Live View Mode
(User’s Manual: D300S page 48; D300 page 79)
Live view mode allows you to use the Monitor on the back of
your camera to frame pictures instead of using the eyepiece
and Viewfinder. It has two modes, Hand-held and Tripod,
each of which uses a different type of autofocus (AF).
Hand-held mode uses phase-detection AF, while Tripod mode
uses contrast-detect AF. We’ll discuss this more in a moment.
To use Live view mode, simply press the tiny Lv button on
the back of the camera, just above the AF-area mode selector.
The Monitor will turn on and show you what your camera’s
lens sees. It’s like using the Viewfinder, but much larger.
Live view mode is an approach that some consider a
throwback and others a lifesaver. Why do I say that?
Well, have you ever seen amateur photographers with a
point-and-shoot camera—arms extended—as they use their
camera LCD to frame pictures? How sharp can a picture be
when one is holding the camera out in mid air snapping
pictures? Using a heavier camera like the D300(S) this way
would tire the arms more quickly and make sharpness even
worse. That’s not the best way to use Live view mode.
As for being a lifesaver, have you ever had to focus on a
small subject while bent over at the waist? The back suffers
quickly and it’s hard to stay bent over for long. Live view
mode solves that problem pretty well since you can just fire
up Tripod Live view mode and take pictures using the big
3-inch monitor with contrast-detect AF.
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