Astrophotography with Nikon D300

[antho10359]

I am trying to take long exposures with a D300 and MC-30 release. As per the manual, I set the camera to Manual "M" but I can't figure out what to do next. To use the preprogrammed speeds of 1.0 to 30.0 seconds, I am supposed to rotate the command dial to the desired setting .... I don't see anything like a time on the display. Alternately, is there a way to configure the camera for total manual release with the cable (like the old days with a B-Stop). Thanks for any help.

 

[ph0enix]

Have you looked at pages 106 through 110 in your D300 manual?
Get it here, if you don't have one:
User's Manual - D300 - Guide to Digital Photography