Nikon D7000 manual Choosing an Advanced Mode, Choosing a Metering Mode

Chapter 2 ■ Nikon D7000 Quick Start 31

Choosing an Advanced Mode

If you’re very new to digital photography, you might want to set the camera to P (Program mode) and start snapping away. That mode will make all the appropriate set- tings for you for many shooting situations. If you have more photographic experience, you might want to opt for one of the semi-automatic modes. These, too, are described in more detail in Chapter 4. These modes all let you apply a little more creativity to your camera’s settings.

■P (Program). This mode allows the D7000 to select the basic exposure settings, but you can still override the camera’s choices to fine-tune your image, while main- taining metered exposure, as I’ll explain in Chapter 4.

■S (Shutter-priority).This mode is useful when you want to use a particular shut- ter speed to stop action or produce creative blur effects. Choose your preferred shutter speed by rotating the main command dial when the meter is active, and the D7000 will select the appropriate f/stop for you.

■A (Aperture-priority).Choose when you want to use a particular lens opening, especially to control sharpness or how much of your image is in focus. Specify the f/stop you want using the sub-command dial when the meter is “awake” (tap the shutter release to activate the meter, if necessary), and the D7000 will select the appropriate shutter speed for you.

■M (Manual). Select when you want full control over the shutter speed and lens opening, either for creative effects or because you are using a studio flash or other flash unit not compatible with the D7000’s automatic flash metering. Use the main command dial and sub-command dial when the exposure meter is active to spec- ify the shutter speed and f/stop (respectively).

Choosing a Metering Mode

This section shows you how to choose the area the D7000 will use to measure exposure, giving emphasis to the center of the frame; evaluating many different areas of the frame; or measuring light from a small spot in the center of the frame.

The metering mode you select determines how the D7000 calculates exposure. You might want to select a particular metering mode for your first shots, although the default Matrix metering is probably the best choice as you get to know your camera. I’ll explain when and how to use each of the three metering modes later. To change metering modes, hold down the metering mode button, located southwest of the shutter release, while rotating the main dial to select from among the choices that are displayed on the LCD in the control panel (See Figure 2.2):