Nikon D300 - Using Picture Controls

You can select the aperture you want to use during the
recording if you use Aperture priority auto mode (A) and
preselect an aperture, such as F/8. The camera will use that
aperture for the entire video. Once you’ve started shooting a
video, the lens aperture does not change. The camera adjusts
the light sensitivity of the sensor to correct for variations in
ambient light.
You cannot change the aperture or shutter speed during a
video, even though you can change the aperture and shutter
speed values on the Monitor with the Command dials. Select
an aperture before you start your video and you’ll have
control over the depth of field during the video.
Since the camera records video at 24 frames per second and
uses an electronic rolling shutter, the mechanical shutter
speed has no meaning during a video recording session.
You can also control certain aspects of the “look” of the
video. Let’s see how.
Using Picture Controls
You can use the included Nikon Picture Controls, or even
your own Custom Picture Controls, to control the “look” of
your D-Movies. I’m not going to go into a great deal of
information here on using or modifying picture controls, since
this subject is covered very well in other chapters. However,
once you understand them, and have modified a couple, you
will realize that your videos will benefit from different picture
controls.
For instance, let’s say you are shooting a video on an
overcast, low-contrast day, and you want to add some snap to
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