Nikon D7000 manual 181

Chapter 7 ■ Advanced Techniques 181

To increase this number, reduce the image-quality setting by switching to JPEG only (from JPEG+RAW), to a lower JPEG quality setting, such as JPEG Normal, or by reduc- ing the D7000’s resolution from L to M or S. The reason the size of your bursts is lim- ited is that continuous images are first shuttled into the D7000’s internal memory buffer, then doled out to the Secure Digital card as quickly as they can be written to the card. Technically, the D7000 takes the RAW data received from the digital image processor and converts it to the output format you’ve selected—either JPG or NEF (RAW)—and deposits it in the buffer ready to store on the card.

This internal “smart” buffer can suck up photos much more quickly than the SD card and, indeed, some memory cards are significantly faster or slower than others. When the buffer fills, you can’t take any more continuous shots until the D7000 has written some of them to the card, making more room in the buffer. You should keep in mind that faster SD cards write images more quickly, freeing up buffer space faster. Today, SD cards are speed-rated using a “Class” figure, with Class 4 (4 megabits per second trans- fer speed) being the slowest units commonly available. Most SD cards on the market are at least Class 6 (6 megabits per second), with the most common “speedy” cards rated as Class 10 (at least 10 megabits per second). We’re starting to see SDXC memory cards given a Class 10 designation, but with read/write speeds that actually top out at 20 megabits per second. (Theoretically, SDXC cards could eventually have speeds that are 10 to 20 times faster.)

The frame rate you select will depend on the kind of shooting you want to do. Here are some guidelines:

■6 fps. The max rate of 6 fps is available when using Continuous High mode. Use this for sports and other subjects where you want to optimize your chances of cap- turing the decisive moment. Perhaps you’re shooting some active kids and want to grab their most appealing expressions. This fast frame rate can improve the odds. However, there is no guarantee that even at 6 fps the crucial instant won’t occur between frames. (A ball pitched at 90 miles per hour travels 15 feet between each frame when you’re shooting at 6 fps.) For example, when shooting major league baseball games, if I want to shoot a batter, I keep both eyes open, and keep one of them on the pitcher. Then, I start taking my sequence just as the pitcher releases the ball. My goal is to capture the batter making contact with the ball. But even at 6 fps, I find that a hitter connects between frames. I usually must take pictures of a couple dozen at-bats to get a shot of bat and ball connecting.

■4.0-5.0 fps. When using Continuous L, you can choose the frame rate from 1 to 5 fps, using CSM #d6. A slower rate can be useful for activities that aren’t quite so fast moving. But, there’s another benefit. Using the fastest frame rate means that your camera may fill up its buffer and won’t be ready for the next sequence. If you don’t want to miss any sequences, using a slightly slower frame rate can help pre- vent buffer overload.