Brand

Supervised by
Takayuki Yoshida

D810A Shooting Guide

Focusing

01

Find the focus peak during live view by enlarging images up to approx.
23x for precise focus confirmation.

When shooting star fields and nebulae, rotate the focus ring of the lens or telescope so that the brightest star nearest to the center of the frame (e.g. a fixed star of the second magnitude) looks smallest and brightest. With the D810A, images can be enlarged up to approx. 23x during live view, allowing you to easily confirm precise focus on the camera's monitor without using a loupe or a PC monitor.

How to focus

1

Frame bright stars of the second magnitude in the viewfinder.

2

Press (live view) button to activate the live view mode.

3

Viewing the image of the stars on the monitor, adjust the focus.
If the stars are not clearly visible enough, heighten ISO sensitivity.

4

Target the brightest star on the screen with (focus point) by pressing on the multi selector.

5

Magnification of the zoom display around the focus point increases (up to approx. 23x.) with each press of the button.
Press (Playback zoom out/Thumbnails) button to zoom out.
While the image is zoomed in, use on the multi selector to scroll to other areas in the frame.
Activating exposure preview
In some cases, activating exposure preview by pressing button will enhance the visibility of the live view screen. Refer to "D810A Astrophotography Tips 2."
D810A Astrophotography Tips 2
Magnification to 200% with a single press
When the initial zoom magnification during live view is set to [High magnification (200%)] on "f2" in the Custom Settings menu, maximum zoom can be instantly toggled on and off by pushing the center of the multi selector.

6

Viewing the image on the monitor, fix the focus ring to a position where the star appears smallest and brightest.
Marking the focus position on the focus ring or draw tube using a pen or pencil will greatly assist when readjusting the focus.
Temperature change affects focus position
If you take your equipment from a warm room to a cold outside situation, for example, the precise focus position may change due to temperature fluctuation, even if you fixed it immediately after going outdoors. It is therefore important to confirm precise focus before and during shooting, just in case.

Focusing

01. Achieve precise focusing with 23x zoom live view (Star field/nebulae)

Composition

02. Adjust focusing and framing with the preview function (Star field/nebulae) 03. Quickly check the camera is level with the virtual horizon (Star landscape)

Exposure Time and Aperture

04. Shoot multiple frames efficiently for compositing while avoiding camera shake (Star field/nebulae) 05. Reproduce smooth light trails in "lighten composite" photography (Star landscape) 06. Perform long-time exposure of up to 10 minutes without a remote cord (Star landscape)

Shooting

07. Capture the moon's surface sharply using the electronic front-curtain shutter (Moon surface)

Post-shooting Image Processing

08. The FX-format image sensor provides a high-definition while covering a wide area in a single image (Star field/starscape) 09. Reduce bright spots effortlessly with Astro Noise Reduction (Star field/starscape) 10. Explore a star field by enlarging images of over 36.2 megapixels (Star field/starscape/nebulae)

Focusing

1.
Achieve precise focusing with 23x zoom live view (Star field/nebulae)

Composition

2.
Adjust focusing and framing with the preview function (Star field/nebulae)
3.
Quickly check the camera is level with the virtual horizon (Star landscape)

Exposure Time and Aperture

4.
Shoot multiple frames efficiently for compositing while avoiding camera shake (Star field/nebulae)
5.
Reproduce smooth light trails in "lighten composite" photography (Star landscape)
6.
Perform long-time exposure of up to 10 minutes without a remote cord (Star landscape)

Shooting

7.
Capture the moon's surface sharply using the electronic front-curtain shutter (Moon surface)

Post-shooting Image Processing

8.
The FX-format image sensor provides a high-definition while covering a wide area in a single image (Star field/starscape)
9.
Reduce bright spots effortlessly with Astro Noise Reduction (Star field/starscape)
10.
Explore a star field by enlarging images of over 36.2 megapixels (Star field/starscape/nebulae)
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