Christmas list for D7000 firmware :-)

Ok so I thought this might be fun.

So now we know Nikon is listening and communicating back to the users and consumers. Playing on the big corporate face is not very friendly these days. (remember Intel a few years back?)

Add to that the fact that they are loosing some market share to Sony and you suddenly have a corporation that is changing their ways and making changes, products, and evolving things together with its broader user base, not just pros. !!

Its Christmas time and i would like my Nikon corporate santa to bring me these small firmware changes for my D7000:

• Hotpixel issue in video, reduced/eliminated as promised in the press release
• HPS algorithm to activate itself a bit lower not just over 1sec exposures. Say from 1/3sec maybe. (in menu on/of or shutter speed when on) Fixes hot pixels in high ISO exposures
• Backfocusing recheck, maybe set default in camera to -5, since many users are reporting this also
• More detailed setting of AF tune. Maybe for couple of different FL for each zoom lens. (my 18-105 is excellent at -8 on all FL but FFes like crazy at 24mm :-( )
• When reversed indicators for exposure in viewfinder (f9), command dial should also reverse and go + when turned to the right. Now you have a sepparate setting only that -f6
• Remove the buffer frame counter when easy ISO is displayed in viewfinder. Why would I want to know remaining buffer size... I want to know chosen ISO before I shoot.
• Remove the flashing LO warning in viewfinder instead of selected shutter speed! Flashing exposure scale like in M mode would be more consistent.
• a3 setting is named OFF, for the shortest setting... illogical to me.
• AF-ON feature to be assignable to Fn button. I am a left eye shooter so AE/AF-L button is not convenient to me.
• Auto ISO values setting menu to be assignable to Mymenu or directly to a button
• "Mymenu" and "Recent settings" separate, to be assignable to FN or DOF, not just "First My menu item" --Why limit the number of programmable features to certain button
• AF assist light in LV mode. Why not? It can help.
• Make customizable info screen where we could set our own shortcuts instead of those less needed... i would reassign: color space, assign DOF button and others with direct functions. That would be awesome!
• Adding WB and "picture control changes" preview while setting up by raising the mirror and using LV
• LV mode is to limited.. cant format the card, comes to mind. Others complained about video control.
• One press video recording. Let the camera enter the LV by itself. If not let us program video button for something else when in OVF mode!

OK so i admit it, I'm a novice Nikon user and most of these changes are relatively unimportant, but maybe if Nikon asked more people would say what could be better.
I know others noticed these things to, saw them mentioned in various posts.

That said I am very surprise at how well expanded the options really are for this camera.

You can't get that right on the first try. It is evident it took them years to cover everything that they have.

Most of these things you learn to live with, and most of you have. But also, many of them could be added as menu options not replacing usual placement.

Add your own quirks and remarks to my list, and of course comments to my list are welcome.

(Disclaimer: I may have misunderstood some of the things I've put here. Put me on the right path if you notice )

Here's to a great new firmware, hopefully first in the line with wanted additions to our cameras. Not necessarily for Christmas... (Cheers!)


--
Rick Halle wrote:

" Keep in mind that tall buildings sway back and forth so they require faster shutter speeds."

how could you forget this one ?

oh yes & a central or mutiple spot 3x zoom function for accurate manual focus in the video mode would be great as well !!!

ISO in 1/2, 1/3 and 1 steps instead of 1/2 and 1/3.

That is a very nice list.

I guess the best Christmas gift will be if Nikon comes up with a software where the user can completely reprogram/amend the firmware.

Ok, I admit this can have grave issues on warranty and stuffs like that, but then, this is a Christmas gift. ;-)

Pour in your ideas as well.

--
Warm Regards,
Ayan

We know about the one in Bethlehem and 34th street, but aside from fixes (as acknowledged now for hot pixels in video mode), don't expect Nikon to issue firmware releases. Look at how many came out for the D90. Rest my case.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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You can assign "AF lock only" to the Fn button which is essentially Focus lock while you hold the Fn button. Read the manual.
--
Richard R. Price

AF-L is different than AF-ON...

AF-ON on Fn would be a good compromise. But that's on the list: why limit what can be programed on what button? Why not expand it further?
http://nikonglass.blogspot.com/2009/02/refined-focusing-technique-for-nikon.html

My guess is most of the changes will be made in future cameras, because their software will evolve.

They can't change most of the stuff sadly... and one obvious and ironic reason is printed manual...

Lots of those stuff wouldn't be mentioned in the old manual and it would become very confusing. Sad truth... :-(


--
Rick Halle wrote:

" Keep in mind that tall buildings sway back and forth so they require faster shutter speeds."

AV Janus said:

• AF-ON feature to be assignable to Fn button. I am a left eye shooter so AE/AF-L button is not convenient to me.

Click to expand...

+1, I am also a left eye shooter and I immediately tried to assign AF-ON to Fn and got quite disappointed that it wasn't and option given that AE-L/AF-L is (doesn't make sense to me, button as button why not make them all re-mappable any way you want?).

I don't use the AE-L/AF-L button much so I would have loved a AF-ON-like button (like on D300s) further to the left that could be remapped to anything. I guess that wont happen so a firmware update making the Fn button available as AF-ON would be a valuable "second best solution".

The best solution would off course be a two buttons solution with a dedicated AF-ON like on the pro models but that would probably upset the D300 crowd

One "push" 100% magnification would be nice too... n/t

Nothing here...

I hope Nikon will hire more software programmers. The ability to write software and check it fast would be seen as a great + in peoples eyes. It would also add the perception of Nikon caring to their customer base.

No one asks that they implement things blindly, but most of the things listed in this thread just seem overlooked, that's all.

And don't worry about the printed manual Nikon. Ship the revised or digital version with new cameras. People who upgrade FW will live with old or DL the digital version.

They shouldn't have something like that stop them. The camera is only a few months old and will sell much, much more copies!

Follow the example on what Sony did to NEX, and how much UI change that firmware has brought.

What you need to change is nothing compared to that... only bits and pieces, and its 99% perfect.
--
Rick Halle wrote:

" Keep in mind that tall buildings sway back and forth so they require faster shutter speeds."

--
There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness.' :'!':

dreuben said:

One "push" 100% magnification would be nice too... n/t

Click to expand...

Yep, very usful, and with the (OK) button at the right cause my left hand is always busy to handle heavy lenses

good list.

at the minimum:

1. remove that remaining buffer and show ISO or make it selectable in menu
2. don't show LO or HI, just show the shutter spped value
3. assign a button to quickly enable/disable auto-iso
4. fix hot pixels in video and hopefully that trickles down to stills as well

--
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-- master yoda

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I would like to choose between to different matrix metering modes. One that strives after preserving the highlights and one that lifts the shadows. Both of these are handy. My D70 has a tendency to darken images to preserv highlights. I would like this on my D7000 also.

Not necessarily. If it worked like CHDK for Canon P&S cameras, it would not change the firmware nor void the warranty.

Ayan M said:

I guess the best Christmas gift will be if Nikon comes up with a software where the user can completely reprogram/amend the firmware.

Ok, I admit this can have grave issues on warranty and stuffs like that, but then, this is a Christmas gift. ;-)

Click to expand...

opiecat said:

good list.

at the minimum:

1. remove that remaining buffer and show ISO or make it selectable in menu
2. don't show LO or HI, just show the shutter spped value
3. assign a button to quickly enable/disable auto-iso
4. fix hot pixels in video and hopefully that trickles down to stills as well

Click to expand...

I agree on these and I can also add one more: a new custom setting for the auto iso FLASH behaviour -
on = like now (bump higher iso for background fill),
off = like D90 and before (keep ISO as low as possible).

I can also ask about a weaker AF assist lamp (as the current one blinds the people) but that's probably not possible.

Olympus C-5050 have since 2003 ... later I switched to Nikon, even then the C-5050 had a pixel mapping for the elimination of bad / stuck pixels. Maybe it's time that Nikon implements something similar...