4
Exploring Live View Photography and Movie Making
In This Chapter
Getting acquainted with Live View mode
Customizing the Live View display
Exploring Live View and movie focusing options
Taking pictures in Live View mode
Recording, playing, and trimming movies
Like many dSLR cameras, the D7100 offers Live View, a feature that enables you to use the monitor instead of the viewfinder to compose photos. Turning on Live View is also the first step in recording a movie; using the viewfinder isn’t possible when you shoot movies.
In most respects, the process of shooting pictures in Live View mode is the same as for viewfinder photography. But a few critical steps, including focusing, work very differently. So the first part of this chapter provides a general introduction to Live View shooting and explains everything you need to know about focusing. Following that, you can find details on taking photos in Live View mode and shooting, viewing, and editing movies.
Using Your Monitor as a Viewfinder
The basics of taking advantage of Live View are pretty simple:
Enabling Live View for photography: Rotate the Live View switch on the back of the camera to the still photography camera icon, as shown in Figure 4-1, and then press the LV button in the center of the switch.
You hear a clicking sound as the internal mirror that normally sends the image from the lens to the viewfinder flips up, permitting the Live View preview to start. Then your subject appears on the monitor, and you can no longer see anything in the viewfinder. The Information screen, too, is no longer available; instead, settings appear over the live scene, as shown in Figure 4-1. The upcoming section “Customizing the Live View display” shows you how to control what data appears on the monitor.
Enabling Live View for movie recording: Set the Live View switch to the movie camera icon and press the LV button to fire up Live View movie mode. The image reflects an aspect ratio of 16:9, the movie aspect ratio, as opposed to the normal 3:2 aspect ratio for still photos.
To start and stop recording, press the red movie record button on top of the camera.
Exiting Live View mode: Just press the LV button.
Figure 4-1: For still photography, rotate the Live View switch to the camera icon, as shown here; for movie recording, rotate it to the movie-camera icon instead.
As you may have guessed from the fact that I devote a whole chapter to Live View and movie recording, the preceding points are just the start of the story. The next several sections provide additional information that applies to both still photography and movie recording; later sections get into the nitty-gritty of taking pictures and using movie functions.
Live View safety tips
Be aware of the following warnings when you enable Live View:
Cover the viewfinder to prevent light from seeping into the camera and affecting exposure. The camera ships with a cover for this purpose.
Live View puts additional strain on the battery. Keep an eye on the battery level to avoid running out of power at a critical moment.
By default, the monitor turns off after ten minutes of inactivity to save battery power. When 30 seconds remain before monitor shutoff, a countdown timer appears in the upper-left corner of the screen, as shown in Figure 4-2. The warning doesn’t appear during playback or when menus are active, however.
Figure 4-2: This timer appears to alert you to impending monitor shutdown.
You can adjust the shutdown timing via the Monitor Off Delay option, found in the Timers/AE Lock section of the Custom Settings menu and shown on the left in Figure 4-3. Choose the Live View option, as shown on the right, and press the Multi Selector right to reveal the screen where you can change the setting. Options range from 5 to 30 minutes. You also can disable the automatic shutdown by choosing No Limit.
Using Live View for an extended period can harm your pictures and the camera. In Live View mode, the camera heats up more than usual, and that extra heat can create the right conditions for noise, a defect that gives your pictures a speckled look. More important, the increased temperatures can damage the camera. For that reason, Live View is automatically disabled if the camera detects a critical heat level, regardless of the Monitor Off Delay setting.
Aiming the lens at the sun or other bright lights also can damage the camera. Of course, you can cause problems doing this even during normal shooting, but the possibilities increase when you use Live View.
Some lights interfere with Live View performance. The operating frequency of some lights, including fluorescent, sodium, and mercury vapor lamps, can create electronic interference that causes the display to flicker or exhibit odd color banding. Usually, the defect appears only on the screen, but in some cases it may also show up in your pictures. Changing the Flicker Reduction option on the Setup menu may resolve this issue. At the default setting, Auto, the camera gauges the light and chooses the right flicker reduction setting for you. You also can choose from two specific frequencies: 50 Hz and 60 Hz. (In the United States and Canada, the standard frequency is 60 Hz; in Europe, it’s 50 Hz.)
The risk of camera shake during handheld shots is increased. When you use the viewfinder, you can help steady the camera by bracing it against your face. With Live View, you have to hold the camera away from your body to view the monitor, making it harder to keep the camera still. Camera movement during the exposure can blur the shot, so using a tripod is the best course of action. When you do handhold the camera, try enabling Vibration Reduction, if your lens offers it. Detailed in Chapter 1, this option helps compensate for small amounts of camera shake.
Figure 4-3: Adjust the delay time for automatic monitor shutdown in Live View mode via this menu option.
Customizing the Live View display
For still photography, the display appears by default as shown on the left in Figure 4-4. You can tweak the display in the following ways:
Change the data display: You can choose from the following display styles, each of which adds different types of information to the screen. Press the Info button to cycle through the styles.
• Information on: This is the default mode, with data similar to what you see in Figure 4-4 appearing for still photography. For movie recording, the display instead shows data related to movie settings. Later sections of this chapter detail what each of the symbols indicates for still photography and movie recording.
• Information off: Press the Info button to view only the major exposure settings, as shown on the right in Figure 4-4.
• Framing guides: Press Info once more to display a grid over the scene, as shown on the left in Figure 4-5. The grid is helpful when you need to precisely align objects in your photo.
• Virtual horizon: This tool helps you make sure the camera is level to the horizon. A green line through the middle of the display, as shown on the right in Figure 4-5, indicates the level position.
Figure 4-4: Press the Info button to shift from a display showing a bunch of shooting data (left) to only critical picture settings (right).
Figure 4-5: The grid (left) and virtual horizon (right) displays are helpful for shots that require precise alignment of objects or of the camera itself.
Adjusting monitor brightness. Press the i button to display a settings control strip on the right side of the monitor. Highlight the Monitor Brightness option, as shown in Figure 4-6, and press OK to display a screen that contains a brightness scale. Press the Multi Selector up or down to adjust the screen brightness and then press OK.
Figure 4-6: To adjust screen brightness, press the i button to display the control strip. Then choose the Monitor Brightness icon.
Monitor brightness has no effect on the actual picture brightness. So if you change the display brightness, don’t use it as a gauge of exposure. In fact, I suggest that you leave this option set to the default, 0.
Displaying the Live View preview on an HDMI screen
You can connect your camera to an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) device to see the Live View output on that screen. This feature is often used by studio photographers who want a larger view of their subject than the camera monitor provides.
A few issues arise when you take advantage of this option:
You must buy an HDMI type-C mini-pin cable to connect the camera to the TV. The cable isn’t provided with the camera.
The on-screen shooting data appears differently than in the figures in this chapter. Specifically, camera settings appear along the sides of the live image instead of atop it. Also, during movie recording, you can’t display the virtual horizon tool or show or hide monitor data using the Info button. Nor does the audio volume meter appear during movie recording.
You may need to set the Output Resolution option to a setting other than Auto. When you connect the camera to an HDTV playback, the camera automatically adjusts the HDMI output to your HD display. But when the Live View switch is set to Movie mode, the signal is output according to the selected movie Frame Rate/Frame Size setting, an option I cover later in this chapter. If your TV doesn’t support your chosen movie settings, the answer may lie in the HDMI option on the Setup menu, shown in Figure 4-7. After selecting that option, try changing the Output Resolution to a setting other than Auto. Your movies may be output to the HD monitor at a frame size smaller than the one you set for the movie recording, however.
Figure 4-7: When sending the Live View signal to an HDMI display, you may need to adjust these Setup menu options.
During movie playback, the camera monitor shuts off at some Frame Size/Frame Rate settings. You can see the movie only on the HD device when you use a frame size of 1920 x 1080 and a frame rate of 60i or 50i or a frame size of 1280 x 720 together with a frame rate of 60p or 50p. (See “Understanding the Frame Size/Frame Rate options,” later in this chapter, for an explanation of all these numbers if they’re new to you.)
When you connect the camera to an HDMI-CEC device, set the Device Control option to Off. That’s one of the two options available for the HDMI setting on the Setup menu, shown in Figure 4-7. You can’t take pictures or shoot movies when the Device Control option is set to On, as it is by default.
In case you’re wondering, CEC stands for Consumer Electronics Control and is a specification that enables you to use your HDMI TV’s remote control to operate other devices. For example, if you turn on the Device Control option, you can use the remote to perform the functions of the Multi Selector and OK button during picture playback. The feature just isn’t compatible with picture taking and movie recording.
Exploring Live View Focusing
You can opt for autofocusing or manual focusing during Live View shooting, assuming that your lens supports both. If you use the 18–105mm kit lens, set the switch on the lens to the A position for autofocusing and to the M position to focus manually. Also set the Focus mode selector on the camera to AF for autofocusing and M for manual focusing. Figure 4-8 offers a reminder of where to find these two switches.
Figure 4-8: Use these controls to set the camera and lens to manual or automatic focusing.
Remember the following important points about Live View autofocusing:
Autofocusing typically takes longer in Live View mode. For fast focusing response, focus manually or exit Live View mode.
Nikon recommends using an AF-S type lens for best results. The 18–105mm kit lens fits the bill. (AF stands for autofocus, and S stands for silent wave, a Nikon autofocusing technology.)
You control autofocusing behavior through the Autofocus mode and AF-area mode. These same settings affect autofocusing for viewfinder photography, but during Live View shooting, the options presented for each setting are different. The next two sections explain the Live View way of the world; Chapter 8 explains how things work when you use the viewfinder. In both cases, though, you adjust the settings the same way:
• To set the Autofocus mode: Press the AF-mode button, labeled in Figure 4-8, while rotating the Main command dial.
• To set the AF-area mode: Press the AF-mode button while rotating the Sub-command dial.
You can see the current settings for these two options in the Information display, as shown in Figure 4-9. When you press the AF-mode button, both settings become highlighted, as in the figure, to indicate that they’re active and will be adjusted if you rotate the command dials.
Figure 4-9: Press the AF-mode button to highlight the Autofocus and AF-area mode options; then rotate the command dials to change the settings.
Choosing an Autofocus mode
The Autofocus setting determines whether the camera locks focus at a specific distance or adjusts focus continuously as your subject moves through the frame (or as you move the camera).
To select the Autofocus mode setting, press and hold the AF-mode button, labeled in Figure 4-8, to highlight the Autofocus mode, labeled in Figure 4-9. Keep the button pressed as you rotate the Main command dial to change the setting. You can choose from two options:
AF-S (single-servo autofocus): The camera sets and locks focus when you press the shutter button halfway. For still photos, just press the button the rest of the way to actually take the picture.
In movie mode, you can lift your finger off the shutter button after focus is locked; the camera will use the established focusing distance throughout the entire recording unless you press the shutter button halfway to set focus again.
AF-F (full-time servo autofocus): Autofocusing begins as soon as you select this setting — you don’t need to press the shutter button halfway — and focusing is adjusted continuously until you do press the shutter button halfway. Then focus is locked as long as you keep the button pressed halfway.
The main purpose of this option is to enable continuous focus adjustment during movie recording. Unfortunately, it has a downside: If you use the built-in microphone to record audio, the noise of the autofocus motor is sometimes audible in the soundtrack. The solution is to attach an external microphone and place it far enough away from the camera that it doesn’t pick up the focusing sounds.
For still photography, you might find this option helpful when you’re not sure where a moving subject will be when you want to snap the picture: As your subject moves or you pan the camera to keep the subject in the frame, autofocus is adjusted so that when the moment comes to take the shot, you just press the shutter button halfway to lock focus and then press the button the rest of the way to take the picture.
Setting the AF-area mode
The AF-area mode setting tells the camera what part of the frame contains your subject so that it can set focusing distance correctly. To adjust the setting, press the AF-mode button, labeled in Figure 4-8, to temporarily highlight the setting icon, labeled in Figure 4-9. While holding the button, rotate the Sub-command dial to cycle through the available settings.
You can choose from the following settings, represented in the display by the icons you see in the margins here:
Face Priority: Designed for portrait shooting, this mode attempts to hunt down and focus on faces. Face Detection typically works only when your subjects are facing the camera, however. If the camera can’t detect a face, it behaves as if you selected the Wide Area mode, described next.
Wide Area: In this mode, you use the Multi Selector to move a focusing frame around the screen to specify your desired focusing spot. It’s the most intuitive of the options and the one I rely on most of the time unless I’m shooting a portrait, in which case I prefer Face Priority.
Normal Area: This mode works the same way as Wide Area autofocusing but uses a smaller focusing frame. The idea is to enable you to base focus on a very specific area. With such a small focusing frame, however, you can easily miss your focus target when handholding the camera. If you move the camera slightly as you’re setting focus and the focusing frame shifts off your subject as a result, focus will be incorrect. For best results, use a tripod in this mode.
Subject Tracking: This mode, designed for focusing on a moving subject, tracks a subject as it moves through the frame. Subject Tracking isn’t always as successful as you might hope, though. For a subject that occupies a small part of the frame — say, a butterfly flitting through a garden — autofocus may lose its way. Ditto for subjects moving at a fast pace, subjects getting larger or smaller in the frame (when moving toward you and then away from you, for example), or scenes without much contrast between the subject and the background. Oh, and scenes with a great deal of contrast can create problems, too. When the conditions are right, this feature works well, but otherwise, Wide Area gives you a better chance of focusing on a moving subject.
For specifics about setting focus in each of these modes, see the next section.
Stepping through the focusing process
After you explore the Live View autofocusing options detailed in the preceding sections and decide which settings you want to use, follow these steps to set focus:
1. Choose the Autofocus mode (AF-S or AF-F).
Remember, this setting determines whether focus is locked at a specific distance or adjusted continuously as you or your subject move. Use AF-S if you want to lock focus and choose AF-F for continuous autofocusing.
Dial in the setting by pressing the AF-mode button (see Figure 4-8) while rotating the Main command dial.
In AF-F mode, the autofocus system perks up and starts hunting for a focus point immediately.
2. Choose the AF-area mode by pressing the AF mode button while rotating the Sub-command dial.
This setting determines what part of the frame the camera considers when establishing focus. Your choices are Face Priority, Wide Area, Normal Area, and Subject Tracking, as outlined in the preceding section.
3. Locate the focus frame in the Live View display.
The appearance of the frame depends on the AF-area mode, as follows:
• Wide Area and Normal Area: You see a red rectangular frame, as shown in Figure 4-10. (The figure shows the frame at the size it appears in Wide Area mode; it’s smaller in Normal Area mode.)
Figure 4-10: The red box represents the focusing frame in Wide Area and Normal Area AF-area mode.
• Face Priority: If the camera locates faces, you see a yellow focus frame around each one, as shown on the left in Figure 4-11. In a picture containing multiple faces, one frame has interior corner marks — in Figure 4-11, see the girl on the right. Those marks indicate the face selected as the one to use to set focusing distance.
If you don’t see any yellow boxes but instead see the red frame, the camera can’t detect a face and will set focus as it would if you were using Wide Area mode.
• Subject Tracking: A white focusing frame like the one shown on the right in Figure 4-11 appears.
In AF-F mode, the frame turns green when the object under the frame is in focus.
Figure 4-11: The focusing frame appears differently in Face Priority mode (left) and Subject Tracking mode (right).
4. Use the Multi Selector to move the focusing frame over your subject.
For example, I moved the focus frame over the garnish on the soup bowl for my example image, as shown on the left in Figure 4-12.
Figure 4-12: Use the Multi Selector to move the frame over your subject (left); the frame turns green when focus is achieved (right).
In Face Priority mode, you can use the Multi Selector to move the box with the corner marks — which indicates the final focusing point — from face to face in a group portrait. In Wide Area and Normal Area modes, press OK to move the focus point to the center of the frame.
5. In Subject Tracking AF-area mode, press OK to initiate focus tracking.
If your subject moves, the focus frame moves with it. To stop tracking, press OK again. (You may need to take this step if your subject leaves the frame — press OK to stop tracking, reframe, and then press OK to start tracking again.)
6. In AF-S autofocus mode, press and hold the shutter button halfway down to start autofocusing.
7. Wait for the focus frame to turn green, as shown on the right in Figure 4-12.
What happens next depends on your Autofocus mode:
• AF-S mode: Focus remains locked as long as you keep the shutter button pressed halfway.
• AF-F mode: Focus is adjusted if the subject moves. The focus frame turns red (or yellow or white) if focus is lost; green signals that focus has been achieved again. You can lock focus by pressing the shutter button halfway. (In most cases, the camera will reset focus on your subject when you press the button even if the focus frame is already green.)
8. (Optional) Press the Qual button to magnify the display to double-check focus.
Each press gives you a closer look at the subject. A small thumbnail in the corner of the monitor appears, with the yellow highlight box indicating the area that’s currently being magnified, as shown in Figure 4-13. Press the Multi Selector to scroll the display if needed.
Figure 4-13: Press the Qual button to magnify the display and double-check focus.
To zoom out, press the ISO button. If you’re not using Subject Tracking mode, you can also press OK to quickly return to normal magnification.
Manual focusing in Live View mode
For manual focusing, set the Focus mode selector switch on the front-left side of the camera to M and, if you’re using a lens that has a focus method switch, set that switch to M as well. Then turn the lens focusing ring to focus. But note a few quirks:
The focusing frame doesn’t turn green when you set focus as it does with autofocusing.
Even with manual focusing, you still see the focusing frame; its appearance depends on the current AF-area mode setting. In Face Priority mode, the frame automatically jumps into place over a face if it detects one. And if you press OK when Subject Tracking mode is enabled, the camera tries to track the subject under the frame until you press OK again. I find these two behaviors irritating, so I always set the AF-area mode to Wide Area or Normal Area for manual focusing.
You can press the Qual button to check focus in manual mode just as you can during autofocusing. After magnifying the scene, press the Multi Selector to scroll the display to view a different area. Press the ISO button to reduce the magnification level.
If you’re using an AF-S lens, you actually don’t need to move the camera’s Focus mode selector switch to the M position to focus manually — simply setting the lens switch to the M position tells the camera that you’re about to focus manually. Just be sure that your lens falls in this category, or you can damage the lens and the camera by not adjusting both switches.
Shooting Still Pictures in Live View Mode
After sorting out the focusing options, the rest of the steps involved in taking a picture in Live View mode are essentially the same as for viewfinder photography. But before I walk you through those steps, I want to show you one cool trick for selecting certain picture settings: By pressing the i button, you can display a control strip that offers quick access to the settings labeled in Figure 4-14. After you display the strip, use the Multi Selector to highlight the option you want to change and then press OK to display a list of the available options for that setting. Make your choice and press OK again. Press i again to exit the control strip.
With that detail out of the way, here are the steps to shoot a photo:
1. Choose an exposure mode (Auto, P, Scene, and so on).
Select this setting via the Mode dial on top of the camera; be sure to press the lock release button in the center of the dial before attempting to turn the dial. Chapter 2 introduces you to all the exposure modes.
The exposure mode determines what picture settings you can control. For full control over all camera options, use the P, S, A, or M mode. (P is the most automatic of these four modes.)
Figure 4-14: Press the i button to display a control strip that provides access to these settings.
2. Choose the Release mode via the Release mode dial.
The Release mode dial lies underneath the Mode dial; don’t forget to press the adjacent button to unlock the dial before trying to rotate it. For normal photography, set the dial to S for Single Frame shooting. You then get one photo for each press of the shutter button. Chapter 2 details all the Release mode options. Note that for remote control shooting with the ML-L3 wireless remote, you must enable the feature via the i button control strip or the Shooting menu.
3. Rotate the Live View switch to the still camera position and then press the LV button in the center of the switch.
Figure 4-15 reminds you where to find the switch.
Figure 4-15: For still photography, set the Live View switch to this position and then press the LV button.
4. Review and adjust other picture settings.
At the default Live View display mode, you can view critical shooting settings on the monitor, as shown in Figure 4-16. (Press the Info button to change display modes.) A few side notes:
• Some settings, such as Exposure Compensation and Flash Compensation, appear only when those features are enabled.
• If you enable automatic exposure bracketing, you also see a BKT symbol underneath the Image Size/Quality icon at the top-right corner of the monitor.
• The exposure meter, labeled in Figure 4-16, appears in M (manual exposure mode) to help you gauge whether your exposure settings are on track. In the P, S, and A exposure modes, the meter appears only if the camera anticipates an exposure problem; the meter tells you how far over- or underexposed the image will be. In this regard, the aperture or shutter speed value blinks to indicate an exposure issue. You may also see a blinking flash symbol, which is a suggestion that you use flash. (Just press the Flash button on the side of the camera to raise the flash.)
For details on all these exposure issues, as well as metering mode, ISO, Active D-Lighting, and shutter speed and aperture, head for Chapter 7. Chapter 8 details White Balance and Picture Style, which are color-related settings. If you need help with the Image Size, Image Quality, or Image Area settings, Chapter 2 has the scoop.
Figure 4-16: You can view these picture settings in the default Live View display mode.
5. If focusing manually, turn the focusing ring to set focus.
6. If using autofocusing, position the focus frame over the subject.
And if you’re using Subject Tracking autofocus, press OK to initiate tracking.
7. Press and hold the shutter button halfway down.
Exposure metering begins but is adjusted up to the time you take the picture. If you’re using Auto exposure mode or certain Scene modes, the built-in flash may pop up in dim lighting.
You can lock autoexposure by pressing the AE-L/AF-L button; an AE-L symbol then appears next to the Metering mode icon.
If you’re autofocusing, focus locks when the focus frame turns green and remains locked as long as you keep the shutter button pressed halfway.
8. Press the shutter button the rest of the way to take the picture.
If you’re shooting in Continuous High or Continuous Low (burst) Release mode, the photos being recorded appear on the monitor in place of the live scene while the shutter button is pressed. In other Release modes, the picture appears briefly on the screen immediately after you take the shot, and then the Live View preview reappears. (Check out Chapter 2 for details on Release modes.)
Shooting Movies
In Live View movie mode, your camera can create stunning high-definition digital movies. The rest of this chapter is devoted to helping you shoot, play, and even edit a movie.
For more insights into recording movies with your D7100, hop online and check out Nikon Cinema, at www.nikonusa.com/cinema.
Easy-does-it movie recording
Video enthusiasts will appreciate the fact that the D7100 enables you to tweak a variety of movie-recording settings, such as frame size, frame rate, microphone volume, and the like. But if you’re not up to sorting through all those options, just record your movies using the default settings. (You can restore the critical defaults by opening the Shooting menu and choosing Reset Shooting Menu.) At the default settings, you get a full HD movie with sound enabled. Microphone volume is adjusted automatically, and the movie file is stored on the memory card in slot 1.
Here’s the path I recommend for simple shooting using the defaults:
1. Set the Mode dial on top of the camera to the P setting.
In this exposure mode, the camera takes care of movie exposure for you automatically. However, should something appear amiss with exposure or color, you can tweak a setting here and there to resolve the issue — something you can’t do in the Auto exposure mode. (See “Exploring other movie options,” later in this chapter, for help.)
2. Set the camera to movie mode by rotating the Live View switch to the movie camera icon, as shown in Figure 4-17.
Figure 4-17: After setting the camera to movie mode, press the LV button to engage the Live View display.
3. Press the LV button to engage the Live View display.
By default, you see data similar to what you see in Figure 4-18. Press Info to change the display mode. Later sections decode the various bits of data; for now, just pay attention to the available recording time readout, labeled in the figure.
4. Set focus as outlined earlier in this chapter.
To take advantage of continuous autofocusing, set the Autofocus mode to AF-F. (Select this setting by pressing the Focus-mode selector button while rotating the Main command dial.) The camera starts focusing automatically and adjusts focus as necessary throughout the recording. You can lock focus at a specific distance by pressing the shutter button halfway.
If the Autofocus mode is set to AF-S, press the shutter button halfway to set and lock focus. You then can lift your finger off the shutter button; focus remains set unless you press the button halfway to reset focus.
Figure 4-18: In the default movie display, you see this assortment of data.
5. To begin recording, press the red movie-record button on top of the camera.
Most shooting data disappears from the screen, and a red Rec symbol flashes in the top-left corner, as shown in Figure 4-19. As recording progresses, the area labeled “Time remaining” in the figure shows you how many more seconds of video you can record.
6. To stop recording, press the movie-record button again.
Movies are created in the MOV format, which means you can play them on your computer using most movie-playback programs. You also can view movies in Nikon ViewNX 2, the free software provided with your camera. If you want to view your movies on a TV, see the end of Chapter 5 to find out how to connect your camera to your set.
Figure 4-19: The red Rec symbol flashes while recording is in progress.
You can stop your recording and capture a still image in one fell swoop: Just press and hold the shutter button down until you hear the shutter release. But because the camera remains in movie mode until you move the Live View switch to the still photography position, the picture is recorded using the movie frame area and has a 16:9 aspect ratio. The resolution of the picture depends on the Image Size and Image Area settings (detailed in Chapter 2) but varies from a photo taken in still photography mode because of that 16:9 aspect ratio. Flash is disabled as well.
Also be aware that this picture-shooting feature depends on the setting selected for the Assign Shutter Button option, found in the Movie section of the Custom Setting menu. At the default setting, Take Photos, things work as just described. If you change the setting to Record Movies, you can use the shutter button to start and stop recording, but you can no longer take a still picture without shifting out of movie mode. See Chapter 11 for more about this button customization.
Adjusting basic recording settings
When you’re interested in taking more control over how your videos are recorded, start by exploring the following basic settings:
Frame Size/Frame Rate and Movie Quality: Together, these settings determine the quality of your video as well as the movie file size.
Microphone: This setting determines how audio is recorded.
Destination: If you have two memory cards installed in the camera, this setting enables you to specify which card gets the movie file.
I detail these options starting with the next section; for now, just familiarize yourself with the process of accessing them. You have two options:
Shooting menu: You can adjust all four options via the Movie Settings item on the Shooting menu, as shown in Figure 4-20.
Live View control strip: For even faster access to the settings, set the camera to movie mode and then press the i button to display the control strip shown in Figure 4-21. From this screen, you can adjust the four basic recording settings I just mentioned as well as the other settings labeled in the figure. Use the Multi Selector to highlight the option you want to change and press OK to reveal the available settings. Make your choice and press OK; then press the i button again to hide the control strip. Note that if you attach headphones to the camera, you can use the Multi Selector to scroll to an additional option that enables you to adjust headphone volume (not shown in the figure).
Figure 4-20: The Movie Settings menu item contains the four critical recording settings.
In the default movie display mode, the screen shows you the current settings for each of these options, as shown in Figure 4-22. (Don’t see the data? Press the Info button to cycle through the available movie display modes.) To decode what you see and figure out which settings will work best for your next recording, keep reading.
Understanding the Frame Size/Frame Rate options
This setting determines the resolution, or frame size, of your movie, as well as the number of frames per second (fps), both of which affect video quality.
You can access the setting via the Movie Settings option on the Shooting menu (refer to Figure 4-20) or through the control strip (Figure 4-21). If you travel by way of the menu, you’re presented with the options shown in Figure 4-23. If you access the setting via the control strip, the options appear superimposed over the live scene, but the available settings are the same.
Figure 4-21: Press the i button to display the control strip for fast access to these options.
Figure 4-22: You can monitor the four basic recording settings in the display.
If you’re a digital video expert, these options probably make perfect sense to you; take your pick and move on. If you’re new to video, allow me to present some background that will help you understand this numerical soup.
The first thing you need to know is that which Frame Size/Frame Rate options are available depends on the Image Area setting. I detail this setting in Chapter 2, but here’s a quick recap: At the default setting, DX, the camera uses the maximum area of the image sensor to record the image or, in this case, your 16:9 video. The other Image Area option, 1.3x crop, uses a smaller area at the center of the sensor. For movie recording, you can access the first two Frame Size/Frame Rate options only when using the 1.3x crop setting; otherwise, they’re dimmed, as in Figure 4-23.
Figure 4-23: These options set the frame size (resolution) and frame rate (frames per second) of your movie.
Okay, now to decipher those Frame Size/Frame rate settings:
Frame size: Frame size refers to the number of pixels used to create the movie frame. In the world of HDTV, a frame size of 1920 x 1080 pixels is considered Full HD — meaning the best possible (at the moment, anyway) — whereas 1280 x 720 is known as Standard HD. The default setting is 1920 x 1080.
Frame rate (fps): This value, stated as frames per second (fps), determines the smoothness of the playback. Available frame rates range from 24 to 60 frames per second.
What’s the best option? Well, it depends on the visual goal you have for your video. Here are some guidelines to help you achieve that goal:
• 24 fps is the standard for motion pictures. It gives your videos a softer, more movie-like look.
• 25 fps gives your videos a slightly sharper, more “realistic” look. This frame rate is the standard for television broadcast in countries that follow the PAL video-signal standard, such as some European countries. If you bought your camera in a PAL part of the world, this setting should be the default.
• 30 fps produces an even crisper picture than 25 fps. This frame rate is the broadcast video standard for the United States and other countries that use the NTSC signal standard. It’s the default setting for cameras bought in those countries, too.
• 50 and 60 fps are often used for recording high-speed action and creating slow-motion footage. With more frames per second, fast movements are rendered more smoothly, especially if you slow down the movie playback for a slo-mo review of the action.
How about 50 versus 60? You’re back to the PAL versus NTSC question: 50 fps is a PAL standard, and 60 is an NTSC standard.
P (progressive) versus i (interlaced) video: Finally, the top two options on the list of Frame Size/Frame Rate settings end with the letter i, but the rest are tagged with a p. The initials stand for interlaced and progressive, which refer to two different ways to record the lines of pixels that create a frame of digital video. With interlaced video, a single frame is split into odd and even fields, or lines of pixels. The data from the odd lines is recorded first, followed rapidly by the data from the even lines — so rapidly, in fact, that the picture appears seamless during playback. With the second technology, progressive video, all the lines are pulled out of the magic video hat in sequential order, in a single pass.
Progressive is the newer technology and tends to deliver smoother, cleaner footage when you’re shooting fast motion or panning the camera. But your HDTV should be able to play both types of video. Also, if you plan to combine footage you shoot with your D7100 with existing interlaced footage, it’s best to use the interlaced setting so that all your video clips use the same technology.
So summing up, select from one of the following options if you want your movie to adhere to the NTSC video format:
1920 x 1080; 60i: Full HD using 60 interlaced fields to generate a final frame rate of 30 fps. (Remember, an interlaced frame is created by two passes, so your 60 fields combine to produce the 30 fps rate.) At the risk of being repetitive, I remind you that you can’t choose this option when the Image Area option is set to DX; you must use the 1.3x crop setting.
1920 x 1080; 30p: Full HD at 30 fps, using progressive video.
1920 x 1080; 24p: Full HD at the movie-like 24 fps progressive video.
1280 x 720; 60p: Standard HD with a frame size of 1280 x 720, a frame rate of 60 frames per second, and progressive video.
For videos that follow the PAL standard, instead select a frame rate of 25, 24, or 50. Again, the 1920 x 1080; 50i setting is available only when you use the 1.3x crop setting for the Image Area option.
One more note before you head out to simpler pastures: See the little symbols appearing to the left of each setting in Figure 4-23? They’re simply (yeah, right, “simply”) a reminder of what you see on the Live View screen to indicate each setting (take another look at Figure 4-22). The first number specifies the vertical pixel count of the Frame Size; the p or i indicates progressive or interlaced, and the other number tells you the frame rate. Oh, that little star? It means that you selected High as the Movie Quality option, which I describe next. No star means that option is set to Normal.
Selecting the Movie Quality option (bit rate)
Next up on the list of movie settings to digest is Movie Quality, also accessed via the Movie Settings option on the Shooting menu or the Live View control strip. (Refer to Figures 4-20 and 21, respectively.) Remember, you display the control strip by simply pressing the i button.
For this option, you can choose from two settings, High and Normal. Your choice determines how much compression is applied to the video file, which in turn affects the bit rate, or how much data is used to represent one second of video, measured in Mbps (megabits per second). A higher bit rate means better quality and larger files. On the D7100, High delivers a bit rate of 24 Mbps; Normal, 12 Mbps.
Because bit rate affects the size of the video file, it also determines the maximum length of the video clip you can create each time you press the record button. If you select High as the Movie Quality option, the maximum movie length is 20 minutes. At the Normal setting, you can record 29 minutes and 59 seconds of video at a time.
One last tip about this setting: In the Live View display, a star in the area labeled Movie Quality in Figure 4-22 indicates that the High bit rate is selected. No star means that the option is set to Normal. This same star system reflects the setting in the Frame Size/Frame Rate menu screens, as I outline in excruciating detail at the end of the preceding section.
Controlling audio
You can record sound using the camera’s built-in microphone, labeled on the left in Figure 4-24, or you can attach the optional Nikon ME-1 stereo microphone to the jack labeled on the right in the figure. You can even attach headphones via the headphone jack, also labeled in the figure, to monitor sound recording.
One way to adjust audio-recording options is to select Movie Settings from the Shooting menu, press OK, and then select Microphone, as shown on the left in Figure 4-25. Press the Multi Selector right to display the settings shown on the right in the figure. Some of the menu options can be a little intimidating until you know what’s what:
Volume meters: The two bars at the bottom of the screen (labeled “Volume meters” in Figure 4-25) indicate the sound levels being picked up by the microphone. For stereo sound, the top bar represents the left audio channel; the bottom bar, the right channel. For monaural sound, both bars reflect the same data.
Audio levels are measured in decibels (dB), and levels on the volume meter range from –40 (very, very soft) to 0 (as loud as can be measured digitally). Ideally, sound should peak consistently in the –12 range. The indicators on the meter turn yellow in this range, as shown in Figure 4-25. If the sound level is too high, the volume meters will peak at 0 and appear red — a warning that audio may be distorted.
Figure 4-24: You can use the internal microphone (left) or plug in an external microphone and/or headphones (right).
Figure 4-25: Audio recording settings are controlled through the Microphone option.
Microphone settings: You can choose from three microphone options:
• Auto Sensitivity: The camera automatically adjusts the volume according to the level of the ambient noise. This setting is the default.
• Manual Sensitivity: Choose this option and press the Multi Selector right to display the manual sound level control, as shown in Figure 4-26. Press the Multi Selector up and down to adjust the microphone volume; settings range from 1 to 20. Again, the volume meters serve as your guide to the correct microphone sensitivity.
• Microphone Off: Choose this setting to record a movie with no sound or when you’re using an off-camera microphone and don’t want the camera itself to record audio.
Figure 4-26: To control the microphone sensitivity yourself, choose the Manual Sensitivity option (left); press the Multi Selector up or down to adjust the setting (right).
After you’re familiar with how the audio settings work, you may prefer to adjust them via the movie Live View control strip. Just press the i button to display the control strip, highlight the Microphone icon, and press OK to display volume indicators over the screen. Press the Multi Selector up and down to adjust the volume. Move the indicator all the way to the top of the scale to shift to the Auto setting; go all the way to the bottom to turn audio recording off.
If you have headphones attached, you can use the control strip to adjust headphone volume. Scroll to the second screen of the control strip to access the adjustment. (This is one setting you can’t control via a menu option.)
Either way, you must adjust microphone levels and headphone volume before starting the recording; you can’t change them while recording is in progress.
To see the current settings without going to the menu or control strip, look in the spot labeled Microphone in Figure 4-22, earlier in this chapter. For example, the symbol in the figure shows that the mic is enabled and set to automatic volume adjustment. If you have headphones attached, a headphone volume symbol appears directly above the microphone symbol as shown in the figure.
Choosing a card destination
Finally, a simple option to digest: If you have two memory cards installed in the camera, you can specify which card should hold the video file. Make the call via the Destination option, which you can access via the Movie Settings option on the Shooting menu, as shown in Figure 4-27, or via the control strip, which you display by pressing the i button. (Refer to Figure 4-21.)
Figure 4-27: You can see which card has the most space and select it to store your video.
By default, movie files are recorded to the memory card in the top card slot (Slot 1). When you choose the Destination option, you can see the length of the movie that will fit on each card at your current recording settings, as shown in Figure 4-27.
Note that the Role Played by Card in Slot 2 option on the Shooting menu, which I detail in Chapter 1, has no effect when you’re shooting movies. Regardless of that setting, the entire movie clip goes on the card you select via the Destination option.
Exploring other movie options
In addition to those settings reviewed in the preceding sections, you can control a few other aspects of your cinematic effort:
Exposure mode: You can record movies in any exposure mode (Auto, Scene modes, P, M, and so on). As with still photography, your choice determines which camera settings you can access. The Movie Settings menu options (Frame Size/Frame Rate, Movie Quality, Microphone, and Destination) are available regardless of the exposure mode.
Focus options: Your options are as outlined in the earlier section “Exploring Live View Focusing.” As a quick recap, you adjust autofocusing behavior through the Autofocus mode and AF-area mode; look for the current settings in the spots labeled in Figure 4-28.
Figure 4-28: Here’s your road map to other major movie-recording settings.
• Autofocus mode: Choose AF-S to lock focus when you press the shutter button halfway; choose AF-F for continuous autofocusing. Adjust the setting by pressing the AF-mode button (left front side of the camera, in the center of the Focus mode switch) while rotating the Main command dial.
• AF-area mode: You can choose from Face Priority, Wide Area, Normal Area, or Subject Tracking. Adjust this setting by pressing the AF-mode button while rotating the Sub-command dial. See the earlier section “Setting the AF-area mode” for the scoop on each of these autofocusing options.
Image Area: You can adjust this setting via the Shooting menu or via the movie Live View control strip (press the i button); use it to set the imaging area to the DX setting (whole sensor) or 1.3x crop setting. See the sidebar “Live View and the Image Area setting” for details on this particular setting.
White Balance and Picture Control: The colors in your movie are rendered according to the current White Balance and Picture Control settings. You have control over these options only when the Mode dial is set to P, S, A, or M:
• Adjusting White Balance: Press and hold the WB button while rotating the Main command dial. Look for the setting in the area of the display highlighted in Figure 4-28. You also can adjust this option via the Shooting menu.
• Adjusting Picture Control: Select this setting via the Shooting menu or via the movie Live View control strip (press the i button to display the strip). Again, Figure 4-28 shows you where in the Live View display to locate the symbol representing the current setting.
Want to record a black-and-white movie? Select Monochrome as the Picture Control. Instant film noir.
See Chapter 8 for details about these options.
Exposure control: Your control over exposure, explained thoroughly in Chapter 7, depends on the exposure mode you select, as follows:
• Auto, Auto Flash Off, and Scene modes: The camera sets exposure for you, controlling aperture, shutter speed, and ISO Sensitivity.
• P, S, and A modes: In A mode, you can select an f-stop prior to starting recording; in other modes, the aperture is selected for you.
In all three modes, you can apply Exposure Compensation to tell the camera to produce a brighter or darker picture than its exposure meter thinks is appropriate. Just press the Exposure Compensation button while rotating the Main command dial to adjust the setting. Note, though, that you’re limited to an adjustment range of EV +3.0 or –3.0 rather than the usual five steps that are possible during normal photography.
• M mode: If you choose M, for manual exposure, you can control aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. You must set the aperture before beginning recording.
Because this exposure mode is best left for experts and involves more issues than I have room to cover in this book, I opt not to cover it in detail. Your camera instruction manual provides some specific parameters that apply when you shoot movies in the M exposure mode.
Screening Your Movies
To play your movie, press the Playback button. In single-image playback mode, you can spot a movie file by looking for the little movie camera icon in the top-left corner of the screen, as shown in Figure 4-29. You also can view other movie-related data, including the image area, frame size, frame rate, and Movie Quality setting. (Remember: A star means that you set the Movie Quality option to High.) To start playback, press OK.
In the thumbnail and Calendar playback modes, both described in Chapter 5, you see little filmstrip dots along the edges of image thumbnails to represent movie files. This time, press OK twice: once to shift to single-image view and again to start movie playback.
Figure 4-29: The movie camera symbol tells you you’re looking at a movie file.
After playback begins, you see the data labeled in Figure 4-30. The progress bar and Time Elapsed value show you how much of the movie has played so far; you can also see the total movie length. The other symbols at the bottom of the screen are there to remind you that you can use various camera buttons to control playback, as follows:
Stop playback: Press the Multi Selector up. The white circle labeled “Playback control symbols” in the figure (lower-right) represents the Multi Selector.
Pause/resume playback: Press down to pause playback; press OK to resume playback.
Fast-forward/rewind: Press the Multi Selector right or left to fast-forward or rewind the movie, respectively. Press again to double the fast-forward or rewind speed; keep pressing to increase the speed to as fast as 16 times normal. Hold the button down to fast-forward or rewind all the way to the end or beginning of the movie.
Forward/rewind 10 seconds: Rotate the Main command dial to the right to jump 10 seconds through the movie; rotate to the left to jump back 10 seconds.
Skip to the last frame/first frame: Rotate the Sub-command dial.
Advance frame by frame: First, press the Multi Selector down to pause playback. Then press the Multi Selector right to advance one frame; press left to go back one frame.
Adjust playback volume: See the markings labeled “Volume control symbols” in Figure 4-30? They remind you that you can press the Qual button to increase volume and press the ISO button to lower it.
Figure 4-30: The icons at the bottom of the screen remind you which buttons to use to control playback.
Trimming Movies
You can do some limited movie editing in camera. I emphasize: limited editing. You can trim frames from the start of a movie and clip off frames from the end, and that’s it.
To eliminate frames from the beginning of the movie, take these steps:
1. Display your movie in single-image view.
2. Press OK to begin playback.
3. When you reach the first frame you want to keep, press the Multi Selector down to pause the movie.
4. Press the i button.
You see the menu options shown on the left in Figure 4-31.
5. Highlight Choose Start/End Point and press OK.
You see the options shown on the right in Figure 4-31.
6. Choose Start Point and press OK.
You’re returned to the playback screen.
Figure 4-31: With the movie paused, press the i button to access the movie-editing screens.
7. Press the Multi Selector up to lop off all frames that came before the current frame.
Now you see the options shown in Figure 4-32. To preview the movie, select Preview and press OK; after the preview plays, you’re returned to the menu screen.
Figure 4-32: Choose Save as New File to avoid overwriting the original movie file.
8. To preserve your original movie and save the trimmed one as a new file, choose Save as New File and press OK.
Alternatively, you can opt to overwrite the existing file, but you can’t get the original file back if you do.
A message appears telling you that the trimmed movie is being saved. During playback, edited files are indicated by a little scissors icon that appears in the upper-left corner of the screen.
To instead trim footage from the end of a film, take the same steps, but this time pause playback on the last frame you want to keep in Step 3. Then, in Step 6, select Choose End Point instead of Choose Start Point.
Saving a Movie Frame as a Still Image
You can save a single frame of the movie as a regular image file. Here’s how:
1. Begin playing your movie.
2. When you reach the frame you want to capture, press the Multi Selector down to pause playback.
3. Press the i button to bring up the Edit Movie screen.
4. Choose Save Selected Frame and press OK.
The frame appears on the monitor.
5. Press the Multi Selector up.
6. On the confirmation screen that appears, select Yes and press OK.
Your frame is saved as a JPEG photo.
Remember a few things about pictures you create this way:
When you view the image, it’s marked with a little scissors icon in the upper-left corner.
The resolution of the picture depends on the resolution of the movie: for example, if the movie resolution is 1920 x 1080, your picture resolution is 1920 x 1080.
You can’t apply editing features from the Retouch menu to the file, and you also can’t view all the shooting data that’s normally associated with a JPEG picture.