Here are some of my settings and considerations.

I'm always thinking about the focusing settings - Single Point (most of the time) and focus lock with the button half press - so I can focus and recompose. But I realized from a photo walk on the street last night that I should be experimenting with AF Area. As evident with the bicycle going by - I really missed that shot in focus. And then I need to consider AF-S, or AF-C.

Rendering - I'm at Portrait in camera most of the time - and since I'm shooting NEF I can adjust in post. I'm finding that Portrait is offering the best balance of colors, contrast and sharpening right out of the camera. I'm importing and converting in CaptureNX - even though I have LR4. And i love LR4 - but the rendering coming out of CNX is wonderful.

Oh -- and here's the most significant, I feel; I'm in Electronic Shutter, continuous, at 10fps. A can fire off one frame at a time if needed - or I can pound the shutter and get a burst if needed. And since it is silent - it is a bit of a game changer.

I'm also trying to shoot at 18mm on the 10-30mm to replicate the 18.5 as much as possible -- as that is on the list.