Quote:
Originally Posted by andy153
Hi there Matt, the D5000 gives you Picture Control and Active D Lighting - These are settings that will alter your final picture. The Active D Lighting is worth altering depending on your final choice of look. It tries to extend the in camera dynamic range so that highlights don't blow out and shadows retain detail. I tend to set mine on either normal or high, rather than auto. Picture Control gives you four settings - standard, neutral, vivid and monochrome and also the option to install up to 5 custom settings. Mine is always set to vivid on one shooting bank, monochrome on another shooting bank and Nikon D2x Landscape on a third shooting bank. This last one may seem strange but if you go to the Nikon web site you can download some custom picture controls from them - this one replicates the colours and settings of the D2x camera which I used to have and which I found one of the best colour/highlight/shadow balances ever. These are all matters of personal choice and you may set and save your own settings hence the nine picture controls available with your camera. My advice is run some test shots - camera on tripod, a scene or portrait set up and alter the picture control and active D lighting for each shot in order. Then look at them on a split screen and see what you like best, and set up your camera accordingly. Some of the changes will be subtle, some quite marked - they will help you see what to expect from the camera. They are fun to experiment with and I find the Landscape ones are most useful to me. There are also portrait sets as well- read your manual about Active D Lighting and Picture Control - there are also several useful explanations on the net - have Fun 
If you look at Moose Patterson on the net - he gives a couple of lists of the way his cameras are set up - taking you through the menu one step at a time. There are others who do the same. Google Nikon D5000 menu setting. |
Hi andy
With regards to picture control and active d-lighting.....do these settings apply if you are shooting in RAW?