Bracketing my D40

[dan.rpo]

I know my camera does not have an auto bracketing feature...so am i forced to resort to manually changing the exposure on the camera while on the tripod? whats the easiest way to acheive a set of 3 or 4 different exposure shots on the D40?

 

[Josh66]

Not familiar with Nikon bodies (it really doesn't have auto bracketing? might be called "AEB" in the manual), but this is fairly easy.

On Canon bodies you hold down the "Av +/-" button, not sure what the button is on Nikon bodies. Hold down the button, then turn the wheel - you'll see the needle move on the exposure meter. You can set it to under or over expose by up to 2 stops (on my body, I'm sure your's is similar).

 

[dan.rpo]

that button is to adjust the aperture, correct?

 

[Josh66]

Depends what mode you're in. But yes, it will either adjust the aperture or the shutter speed.

There are a few different ways you could do this. Manual mode would probably be the easiest - First set it up for the "good exposure", then change the ISO, shutter speed, or aperture by the amount you want to bracket. Which one you change will depend on the shot you're trying to get, but shutter speed will generally be the one you want to change.

 

[Flash Harry]

Point camera at scene in auto mode, it will give you 2 readings aperture and shutter, take the shot, switch to manual mode, set the same aperture then do two shots one with the next higher shutter speed and one with the next slower shutter speed. H

 

[epp_b]

To bracket with shutter (which is what you want to do):

1) Put it in Manual, set your aperture according to how you want your depth of field, set your shutter to what your metering tells you
2) Set shutter a stop brighter than neutral, shoot
3) Set shutter to neutral, shoot
4) Set shutter a stop darker than than neutral, shoot

What I define as "neutral" is what not necessarily 0.0 EV, but whatever you might consider neutral for your camera and/or the scene. Most of the time, I have my D40 set to -0.7 EV.

Point camera at scene in auto mode, it will give you 2 readings aperture and shutter, take the shot, switch to manual mode, set the same aperture then do two shots one with the next higher shutter speed and one with the next slower shutter speed. H

The only problem with that is that it's an extra few seconds diddling around with controls. Keep in mind that you'll want to do this quickly, yet gently, so that you get the composition and subject as identical as possible.

that button is to adjust the aperture, correct?

Yes, in Manual. In other program modes, it is the button for exposure compensation.

 

[andrew99]

epp_b is right. I'm assuming you are doing this for HDR, in which case you want the aperture the same in each photo, so they all have the same DOF, so to bracket you will be changing the shutter speed for each exposure. When you're changing the shutter speed, 3 clicks of the dial is one stop, and you probably want your bracketed exposures to be at least 1 stop apart. Also make sure you turn off auto ISO! Set your ISO to 200. And don't forget to post your results!

 

[Jetskiin4evr]

Andrew99 is exactly right, must be shot in Aperature priority mode, but dont make the mistake of having a cheap tripod. the camera must stay in the same place. I do 2 f-stop facing and merge 6 photos. Unlike other cameras shot in AEV you have to adjust the D40 between every shot so try your best not to move it. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3152/3039204285_b4dca56dcf.jpg