I believe that a photographer should do everything in their power to ensure that they capture the best image possible, rather than capture what they can and fix it in post-processing. To this end, you want to make sure that your IQ setting matches the event you are shooting.

In this article I’ll discuss the pros and cons of the various NEF(RAW) format options available in the Nikon D300.

The D300 allows you to choose from six bit-depth and compression algorithm combinations of NEF(RAW), hereafter NEF.

• Compression algorithm: Lossless Compressed, Compressed, or Uncompressed
• Bit-depth: 12- or 14-bit

Compression Algorithm

The Nikon D300 User’s Manual states the following about each of the compression algorithms:

• Lossless Compressed: NEF images are compressed using a reversible algorithm, reducing file size by about 20-40% with no affect on image quality.
• Compressed: NEF images are compressed using a non-reversible algorithm, reducing file size by about 40-50% with almost no affect on image quality.
• Uncompressed: NEF images are not compressed. Recording time increases slightly.

When it comes to choosing from these compression algorithms, you should ask yourself: what is most important?

• File size: If you want to capture as many images as possible for the amount of storage you have, you’ll want to select Compressed. By doing so, you will be sacrificing some image quality due to the compression algorithm and your shots per second will decrease due to the processor having to perform the compression.
• Image quality: If you want your image to contain the most accurate data for each sensor location you’ll want to select Lossless Compressed. This setting ensures that the compression algorithm retains all the information about the image as well as reducing the file size. Why didn’t I select Uncompressed? Well, if Nikon is true to their word, lossless should really mean what it implies.
• Shots per second: If you want to capture many images in a short amount of time, such as at a sporting event or child’s party, you’ll want to select Lossless Compressed. This setting has the best balance of write time to your memory card (smaller file size compared to Uncompressed) and less processing time for compression (compared to Compressed).

My final suggestion is that you use Lossless Compressed, which is the default setting. It gives you the best compromise for all three areas of importance. I, myself, would only switch to Compressed if I knew that I’d had to capture as many images as possible and was concerned that my memory storage would not be adequate.

Bit-depth

The Nikon D300 User’s Manual states the following about about the two bit-depth options:

• 12-bit: NEF images are recorded at a bit-depth of 12 bits.
• 14-bit: NEF images are recorded at a bit-depth of 14 bits, producing files roughly 1.3 times larger than 12-bit files, but increasing the color data recorded. Maximum frame advance rate falls to 2.5 fps.

As with the compression algorithm, you should ask yourself: what is most important?

• File size: If you want to capture as many images as possible for the amount of storage you have, you’ll want to select 12-bit. The 1.3x file size of the 14-bit image will significantly reduce the number of images you can collect on your memory card.
• Image quality: If you want to capture the best data possible for your image, you’ll want to select 14-bit. You may read the forums that a lot of people comment that monitors and printers are not able to reproduce the data gathered from 14-bit images… this is true. However, technology is a crazy thing; it is always improving. My answer to this argument is that we should capture the best possible image now because we don’t want to be left out in the cold in the future when technology catches up to our current abilities. Here is  a great technical discussion of the 12-/14-bit debate.
• Shots per second: If you want to capture many images in a short amount of time, you’ll want to select 12-bit. The D300 is able to capture about six images per second in 12-bit mode as compared to two to three per second in 14-bit mode.

My final suggestion is to shoot in 14-bit mode as often as possible. The only time I would switch to 12-bit mode is when I am doing any sort of fast-action shoot, such as sports or wildlife photography.

Setting up Your Camera

This section contains various tasks for setting up your camera for accessing the Image Quality settings easier.

Change the Image Quality setting

1. Press the MENU button
2. Select the Shooting menu
3. Select NEF (RAW) recording
4. Select Type to change your Compression algorithm
5. Select NEF (RAW) bit depth to change your bit-depth

Add the NEF(RAW) Menu item to your My Menu

If you feel that you’ll be switching amongst these modes on a regular basis, I would suggest that you add the Image Quality menu item to your Custom Menu.

1. Press the MENU button
2. Select MY MENU
3. Select Add items
4. Select Shooting menu
5. Select NEF (RAW) recording and hit the OK button

Patience.

It takes patience to capture those brilliant shots. Anyone who has accompanied me on a shoot can attest to the fact that at first I tend to wander around bemoaning the fact that I don’t have “the eye” yet. I frantically look for potential compositions until something – a play of light, a juxtaposition of foreground and background – catches my eye. I take a few shots, evaluate the exposure, maybe recompose. This tends to wake up my “eye” and more images jump out at me. I then flit around like a hummingbird, working the shots here, there, everywhere. One great shot may only take two exposures while another requires a few more to get the lighting right. Inevitably, I slam into a difficult shot that tests my compositional and technical abilities. At this point, you could say I’ve hit a wall. (Is there such a term as “photographer’s block”?) Things go downhill from there; my eye disappears, my back aches, my toes tingle with the cold.

There goes my patience for the day.

I can capture great images. I know my camera like I know my television remote control, and I have a keen visual sense for composition. Unfortunately, I miss great shots because I pass up opportunities due to pickiness or get bored and move on.

It never fails that when I view my pictures after a shoot, I realize that with a little more work I could have brought home dozens of great shots.

I’ll think to myself: If only I had noticed that I was shooting at f2.8 on that first shot that woke up my eye; I didn’t need so much depth-of-field. Or, why didn’t I notice the powerlines in the background? Or, crap, my focus was off for that wonderful two-exposure shot. Or, how could I not have noticed that my third attempt at the difficult shot was heading in the right direction?

Pondering these problems, I now realize that the crucial question for my creative process is:

How can I exhibit a higher level of patience to capture great images more consistently?

I’ve come up with the following answers.

1. Learn something from the mediocre shots

To get my eye working, I tend to wander around looking for the perfect shot. I can only assume that I am passing up decent shots that would open me up to my environment.

Solution: Take a breath, relax, and grab those simple, imperfect, warm-up shots. Have fun. In the digital world, film is cheap, right?  So why not let my eye play around.

2. Step back and reevaluate the full scene

I have a knack for composing images, but I tend toward tunnel vision.

Solution: Practice working outside my typical visual “box”; step back and see the forest for the trees. Can I zoom out and place the object in better balance with the rest of the scene? How about zooming in to ensure that the patch of weeds in the near-foreground aren’t so distracting? What will the clouds and sun be doing in a couple of minutes?

3. Take advantage of the camera

I normally analyze the histogram and highlights view to ensure the correct exposure, but there are so many other technical settings that could improve the image.

Solution: Don’t move on to the next shot until I’ve considered all that my camera has to offer. Do I really have the foreground object in focus? How about the aperture, could I open it up a bit more? What about the shutter speed to freeze the action or allow a little motion-blur to creep in?

Moving forward I will add these three tasks to my pre-shoot checklist. Every time I head out for a shoot I’ll remind myself to take a chance, take my time, and take in the sights.

Therefore I’ll just relay to you the three Lightroom blogs I read most often:

• Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider
• Matt Kloskowski’s Lightroom Killer Tips
• O’Reilly’s Inside Lightroom

I just posted one of the photos from yesterday’s Farmer’s Market photoshoot over at my photo gallery.

Editor’s Note: For now I’ll just be referring you over to my gallery to see newly posted images so I don’t have to upload the images to two different Blog services. However, if an image is needed for any of my tutorials or articles I’ll be sure to use them in here.

Well, to answer, yes I did take some pictures today. I went down to the Milwaukie Farmer’s Market to test out the autofocus settings I blogged about early this morning. I got a couple interesting pictures, but nothing that really impressed me.

I went down there with the idea of getting candid shots and took only my 18-70mm. All the candid photographers out there just gasped and are commenting on how I’m not much of a candid photographer; I should have taken my 80-200mm. True, it is a big, in-your-face lens, but it would have allowed me to get tight in on expressions rather than losing a person in all the surrounding color and action.

I could have also used the 80-200mm as a macro lens, which would have been great for all the tables full of vegetables, berries, nuts, snacks, etc.

I did spend a lot of today on the computer looking for good information about the D300 as well as working on this blog. I wrote up the autofocus entry, mentioned earlier, and also began working on documenting my digital photography workflow.

Tomorrow I head back to work, but once I’m home I’ll find one of my images from today and get it posted to my gallery.

I typically shoot in AF-C mode, which means that the “A”uto”F”ocus servo is “C”ontinuously focusing so I can track my subject matter. This article is designed for those situations where you use AF-C.

Most cameras use the shutter release to autofocus the image. I’m sure you’re familiar with holding down the shutter release half-way and hearing the motor spin around to find the focus. There are two scenarios where this tecnique can get you into trouble.

First, imagine the situation where you’re a little anxious and have jumped past the magic half-way point and captured an image that wasn’t quite using the focus you wanted.

Second, imagine that you have successfully composed your shot and focused your image with the half-way technique but that branch in the foreground moves into your focus point just as you release the image.

This article walks you through some steps to configure the D300 so that you can prevent these scenarios.

Camera Setup

First you need to create a custom setting bank so that these options can be easily turned on and off. You’ll then change the values of several autofocus settings.

1. Turn on your camera and bring up the Menu screen
2. Navigate to the Custom Setting Menu (third menu down)
3. Select “Rename”
4. Select “B” (or another setting bank if you are already using B)
5. Use the text entry screen to name the Setting Bank. I suggest “AF-ON focusing”
6. Go back to the Custom setting bank screen
7. Select “B”. The Custom Setting Menu now shows that you are using the “B” Custom setting bank.
8. In the Custom Setting menu, set the following options
   1. a1 AF-C priority selection => Release (this is set by default)
   2. a3 Dynamic AF Area => 21 (you may prefer to use 9 or 15, feel free to experiment)
   3. a4 Focus tracking with lock on => off
   4. a5 AF activation => AF-ON only

Workflow

Now that your camera is set up for AF-ON focusing, here is a scenario describing the workflow.

It is Sunday morning and you’ve wandered down to your hometown’s Farmer’s Market for some fresh produce and some candid shots. You’re images are going to contain both mobile and stationary objects so you’re going to want your camera to be able to react to these changes. However, you need to be careful that the object of your image remains as the focus point.

Before heading down, set up your camera.

1. Set your Focus mode selector to AF-C mode (three-stage dial on the front of the camera)
2. Set your AF-Area mode selector to Dynamic area (three-stage dial near the view finder, middle option)
3. Set your Setting Bank in the menus to “B AF-ON focusing”
4. Set other camera settings as you prefer (Shutter priority mode, ISO 200, RAW, etc.)

When you are ready to shoot:

1. Compose your image
2. Select your focus point with the multi selector
3. Press and hold the AF-ON button (back of the camera, pretty much exactly where your thumb is)
   This focuses the image on your focus point
4. Release the AF-ON button
   Your focus is now locked
5. (optional) Recompose the image, retaining your focus.
6. Use the shutter release to capture your image.
   Note that the camera did not attempt to refocus at the half-way point.

Conclusion

I hope that you find this information useful and that you are able to capture clear and crisp images with this setup.

This style of shooting may not be for everyone, nor for every situation. I wouldn’t use this setup for landscape photography on a tripod, nor portrait or macro photography.

(Additional info, based on comments) I don’t plan on using this technique for landscape photography because I am used to using manual focus. That said, this behavior is based on my history with my D70 where I didn’t have 51 focus points to choose from. As I learn more about my D300 I may utilize the AF-ON focusing for these situations where I would normally be manually focusing.

I found these settings on the DPReview forums written by Ray Soares.

For the last year or so I’ve been telling myself that I’d use the D70 until Nikon released a prosumer body that used a full-frame sensor. That plan changed last week when Nikon announced the Nikon D700 body. I figured that the D700 would be my new body because it uses a full-frame sensor, however the price tag (approx. $3000) does not place it in the prosumer category. Therefore, I decided to purchase the current top-of-the-line Nikon prosumer body, the Nikon D300.

The Nikon D300 is an amazing camera and fits all of my previous requirements for a new body, except for its lack of a full-frame sensor. I’m sure I’ll get at least another four years out of this body, as I did with the D70.

The timing for the purchase is right because I have a photo workshop coming up in early August. I can’t wait to use my new body, but I need to learn all of its ins and outs first, so these next few weeks will be full of education and experimentation.

(This is a duplicate post from my photo gallery)

I’ll be using my experience as a technical writer to document how I perform tasks with my camera and the software for post-production and also as a journalist to report on my adventures as a photographer and as a member of the photographic community.