.com/tangents/2008/04/04/nikon-d300-custom-settings/

 

[kwanhan]

1. AF-L for focusing then recompose the frame. When you do a composition of your subject to the extreme left or right of the frame, the D300 can't focus well in low light environment & because the cross type sensors (15 of them) are all in the centre. That's why I use this function for this button... you could use the centre AF point to focus first, press the AF-L button to retain the distance between your subject and your position, recompose again to the desired framing. The other method is to use manual focusing.

2. 51 pts are great... gives you much flexibility to choose where you want to focus and tell your audience the focus. But if you really need the "speed" shooting, instead of selecting which points, you just want to capture the moments... maybe 11 pts is good enough.

3. AE-L same like what Neil VN has posted his preferred custom settings

http://neilvn.com/tangents/2008/04/04/nikon-d300-custom-settings/

In a sense, the shutter half press can perform the AF-L and AE-L.

Under what circumstances do you need to decouple it?

For an event, AF on the face using half press shutter, recompose and shoot. The place where I AF (the face) is where I want the exposure to be read from (and expose correctly for). Do clarify if I'm missing anything?

Is this pertinent perhaps in situations whereby the guests are perhaps wearing like all white or all black, which can throw the metering off?

Hope to learn and upgrade my skills here... be a more knowledgeable hobbyist.

Thanks for your patience!

 

[niteblade]

eh you guys use auto focusing? sometimes it focuses wrongly then you miss the moment! i normally set the centre as my focus point. lock my focus then recompose. the camera tracks the subject quite well usually

for weddings, its all about speed sometimes. you must get your desired settings VERY quickly. no time to fiddle this and that!