OFF! And use till it pleases me in POST

From a YouTube video it was asserted with samples that Active D-Light Off and Low are virtually identical. I don't shoot JPG(s) in camera only NEF so I don't need Active D-Lighting in camera for stills.

It seems Active D-Lighting may be important to video where I shoot basically home videos that won't be post processed.

Thanks for all the replies.

Dave

I find ADL very useful when videographing people moving across locations with completely uncontrolled lighting conditions, it opens up faces against backgrounds that may be brighter in a non-tone-mapped representation. It works quite well for making scene contrast lower yet keeping the subject well defined. I use it typically in NORMAL setting.

In stills I sometimes apply DL of some sort in post-processing, e.g., when photographing trees against the sun in the backgroud it works well and mitigates the excessive contrast in the scene. However, I only use it for specific situations. There are other algorithms and methods for this but sometimes Nikon's algorithm works really well and is the easiest path forward.

Nikon Coolpix P50 - from my Flora Excursoria Hafniensis series ...

I really really love your work. Keep them coming and put them in musems too

March 9

one lemon

Z7_2  - Nikkor Z 105mm f/2.8vrS

In Tokyo, it will be a little colder again this week, but the magnolias look well ready to bloom.

Ais Nikkor 400mm/f5.6@f8.0 on SIGMA fp.