Supercharge your Nikon!

Are you making the most of your camera’s hidden talents? Try these 101 top tips for maximizing performance, saving time and getting more out of your DSLR

Unlike some camera manufacturers, Nikon doesn’t make fax machines, photocopiers, televisions, games consoles or vacuum cleaners. It started off as a maker of optical equipment, over 100 years ago, and has been specializing in cameras for the last 70 of them. Suffice it to say, Nikon knows a thing or two about camera design, and that can be a very delicate balance.

There’s much more to a ‘good’ camera than how many megapixels it has, how accurately it can autofocus and meter the light, or even how well it can express the colour and tone of the subject you’re shooting. In some ways, a camera should be invisible. You see the shot, you take it. The last thing you want is to spend all your time wrestling with arcane menus and fiddly controls, trying to sort out your camera settings and missing shots altogether as part of the process.

Simple yet effective camera design is where Nikon really excels. Entry-level models like the D3400 are the most user-friendly DSLRs on the planet, taking beginners on a journey from fully automatic and scene mode shooting, through an interactive ‘Guide’ mode that teaches creative techniques, to fully advanced shooting facilities. Intermediate cameras such as the D5600 add custom settings, so that more experienced photographers can tailor the camera to respond to their preferred shooting styles, keeping everything streamlined, straightforward and hugely effective.

Moving up the range, expert-level cameras like the D7500 and D750 manage that elusive trick of making high-end, complex features and functions available via an interface that remains simple and easy to live with. Even pro-spec cameras like the D850 are remarkably easy to pick up and get to terms with immediately, while sporting extra direct-access buttons for rapid adjustment of important shooting parameters.

But there’s more. Whatever level of camera you’re using, there are hidden gems within the menu structure and operational controls. Get to grips with the finer points of these, and creative shooting will become second nature. You’ll find that the camera becomes an extension of your hand, and you can concentrate on getting the shot, rather than working the dials and buttons. Let’s get to it.