Nikon DSLRs: D3500, D500, D750, D780, D850 Mirrorless: Z50, Z6 & Z7

HOW DO I USE MY NIKON?

By:

Jan Flanigan



May 7, 2024

Remember way back in the year Two Thousand and Nineteen when Horn Photo used to have classes? Wow. Those were the days. Sitting behind that girl with the long hair,and dipping her pigtails in the inkwell? So long ago. Those days are gonefor now, for a little while, anyway, until we can dip our arms into a syringe full of a CoVid 19 vaccine. In the meantime, we are putting together our favorite video tutorials to help you learn how to become better photographers, and how to use your cameras. You can watch these in the comfort of your own home wearing only your underwear. You can’t do that at Horn Photo. Mask or no mask, please don’t come into the store in just your underwear.

If you have a Canon, Sony or Lumix, don’t waste your time reading this blog. Sony, you had your day in the sun during the last blog:

https://hornphoto.com/blog/learn-to-use-your-sony-camera

Canon and Lumix, your time will come another day.

Nikon users…this blog’s for you!

Whether you are new to Nikon, or a seasoned user, you should be able to get some helpful Information from one or more of these videos. The videos cover specific Nikon cameras that we just so happen to sell at Horn Photo.

If you are not a Nikon user, and don’t want to wait for us to provide you with links to your particular camera, then by all means come into Horn Photo! We can’t think of a better reason for you to buy a brand new Nikon just so you can watch and follow along with one of these videos! One of our favorite pastimes at Horn Photo is to take your money.

We have found that the most comprehensive step-by-step video tutorials on how to use your Nikon cameras are by:

1. Michael Andrew (aka Michael the Maven) and

2. Tony Northrup.

Michael Andrew is a science based photography instructor, and is not sponsored by any company. His videos are long and very thorough, but start at the basic of basics before getting into the how’s and why’s. He provides demonstrations that are relevant to your being able to learn, understand and retain information. He suggests that you have your camera handy and and follow along at times so you can see for yourself the way the camera works.

Michael does spend a few moments promoting his own educational courses in photography, and there are commercial ads throughout his tutorial that can be skipped after five seconds. These interruptions are a small price to pay of your time for the abundant information you will get about howto operate your camera.

‍If Billy Bob Thornton and Cesar Milan (The Dog Whisperer) had a son (not saying that’s a bad thing)

Tony Northrup is a popular video instructor, who has written a number of books on photography. The amount of in depth information he gives depends on the complexity of the camera.

His videos include short ads, that you can skip after a few seconds. All of his videos are easy to fast forward through a part that you already know or aren’t interested in. Each new section starts with a noticeable graphic title of the topic. Tony gives a fair amount of detail in many of the sections. It’s best to get too much information than not enough.

His feelings won’t be hurt if you fast forward him. He won’t even know.

WARNING!!!!! Tony Northrup gives suggestions on products.

Here’s a BETTER suggestion: CHECK OUT HORN PHOTO’S PRODUCTS!!! We have similar products at the same or better prices, and you’ll be supporting your local business.

There is one video by Jared Polin from the Fro Knows Photo YouTube Channel. He’s also very good at instruction, and a great resource for many different topics on photography.

We’ve also snuck in a link to Nikon USA’s webpage that contains some great videos containing tips and also meant to inspire your creativity.

Here are the videos:

1. How to use my D3500

(Let's start with a camera that Horn Photo has sold thousands of to shooters like you in the Central Valley).

My number one choice for video tutorials is the lengthy one by Michael Andrew. This video is 1 hour and 45 minutes long, but he doesn’t beat any topic to death. He covers a ton of info, and shows you how and why the settings work.

Michael has the patience and demeanor of a kindergarten teacher, but he is not condescending or sickeningly sweet.

This may sound rude, but if you don’t get answers to the questions that you don’t know that you even had about your D3500, then maybe you should replace it with a Mattel View Master and call it a day.

If you don’t have even as much as an hour to watch a video that will make you an expert on your camera, then watch this Fro Knows Photo: Jared Polin’s video tutorial on the NikonD3500 for Beginners. It’s 45 minutes long, and goes over the basics. Jared has over 3000 videos on his YouTube channel. He’s very good, has a dry sense-of-humor that pops up every now and then. Don’t let his hairdo distract you. I assure you, no birds live in there.

It is VERY BASIC. In this video he starts with how to put in the battery. He takes you on a tour of every button, plug, mark, nook and cranny of the D3500. He shows you how to take the lens off the camera and put one back on. Don’t worry about breaking your camera as you fiddle with it. Jared shows you the only few ways you CAN break the camera.

You will learn what most of the menu items mean, and his suggestions for specific menu settings.

Click here to shop D3500

2. How to use my Nikon D500

This is a Tony Northrup video made in 2016. It is specifically for theD500. The tutorial portion is about an hour long.

After Tony presents the tutorial portion, he spends about 10 minutes talking about accessories, lenses and printing services. He suggests that you purchase his favorites and where to find them. But, if you’re reading this and taking advantage of our super benevolent customer service, and our charming personalities, then your favorite accessories, lenses and printing services should be the ones that Horn Photo sells! So, before you click on his suggestions, click on ours!

SHOP GEAR RIGHT HERE

SHOP ProMaster RIGHT HERE

ORDER KODAK PRINT HERE

Back to the video. Tony covers a ton of topics, some you may be more interested in than others. He presents things in an easy to follow, and easy to understand way. As with all of Tony’s video tutorials, it’s easy to scrub through the sections that you aren’t interested in, or have had enough of. The topics are clearly displayed at the beginning of each section.

Here’s the video tutorial on theD500:

Click here to shop D500

3. How to use my Nikon D750

Tony Northrup’s hour and a half video covers everything you need to know about how to use your Nikon D750. Tony also covers some basics of photography,explaining and demonstrating fundamentals such depth of field, capturing motion, etc.

Tony does a great job of explaining how to use your camera, and what all of the doohickeys on the camera are for. He also gives you helpful links to his suggestions for memory cards and other accessories. For God’s sake, DON’T DO THAT! You have a link right at your fingertips to purchase these same types of items from your friendly neighborhood mom and pop camera store—-HORN PHOTO! Matter of fact, you’re on the link now. Just leave the blog page and go to our products page! SHOP GEAR

Click here to shop D750Click here

3. How to use my Nikon D780

This video tutorial by Michael Andrew (YouTube Channel Michael The Maven) is over two and a half hourslong. It is basically a video version of the Nikon D780 manual. It will make you an expert with your camera after watching this video. It will not make you an expert at taking good pictures, if you aren’t familiar with the basics of photography. He does not take the time to cover fundamentals of photography in this video tutorial, because there’s not that much time left for human existence on this planet to cover both topics on one video.

If you have a D780, you probably know photography basics. If not, rummage through our other blogs for basic photography videos. We have more than one.

Get your D780, grab a bag of chips and a refreshing beverage, get comfy and click on the Michael Andrew’s video:

Click here to shop D780

4. How to my your D850

Tony Northrup’s video tutorial on the Nikon D850 is an hour and ten minutes long. He goes over the basics of the camera, but assumes that you are familiar with the fundamentals of photography. He starts with how to put in the battery, and as the video progresses, he gets deep into the menu. Tony spends the last five minutes of the video telling you his preferences for lenses. Get yours at Horn Photo! SHOP NIKKOR NOW

Click here to shop D850

5. How to use my Nikon Z50 Mirrorless Camera

This is a Michael Andrew’s video tutorial on the Z50 made in January 2020. The video is a tad over 2 hours long. It covers all of the features of this advanced camera in a simple and easy to understand way. He demonstrates in a way that you will remember.

It’s helpful if you have your camera and follow along while you’re watching the video. Michael goes from basic to deep in many of the workings of the camera.

Click here to shop Z50

6. How to use my Nikon Z6 and Z7 Mirror-less Camera

Here are two excellent video tutorials on the Z6 and Z7. The first one is by Michael Andrew, and the second one is by Tony Northrup. Take your pick, or watch both to reinforce the information. Some of it’s bound to stick inside your complex and massive brain. Both videos assume that you understand the basics of photography, and both show you from basic features to more in-depth menu items.

This video by Michael Andrew on the Z6 and Z7 is a little over an hour and a half long.

Tony Northrup’s video is a little over an hour long.

Click here to shop Z6&7

7. Bonus Videos from Nikon USA

This is a link to the Nikon site where you can find a number of brief videos containing informative photography tips and photography meant to inspire your creativity. There are also some short videos on specific features of the D850: https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/videos.page#