Chapter 1

Getting Up and Running

In This Chapter

Preparing the camera for its first outing

Getting acquainted with camera features

Viewing and adjusting camera settings

Setting a few basic preferences

Returning your camera to its original state

Taking a picture in Auto mode

Shooting for the first time with a camera as sophisticated as the Nikon D5300 can produce a blend of excitement and anxiety. On one hand, you can't wait to start using your new equipment, but on the other, you're a little intimidated by all its buttons, dials, and menu options.

Well, fear not: This chapter provides the information you need to start getting comfortable with your D5300. The first section walks you through initial camera setup; following that, you can get an overview of camera controls, discover how to view and adjust camera settings, and get my take on some basic setup options. At the end of the chapter, I walk you step-by-step through taking your first pictures using Auto mode, which offers point-and-shoot simplicity until you're ready to step up to more advanced options.

Preparing the Camera for Initial Use

After unpacking your camera, you have to assemble a few parts. In addition to the camera body and the supplied battery (be sure to charge it before the first use), you need a lens and a memory card. Later sections in this chapter provide details about working with lenses and memory cards, but here's what you need to know up front:

• Lens: You can mount a wide range of lenses on your D5300, but some aren't compatible with all camera features. For example, to enjoy autofocusing, you need an AF-S or AF-I lens. Your camera manual offers details about lens compatibility.

  The AF in AF-S stands for autofocus, and the S stands for silent wave, a Nikon autofocus technology. AF-I lenses are older, professional-grade (expensive) lenses that are no longer made but may be available on the secondhand market.

  If you don't yet own a lens, the website for this book offers a short buying guide. Go to www.dummies.com/extras/nikon.

• SD (Secure Digital) memory card: Your camera accepts only this type of card. Most SD cards carry the designation SDHC (for High Capacity) or SDXC (for eXtended Capacity), depending on how many gigabytes (GB) of data they hold. SDHC cards hold from 4GB to 32GB of data; the SDXC moniker is assigned to cards with capacities greater than 32GB.

  Cards are also assigned a speed rating from 2 to 10, with a higher number indicating a faster data-transfer rate. The industry recently added a new speed rating: Ultra High Speed (UHS). UHS cards also carry a number designation; at present, there is only one class of UHS card — UHS 1. These cards currently are the fastest the planet has to offer. Of course, a faster card means a more expensive card. But to maximize your camera's performance, I recommend Class 10 or UHS 1 cards.

  A faster card translates to smoother movie recording and playback and also can improve performance when you're shooting a burst of images using the camera's continuous capture feature.

With camera, lens, battery, and card within reach, take these steps:

1. Turn the camera off.
2. Install the battery into the compartment on the bottom of the camera.
3. Attach a lens.

   First, remove the caps that cover the front of the camera and the back of the lens. Then align the mounting index (white dot) on the lens with the one on the camera body, as shown in Figure 1-1. After placing the lens on the camera mount, rotate the lens toward the shutter-button side of the camera. You should feel a solid click as the lens locks into place.

   Figure 1-1: Align the white dot on the lens with the one on the camera body.

4. Insert a memory card.

   Open the card-slot cover on the right side of the camera and orient the card as shown in Figure 1-2 (the label faces the back of the camera). Push the card gently into the slot and close the cover. The memory-card access light, labeled in the figure, illuminates briefly to let you know that the camera recognizes the card.

   Figure 1-2: Insert the memory card with the label facing the back of the camera.

5. Rotate the monitor to the desired viewing position.

   When you first take the camera out of its box, the monitor is positioned with the screen facing inward, protecting it from scratches and smudges. Use your fingertip to gently lift the right side of the monitor up and away from the camera back. You can then rotate the monitor to move it into the traditional position on the camera back, as shown on the left in Figure 1-3, or swing the monitor out and away from the camera and adjust it to find the best viewing angle, as shown on the right.

   Figure 1-3: Here are just two of the possible monitor positions.

6. Turn the camera on.

   The chances are slim, but you may see a message on the monitor telling you to format the memory card. Continue with these setup steps and then skip to the section “Working with memory cards” to find out about formatting.

7. Adjust the viewfinder to your eyesight.

   Tucked behind the right side of the rubber eyepiece that surrounds the viewfinder is a diopter adjustment dial that enables you to adjust the viewfinder focus to accommodate your eyesight. I highlighted the dial in Figure 1-4.

   To take this step, remove the lens cap, look through the viewfinder, and press the shutter button halfway to display data at the bottom of the viewfinder. (In dim lighting, the flash may pop up; ignore it for now and close the unit after you adjust the viewfinder.) Now rotate the dial until the data appears sharpest. The markings in the center of the viewfinder, which relate to autofocusing, also become more or less sharp.

   Figure 1-4: Rotate this dial to set the viewfinder focus for your eyesight.

8. Set the camera language, time zone, date, and time.

   When you power up the camera for the first time, the monitor displays a message asking you to select the menu language and set the time zone, date, and time. Navigate the screens and adjust the settings by using the Multi Selector and the OK button (refer to Figure 1-2):

   • Press the edge of the Multi Selector up and down to scroll the screen vertically; press right/left to travel horizontally.
   • After making your selections, press OK to finalize things.

   (The later section “Ordering from camera menus” provides more help with using menus.)

   The date/time information is included as metadata (hidden data) in the picture file. You can view metadata in some playback display modes (see Chapter 8) and in certain photo programs, including Nikon ViewNX 2 (refer to Chapter 9).

That's all there is to it — the camera is now ready to go. From here, my recommendation is that you keep reading this chapter to familiarize yourself with the main camera features and basic operation. But if you're anxious to take a picture right away, I won't think any less of you if you skip to the very last section of the chapter, which guides you through the process. Just promise that at some point, you'll read the pages in between, because they actually do contain important information.

Exploring Basic Camera Features

If you're new to dSLR photography, some aspects of using your camera, such as working with the lens, may be unfamiliar to you. But even if you're an old pro — check that, even if you're a seasoned pro — it pays to take some time before your first shoot with a new camera to get familiar with its controls. To that end, the upcoming pages provide a quick overview of the D5300's main features and also offer a primer on working with lenses and memory cards.

Exploring external camera controls

Scattered across your camera's exterior are numerous controls that you use to change picture-taking settings, review your photos, and perform various other operations. In later chapters, I discuss all your camera's functions in detail and provide the exact steps to follow to access them. This section provides just a basic “what's this thing do?” guide to each control. (Don't worry about memorizing the button names; throughout the book, I show pictures of buttons in the page margins to help you know exactly which one to press.)

Topside controls

Your virtual tour begins with the bird's-eye view shown in Figure 1-5. There are a number of features of note here:

• On/Off switch and shutter button: Okay, I'm pretty sure you've already figured out this combo button. But you may not be aware that you need to press the shutter button in two stages: Press and hold the button halfway and wait for the camera to initiate exposure metering and, if you're using autofocusing, to set the focusing distance. Then press the button the rest of the way to take the picture.
• Exposure Compensation button: This button activates Exposure Compensation, a feature that enables you to tweak exposure when working in the P (programmed...