Nikon D1 Techniques

• The Nikon D1 allows photographers to creatively compose images with just a few controlled adjustments. photographer's photographer image by Lee O'Dell from Fotolia.com

  The Nikon D1 was released in 1999. At the time, the D1 was a highly advanced piece of equipment that helped Nikon to all but trump Kodak in camera sales. The 2.7 megapixel D1 has a 23.7 mm by 15.6 mm sensor and shoots at a maximum of 4.5 frames per second. Photographers are able to perform exposure and focusing techniques on the D1 that were not possible on the older film cameras.

Aperture Priority Mode

• Aperture priority mode helps in low-light situations or in instances when you want to maintain a certain depth of field in your images. Aperture priority allows you to set an f-stop setting that will not change. Only shutter speed will change in this mode, in order to compensate for loss or gain of light. Setting the camera to its widest aperture in this setting allows the maximum possible amount of light into the camera, thus using the fastest possible shutter speed when shooting. Setting the aperture to f/22 in this mode ensures that the images will have the largest depth of field possible, eliminating background blur.

Focus Techniques

• Adjust the focus servo settings by adjusting the dial that lies close to the 4 o' clock position of the lens mount. Single servo mode is designed for non-moving subjects. Press the shutter release halfway and the lens will focus on the subject. The focus will not stop adjusting until the subject is completely still. Set the servo mode to "Continuous" to track a moving subject. The focus will do its best to zero in on the subject as it moves, and the photographer will be able to shoot frames throughout the process. Having your subject well-lit makes both of these functions work their best.

Metering Techniques

• The Nikon D1 has several metering modes for measuring exposure. Turn the metering selector lock release, located in front of the shutter release, to change metering modes. The color matrix metering is the left-most setting on the setting lock release. Color matrix metering is the ideal metering mode for subjects that have both light and dark elements. The meter determines exposure from the average brightness of what the camera is focusing on. The center-weighted metering mode is the center setting on the selector lock release. Center-weight metering takes into account the light levels of all of the frame but gives special attention to the very center of the shot when determining exposure. The spot metering setting is the right-most setting on the selector lock release. The spot meter only judges exposure from the dead center of the frame.