Menu Banks - Extended Menus - Custom settings (for both Camera and Video)

[cammot1]

I’ve been working hard to better understand how to set up my Z9 using the Menu Banks. While the basic setup seems straightforward, things get confusing once you start using the extended menus and customizing settings further—especially when separating photo and video configurations.

Has anyone come across a site that explains all this clearly and logically, with proper context? Once you get past the first steps, it can get complicated if the fundamentals aren’t fully understood. It’s definitely a learning process that takes time and effort.

I do appreciate that you can save and upload settings, but it’s important not to delete them by formatting the memory card. Can anyone shed some light on these aspects of the setup?

 

[Bird_Nerd]

Thanks for the caution. That said, one still needs a way to safely store the settings files somewhere, especially since formatting the card will erase them. How would you suggest keeping those files securely preserved?

It's the "formatting dance."

1. Load menu settings (you may have overriden something).
2. Format the card.
3. Save menu settings.

The problem with this is the parenthetical thought in Step 1: if you changed something from your normal settings, you now have to restore that change if you still want it.

I assumed it might be possible to save them externally — say, on a computer or phone — and then simply send them back to the camera via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi when needed. It seemed like a logical idea! Unfortunately, Nikon doesn’t currently allow files to be transferred to the camera electronically, only from it.

Not true. As I've noted elsewhere, FoCal Snapshots does exactly what you're asking for. But it's a subscription product (given Nikon's constant changes, you know why).

 

[Satyaa]

Thanks for the caution. That said, one still needs a way to safely store the settings files somewhere, especially since formatting the card will erase them. How would you suggest keeping those files securely preserved?

It's the "formatting dance."

1. Load menu settings (you may have overriden something).
2. Format the card.
3. Save menu settings.

The problem with this is the parenthetical thought in Step 1: if you changed something from your normal settings, you now have to restore that change if you still want it.

I assumed it might be possible to save them externally — say, on a computer or phone — and then simply send them back to the camera via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi when needed. It seemed like a logical idea! Unfortunately, Nikon doesn’t currently allow files to be transferred to the camera electronically, only from it.

Not true. As I've noted elsewhere, FoCal Snapshots does exactly what you're asking for. But it's a subscription product (given Nikon's constant changes, you know why).

This is the workaround that Henry Hudson also uses and describes in his z9 settings video.
it definitely works,

However, doing this workaround regularly, especially in the field, is an unintentionally formatted card waiting to happen for me and my butterfingers.

It is definitely harder for CFE cards, but where bodies have SD card, it should be possible to save settings to a low-capacity card and write-protect it using the hardware tab. This card can stay in the bag and act as a life saver in an emergency.

I do use the banks for basic shoot modes, people, wildlife, landscape, Astro etc.

But 2 things drive me crazy with them.. When I switch from cam settings A bank bird bank) to cam settings b (people) bank, it doesn't switch the autofocus mode...

Ok, just switch to custom bank B, and people af mode comes on.

This is what gets me, as far as I can tell, there is NO custom button for cycling CUSTOM banks settings. Just one for Cam settings banks, not custom settings banks.

So, instead of using 2 custom buttons to switch both banks, I'm forced to go into the i menu to switch to custom bank b.
This makes no sense to me.

And if I'm wrong about this, and it is possible to assign cycle custom banks to a button, please let me know.