4.7. Section Five – (e) Bracketing/Flash: Custom Settings e1 to e7

Within the Bracketing/flash menu, you’ll find 7 settings in the D300S and D300. There are no variances between the two cameras’ Custom Setting numbers in this section:

Flash sync speed	(e1 in both D300/D300S)
Flash shutter speed	(e2 in both D300/D300S)
Flash cntrl for built-in flash	(e3 in both D300/D300S)
Modeling flash	(e4 in both D300/D300S)
Auto bracketing set	(e5 in both D300/D300S)
Auto bracketing (Mode M)	(e6 in both D300/D300S)
Bracketing order	(e7 in both D300/D300S)

4.7.1. Flash Sync Speed

4.7.1.1. Custom setting e1 (D300S and D300)

(User’s Manual – D300S page 281; D300 page 288)

Flash sync speed lets you select a basic synchronization speed from 1/60s to 1/250S. The D300(S) has a more flexible Flash sync speed than many cameras.

Or, if you prefer, you can use the two Auto FP modes of your camera—1/250 s (Auto FP) or 1/320 s (Auto FP). These Auto FP modes are available only with certain external Speedlights and not with the built-in pop-up Speedlight.

At the time of writing this book, the four Nikon Speedlights that can be used with the D300(S) in Auto FP high-speed sync mode are as follows:

• SB-900

• SB-800

• SB-600

• SB-R200

Auto FP high-speed sync enables the use of fill-flash even in bright daylight with wide aperture settings. It allows you to set your camera to the highest shutter speed available, up to 1/8000s, and still use the external flash unit to fill in shadows. Here are your choices (see Figure 4-48):

• 1/320 s (Auto FP)

• 1/250 s (Auto FP)

• 1/250 s

• 1/200 s

• 1/160 s

• 1/125 s

• 1/100 s

• 1/80 s

• 1/60 s

Here are the screens and steps used to adjust your camera’s Flash sync speed (Figure 4-48):

Figure 4-48. Flash sync speed

When you’re using Auto FP mode, the output of your flash is reduced, but it doesn’t cut off the frame for exposures using a shutter speed higher than the normal flash sync speed (x sync). Why? Let’s review.

4.7.1.2. Auto FP High-Speed Sync Review

In a normal flash situation, with shutter speeds of 1/250 of a second and slower, the entire shutter is fully open and the flash can fire a single burst of light to expose the subject. It works like this: There are two shutter curtains in your camera. The first shutter curtain opens, exposing the sensor to your subject, the flash fires providing correct exposure, and then the second shutter curtain closes. For a very brief period, the entire sensor is uncovered. The flash fires during the time when the sensor is fully uncovered.

However, when your camera’s shutter speed goes above 1/250 of a second, the shutter curtains are never fully open for the flash to expose the entire subject in one burst of light. The reason is, at higher shutter speeds, the first shutter curtain starts opening and the second shutter curtain quickly starts following it. In effect, a slit of light is scanning across the surface of your sensor, exposing the subject. If the flash fired normally, the width of that slit between the shutter curtains would get a flash of light, but the rest of the sensor would be blocked by the curtains. So, you would have a band of correctly exposed image, and everything else would be underexposed.

What happens to your external Nikon Speedlight to allow it to follow that slit of light moving across the sensor? It changes into a pulsing strobe unit instead of a normal flash unit. Have you ever danced under a strobe light? A strobe works by firing a series of light pulses. Similarly, when your camera’s shutter speed is so high that the Speedlight cannot fire a single burst of light for correct exposure, it can use its Auto FP high-speed sync mode and fire a series of light bursts over and over as the slit between the shutter curtains travels in front of the image sensor. The Speedlight can fire thousands of bursts per second. To a photographer or subject it still looks like one big flash of light, even though, in reality, it is hundreds or thousands of bursts of light, one right after the other.

When you are in Auto FP mode, you’ll see something like this on your Speedlight’s LCD monitor: TTL FP or TTL BL FP.

The FP designation tells you that the camera and Speedlight are ready for you to use any shutter speed you’d like and still get a good exposure. Even with wide open apertures!

You can safely leave your camera set to 1/320 s Auto FP or 1/250 s Auto FP all the time since the high-speed sync mode does not kick in until you raise the shutter speed above the maximum setting of 1/250 s. Below that shutter speed, the flash works in normal mode and does not waste any power by pulsing the output.

This pulsing of light reduces the maximum output of your flash significantly but allows you to use any shutter speed you’d like while still firing your external Speedlight. The higher the shutter speed, the lower the flash output. In effect, your camera is depending on you to have enough ambient light to offset the loss in power. I’ve found that even my powerful SB-900 Speedlight can only provide enough power to light a subject out to about 8 feet (2.4 m) when using a 1/8000 s shutter speed. With shutter speeds that high, there needs to be enough ambient light to help the flash light the subject, unless you are very close to the subject.

However, now you can use wide apertures to isolate your subject in direct sunlight—which requires high shutter speeds. The flash will adjust and provide great fill light, if you’re using Auto FP high-speed sync mode.

One thing to note: If your flash fires at full power in normal modes, it will blink the flash indicator in the Viewfinder to let you know that all available flash power has been dumped, and you need to check to see if the image is underexposed. When the camera is firing in Auto FP high-speed sync mode, that doesn’t happen. You’ll get no warning in the Viewfinder if the image does not have enough light. Check the camera’s histogram often when using Auto FP.

4.7.2. Special Shutter Speed Setting X + Flash Sync Speed

When using exposure modes Manual (M) or Shutter-priority auto (S)—if you crank the shutter speed all the way down to 30 seconds, then to bulb—there is still one more setting below bulb, named X + Flash sync speed. This special setting allows you to set the camera to a known shutter speed and shoot away. You will see X 250 if Custom Setting e1 > Flash sync speed is set to 1/250 s. Whatever Flash sync speed you select will show up after the X. If you selected a Flash sync speed of 1/125 s, then X 125 will show up as the next setting below bulb. Selecting a Flash sync speed of 1/60 s means that X 60 will show up below bulb, etc.

The shutter speed will not vary from your chosen setting. The camera will adjust the aperture and flash when in Shutter-priority auto (S) mode, or you can adjust the aperture while the flash controls exposure in Manual (M) mode.

This special X-Sync mode is not available in Aperture-priority auto (A) or Programmed auto (P) modes since the camera controls the shutter speed in those two settings. Primarily, you’ll use this setting when you are shooting in Manual or in Shutter-priority auto and want to use a known X-Sync speed.

My Recommendation:  I leave my camera set to 1/320 s (Auto FP) as shown in Figure 4-48, all the time. The camera works just like it normally would until one of my settings takes it above 1/250s shutter speed, at which time it starts pulsing the light to match the shutter curtain travel. Once again, you won’t be able to detect this high-frequency strobe effect since it happens so fast it seems like a single burst of light.

Just remember that the flash loses significant power (or reach) at higher shutter speeds since it is forced to work so hard. Be sure you experiment with this to get the best results. You can use a big aperture like f/1.8 to have very shallow depth of field in direct bright sunlight since you can use very high shutter speeds. This will allow you to make images that many others simply cannot create. Learn to balance the flash and ambient light in Auto FP high-speed sync mode. All this technical talk will make sense when you see the results. Pretty cool stuff!

Which Flash Units for Auto FP High-Speed Sync Mode? If you are using the camera’s built-in pop-up Speedlight, or the small Nikon SB-400, your camera’s maximum flash shutter speed is limited to 1/320 s. If you use the external Speedlights SB-900, SB-800, SB-600, or SB-R200, you can use any shutter speed and the flash will adjust (pulse) to match lighting needs. With the larger Speedlights, you’ll need to learn how to balance ambient light with light from the flash when using shutter speeds higher than 1/250 s. Just remember that your flash unit’s range will be seriously reduced at higher shutter speeds.

4.7.3. Flash Shutter Speed

4.7.3.1. Custom setting e2 (D300S and D300)

(User’s Manual – D300S page 282; D300 page 291)

Flash shutter speed controls the minimum shutter speed your camera can use in various flash modes. You can select between 30 seconds (30 s) and 1/60 s.

Let’s consider each of the modes and the minimum shutter speed for it:

• Front-curtain sync, Rear-curtain sync, or Red-eye reduction – In Programmed auto (P) mode or Aperture priority auto (A) mode, the slowest shutter speed can be selected from the range of 1/60 s to 30 seconds (see Figure 4-49). Shutter priority (S) mode and Manual (M) mode cause the camera to ignore Flash shutter speed, and the slowest shutter speed is 30 seconds (30 s).

• Slow sync, Red-eye reduction with slow sync, or Slow rear-curtain sync – These three modes ignore Flash shutter speed, and the slowest shutter speed is 30 seconds.

The user’s manual is a bit confusing on this subject, but the mode and minimum shutter speed information in the previous list is evident after study and testing. Therefore, Custom setting e2 is only partially used by the flash modes, because the default is preset to 30 seconds in Shutter priority auto and Manual modes.

Here are the screens and steps to set the Flash shutter speed minimum (see Figure 4-49):

Figure 4-49. Flash shutter speed

My Recommendation:  I normally use 1/60 s. Shutter speeds lower than 1/60s can cause ghosting if the ambient light is too high. The subject can move after the flash fires, but with the shutter still open and with enough ambient light to record a blurred ghost effect. You’ll have a well-exposed picture of the subject with a ghost of him also showing in the image. Only use slower shutter speeds when you are sure that you’ll be in dark conditions and the flash will provide the only lighting—unless you’re shooting special effects, like a blurred aftereffect following your subject to imply movement.

4.7.4. Flash Cntrl for Built-in Flash

4.7.4.1. Custom setting e3 (D300S and D300)

(User’s Manual – D300S page 283; D300 page 291)

Flash cntrl for built-in flash provides four distinct ways to control the pop-up Speedlight’s flash output. This Custom setting does not apply to flash units you attach via the Accessory shoe (hotshoe) on top of the camera. It is only for the pop-up flash.

Here are the screens and steps used to configure Flash cntrl for built-in flash (Figure 4-50):

Figure 4-50. Flash cntrl for built-in flash – TTL mode

Let’s consider each of these modes.

TTL (see Figure 4-50) –  Also known as iTTL, this mode is the standard way to use the camera for flash pictures. TTL stands for Through The Lens, and it allows very accurate and balanced flash output using a pre-flash method to determine correct exposure before the main flash burst fires. This is a completely automatic mode and will adjust to distances, along with the various shutter speeds and apertures your camera is using.

Figure 4-51. Flash cntrl for built-in flash – Manual mode

M – Manual (see Figure 4-51) –  This mode allows you to manually control the output of your flash. The range of settings can go from Full power to 1/128 and a range of settings in between.

Figure 4-52. Flash cntrl for built-in flash – Repeating flash mode

RPT – Repeating flash (see Figure 4-52) –  This setting turns your flash into a strobe unit that you can see pulsing (unlike Auto FP high-speed sync mode), allowing you to get creative with stroboscopic multiple flashes. Using the screen shown in Figure 4-52, image 3, you’ll use the Multi Selector to scroll up and down to set the values or scroll left and right to move between Output, Times, and Frequency. Press the OK button when you have it configured. There are three settings as shown in Figure 4-52, image 3:

• Output – You can vary the power of the flash from 1/4 to 1/128 of full power. The more power the flash uses, the fewer times it can fire. Here is a table of how many times the built-in pop-up flash can fire using the various Output levels:

  1/4: 2 times

  1/8: 2–5 times

  1/16: 2–10 times

  1/32: 2–10 or 15 times

  1/64: 2–10, 15, 20, or 25 times

  1/128: 2–10, 15, 20, 25, 30, or 35 times

• Times – This setting controls the number of times the flash will strobe per second, between 2 and 10 in one-step increments, and then from 10 to 50 (at 1/128) by five-step increments. Refer to the table above to set the number of times the flash can fire. Raising the power output (going toward 1/4) will decrease the number of times the flash can fire while lowering the power (going toward 1/128) will increase the number of times the flash can fire. As you change the Output amount you’ll see the Times maximum change.

• Frequency – This sets the flash to fire a series of pulses for each of the Times it fires, from 1 pulse to 50 pulses.

How Does Repeating Flash Work, Technically? If you have Output set to 1/128, Times set to 5, and Frequency set to 50, that means the camera will fire its built-in pop-up Speedlight at 1/128 of full power, five times, with each flash burst divided up into 50 shutter speed pulses. Therefore, the flash will pulse a total of 250 times at 1/128 power for a 1 s exposure, or four times for a 1/60 s exposure.

Figure 4-53. Flash cntrl for built-in flash – Commander mode

C – Commander Mode (see Figure 4-53) –  This mode allows your camera to become a commander or controller of up to two banks of an unlimited number of external CLS-compatible Speedlight flash units, with four available channels (1-4).

In Figure 4-53, image 3, you’ll see Built-in flash, Group A and B, and a Channel setting. Following Built-in flash and Group A and B, you’ll see Mode and Comp. Use the Multi Selector to move around and modify settings on this screen. Here’s what they each mean.

Built-in flash – This lets you set the pop-up flash to one of three settings. The settings do not affect any of the flash units the Commander mode is controlling in Group A or B:

• TTL – Otherwise known as i-TTL mode, this is a completely automatic Mode that does monitor pre-flashes to determine correct exposure for the pop-up flash. You can set compensation (Comp.) between +3.0 and -3.0 EV in 1/3 EV steps.

• M – This allows you to choose a manual flash level between 1/1 (full power) to 1/128 (1/128 of full power).

• -- – I call this the double-dash mode. This disables the pop-up flash from adding light to the image. The primary light burst from the pop-up flash will not fire. However, the pop-up flash still must fire the monitor pre-flashes to determine a correct exposure and to communicate with any flash units out there in Group A or Group B that it is “commanding”.

Group A or B – These groups represent groups of an unlimited number of remote mode (slaved) Speedlights that your camera can control and fire under the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS). Each group has four settings that apply to each flash unit in that group (TTL, AA, M, - -). Following is a description of each setting:

• TTL – This works like Built-in flash except that it causes all flash units being controlled in each Group to use TTL (i-TTL) for that group. You can also set compensation (Comp.) between +3.0 and -3.0 EV in 1/3 EV steps. Comp. will affect all flash units in that group.

• AA – This stands for Auto aperture and is only available when your D300(S) is contolling an SB-900 or SB-800 Speedlight flash unit in slave mode on a bank. This is an older technology that does not use the newer i-TTL exposure technology. It is included for those who are used to using the older style of exposure. You can safely ignore this mode and use TTL instead, and you’ll get better exposures. If you really want to use AA mode, that’s fine. It works like TTL mode, but with less accurate exposures. You can set compensation (Comp.) between +3.0 and -3.0 EV in 1/3 EV steps. Comp. will affect all flash units in that group.

• M – This allows you to choose a manual flash level between 1/1 (full power) to 1/128 (1/128 of full power) for each of the flash units being controlled by that particular group setting. If you like to shoot manually for ultimate control, the camera gives you a way to control multiple groups of flash units in a manual way.

• – – The flash units in the group do not fire. “Double-dash” mode disables an entire group so that you can concentrate on configuring the other group. Then you can turn the disabled group back on and configure it too. Or, you can just use one group of slaved Speedlights (A or B) and disable the other.

Channel – This one channel controls all slaved flash units. You must match the Channel number for the camera and each flash unit. This is the channel on which communications flow to all grouped, remote flashes. You have a choice of four channel numbers, 1-4. This allows you to use your flash units near another photographer who is also controlling groups, without firing the other person’s flash units accidentally. You just each choose a different channel.

An upcoming chapter of this book titled Chapter 12 is devoted to using Nikon’s Creative Lighting System (CLS) and covers each of the Commander modes and flash unit types in more detail than the summary found here.

4.7.4.2. Commander Mode Notes

When using multiple flash units under the control of your camera in Commander mode, it is important that you understand the following.

First, the camera communicates with the remote slaved flash groups (A and B) during the monitor pre-flash cycle, so the pop-up flash must be raised in Commander mode in order to communicate with the remote flash units.

Second, each remote flash unit has a little round photocell sensor on its side that picks up the monitor pre-flashes from your camera’s pop-up flash. Make sure those little sensors are not blocked or exposed to direct, very bright light while in use, or they may not be able to see the monitor pre-flashes from your camera.

Third, if you want to prevent the monitor pre-flashes from appearing in photographs or causing people to squint, you need to purchase the optional SG-3IR infrared panel for the pop-up flash. This infrared panel makes the monitor pre-flashes mostly invisible to humans and imaging sensors, yet the remote flash units can still see it and react properly.

Fourth, don’t position any of the remote flash units more than 33 feet (10.05m) from the camera. That’s the maximum distance Nikon supports for the D300(S) pop-up flash in Commander mode.

If these issues bother you, then invest in the Nikon SU-800 Wireless Infrared Controller unit that replaces the pop-up flash/Commander mode combo. You mount it onto the Accessory shoe and let it control the remote slaves out to 66 feet (20.10 m) without some of the issues mentioned above.

4.7.5. Modeling Flash

4.7.5.1. Custom setting e4 (D300S and D300)

(User’s Manual – D300S page 289; D300 page 298)

Modeling flash lets you fire a pulse of flashes to help you see how the light is wrapping around your subject. It works like modeling lights on studio flash units, except it pulses instead of shines. You can press the Depth-of-field preview button to see the effect if you set Modeling flash to On.

This function works with Nikon’s main Speedlight flash unit group: SB-900, SB-800, SB-600, or SB-R.200. It also works with the pop-up flash for limited periods. My SB-400 flash unit does not work with Modeling flash.

Here are the screens and steps used to configure Modeling flash (see Figure 4-54):

Figure 4-54. Modeling flash

Here’s what each of the settings for Modeling flash accomplishes:

• On –  This setting allows you to see (somewhat) how your flash will light the subject. If you have this setting turned On, you can press the Depth-of-field preview button to strobe the pop-up flash, or any attached/controlled external Speedlight unit, in a series of rapid pulses. These pulses are continuous and simulate the lighting that the primary flash burst will give your subject. The Modeling flash can only be used for a few seconds at a time to keep from overheating the flash unit, so look quickly.

• Off –  This means that no Modeling flash will fire when you press the Depth-of-field preview button.

My Recommendation:  I often forget that I have this turned on and want to check my actual depth of field on a product shot. When I press the Depth-of-field preview button, I get the modeling light instead of depth of field. I don’t find this feature to be particularly useful, and it often startles me. One of these days, I’ll get around to turning it off. You might like it if you do a lot of studio-style flash photography. Give it a try, but be prepared—the pulsing of the flash sounds like an angry group of hornets about to attack your face.

4.7.6. Auto Bracketing Set

4.7.6.1. Custom setting e5 (D300S and D300)

(User’s Manual – D300S page 289 & 120; D300 page 298 & 118)

Auto bracketing set lets you choose how bracketing works for each of the camera’s bracketing methods. You can set up bracketing for the exposure system (AE), flash, White balance, and Active D-Lighting (D300S only).

Let’s start by reviewing the five types of bracketing on the D300S and the four on the D300. I’ll explain how to use bracketing in an upcoming section:

• AE & flash –  When you set up a session for bracketing, the camera will cause any type of normal picture you take to be bracketed, whether standard exposures, or using flash. See how to bracket in the next section.

• AE only –  Your bracketing settings will affect only the exposure system and not the flash.

• Flash only –  Your bracketing settings will affect only the flash system and not the exposure.

• WB bracketing –  White balance bracketing is described in more detail in the chapter titled Chapter 10. It works the same as exposure and flash bracketing, except it is designed for bracketing color in “mired” values instead of light in EV step values.

• ADL bracketing (D300S only) –  In this case you are bracketing Active D-Lighting (ADL) in up to five separate exposures. Each consecutive exposure uses the next higher level of Active D-Lighting.

Here are the screens and steps used to select an Auto bracketing set type (see Figure 4-55):

Figure 4-55. Auto bracketing set

Now, let’s look into how the various bracketing systems work. We’ll first examine which button to use when starting Auto bracketing and then look at the actual bracketing functions.

4.7.6.2. How to Use the Auto Bracketing System (Bracketing Explained)

In order to use Auto bracketing properly, you must first assign one of the camera’s programmable buttons to start the bracketing process, or use the factory default Fn (FUNC.) button. If you don’t want to use the Fn (FUNC.) button for this purpose, you can assign BKT – Auto bracketing to the Preview button or AE-L/AF-L button instead.

One of the buttons must be available to use in conjunction with the Command dials and the Control panel in order to see and change the settings for bracketing. So, before you read this tutorial on bracketing, either decide to use the default Fn (FUNC.) button or mark your place here and go to one of the following button assignment functions and choose the one you want to use to start the bracketing process.

Here are the three Custom settings that you may configure for Auto bracketing, in case you want to use the Fn (FUNC.) button for something else. The assignment process for each of these is covered in detail later in this chapter, under Section 4.8:

• Assign Fn (FUNC.) button – Custom setting f5 (D300S) or Custom setting f4 (D300)

• Assign preview button – Custom setting f6 (D300S) or Custom setting f5 (D300)

• Assign AE-L/AF-L button – Custom setting f7 (D300S) or Custom setting f6 (D300)

The following information assumes that the Fn (FUNC.) button is assigned to BKT -Auto bracketing. If you have chosen another button for Auto bracketing, you’ll need to use your preferred button to turn bracketing on.

4.7.6.3. Exposure Bracketing (AE and Flash Combination)

Here are the controls and steps to configure AE and flash bracketing combinations (see Figure 4-55-Figure 4-58):

Figure 4-56. Controls for Auto bracketing

Figure 4-57, image 1, shows a five-shot bracket with both over- and underexposure of 1.0 EV step per image. You can tell by the 5F at the top left of the Control panel, along with the number of lines hanging below the scale. The 1.0 means that there is 1.0 EV step (1 stop) between each exposure in the bracket. The fact that the 5F has no plus or minus sign in front of it tells us that the bracket uses normal, over, and underexposure.

Figure 4-57, image 2, shows a two-image bracket with 0.3 EV steps (1/3 stop) between each exposure. Notice the minus sign before the NF symbol (--2F)? This means that the bracket is designed to take only normal and underexposed shots—no overexposed ones. The bracketed images are on the minus side of the +/- scale.

Compare that to Figure 4-57, image 3, which represents a three-image bracket at 0.3 EV steps per exposure, in the normal and overexposure direction only (+3F).

One note about flash bracketing: If you are using an SB-900, SB-80, SB-600, SB400, or SB-R200, the flash unit may or may not be able to keep up with bracketed shots taken in Continuous release mode. If you fully dump the flash power between shots, you’ll have to wait for the next shot. Also, the pop-up flash simply does not recycle fast enough to be able to shoot continuously while flash bracketing, so you’ll have to take each shot individually.

Here’s a short review:

• Fn (FUNC.) button plus rear Main command dial = number of exposures

• Fn (FUNC.) button plus front Sub-command dial = EV step value of bracketed exposures (1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV step)

My Recommendation:  I normally bracket with at least a 1 EV step value (1 stop) so that I can get a good spread of light values in high dynamic range (HDR) images. In most cases, I will do a three- to five-image bracket, with one or two images overexposed and one or two images underexposed by 1 stop. This type of bracketing allows me to combine detail from the highlight and dark areas in-computer for the HDR exposures everyone is experimenting with these days.

Figure 4-58. Nikon D300S, AF-S Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED lens

In Figure 4-58 is a sample five-image bracket with 1.0 EV step between each exposure. I combined the five images using Photomatix Pro software (www.hdrsoft.com) and was pleased with the final result. This particular image was created with a bracket using the same settings shown on the Control panel in Figure 4-57, image 1.

4.7.6.4. WB Bracketing

You can also do WB bracketing (white balance) in a way similar to flash or exposure bracketing, using the controls shown in Figure 4-56.

If you want to bracket your camera’s white balance, you must set Custom setting e5 > Auto bracketing set to WB bracketing (see Figure 4-55). This means that AE or flash bracketing will not work during the time that Custom setting e5 is set to WB bracketing.

It may be a good idea to review the previous section—Section 4.7.6.3—if you’ve not read it yet, since WB bracketing is so similar. WB bracketing does not work when your camera is in RAW mode.

Use Figure 4-55 as the reference screens to select WB bracketing, and then use these steps to bracket the white balance:

Here’s a short review:

• Fn (FUNC.) button plus rear Main command dial = number of exposures

• Fn (FUNC.) button plus front Sub-command dial = 5, 10, or 15 mired steps (1–3)

My Recommendation:  Personally, I prefer to use RAW mode and make minor or major color adjustments in the computer post-processing stage of the image’s preparation. However, you may want to use WB bracketing while shooting JPEGs since it degrades the image when you modify and resave a JPEG file. Only people with extreme concern over color balance will find WB bracketing useful. Most of us don’t need it.

What Is Mired? Mired changes simply modify the color of your image, in this case toward amber (reddish) or blue. In effect, it warms or cools the image. The color changes are applied directly to the image by the camera when shooting JPEGs or are saved as a marker when shooting RAW images. You don’t have to worry about mired values unless you are a color scientist. You can just determine whether you like the image the way it is or would prefer that it be warmer or cooler and bracket accordingly. In WB bracketing, the A direction warms, while the b direction cools. Technically, mired is calculated by multiplying the inverse of the color temperature by 106. I’d rather let my camera figure mired values and then judge them with my eye, wouldn’t you? Remember, if you shoot in RAW, you can modify color values later in your computer. Otherwise, they are applied permanently to JPEG files.

4.7.7. ADL Bracketing (D300S only)

ADL bracketing (ADL = Active D-Lighting) is available only in the D300S (not the D300). It is designed to let you shoot a normal image and then a series of up to four additional images with Active D-Lighting applied at progressively higher levels to each.

As you set ADL bracketing from two to five shots, you are setting the camera to switch to a higher ADL level for each consecutive shot. The progressive levels are Off, Low, Normal, High, and Extra High.

Here are the steps to use ADL bracketing:

Figure 4-60. Five frame bracket

My Recommendation:  This is a great way to capture very important shots and try to get extra shadow detail and highlight protection in some of them. You may not need ADL bracketing on all shots, but on very important images where you were slightly off on your exposure selection, ADL will help to open shadows (adding noise, unfortunately) and mildly protect the highlights. Of course, if you shoot in RAW mode you can apply ADL in-computer. I don’t bracket ADL very often. But, I’m glad to know it’s there when I need it.

One final note about bracketing of any type: Turn it off when you’re done! I often forget and then wonder why my camera keeps under- and overexposing a series of images. Only after wasting several images do I realize that I left bracketing turned on. You’ll see what I mean if you use AE & flash bracketing often, as I do.

4.7.8. Auto Bracketing (Mode M)

4.7.8.1. Custom setting e6 (D300S and D300)

(User’s Manual – D300S page 290; D300 page 299)

Auto bracketing (Mode M) is a series of four selections that let you, or the camera, control the flash, shutter speed, and aperture in various ways during a bracketing operation, when the camera is set to M-Manual exposure mode.

This gives you a little finer control over manual camera settings while you are taking several exposures within a bracket of images.

Here are the screens and steps used to configure Auto bracketing (Mode M) (see Figure 4-61):

Figure 4-61. Auto bracketing (Mode M)

Here is a list of the four settings and what each does. The camera controls the selected setting when you are using M-Manual exposure mode while bracketing. These functions are dependent on how Custom setting e5 > Auto bracketing set is configured.

• Flash/speed –  This setting allows you to control the aperture for best depth of field, while still doing bracketing. The camera will control the shutter speed. If Custom setting e5 > Auto bracketing set is set to AE & flash, the camera will vary the shutter speed and flash level to expose the bracketed images while you control the aperture. If e5 is set to AE only, then the camera will only vary the shutter speed to get the exposures.

• Flash/speed/aperture –  This setting is for those who want the camera to control the shutter speed, aperture, and flash while still doing bracketing. If Custom setting e5 > Auto bracketing set is set to AE & flash, the camera will vary the shutter speed, aperture, and flash level to expose the bracketed images. If e5 is set to AE only, then the camera will vary the shutter speed and aperture to get the exposures.

• Flash/aperture –  This setting is for those who want to control the shutter speed for best action shots, while still doing bracketing. The camera will control the aperture and flash. If Custom setting e5 > Auto bracketing set is set to AE & flash, the camera will vary the aperture and flash level to expose the bracketed images. If e5 is set to AE only, then the camera will only vary the aperture to get the exposures.

• Flash only –  This setting is for those who want to control only the flash while doing bracketing. The camera will only vary the flash level to get the bracketed exposures. AE only obviously does not apply with this setting.

My Recommendation:  Since I am mostly a nature shooter, I often leave my camera set to Flash/speed so that the camera will control the shutter speed when I take a series of bracketed images, but I’ll control the aperture. That way I can choose how much depth of field I want to allow in my images.

If I were shooting important action shots and wanted to bracket, I’d select Flash/aperture so that the camera would control the aperture and flash while I control the shutter speed for action.

If I were letting only my Speedlight flash control the exposure, as with indoor shots, I might use Flash only during the bracket.

Finally, if I wanted to let the camera alone decide how to get the best exposure during the bracket, I might use Flash/speed/aperture. Then all I have to do is take pictures and let the camera do the rest. This seems to me to be a small violation of the principle of manual exposure though.

4.7.9. Bracketing Order

4.7.9.1. Custom setting e7 (D300S and D300)

(User’s Manual – D300S page 290; D300 page 300)

Bracketing order allows you to choose the order of your exposure settings (normal, overexposed, and underexposed) during a bracketing operation.

There are two bracketing orders available in the D300(S). These allow you to control which images are taken first, second, and third in the bracketing series.

Here are the three values in the bracket order and what they each mean:

• MTR = Metered value (normal exposure)

• Under = Underexposed

• Over = Overexposed

Next, let’s see how these are used during bracketing:

• MTR > under > over –  With this setting, the normal exposure (MTR) is taken first, followed by the underexposed image, then the overexposed image. If you are taking a group of five images in your bracket (see Custom setting e5), the camera will take the images like this: normal exposure > most underexposed > least underexposed > least overexposed > most overexposed. For WB bracketing the pattern is normal > amber > blue. This does not apply to ADL bracketing.

• Under > MTR > over –  Using this order for bracketing means that a five image bracket will be exposed in the following manner: most underexposed > least underexposed > normal exposure > least overexposed > most overexposed. For WB bracketing the pattern is amber > normal > blue. This does not apply to ADL bracketing.

Finally, let’s look at the steps and screens to actually configure the Bracketing order (Figure 4-62):

Figure 4-62. Bracketing order

My Recommendation:  I leave Bracketing order set to MTR > under > over so that when the images are displayed in series by the camera, I can see the normal exposure (MTR) first and then watch how it varies as I scroll through the bracketed images. It gets confusing to me if there are nine images in a bracket and I am trying to figure out which one is the MTR image, as I would be with the other bracketing order.

If that doesn’t suit you, change it to the other direction Under > MTR > over. The normal exposure will be in the middle of the bracket instead of at the beginning. Some prefer the more natural flow of that bracketing order (under to over).