anotherview wrote:
Your tips make plenty of sense in view of my experience.
Crusty here.
1 - given what I shoot, (everything) and how I record (raw only) WB is set to auto or whatever - I make that decision in Lightroom or DXO.
2-4 - these settings are always in constant flux - I will adjust as necessary while I shoot.
5 - metering - I always, always always use spot, and no auto exposure. Again, I make exposure decisions manually, primarily based on the Zone System, which I adopted back in the late 60s. I go for the highest amount of light hitting the sensor without overexposing (blowing out) the important highlights. On my D800 at low ISOs this is usually measured of the brightest part of the scene that needs detail, and I add 1-1/3 to 1-2/3 stop more exposure.
6 - I use no stabilization - I've determined that it does rob sharpness, softening very fine detail, though it may be useful for non-critical applications where I must use a slow shutter speed and can't use a tripod. In my current work, that is almost never. Focus is set to AF0C, dynamic area, one point to 51 points based on subject and circumstances.
7 - always raw
8 - always continuous high speed, but if I use a different mode for whatever reason, it will be reverted
9 - before a shoot I will charge up several batteries
10 - after every shoot I copy files to memory stick (in the field, sometimes while I drive home. When I get home I copy everything to my hard drive, which is then backed up to two separate hard drives automatically every night. Card is formatted in the camera.
But everyone's mileage can, and often does, differ - thanks for posting!