Nikon D3200 For Dummies

Julie Adair King has been writing about digital cameras and photography since 1997. Her current bestsellers include guides on various Nikon and Canon cameras as well as seven editions of Digital Photography For Dummies. When not writing, Julie teaches master workshops and image editing at such locations as the Palm Beach Photographic Centre.

• Introduction 1A Quick Look at What’s Ahead 1Part I: Fast Track to Super Snaps 1Part II: Working with Picture Files 2Part III: Taking Creative Control 2Part IV: The Part of Tens 2Icons and Other Stuff to Note 2eCheat Sheet 3Practice, Be Patient, and Have Fun! 4Part I: Fast Track to Super Snaps 5Chapter 1: Getting the Lay of the Land 7Getting Comfortable with Your Lens 8Attaching a lens 8Removing a lens 10Setting the focus mode (auto or manual) 10Zooming in and out 12Using a VR (Vibration Reduction) lens 12Adjusting the Viewfinder Focus 13Working with Memory Cards 15Exploring External Camera Controls 18Topside controls 18Back-of-the-body controls 20Front-left buttons 23Front-right features 24Hidden connections 24Ordering from Camera Menus 25Using the guided menus 26Ordering off the main menus 31Monitoring Shooting Settings 33Changing Settings Using the Information Display 35Displaying Help Screens 36Customizing Your Camera: Setup Menu Options 37Restoring Default Settings 44Chapter 2: Choosing Basic Picture Settings 47Choosing an Exposure Mode 48Choosing the Release Mode 50Single Frame and Quiet Shutter Release modes 52Continuous (burst mode) shooting 52Self-timer shooting 54Wireless remote-control modes 55Adding Flash 56Enabling flash 57Setting the Flash mode 58Choosing the Right Quality Settings 61Diagnosing quality problems 62Considering image size: How many pixels are enough? 63Understanding Image Quality options (JPEG or Raw) 67My take: Choose JPEG Fine or Raw (NEF) 72Setting Image Size and Quality 73Chapter 3: Taking Great Pictures, Automatically 77Setting Up for Automatic Success 78As Easy As It Gets: Auto and Auto Flash Off 82Taking Advantage of Scene Modes 86Getting More Creative with Guide Mode 90Chapter 4: Exploring Live View Photography and Movie Making 97Using Your Monitor as a Viewfinder 98Live View safety tips 99Customizing the Live View display 103Focusing in Live View Mode 105Choosing the right focusing pairs 110Autofocusing in Live View and Movie mode 111Manual focusing for Live View and movie photography 113Shooting Still Pictures in Live View Mode 114Shooting Digital Movies 116Choosing the video mode (NTSC or PAL) 116Setting video quality (frame size, frame rate, and bit rate) 117Controlling audio 120Manipulating movie exposure 123Reviewing a few final recording options 124Recording a movie 125Screening Your Movies 127Trimming Movies 129Saving a Movie Frame as a Still Image 132Part II: Working with Picture Files 135Chapter 5: Playback Mode: Viewing, Erasing, and Protecting Photos 137Customizing Basic Playback Options 138Adjusting playback timing 138Adjusting and disabling instant image review 139Enabling automatic picture rotation 139Viewing Images in Playback Mode 141Viewing multiple images at a time (thumbnails view) 143Displaying photos in Calendar view 144Choosing which images to view 146Zooming in for a closer view 146Viewing Picture Data 148File Information mode 150Highlights display mode 152RGB Histogram mode 153Shooting Data display mode 156GPS Data mode 157Overview Data mode 157Deleting Photos and Movies 159Deleting fi les one at a time 159Deleting all photos and movies 160Deleting a batch of selected files 161Protecting Photos and Movies 163Creating a Digital Slide Show 164Viewing Your Photos and Movies on a Television 168Chapter 6: Downloading, Printing, and Sharing Your Photos 171Choosing the Right Photo Software 171Three free photo programs 172Advanced photo programs 174Sending Pictures to the Computer 176Connecting the camera and computer for picture download 177Starting the transfer process 178Downloading using ViewNX 2 180Processing Raw (NEF) Files 187Processing Raw images in the camera 187Processing Raw fi les in ViewNX 2 191Planning for Perfect Prints 195Check the pixel count before you print 195Allow for different print proportions 197Get print and monitor colors in sync 200Preparing Pictures for E-Mail and Online Sharing 203Prepping online photos using ViewNX 2 205Resizing pictures from the Playback menu 206Part III: Taking Creative Control 211Chapter 7: Getting Creative with Exposure 213Introducing the Exposure Trio: Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO 214Understanding exposure-setting side effects 216Doing the exposure balancing act 221Exploring the Advanced Exposure Modes 222Reading the Meter 224Setting Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO 227Adjusting aperture and shutter speed 227Controlling ISO 230Choosing an Exposure Metering Mode 233Sorting Through Your Camera’s Exposure-Correction Tools 236Applying Exposure Compensation 236Using autoexposure lock 240Expanding tonal range with Active D-Lighting 241Investigating Advanced Flash Options 244Choosing the right Flash mode 247Adjusting flash output 253Controlling flash output manually 256Chapter 8: Manipulating Focus and Color 259Mastering the Autofocus System 260Reviewing autofocus basics 260Understanding the AF-Area mode setting 262Changing the Focus mode setting 267Choosing the right autofocus combo 269Using autofocus lock 269Focusing Manually 270Manipulating Depth of Field 274Controlling Color 281Correcting colors with white balance 281Changing the White Balance setting 283Fine-tuning White Balance settings 286Creating white balance presets 287Choosing a Color Space: sRGB versus Adobe RGB 291Taking a Quick Look at Picture Controls 292Chapter 9: Putting it All Together 299Recapping Basic Picture Settings 299Shooting Still Portraits 301Capturing action 307Capturing scenic vistas 310Capturing dynamic close-ups 313Part IV: The Part of Tens 317Chapter 10: Ten Fun and Practical Retouch Menu Features 319Applying the Retouch Menu Filters 320Removing Red-Eye 322Straightening Tilting Horizon Lines 324Removing (Or Creating) Lens Distortion 326Correcting Perspective 328Cropping (Trimming) Your Photo 329Shadow Recovery with D-Lighting 331Boosting Shadows, Contrast, and Saturation Together 333Two Ways to Make Subtle Color Adjustments 334Applying digital lens filters 335Manipulating color balance 337Creating Monochrome Photos 338Chapter 11: Ten Special-Purpose Features to Explore on a Rainy Day 341Annotate Your Images 341Creating Custom Image Folders 343Changing the Function Button’s Function 346Customizing the AE-L/AF-L Button 347Using the Shutter Button to Lock Exposure and Focus 348Adding a Starburst Effect 349Creating Color Effects 351Creating a color outline 352Producing a color sketch 353Playing with the Selective Color Filter 354Softening Focus for a Dreamy Effect 356Creating a Miniature Effect 358Combining Two Photos with Image Overlay 360Index 365