Shooting Tips for Special Effects Selective Color Retention
Shooting Subjects: Flowers, Signs, Featured sculptures
Suggested Usage Tip: Up to three colors can be kept in the photos when the effect is used. Each color could be selected within a tolerance range of 1-7, with level 1 as the lowest to level 7, the highest tolerance level. For instance, set lower tolerance level will outstand the selected color(s); non-selected colors will be rendered as black and white.

The camera’s built-in flash will be forced off when Selective Color Retention mode is on. It is recommended to use a tripod in poor lighting environments.
Suggested Locations: Garden, Playground
Silhouette
Shooting Subjects: Buildings, Portraits, Plants
Suggested Usage Tip: A rich dramatic effect can be achieved using the Silhouette filter to strengthen the shadow of objects with a semi-backlight or side-lighting environment. Choose objects with clear contours, such as geometrical architecture or decorations, to get a clearer silhouette effect.
Suggested Locations: Outdoor environments with semi-backlight or side light
Color Sketch
Shooting Subjects: Architecture, Gardens, Brick wall with rich contours
Suggested Usage Tip: Color sketch can enhance contours in the photo and add colors to them. It results in a stunning sketch painting effect. This effect is particularly suitable if you want to create a fun yet artistic effect in your photos.
Suggested Locations: Gardens, Old buildings
Miniature
Shooting Subjects: Roads, Vehicles, Crowd
Suggested Usage Tip: The best way to use the Miniature mode is when you are taking long distance shots which overlook a number of objects from a high angle. The clear range can be set to default for shooting. At your preferred setting, the narrower the clear range is, the wider the blur areas around it. This is similar to macro shots which demonstrate the visual effects at different depth of field.
Suggested Locations: High horizontal bridges, terraces and hills
High Color Tone
Shooting Subjects: Female Portraits, Plain-color Accessories
Suggested Usage Tip: High color tone can increase the whiteness and softness of a picture. It is particularly suitable for female or fashion portrait shots, which enhances Whitening Blush and brightens skin color. The effect will be more outstanding if the photo is taken against a light-colored backdrop.
Suggested Locations: Bright scenes, Outdoor, Light-colored buildings
Low Color Tone
Shooting Subjects: Dark Objects, Metal or glass
Suggested Usage Tip: This effect may be used to create an atmosphere of seriousness or darkness. The dim lighting and somber atmosphere found within restaurants and bars could be beneficial in creating this distinctive mood.
Suggested Locations: Restaurants and bars with somber lights
Night Vision
Shooting Subjects: Nocturnal animals, Night views
Suggested Usage Tip: Using Night Vision allows the camera to enhance its sensitivity greatly during insufficient lighting in any indoor or outdoor environment. This effect makes it possible to capture movements of nocturnal animals or insects which would be difficult to capture otherwise. However because of this extremely high sensitivity and reduced blur of motion, images may possibly become black and white, with noises or streaks.
Suggested Locations: Any indoor or outdoor environments with insufficient lighting
Shooting Tips for Multi-Angle LCD Monitor High Angle
Suggested Usage Tip: This technique helps to create a contig effect. Users in a group may hold the camera high with lens facing down, and adjust the vari-angle LCD monitor to a viewable angle to catch the peoples’ faces. The composition of the photo can be adjusted by looking at the vari-angle monitor facing the people.

The advantage of this technique is that users can take photos from a high angle easily without having to get to higher ground or climb a ladder. This effect will be even better if a wide-angle lens is used simultaneously.
  • High Angle
Waist-level Angle
Suggested Usage Tip: When shooting flowers at waist level, it usually requires kneeling to shoot while viewing through the viewfinder. The multi-angle LCD screen makes shooting easier as you now only need to place the camera at waist level and adjust the LCD screen to a viewable angle to catch the object you want to photograph. The composition can then be adjusted without kneeling or bending down.
  • Waist-level Angle
Low Angle
Suggested Usage Tip: Usually a low angle is required to catch difficult shots such as tree shadows behind flowers. Using Low Angle shots, you can simply put the camera close to the ground with lens facing upward. Then flip the LCD screen out fully and adjust to a viewable angle to catch the scene and compose different angles for the photo.

This is a convenient method to shoot objects from ground level or a low eye-level angle, and is commonly used for subjects such as pets, flowers, insects and other small animals or objects.
  • Low Angle
Tips for Full HD D-movie Recording

Nikon D5100 provides comprehensive full HD video recording, supporting high-definition video quality of up to 1920 X 1080/30p. It also provides full-time Servo autofocus, special effects modes and compatibility with different lens and accessories, to further expand the potential of the Digital SLR in the short film recording arena and achieve amazing results.

Special Effect Video Demo

Not only can the Nikon D5100 take high-definition HD videos, you can also use one or more of its Special Effect modes together as you perform the video recording. The results of the special effects used are the same as with normal photo shooting. All this adds is more fun to your final video output.

a. Selective color Before making the video, select the colors that need to be kept (up to three), while the other non-selected colors would be rendered black and white. This leads to an effect where the main object becomes particularly prominent, and can be used to show a special significance of the object or artistic feel.It is strongly recommended to pre-assess and differentiate whether the main color of the object is too close to the others. Try to adjust the tolarence range to a lower level, and aim at separation from other colors.
Setup of Selective Color
b. Miniature When the Miniature effect is selected while shooting a video, the playback speed will become faster than normal, as the number of frames per second are reduced. This can be used as a fun effect for your video. Handheld-shooting is not suitable when using this mode. In order to make a stable video, it is recommended to have your camera mounted on a tripod.
Setup of Miniature Effect See more digitutor videos >
Stereo microphone ME-1 Video Demo
Nikon D5100 can be connected to an external stereo microphone ME-1 for stereo voice recording purposes. It can be used to produce a rich, fulfilling sound capture, and can substantially eliminate the noises of the lens from its auto focus movements while recording.
You may use ME-1's "low cut" function in a larger environment with many noises, to filter out low-level noises such as wind and the indoor low-frequency hum of the air-conditioner. This is definitely useful to record a clearer main voice.
  • Stereo microphone ME-1's "low cut" function
  • Using built-in microphone
  • Using External Stereo microphone ME-1 Produces much better sound effects. The clarity of birds chirping has increased significantly.
Tips for Nikkor lens shooting AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G
Shooting Subjects: Close-up, Portrait, Night
Suggested Usage Tip: With its DX format standard focal length and large aperture features, this lens allows you to capture night or low light environment shots. Adjust the lens aperture to maximum to get a faster shutter speed and reduce blurred images caused by handshake. This allows the stability of hand-held shooting to dramatically increase.

If applied to an object up-close, shoot with the large aperture to highlight the main object while creating a nice depth of field.
AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED
Shooting Subjects: Landscape, Narrow indoor environment
Suggested Usage Tip: The lens provides an ultra-wide angle that is good for outdoor scenes showing the beauty of magnificent scenery. In addition to eye-level, it is recommended to try out different angles as well as adjust the composition of sky and ground ratio, for extra creativity.

In a narrow indoor environment, use an ultra-wide angle focal length or a diagonal angle of the vari-angle LCD monitor to enhance the sense of interior space.
AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
Shooting Subjects: Flowers, wildlife
Suggested Usage Tip: In line with the DX format camera, the lens offers the equivalent of 82.5mm to 450mm focal lengths. Static flowers or portraits close-up require especially 82.5mm to 200mm focal length for a focused photo. This lens successfully shapes the natural blur and highlights of the subject.

As for the 200mm to 450mm ultra telephoto focal lengths, it is the most suitable lens for shooting distant birds or insects. With the VR II Vibration Reduction system, clear and sharp photos are easily achieved.
AF-S DX Macro Nikkor 85mm f/3.5G ED VR
Shooting Subjects: Flowers, insects, micro-accessories
Suggested Usage Tip: As the lens can achieve a 1:1 magnification ratio in the distance of 0.286m, this gives the photographer great advantage in shooting flowers, insects or small accessories for amazing sharp details with natural bokeh.

In order to shoot sharp images, in the absence of a tripod, use the VR II Vibration Reduction system to greatly enhance the stability of handheld shooting.