Chapter 1

First Steps, First Shots

IN THIS CHAPTER

Preparing the camera for its first outing

Getting acquainted with the touchscreen and other camera features

Viewing and adjusting camera settings

Setting a few basic preferences

Taking a picture in Auto mode

Shooting for the first time with a camera as sophisticated as the Nikon D5600 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 D5600. The first section walks you through initial camera setup; following that, you can discover how to view and adjust picture settings and get my take on additional setup options. At the end of the chapter, I explain how to take pictures using Auto mode, which offers point-and-shoot simplicity until you're ready for 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 D5600, but some aren't compatible with all camera features. For example, to enjoy autofocusing, you need an AF-P or AF-S lens. (The 18-55mm lens featured in this book and sold in a kit with the D5600 body is an AF-P lens.) The camera's instruction manual offers details about lens compatibility. (The full manual is available online at the Nikon Download Center.)

  The AF in AF-S and AF-P stands for autofocus. The S in AF-S stands for a silent wave focusing motor; the P refers to an autofocusing technology known as a "stepping motor." Both are designed to deliver faster and quieter autofocusing. How you implement autofocusing differs between the two types, however. Read more about this issue later in this chapter, in the section "Familiarizing Yourself with the Lens."

• 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.

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.

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.

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. 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 to get a different viewing angle, as shown on the right.

6. Turn on the camera.

7. Set the language, time zone, and date.

   When you power up the camera for the first time, you can't do anything until you take this step.

   The easiest way to adjust the settings is to use the touchscreen, which is enabled by default. To select an option or display a menu of settings, just tap it on the screen, just as you do with any touchscreen device. If you see an OK symbol in the lower-right corner of the screen, tap it to finalize your selection and return to the previous screen. To exit a screen without making changes, tap the exit arrow shown in the upper-right corner of the screen.

   If you prefer, you also can use the Multi Selector and OK button, labeled in Figure 1-3, to navigate menus. You can find more details about using the touchscreen and other ways to adjust settings later in this chapter.

8. Adjust the viewfinder to your eyesight.

   This step is critical; if you don't set the viewfinder to your eyesight, subjects that appear out of focus in the viewfinder might actually be in focus, and vice versa. If you wear glasses while shooting, adjust the viewfinder with your glasses on.

   You set viewfinder focus by rotating the adjustment dial labeled in Figure 1-4. After taking off the lens cap and making sure that the camera is turned on, look through the viewfinder and press the shutter button halfway. In dim lighting, the flash may pop up. Ignore it for now and concentrate on the row of data that appears at the bottom of the viewfinder screen. Rotate the dial until that data appears sharpest. The markings in the center of the viewfinder, which relate to autofocusing, also become more or less sharp. Ignore the scene you see through the lens; that won't change because you're not actually focusing the camera. When you finish, press down on the flash unit to close it if necessary.

9. If using a retractable lens, unlock and extend the lens.

   The lens barrels of AF-P kit lenses, as well as some AF-S lenses, extend and retract. When you're not shooting, you can retract the lens so that it takes up less space in your camera bag. But before you can take a picture or even access most camera menu items, you must unlock and extend the lens. A message appears on the monitor to remind you of this step.

   To extend the lens, press the lens lock button, highlighted in Figure 1-5, while rotating the lens barrel toward the shutter-button side of the camera. To retract the lens, press the button while rotating the lens in the other direction.

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

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

FIGURE 1-3: Here are just two possible monitor positions.

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

FIGURE 1-5: If using a retractable lens, press the lens lock button while rotating the lens barrel to extend and retract the lens.

That's all there is to it - your 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, skip to the last section of the chapter, which guides you through the basic process. Just promise that at some point, you'll read the pages in between, because they do contain important information.

Checking Out External Controls

Scattered across your camera's exterior are numerous features 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.)

Keep in mind, too, that you can adjust many settings by simply tapping the touchscreen, which is sometimes faster than fiddling with the camera buttons. I explain how to use the touchscreen later in this chapter.

Topside controls

Your virtual tour begins with the bird's-eye view shown in Figure 1-6. There are a number of features of note here:

• Shutter button/power switch: Okay, I'm pretty sure you 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.
• Mode dial: With this dial, you choose the exposure mode, which determines which picture-taking settings you can control. You get a number of automatic, beginner modes as well as four advanced modes (P, S, A, and M). Effects mode enables you to apply special...