Nikon D5100 Experience Manual page 17

Nikon D5100 Experience
Metering/Exposure
b1: EV steps for exposure control – This is for setting 1/3 stop or 1/2 stop increments
(stops=steps, EV=Exposure Value) for shutter speeds, apertures, exposure compensation, flash
compensation, and bracketing (more on "stops" in the Full Stops section). 1/3 Step is a standard
photography setting and is more precise, but 1/2 Step may be quicker and easier for making
selections. Set this according to what you are used to or what works best for you.
Timers/AE Lock
c1: Shutter-release button AE-L – This setting determines whether or not exposure is locked
with a half-press of the Shutter-Release Button. When you press the Shutter-Release Button
half-way, autofocus is determined and locked at that distance when you are in AF-S mode (or it
will begin tracking a subject in AF-C and AF-A modes). In addition, the exposure setting can
also be determined and locked at this time if you set this to On. However, you may often be
locking focus or starting to track a subject and then recomposing the framing of your shot, so you
might not want exposure to be locked in at the initial framing, which will not be the final framing
of your image. The difference may be slight, or it may cause a significant change in the proper
exposure setting – for example if the overall scene contains both bright highlights and dark
shadows. So it is best to leave this Off. Exposure will be properly determined when the shot is
taken, and thus will typically be correct. If you wish to lock exposure for any situation (such as
for reframing, a challenging lighting situation, or for multiple consecutive shots) the AE-L/AF-L
Button can be used to do this. More about this in the Custom Setting f2 and Exposure Lock
sections below.
c2: Auto off timers – This is for setting how long the displays on the rear Monitor and in the
Viewfinder stay on if no other camera buttons or controls are used (see Figure 9). This applies
to the Information Display, Menus, image playback, image review, and Live View. (Image
playback is when you press the Playback Button to review and image, image review is the
automatic display of an image immediately after taking the photo.) It also determines how long
the exposure meter remains on after metering has begun with a half press of the Shutter-Release
Button. A shorter time will help prevent draining the battery, but may also prove to be annoying.
Try setting for NORM Normal and adjust if necessary. You can also adjust each setting
individually in the Custom option. My recommendations are: Playback/menus 20s or 1 min;
Image review 4s or 8s; Live View 3 min or 5 min; Auto meter-off 20s or 1 min. Adjust these
settings to your preferences.
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