HDR Overlay

G button U C photo shooting menu

Used with high contrast subjects, High Dynamic Range (HDR) preserves details in highlights and shadows by combining two shots taken at different exposures. Use with high-contrast scenes and other subjects to preserve a wide range of details, from highlights to shadows.

Option	Description
[HDR mode]	[On (series)]: Take a series of HDR photographs. To end HDR photography, select [HDR mode] again and choose [Off]. [On (single photo)]: End HDR photography after recording a single HDR photograph. [Off]: End HDR photography.
[HDR strength]	Adjust HDR strength. If [Auto] is selected, the camera will automatically adjust HDR strength to suit the scene.
[Save individual pictures (RAW)]	Choose [ON] to save each of the individual shots used to create the HDR picture; the shots are saved in NEF (RAW) format.

Taking HDR Photographs

We recommend that you use matrix metering when shooting with HDR.

Highlight [HDR overlay] in the photo shooting menu and press 2.
Select an [HDR mode].
- Highlight [HDR mode] and press 2.
- Highlight one of the following options using 1 or 3 and press J.
- If [On (series)] or [On (single photo)] is selected, an icon will appear in the display.
Choose an [HDR strength].
- Highlight [HDR strength] and press 2.
- Highlight an option using 1 or 3 and press J.
- If [Auto] is selected, the camera will automatically adjust HDR strength to suit the scene.
Choose a setting for [Save individual pictures (RAW)].

Choose [ON] to save each of the individual shots used to create the HDR picture; the shots are saved in NEF (RAW) format.
Frame the photograph, focus, and shoot.
- The camera takes two exposures when the shutter-release button is pressed all the way down.
- “Busy” will flash in the control panel while the pictures are combined. No photographs can be taken until recording is complete.
- If [On (series)] is selected for [HDR mode], you can continue to take HDR photographs until [Off] is selected.
- If [On (single photo)] is selected, HDR will turn off automatically after a single shot.
- HDR photographs are recorded in JPEG format regardless of the option selected for image quality.

Cautions: HDR Photography

The edges of the picture will be cropped out.
The desired results may not be achieved if the camera or subject moves during shooting. Use of a tripod is recommended.
Depending on the scene, you may notice shadows around bright objects or halos around dark objects. In other cases, the effect produced by HDR may not be particularly noticeable.
Uneven shading may be visible with some subjects.
When spot or center-weighted metering is selected, an [HDR strength] setting of [Auto] is equivalent to [Normal].
Optional flash units will not fire.
In continuous release modes, only one photograph will be taken each time the shutter-release button is pressed all the way down.
Shutter speeds of “Bulb” and “Time” are not available.

HDR: Restrictions

HDR cannot be combined with some camera features, including:

photo flicker reduction,
high-speed frame capture +,
bracketing,
multiple exposures,
interval-timer photography,
time-lapse video recording,
focus shift,
pixel shift, and
auto capture.