New D80 - how best set up for first trip away??

[Buffalo]

Just bought my first DSLR - the D80. Just fiddling around with it now...

As this is my first DSLR i would like to know if there is anything i should definitely take on board as different to my SLR?

Is there anything i should consider when setting it up - the number of compensatory options are immense and far wider than anything i have anything used before - what are the best ones to remember..? Should i shoot in RAW or jpeg? I really don't have any useful experience with digital photography although i have used a non-digital SLR for the last few years with good effect (definitely still capacity to learn with that though).

Any hints/tips would be greatly received and i'll try and remember them over my trip away into the Australian bush for the next few weeks! I am expecting lots of bright and vivid colours, dramatic landscapes, waterfalls, etc. Some portraits, too. I ended up buying the 18-200mm VR lens if that is helpful for those giving the advice..?

Thanks in advance. I'm very excited - what with this and my new Mac I'm finally embracing the 21st century! Incidentally, what programmes for processing..?

[sdws]

Just use it the way you would a film camera, the only thing that is different is that images are recorded on a ccd and not a piece of light sensitive emulsion on plastic. All lens focal lengths should be multiplied by a factor of 1.3 with a D80 which can be a nuisance ot the short focal lengths unless you have a 17mm or there abouts. Personally I shoot highest quality jpegs and use Photoshop Elements 5.0 for editing as it does most things you will need. The full PS is better but the extra faetures don't justify the price difference if you have to pay for it youself.

[windandwave]

If you're shooting any scenes where white balance might be an issue, or where extra dynamic range might be helpful (shooting into the sun particularly) then shooting RAW will be a good idea.

You'll probably want to try a few long exposures at night if you're in the outback (star trails, "painting" with a torch, etc.) so a cheap tripod might be a worthwhile investment once you get over there.

[haggle]

ive just got a D80 as well and thus far im nothing but over the moon with it very very good camera form stock ive got the kit 18 - 135 mm lense with mine but the image quality is brilliant on RAW i also got a SD extreme 3 2gig card so that holds about 120 pics on full RAW or 500 large jepgs

[Buffalo]

Exactly what are the benefits of shooting RAW? I wanted one 4Gb card, but when i came to purchase they only had 2Gb in the store; so i ended up with 2x 2Gb. I suppose at this stage it might be useful to spread images over two cards incase of loss etc... But as noted, jpeg seems to be around the 500 photo capacity mark. This obviously has storage benefits over RAW if they would convert to only 120 shots for the same card. Would my photos be vastly better quality as RAW? I'm not going to travel with the Mac this time but other times i'll probably have it with me for more frequent downloads...

Cheers ~PHIL

[wyvern971]

Buffalo said:

Exactly what are the benefits of shooting RAW? I wanted one 4Gb card, but when i came to purchase they only had 2Gb in the store; so i ended up with 2x 2Gb. I suppose at this stage it might be useful to spread images over two cards incase of loss etc... But as noted, jpeg seems to be around the 500 photo capacity mark. This obviously has storage benefits over RAW if they would convert to only 120 shots for the same card. Would my photos be vastly better quality as RAW? I'm not going to travel with the Mac this time but other times i'll probably have it with me for more frequent downloads...

Cheers ~PHIL

RAW allows you to correct exposure to a certain extent as the RAW file is the data as it was recorded by the sensor, whereas JPEG is procesed in camera.

I prefer to shoot in RAW as it allows a certain amount of correction later, as well as a multitude of options with RAW processing software itself.

As you're on a MAC software used by pros comes down to (mainly):
RAW:
Adobe Lightroom (previously Pixmatic RAWshooter)
Apple Apature

Manipulation:
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe elements
(Photoshop being the full blown package, and elements the cut down (or LE) version)

I'm using Pixmatic RAWshooter express to process the RAW images and then Photoshop 6 :| for manipulation. RAWshooter Express was freeware (not sure if you can even get it now lightroom is out)

there are alternatives of course which are cheaper:
Paintshop Pro
GIMP (no not that kind, tis an image manipulation package which is free)

[DJ_AS]

Hi Buffalo, I'm pretty new to this DSLR business too.

I found that some people describe RAW as the 'digital negative' whereas the JPG is the 'developed' picture. As mentioned previously, RAW format allows you to fine tune the final image a lot more (sharpness, saturation, exposure, white balance etc etc) and I also reckon that processing RAWs on my PC (Raw plugin for Photoshop Elements 5) and eventually saving as JPG gives higher ultimate image quality.

Obviously the trade off is needing more space and the time to process everything on your PC. Some cameras have a "RAW plus JPG" feature (both filetypes saved for each image) .

Personally, the more I use RAW the more I like it (especially good for tricky exposures like a very bright day).

[sdws]

I've never had any problem making any of the adjustments mentioned from a jpg in PS. As always the secret is get it right in the camera!

[Buffalo]

Can you alter the quality for just one picture? Say if there was a particular image you wanted to get "just right" you could set the camera to RAW. For the remainder of your normal holiday shots just keep it to jpeg..?

That would be a good solution i suppose...

In the next couple of ays i'll try shooting both and see how i get on. Great help though guys - appreciate it!!

~PHIL

[miniman]

Buffalo said:

Can you alter the quality for just one picture? Say if there was a particular image you wanted to get "just right" you could set the camera to RAW. For the remainder of your normal holiday shots just keep it to jpeg..?

That would be a good solution i suppose...

In the next couple of ays i'll try shooting both and see how i get on. Great help though guys - appreciate it!!

~PHIL

Yes, absolutely. As I understand it, when shooting RAW you HAVE to do a bit of post-processing to get the image you want, whereas JPG will give you a reasonable "snap" straight out of the camera.

My top tip would be - always check your settings before you take a shot - I am forever forgetting that I've left it on ISO1600 or 2 stops exposure compensation or something similar which can lead to frustratingly shit photos - particularly if you forget for a full day or something!

[_dobbo_]

sdws said:

I've never had any problem making any of the adjustments mentioned from a jpg in PS. As always the secret is get it right in the camera!

There is absolutely no way you have the same degree of control over a jpeg, or the same level of quality. I shot in jpeg for about 6 months, and along with several others on this forum am absolutely gutted that I did so.



Why deliberately impose restrictions on yourself by shooting jpeg, when you can shoot RAW?

[VxDuncan]

Raw is also able to capture a wider range of colours - 16bit not 8bit so like slide film of negative film if you like. Get yourself a 40Gb (or bigger) portable stroage device for around £80-100, then don't worry one bit about how much data you are creating. Shot lots and bracket. Experiment with motordrive etc. One hurdle you have to get over with digital is to learn to take loads of pictures as it doesn't cost anything, yet still maintain a film style attention to quality.

As for D80 set up try here: www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d80/users-guide/index.htm
But be wary of the quality stuff (choose RAW!) and go for -0.3 not -0.7 exposure compensation IMHO.

Ken Rockwell is a bit of an opinionated pillock, but this should get you going. I've come to the D80 from Canon and swaped the scroll wheels from to back as I prefer using my thumb not middle finger to adjust apperture. Also starting to brave ISO auto as I tend to leave the camera on too high an ISO setting. Get used to adjusting the ISO, WB and quality settings using the buttons on the back - far easier than using the menus.

Enjoy it - it's a truely fantastic camera, though I did struggle to get comfortable with it after my old 300D.

Edited by VxDuncan on Friday 20th April 20:37

[chris.mapey]

I'd always recommend shooting "keeper" images in RAW rather than jpeg. If you are "worried" about shooting RAW, then why not use the RAW & JPEG option, and shoot them both at the same time. You can then archive the RAW files for future use & enjoy the jpegs now.

RAW allows you so much more control in processing. You may not be there in terms of wanting to post-process your images yet, but you soon will be, and it's nice to be able to go back & review some images taken in the past & tweak them.

Just buy loads of memory - it's so cheap at the moment.

I also have an iPod camera adaptor in case of emergencies!!!

HTH

Chris

[sdws]

I would ask yourselves why you are having to make so many adjustments. If any of my images need more than a minor tweek I consider the possibility I got it wrong. As I said before - get it right in the camera!

[_dobbo_]

sdws said:

I would ask yourselves why you are having to make so many adjustments. If any of my images need more than a minor tweek I consider the possibility I got it wrong. As I said before - get it right in the camera!

I would ask yourself why deliberately restrict the quality of your images?

Even assuming you get it perfect every time in camera, RAW is still better than JPEG.

Even if I had superhuman levels of consistency and got perfect exposure and whitebalance for every single image I took, I'd still use RAW. Unfortunately I'm a mere mortal who makes mistakes (more often than I'd care to admit) and as such RAW files have been a lifesaver on more than one occasion.

[sdws]

Did I ever say RAW wasn't a higher quality option?

[V6GTO]

sdws said:

Did I ever say RAW wasn't a higher quality option?

Shooting jpeg you are throwing away information, RAW is lossless...so how on earth can that be true? It might not be higher quality on a monitor, but compare them at 100% or as A3 prints and tell me RAW isn't higher quality.

Martin.

Edited by V6GTO on Monday 23 April 10:47

[V6GTO]

Buffalo...to your original question...keep checking your histograms, make sure you are getting it as far to the right as possible without going over...most of the information is stored over on the right (light) side.

Shoot in RAW. Who knows what software is just around the corner? In a years time we might be able to go back to our old RAW files and work miricles with them. Would you deliberately shoot a slide with half the tonal range or colour saturation it's capable of? That the analogy of RAW vs jpeg.

Hope that helps,

Martin.

[sdws]

Martin, read what I wrote. I am agreeing that RAW is a higher image quality.

Edited by sdws on Monday 23 April 10:50

[V6GTO]

My appologies...2+2=5

M.