# Nikon D90 Tips & Tricks.....? Please Share



## av8er79

I just got my d90 last week along with the 18-200 vr. I will soon be adding the 50mm 1.8 and a wide angle as well. I am reading throught the manual as well as playing around in the field. 

I was hoping that some of you that are more experienced d90 owners would share some advice and or tips?


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## chrisburke

this should be in the beginners forum, not beyond the basics... 

not a d90 owner, but i recommend doing some reading... [ame="http://www.amazon.ca/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Camera/dp/0817463003"]understanding exposure[/ame] would be a good place to start


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## av8er79

Not sure why it should be in the beginners forum when I hope to discuss exposure methods, bracketing techniques, lighting, control tips, custom white balance settings, AF Modes/tips, metering, flash compensation as well as personal experiences with iso settings... ect. Thanks for the book recommendation. I already own it and I agree that it is a good book.


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## Craddie

Don't buy 3rd party lenses longer than 35mm if you plan to AF with LiveView.


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## chrisburke

av8er79 said:


> Not sure why it should be in the beginners forum when I hope to discuss exposure methods, bracketing techniques, lighting, control tips, custom white balance settings, AF Modes/tips, metering, flash compensation as well as personal experiences with iso settings... ect. Thanks for the book recommendation. I already own it and I agree that it is a good book.



because if you look at the beginners forums, there are many threads on exposure methods, bracketing techniques, lighting, control tips, custom white balance settings, AF Modes/tips, metering, flash compensation as well as personal experiences with iso settings

my understanding of beyond the basics is that its for people who for the most part have a grasp on these basic things... i guess i could be wrong, but I dont think i am


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## JerryPH

av8er79 said:


> Not sure why it should be in the beginners forum when I hope to discuss exposure methods, bracketing techniques, lighting, control tips, custom white balance settings, AF Modes/tips, metering, flash compensation as well as personal experiences with iso settings... ect. Thanks for the book recommendation. I already own it and I agree that it is a good book.



It should belong in the basics, becuase what you are asking for *are* the basics!   Even though... with all the things that you are asking for, it would take a BOOK to answer, and not likely to get answered in a single post here (not realistic to ask for such an answer either).

I highly suggest you look into Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the D90 (I am not sure if it is even out yet, but this is the BEST place for D90 info).

As an example, I got the version for the D700... close to 900 pages of pure unadulterated knowledge (and yeah, a lot of it is still basic).


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## chrisburke

^^^ i can always count on you jerry to feel the same as I do about topics like this... sometimes I wonder if people think i'm a cranky old man... i'm not people (only 24), and I don't think jerry is either... i just hate it when people post in the wrong place because they think they will get better answers... the "vets" of TPF look at the beginners forum too, and they almost always answer questions.. posting a beginner question in the beyond forum just strikes me as "i didnt think i'd get good answers in the other forum"... just my opinion..

BTW Jerry,  do you have a site or a flickr or anything like that?? i'm not sure i've ever seen any of your pics... you seem knowledgeable though.. makes me think you might have some good shots

NM i think i found it.. ??? http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerryph/????


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## av8er79

Well thanks for all you help guys.... Guess I will hit amazon and order a stack of books... obsovioulsy I am simply wasting our time asking dumbass questions in your forum.


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## lockwood81

I'm not a Nikon user so I shouldn't be posting in this thread, but I think the point they are making is that specific questions can and will be address, but the OPs first post was much too general.


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## av8er79

this is what i had in mind. but whatever

http://www.flickr.com/groups/nikon_d90/discuss/72157608642284594/


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## Overread

Firstly read your manual - cover to cover
then go read it again! 
many tips like the ones you link to are people discovering modes in the camera that they never noticed - its all in the little manual book.

beyond that the sort of advice you ask for is just way too general in nature - much applies to the ambient lighting around you, the scene before you - what you intend to capture as well as what kit you have. I could tell you about shooting wildlife, but that would be wasted advice if your mostly shooting in studio environments.

Best thing is to go out and take some shots yourself of what you want to - use auto modes or custom modes as you desire and see the end results - then come here, post some (say 5 at most) of the best results along with what kit you used and the aperture, ISO and shutter speed for each shot (this info isin the EXIF data and can be accessed by going to the propertise on a photo file on your computer and reviewing the details tab) Also note what mode you were shooting in. 
People then have an idea of what you are photographing, what your light was like atthe time (roughly) and also how your mind is working with regard to taking the photo - we can then start giving more specific help


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## andrew99

The 50 f1.8 is a great little lens.  I also recently got the Nikkor 35mm f2.0, which I think is a more useful range for shooting indoors, so consider that one too.  As for wide angle, I love the Sigma 10-20!


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## JerryPH

chrisburke said:


> i can always count on you jerry to feel the same as I do about topics like this... sometimes I wonder if people think i'm a cranky old man... i'm not people (only 24), and I don't think jerry is either...


Goes back to what I was saying about people wanting to be spoon fed all the time instead of doing the leg work themselves.  In terms of photography, some of the newbies think one setting does it all.  If only they knew the truth of that.  Even when you tell them where to go for info, they get all insulted and what not... lol.

As far as age?  I am a Chris Burke X 2... lol  (surprised?  )
I still jog 10km and attend 3 different martial arts classes a week, so, though not in as good shape as others... can hold my own against the young bulls... lol.



chrisburke said:


> i just hate it when people post in the wrong place because they think they will get better answers... the "vets" of TPF look at the beginners forum too, and they almost always answer questions.. posting a beginner question in the beyond forum just strikes me as "i didnt think i'd get good answers in the other forum"... just my opinion..



No one is perfect, I sometimes post off-topic or in the wrong area, but man, when told, and come off with a smart-ass remark, well I don't even bother with them ever again, no matter what.



chrisburke said:


> BTW Jerry,  do you have a site or a flickr or anything like that?? i'm not sure i've ever seen any of your pics... you seem knowledgeable though.. makes me think you might have some good shots  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerryph/



I never advertised it, never posted it in the thread specific to that, but yes that is it (I also have a website that I play with and perhaps only 10 people know about, but that is another story... lol).  I'll be honest and say that on the flickr site I have several thousand more pics in there than the "public" can see (under 2000 perhaps is all I have made visible for general use?).  I mostly use it as a place to share pics with my girlfriend and family in other countries and provinces.

I've always said that if you are concerned about losing a pic on the net, don't post it and all my best work is right here on my hard drive, well protected (or on my walls).  I'd never post my best on the net.  Because I am in computer networking as a professional, I *know* that the terms security and the internet are not usable in the same sentence... lol

PS - Good luck to the OP.  I hope you find the info you were looking for.


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## AdamBomb

Hey Man, Congrats on the D90, I love mine! 

I dont exactly know why, but here ppl don't really care for Ken Rockwell, But I think his site has actually helped me out quite a bit! 

Here's his "Plain English D90 Guide" Read it, it's pretty helpful.


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## anubis404

AdamBomb said:


> Hey Man, Congrats on the D90, I love mine!
> 
> I dont exactly know why, but here ppl don't really care for Ken Rockwell, But I think his site has actually helped me out quite a bit!
> 
> Here's his "Plain English D90 Guide" Read it, it's pretty helpful.



Ken rockwell does actually have some good stuff, but some of the things he says is just plain false, or at least slightly untrue. If I can't trust some of his info, how can I trust all of it?


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## Overread

> In terms of photography, some of the newbies think one setting does it all


it takes time to understand that theory - and I mean really understand it. Its not something that is apparent at the onset of photography, especially today when there are auto modes for everything. Those give people an idea that there is a formula of set of setting which are optimal for a certain kind of photography or subject and its only with further learning and actual practise that you start to realise that its not the case at all. Took me a while to really get to understand  this point

As for Ken Rockwell I remember someone once saying that he makes good points, but you have to know what they are first - which makes reading his articles for a newer person rather pointless. Also his style of writing and focus are very much personal and slightly narrow minded (At times) which leads him to make big generalisations in some areas which is not good when starting out.
Still his name seems to really get about !


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## JerryPH

Well, Ken Rockwell is known as a bit of a joke of the internet... one cannot really take anything on his site without a grain of salt.  Anyone that gets their equipment for free and then puts up a site and asks for donations.. uhhmm... doesn't scream of professionalism.

The little verifiably technically correct info there is not above the level of intermediate status and not something you cannot find in any of a thousand other (better) sites on the net.

There is a lot of misinformation there, however... and that is what makes it a useless site for me.  Sprinkle a little good info with a lot of bad, and how is a newbie to know which is which?  Now, just the mere mention of KR makes me chuckle.

One thing I will give him... he does take good photographs, but I would NEVER use any technical advice he offered, nor cite him as a knowledgeable source, even if that info was that my camera took pictures... lol


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## av8er79

Jerry, lol you are such a looser.. I mean just look at your avatar! Looks like my grandmother took it in her bedroom, scanned it in, & turned the brightness up with elements 1.0! After boring myself with the thousands of pics on your flickr account, it seems that you simply upload every picture you take. Your work says a lot about your overall knowledge. Why would I ever take any advice from you, when most of your photos are lacking creativity, proper exposure, & poor composition??? You probably think this is a personal attack but it&#8217;s not. Fact is 90% of your shots are lame and could be taken by a child. 

I never asked to be spoon-fed! I simply came here hoping to learn something from experienced photographers. I know that you will be burning to rip on me&#8230;.and go ahead. But please save us both some time and refrain from passing on your sub par knowledge or any advice relating to photography. 

And by the way you should really consider changing your avatar&#8230;(may I suggest a cool karate picture)!


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## anubis404

av8er79 said:


> Jerry, lol you are such a looser.. I mean just look at your avatar! Looks like my grandmother took it in her bedroom, scanned it in, & turned the brightness up with elements 1.0! After boring myself with the thousands of pics on your flickr account, it seems that you simply upload every picture you take. Your work says a lot about your overall knowledge. Why would I ever take any advice from you, when most of your photos are lacking creativity, proper exposure, & poor composition??? You probably think this is a personal attack but its not. Fact is 90% of your shots are lame and could be taken by a child.
> 
> I never asked to be spoon-fed! I simply came here hoping to learn something from experienced photographers. I know that you will be burning to rip on me.and go ahead. But please save us both some time and refrain from passing on your sub par knowledge or any advice relating to photography.
> 
> And by the way you should really consider changing your avatar(may I suggest a cool karate picture)!



Woa, calm down. What did jerry do to you? No need to tell people that their photography sucks and that they should trash their avatar for a "cool karate picture" just because you can't get the answers you want right away.


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## terri

Check your PM box, av8er79.


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## tsaraleksi

av8er79 said:


> Jerry, lol you are such a looser.. I mean just look at your avatar! Looks like my grandmother took it in her bedroom, scanned it in, & turned the brightness up with elements 1.0! After boring myself with the thousands of pics on your flickr account, it seems that you simply upload every picture you take. Your work says a lot about your overall knowledge. Why would I ever take any advice from you, when most of your photos are lacking creativity, proper exposure, & poor composition??? You probably think this is a personal attack but its not. Fact is 90% of your shots are lame and could be taken by a child.
> 
> I never asked to be spoon-fed! I simply came here hoping to learn something from experienced photographers. I know that you will be burning to rip on me.and go ahead. But please save us both some time and refrain from passing on your sub par knowledge or any advice relating to photography.
> 
> And by the way you should really consider changing your avatar(may I suggest a cool karate picture)!



I don't always agree with jerry, but taking sideswipes at people's photography (especially after he specifically said that his best photos are not even on the site you are attacking) is just a flat out pointless exercise, that will wind up tarring you, not the person you are attacking. Its especially silly looking to make such an attack after that person gave you some good advice.


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## andrew99

It's also easy to criticize when they are completely anonymous and have no link to any of their work.


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## Chris of Arabia

I think you'll all find that Terri has made the appropriate points to av8er79 via PM and it wasn't an invitation to hop on the bandwagon. If we could perhaps get back to tips that might be of use to D90 owners, then maybe we can avoid a thread lock...


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## AlexColeman

av8er79 said:


> Well thanks for all you help guys.... Guess I will hit amazon and order a stack of books... obsovioulsy I am simply wasting our time asking dumbass questions in your forum.



Yeah, that is the attitude to take, ass.


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## omniumskyz

It goes without saying but i'll say it anyway.... There was a time (not long ago) when we didnt have the luxury of being able to go out and shoot a thousand experimental photos in order to get better aquainted with our cameras and equiptment without having to spend $500 or more in the developing process...and we had to try and remember the settings we used for each and every photo as well ...Now our cameras remember the settings for each and every experimental photo we take....Trial and error now comes without expense.....take advantage of this and you'll never find yourself asking a "stupid" or "misplaced" question in the wrong forum anywhere...ever!!


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## omniumskyz

a reply to my own post!!!   Speaking of misplaced....somehow my reply to another post ended up in a strange location....the points valid but the location is mistaken....sorry!!  noob mistake!! my bad!


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## RONDAL

hate to say it but RTFM!
as a D90 owner a read of the manual will teach you all the little in's and out's you are looking for.  all of the questions you asked can be answered via the manual in pretty basic english.

just read it with the camera beside you, and practice doing what it is explaining.  Then get out and practice for real with photos.

Reading will only get you so far, eventually you are going to have to pick up your camera and use it


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## lvcrtrs

av8er79 said:


> I just got my d90 last week along with the 18-200 vr. I will soon be adding the 50mm 1.8 and a wide angle as well. I am reading throught the manual as well as playing around in the field.
> 
> I was hoping that some of you that are more experienced d90 owners would share some advice and or tips?


 

Any chance the original intent was to find out things we've already "figured" out that might not be spelled out in the manual. Kinda like the 2 odd screws for my bike rack that were no where in the instructions. A user review on-line had figured it out.

Here's a start:
The D90 auto side of the dial produces inherently soft photos. Good work around especially for a noobe would be move to "P" but go into the menu and set the sharpening number a bit higher (I use 7, default might be 5). It's a good place to start (as P will still do everything on its own if you leave it alone) before you move on to A and S etc. The sharpness change stays in effect for all the non auto settings.

OR

Don't be afraid to fool with the EV button/dial. Be brave, try +3 to get your feet wet as it won't make a big difference.

I haven't run in to "problems" (thank heavens) with the camera that have me asking for help but I would be interested if anyone has had challenges that they figured out a work around for or an answer to. Lord knows I have enough other questions for all of you. Boy I hope this doesn't start another 'round of upset.


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## DScience

av8er79 said:


> Not sure why it should be in the beginners forum when I hope to discuss *exposure methods, bracketing techniques, lighting, control tips, custom white balance settings, AF Modes/tips, metering, flash compensation as well as personal experiences with iso settings*... ect. Thanks for the book recommendation. I already own it and I agree that it is a good book.




Beginners.


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## TJ K

omniumskyz said:


> It goes without saying but i'll say it anyway.... There was a time (not long ago) when we didnt have the luxury of being able to go out and shoot a thousand experimental photos in order to get better aquainted with our cameras and equiptment without having to spend $500 or more in the developing process...and we had to try and remember the settings we used for each and every photo as well ...Now our cameras remember the settings for each and every experimental photo we take....Trial and error now comes without expense.....take advantage of this and you'll never find yourself asking a "stupid" or "misplaced" question in the wrong forum anywhere...ever!!


Why did you reopen a 9 month old thread?


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