Pixiq

Any Nikon photographer who chooses to overlook, or dismiss Live View might well be missing out on some real benefits to their shooting technique. Simon Stafford explains why.

All current Nikon D-SLR cameras, with the exception of the D3000, have Live View yet many photographers do not seem to appreciate how this feature could, potentially, improve their shooting technique. Live View has a number of distinct advantages over the optical viewfinder of a D-SLR in terms of how a prospective shot can be framed and assessed, which makes it well worth getting to know and understand this feature of your camera.

The advantages of Live View:

Check focus precision – achieving critical focus is a vital aspect of any picture you shoot, so the ability to magnify the image on the LCD screen of a camera, while in Live View, so that you can take a really close look at what is sharp and what is not will ensure that you achieve tack sharp results.

The most effective way of doing this is to start by selecting the Tripod mode option under the Live View item in the Shooting menu. Set up the camera on a tripod, compose the shot and focus on the subject. Next, switch on Live View and magnify the image displayed on the LCD screen; use the small navigation window displayed on the LCD screen to scroll to the area of the image that should be in sharp focus by pressing the multi-selector button. Finally, assess focus for accuracy and adjust it if necessary; in Tripod mode you can position the focus point anywhere within the frame area, and then use contrast-detect autofocus to set the point of focus exactly where it is required, or alternatively you can switch to manual focus and make a visual assessment of sharpness as you adjust focus. Once you are confident that the point of focus has been set you can return to the full frame view of the image on the LCD screen and evaluate the depth of field.

Evaluate focus adjustment - a number of the current Nikon D-SLR models enable the user to fine tune the autofocus system of the camera to rectify a consistent focus error with a specific lens; this is achieved by using the AF Fine Tune item in the Setup menu. Normally this would require shooting a series of pictures, with each one taken at a different adjustment level, as set via the AF Fine Tune feature, and then assessing the results after downloading the pictures to a computer. Using Live View it is perfectly feasible to carry out this procedure “in the field” by applying an adjustment and then evaluating its effect by magnifying the Live View image, if necessary repeating the process until the AF system achieves accurate focus.

Frame without using the viewfinder - adopting a camera position that is higher, or lower than normal eye level while standing is one of the simplest and most effective ways of improving your shots but this will often mean that using the camera’s optical viewfinder is far less convenient. Although none of the Live View enabled Nikon D-SLR cameras offer a rotating or tilting LCD monitor screen, with the exception of the Nikon D5000, it is still possible to use the Live View to frame a shot when the camera is in an awkward position, and is far preferable to contorting yourself in an attempt to look through the optical viewfinder. If the shooting situation permits the use of an additional external monitor, Live View provides an excellent method of framing pictures.

Consider composition - the ability to see a composition as a flat, two-dimensional picture on the LCD screen in Live View, just as it would be represented in a print, or on a computer screen, produces a very different view of the scene being photographed compared with looking at it through the optical viewfinder. Peering through the viewfinder the eye and brain continue to interpret the scene in three dimensions, which can distract you from seeing compositional errors, because it is all too easy to fixate on the main subject and not pay sufficient attention to other elements in the foreground and background. This technique works best with static subjects, or scenes and is particularly effective in a studio environment when the camera can be connected to a much larger external HDMI display. The technique is less easy to apply “in the field”, as it is often difficult to see the camera’s monitor screen clearly, especially in bright conditions. However, the solution is simple and has been used for decades by photographers shooting with view-cameras: just throw a coat, or black cloth over your head and LCD screen!

Gauge white balance - since it is possible to change the white balance while Live View is active it makes it very easy to see how colour rendition alters, without having to shoot a sequence of pictures at different white balance settings. This real time assessment can be particularly useful, for example, when shooting under mixed light source conditions, as you can see which white balance option produces the most neutral color balance, or if you use white balance for creative purposes to add atmosphere to a shot by making colours appear ‘warmer’ or ‘cooler’. However, it is important to remember that the monitor screen can only display a limited gamut of colours (it gets close to the sRGB colour space), so this technique cannot compare with assessing colour on a properly calibrated computer monitor screen.

The disadvantages of Live View:

Assessing exposure - while Live View can be very useful for checking a range of image attributes when it comes to checking exposure it is neither helpful, nor reliable. First, with the exception of the D3-series cameras it is not possible to display a real time histogram prior to making an exposure and even then these cameras can only show a composite (luminance) histogram. Second, the brightness of the monitor screen can be varied (in my opinion the default setting is too bright regardless of the model). As far as exposure is concerned I recommend shooting a test shot, analyzing the individual channel histograms and adjusting the exposure as necessary.

Risk of camera vibration – one of the main challenges of shooting with an SLR type camera, even when a tripod is used, is the internal vibration induced by the movement of the reflex mirror, which can impair image sharpness, especially when the shutter speed is in the critical range of 1/30 second to 1 second. When Live View is active the mirror is raised out of the optical path, so the light passing through the lens can reach the sensor; however, when shooting stills pictures from within Live View some photographers mistakenly believe that Live View acts as a form of mirror lock-up mode but in Nikon D-SLR cameras, when the shutter is released in Live View the mirror drops down momentarily to enable the camera to check exposure (and focus in Live View Hand-held mode), before being raised again immediately, followed by the shutter opening. Consequently there is a high risk of vibration due to mirror bounce. The conventional mirror lock-up feature available on some models does not function in Live View, which leaves the Exposure Delay Mode option, available in the Custom Settings menu, as the only way to reduce mirror bounce vibrations.

Impairment of camera performance – as the sensor and LCD monitor screen are on constantly during Live View there is a significant effect on the camera battery due to increased power drain. Associated with this is inherent increase in internal camera temperature due to the operation of the sensor and LCD monitor, which over a protracted period can increase the level of electronic ‘noise’ in the recorded image. You should not experience any problems when using Live View for a few minutes at a time in normal room temperature but in higher ambient temperatures over long periods (30 minutes, or more) you may perceive increased levels of noise. Note that regardless of the camera model Live View can be used for a maximum of 60 minutes; the camera monitors its internal temperature and will shut down automatically if it determines that it is too hot. Finally, do not forget to cover the viewfinder eyepiece when using any of the automated exposure modes in Live View, because the metering senor is located in the viewfinder head just inside the eyepiece, so any light entering here will influence the metering.

Check out Live View!

I make frequent use of Live View in my personal field shooting technique for photographing landscapes, architecture, close-ups, and still life pictures to check focus and depth of field, which is particularly helpful when I am using my Nikkor PC-E lenses with their tilt / shift movements, assess a composition, and select the most appropriate white balance when I want to induce a deliberate colour cast to add mood to a shot. Once I am satisfied everything is as I want it, I exit Live View and return to the normal shooting mode, so I can apply the mirror lock-up feature before I release the shutter. Live View is definitely another positive advantage of digital photography, so why not give it a go; you may never know how you shot pictures without it!