Lance and beatboxa your replies were helpful. I stumbled on to the D-pad toggling to get to the histogram. On my Canon 5D classic you simply press "info" during playback.
No way in a million years would I have thought that the flash exposure compensation adjustment be associated with a the simple button that flips up the on-board flash - but hey, mystery solved.
Regarding autofocus, Canon makes it so much easier. Only have to spin one dial, not hold a button and spin a dial simultaneously.
Next question: in program mode, why does auto iso get canceled when the flash is turned on? On the Canon, you simply set the iso. On Nikon, it's like playing the lottery. Never know what ISO number you're going to get.
I've used a 5DIII quite a bit--and they're just different. I personally prefer Nikon's method, but to each their own.
In program mode, Auto ISO doesn't get cancelled--Nikon does
live ISO and selects ISO when you actually take the picture. You're using "Program Auto" in "P" mode, so a relatively unpredictable number is kind of what you're asking for.
Here's the general default interface for Nikon. These can largely be customized, but here's a cheatsheet for you:
No button pushed:
- Front Dial: Aperture
- Rear Dial: Shutter speed
- DPad: AF point selection
- (no thumb rotatey-thingy)
Autofocus button:
- Front Dial: AF Area (single point, group, 3d tracking, etc.)
- Rear Dial: AF mode (Auto, AF-S (single-shot), AF-C (continuous/"servo"))
Flash button:
- Front Dial: Compensation amount
- Rear Dial: Flash mode (front, rear, etc.)
BKT button:
- Front Dial: Exposure between shots
- Rear Dial: Number of shots
- (Also, you can do time-lapses from the menu)
ISO button (or movie record button if you re-assign it):
- Front Dial: Toggle Auto ISO on/off
- Rear Dial: Select ISO
White balance:
- Front Dial: Fine tune
- Rear Dial: WB Preset
QUAL: changes raw / jpeg / quality. But just don't use this. In fact, I reassigned my movie record button to ISO just to avoid accidentally pushing this stupid, pointless button.
Metering button:
EC button:
You can reassign your AE-L / AF-L button to "AF-On" for back-button focusing.
I believe you should be able to see all of the above on the rear screen when you start holding the button. It should clearly guide you through which dial does what.
Make sure your controls aren't "locked" by being in the "L" position.
That should be the major ones. There are also a few additional buttons you can reassign, like the front Pv & Fn buttons. But hopefully that helps.
Read the manual.
