Your user settings: Master your Z

[1llusive]

Like others I'm irritated that Nikon limits what can be assigned to each button - because reasons - and you don't know what's available for each button until you try. This forces you to make certain sacrifices unnecessarily, I don't understand why they don't just make everything selectable on all of them - they're all just buttons after all. I wish I could re-assign the Release Mode button too, or e.g. the Delete button when you're not previewing, but nope.

If I am not wrong, I think they have stated the options-control mapping on pages 410-412 in the manual.

Yup, here are some screen shots:

Movie mode has its own chart.

 

[Pinnacle Photo]

This one is surprising & can crush the keeper rate.

a1 AF-C priority selection: Release

Why would you want the camera taking out of focus pics? Hit the button get a picture is not for everyone. I would rather miss the frame than have a picture I am going to delete anyway...

Steve Perry explained this and I agree with him: you don't want to be tracking something and have the camera think the subject isn't in focus when in fact the focus is just slightly moving around as the subject moves. Then it denies you the shots which weren't actually out of focus.

I am not touching that one, it makes little sense to me except maybe BiF. No need to try and explain, not something that matters for my type of shooting.

a3 Focus tracking with lock-on:

This is something I change on a regular basis. Depends what I am shooting.

Yeah, my suggestion is based again on Steve Perry's point which I also noticed myself: I don't want the camera instantly focusing on the background just because my focus point slipped off momentarily. It's too twitchy.

In what situation(s) would you use a fast setting?

Portrait shooting - Especially at low DoF - (AF-C with lock set to 0/quick) want the lens always focusing to catch any small camera or subject movement. 85S mostly, solves the eye vs eye-lash issues.

Erratic sports - I shoot a lot of events like trick water skiing where the distance is never the same. Changing to AF-C with with lock set to 0/quick, easily doubled my keeper rate. (D500/70-200II)

I do make it longer for HS football. There are always bodies crossing the lens and it is better to have the camera pause before instantly focusing on the new subject in the frame.

 

[plumberdp69]

ISO sensitivity settings:

• Maximum sensitivity: 6400

*** Wah, so low. Mind sharing why that cut off?

Because in video mode I assume noise reduction is not at the same level as the best offered for stills, for example DXO DeepPRIME. If that's wrong I would happily raise the upper limit to the same 12,800 level.

Decided to do a test on the iso to know my camera better.

Acceptable iso to me is at 1600. Setting my max iso at 3200 now.

Now I wonder, if my max is only 3200, then what is the use of 6400 - H+ where I will never use them? A waste.

Maybe one way out in using > 3200 iso is to remove the noise in photo editing software. Will try it on ON1 RAW and see if I can raise my maxi ISO higher.

Curious to know from Z6 users here, what is the max ISO acceptable to you?

Cheerio.

 

[1llusive]

ISO sensitivity settings:

• Maximum sensitivity: 6400

*** Wah, so low. Mind sharing why that cut off?

Because in video mode I assume noise reduction is not at the same level as the best offered for stills, for example DXO DeepPRIME. If that's wrong I would happily raise the upper limit to the same 12,800 level.

Decided to do a test on the iso to know my camera better.

Acceptable iso to me is at 1600. Setting my max iso at 3200 now.

Now I wonder, if my max is only 3200, then what is the use of 6400 - H+ where I will never use them? A waste.

Maybe one way out in using > 3200 iso is to remove the noise in photo editing software. Will try it on ON1 RAW and see if I can raise my maxi ISO higher.

Curious to know from Z6 users here, what is the max ISO acceptable to you?

Was this in stills or video? I haven't tested high ISO in video yet.

Your acceptable max when pixel-peeping and your acceptable max when viewing on your computer monitor and mobile device will vary by a lot. Also remember that reducing the image size 50% for sharing will also reduce the appearance of noise.

6400 is generally where I'd call it quits on the Z 6, but 12,800 is usable with really good noise reduction like DXO DeepPRIME, especially if you are going to size down and view at normal sizes. The Z 7 would be about 1/2 that.

 

[plumberdp69]

Was this in stills or video? I haven't tested high ISO in video yet.

Stills.

Your acceptable max when pixel-peeping and your acceptable max when viewing on your computer monitor and mobile device will vary by a lot. Also remember that reducing the image size 50% for sharing will also reduce the appearance of noise.

6400 is generally where I'd call it quits on the Z 6, but 12,800 is usable with really good noise reduction like DXO DeepPRIME, especially if you are going to size down and view at normal sizes. The Z 7 would be about 1/2 that.

Did the NR using ON1 raw. Even at 51,200, NR is pretty good wrt noise but the image looks creamy and lacks detail. Did another one at 6,400. The image after NR looks like the one at 1,600. That is the good news that the noise can be minimised but I do not want to spend hours on most of my photos on the PC.

So, now planning to use 3,200 - 6,400 as my ISO maxi, and adjust it with more use later.

Cheerio.

 

[beatboxa]

Thanks for posting, and I'm sure some will find this useful; though I'll add that my own settings are often circumstantial. For example, when shooting natural landscapes, I often turn distortion control off (though it doesn't matter much when shooting raw). I use combinations of user banks (as a starting point) and other custom settings in my own configuratons.

 

[1llusive]

Thanks for posting, and I'm sure some will find this useful; though I'll add that my own settings are often circumstantial. For example, when shooting natural landscapes, I often turn distortion control off (though it doesn't matter much when shooting raw). I use combinations of user banks (as a starting point) and other custom settings in my own configuratons.

Careful, you used a word that could trigger someone here... ;-)

Yeah, I hope it gets people thinking about how to better optimize their camera so they can be quicker and more confident with it. There is no reason for us to spend 5-10 minutes "setting up" a camera before a shoot. It should take less than 30 seconds and ideally less than 10.

I do hope more people post their own settings, especially their custom user modes and controls. Please do if you get the time.

 

[Jestertheclown]

6400 is generally where I'd call it quits on the Z 6, but 12,800 is usable with really good noise reduction like DXO DeepPRIME, especially if you are going to size down and view at normal sizes. The Z 7 would be about 1/2 that.

If, as I suspect, that's an estimate on your part, then in my experience, it's misleading.

I don't make a habit of doing so but on more than a few occasions, I've succesfully shot at 6,400 with my Z7 with very little noise.

Certainly little enough that I was unconcerned by it.


"It's good to be . . . . . . . . . Me!"

 

[FocusOnChange]

I just got my Z6ii and am going through this process. This is an immense help! Thank you!

 

[1llusive]

6400 is generally where I'd call it quits on the Z 6, but 12,800 is usable with really good noise reduction like DXO DeepPRIME, especially if you are going to size down and view at normal sizes. The Z 7 would be about 1/2 that.

If, as I suspect, that's an estimate on your part, then in my experience, it's misleading.

I don't make a habit of doing so but on more than a few occasions, I've succesfully shot at 6,400 with my Z7 with very little noise.

Certainly little enough that I was unconcerned by it.

Our own personal thresholds will vary greatly, especially considering the variables in viewing and use.

I am also coming from Nikon's in-camera NR being turned off. Of course you can shoot at 6400 with very little noise if you leave that on, or if you do size reduction, and/or if you only look at the image at a distance or on a mobile phone. Many variables.

 

[Jestertheclown]

6400 is generally where I'd call it quits on the Z 6, but 12,800 is usable with really good noise reduction like DXO DeepPRIME, especially if you are going to size down and view at normal sizes. The Z 7 would be about 1/2 that.

If, as I suspect, that's an estimate on your part, then in my experience, it's misleading.

I don't make a habit of doing so but on more than a few occasions, I've succesfully shot at 6,400 with my Z7 with very little noise.

Certainly little enough that I was unconcerned by it.

Our own personal thresholds will vary greatly, especially considering the variables in viewing and use.

OIbviously but you're putting out quite a few of yours in this thread as if they're statements of fact which, clearly, they're not.

I am also coming from Nikon's in-camera NR being turned off.

So am I.

Of course you can shoot at 6400 with very little noise if you leave that on, or if you do size reduction, and/or if you only look at the image at a distance or on a mobile phone. Many variables.

Again, obviously.

You reckon, above, that 6400 is probably about as far as you'd like to go with a Z6.

I can't disagree with that as I've no experience of shooting with a Z6 but it sounds reasonable.

You then state, as if factual, that "a Z7 would be about half that."

That, having some experience of a Z7, I dispute.

Your offer of all this advice is to be applauded and I'm sure many will be grateful for it but beware of posting opinions as facts.

"It's good to be . . . . . . . . . Me!"

 

[1llusive]

6400 is generally where I'd call it quits on the Z 6, but 12,800 is usable with really good noise reduction like DXO DeepPRIME, especially if you are going to size down and view at normal sizes. The Z 7 would be about 1/2 that.

If, as I suspect, that's an estimate on your part, then in my experience, it's misleading.

I don't make a habit of doing so but on more than a few occasions, I've succesfully shot at 6,400 with my Z7 with very little noise.

Certainly little enough that I was unconcerned by it.

Our own personal thresholds will vary greatly, especially considering the variables in viewing and use.

OIbviously but you're putting out quite a few of yours in this thread as if they're statements of fact which, clearly, they're not.

I am also coming from Nikon's in-camera NR being turned off.

So am I.

Of course you can shoot at 6400 with very little noise if you leave that on, or if you do size reduction, and/or if you only look at the image at a distance or on a mobile phone. Many variables.

Again, obviously.

You reckon, above, that 6400 is probably about as far as you'd like to go with a Z6.

I can't disagree with that as I've no experience of shooting with a Z6 but it sounds reasonable.

You then state, as if factual, that "a Z7 would be about half that."

That, having some experience of a Z7, I dispute.

Your offer of all this advice is to be applauded and I'm sure many will be grateful for it but beware of posting opinions as facts.

I've seen enough direct comparisons in the same room at the same time with the same subjects. 1/2 may be overstating it but it also depends what your tolerance is. I felt that when looking at images at 100%, 3200 was pushing it on the Z 7 while the same was true of 6400 on the Z 6, with 12,800 usable in a pinch, especially with the aforementioned noise reduction. Even higher is tolerable if not viewing at 100%.

What can't be compared is how my camera is performing vs yours with different lenses, lighting, scenes, etc so that is not a useful exercise.

Again I will reiterate that it's important to read what this thread is about. It is most definitely not about declaring absolute ISO levels you should use.

 

[j_photo]

You then state, as if factual, that "a Z7 would be about half that."

That, having some experience of a Z7, I dispute.

Agree. "About half" is conjecture. I have both bodies. When the Z7 files are resized to match the Z6, the difference diminishes greatly. With careful sharpening, I might be able to get as good or even better hi iso IQ from the 7 than the 6 in many circumstances.

 

[1llusive]

As discussed earlier in the thread today, some of these control assignments are compromises. We can't seem to get exactly what we want so we settle on one setup or another. Here is my alternate setup. This moves focus mode changes to the i menu in order to get what I think is a more ideal custom button setup. You can use your lens A/M switch to achieve a focus lock in lieu of the movie record + turn rear dial to switch to manual focus. Again this is because we don't have an AF-lock (hold) function and we don't have the old switch by the lens mount anymore to disable AF temporarily. Either method will achieve the same result, so choose what works best for you, including using AF-ON as focus if you desire. I personally find these methods + the nature of the Z camera eliminates most of the need for back button focus, but set up the camera the way you like.

f1 Customize i menu: I suggest keeping your cursor on the AF-area mode so you can simply hit i and turn the dials, then focus to confirm and exit. In fact most of these controls have dial functionality!

• Column 1
  • Set Picture Control
  • Active D-Lighting
• Column 2
  • Flash mode
  • Auto bracketing
• Column 3
  • Metering
  • White balance
• Column 4
  • Vibration Reduction
  • Shutter type
• Column 5
  • Monitor/viewfinder brightness
  • Apply settings to live view
• Column 6
  • AF-area mode
  • Focus mode

f2 Custom controls:

• Fn1: Silent photography
• Fn2: Subject tracking
• AF-ON: Zoom on/off (100%)
• Sub-selector: Same as multi selector
  • Playback zoom: Scroll
• Sub-selector center: Framing grid display (really handy to click on and line up interiors and exteriors of buildings, then easily click back off)
• Movie record button: Depth of field Preview (this is a more natural placement)

I tried this alternate setup for a while and while it does have its merits, especially with my U1 General Shooting setup, the original custom control setup is better overall and especially for wildlife in U2. Why? Because cycling through AF modes with Movie Record + front dial shows the red focus box changing size, while it does not when you cycle through AF modes with the i Menu. When you're looking through the viewfinder and following a subject, you may need to quickly change between Auto, Wide-L, Wide-S, etc. Having that instant view of the red box changing size really helps select the one you need without having to think about it much or look up at the top to see the little icons, taking your eyes away from the action.

I went a step further and in a7 Limit AF-area mode selection, I narrowed it down so that each size of focus box only appears once so I can stop on a dime and know exactly what I have, again without thinking or looking up at icons. So pressing Movie Record + scrolling with the front dial will cycle through the following focus modes:

a7 Limit AF-area mode selection:

• Pinpoint AF
• Single-point AF
• Dynamic-area AF
• Wide-area AF (S)
• Wide-area AF (L-animals)
• Auto-area AF (animals)

So only one of each small, large, and auto. Needless to say I don't plan on shooting people at 12 fps, but if I ever do, I'll go in and reactivate those options.

For my U1 User Setting mode I leave all options enabled as in casual shooting situations you don't need bleeding-edge speed, but you do want all options on the table.

Hopefully we get more customizability in the future: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/64734647

 

[Labmom60]

Following this post. Waiting for the Z6ii to be in stock to order

 

[1llusive]

Nikon has released a Setting Guide for Z 6 and Z 7 series cameras that you may download here: https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/index.html

It's refreshing to see that the recommendations are much the same as set forth in the original post of this thread. However some notable additions include:

VR settings for lenses with on-board vibration reduction vary with the lens:

They also recommend different custom controls for each type of shooting (as set up with User Settings in this thread). I personally don't recommend this because physical buttons are a muscle memory thing so while some additional functionality in some situations would be nice, at this time I feel I don't want physical buttons to change on me. Feel free to experiment, though.

The Setting Guide also reveals a "Split-second" shooting mode that I have not seen any reviewer mention nor have I seen any talk on the forums about it. This little gem allows the Z 6 and Z 7 series cameras to shoot ultra-high speed photos at up to 120fps at 1920x1080 resolution. I've made a separate post about it here: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/64759598

 

[Qbalion]

• Fn1: Silent photography (use when scene is still and you need to be quiet – when things start moving, one click and you’re back to Auto/Mechanical)

With Z6 I cannot assign Silent Photography to a button. Is this available only in Z6/Z7 II?

 

[MarcoE]

yes useful info, THNX !

 

[plumberdp69]

g2 Custom controls (Movie):

• Fn1: Power aperture (open)
• Fn2: Power aperture (close)
• AF-ON: Zoom on/off (100%)
• Sub-selector center: Live view info display off
• Shutter-release button: Take photos
• Lens control ring: Focus (M/A)

Revisiting my settings after months of using the camera.

Going through resources (manual, web etc) I have used before to tidy up my settings.

I skipped reading the movie part when I first got my Z6ii. Now read more on the movie settings. Did not know about the power aperture setting for movie. Very useful and easy to use function. Thanks.

 

[PankajDubey]

thank you for the time and effort.

I have bookmarked the post.

Being an occasional but intensive use photographer while on a workshop or photo tour, the issue I was having was forgetting what I had set for U1-U3.The senile dementia seems to be setting in.

What I have done is to set control buttons as dominant hand finger use:

Fn1 - preview( right Middle finger)

Fn 2 lock ( right index finger)

Movie record button for AF mode AFC/AFS /AF area mode

ISO - ISO

EXP Com for Exp comp

AF-On for Zoom

Centre joy stick for AF -on

Ok button for rest focus point.

Now, in M mode Auto ISO:

I can take a snap with view finder, preview it in viewfinder and lock it all without taking my eye off the viewfinder.

My left hand is for stabilization and focus ring manipulation.

As yet , I do not have a lens with additional Lfn button on the lens.

Manual and Firmware link --> https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/index.html

Nikon DSLR and MILC cameras have customizable user settings banks. These help you quickly change a number of settings, gearing the camera for a different type of photography or videography with the turn of a dial. If you really want to become a master of your camera in any situation, I recommend setting these up for your use cases. What follows are my settings for the Z 6II, most of which will apply broadly across the current Z lineup. If you haven’t already, this guide is intended to help you get familiar with your camera and set up quickly with a baseline of known good settings. Then, you can season to taste. Note that the primary way I use my camera is in Manual mode with Auto ISO, so keep that in mind as we go through the settings. We will also set up custom controls and the i menu.

How I set up my user settings:

I recommend setting up everything in M mode, including the settings you will use for U1, then using the Setup Menu > Save user settings > Save to U1. Then, while still in M, you will make only the changes that will differ for U2, then save to U2. Finally, make only the changes necessary for U3, then save to U3. This will set M as the mode of operation for your user settings. Feel free to start with A or S if you are not comfortable with Manual mode; just remember that the Z cameras, at least as of this writing, can not change the shooting mode for U1, U2, or U3 once saved. I would encourage learning how to use your camera in Manual mode as it is the most versatile method and is least likely to get you stuck with settings you can’t change in a pinch when you really need to.

We will begin in M mode with all of the settings that are the same for all shooting modes before getting into U1, U2, and U3.

Photo Shooting Menu

Choose image area: FX

Image Quality: RAW

White balance: AUTO1

Set Picture Control: NL

Color space: sRGB

Active D-Lighting: OFF

Long exposure NR: OFF (this is dark frame subtraction for hot pixels which can be useful in some very warm situations; you be the judge)

High ISO NR: OFF (this is noise reduction to try to make up for a lack of light collection due to not enough exposure, usually caused by using high ISO values; I will use software noise reduction as it does a better job)

Vignette control: N

Diffraction Compensation: ON

Metering: Matrix metering (I rarely use other metering modes, preferring to nudge the exposure compensation while watching my viewfinder and live histogram)

Movie Shooting Menu

Choose image area: FX

Move quality: HIGH

Movie file type: MOV

ISO sensitivity settings:

• Maximum sensitivity: 6400
• Auto ISO control (mode M): ON
• ISO sensitivity (mode M): 100
• White balance: AUTO1

Set Picture Control: NL

Active D-Lighting: OFF

High ISO NR: OFF (assuming you will post-process with better NR)

Vignette control: N

Diffraction Compensation: ON

Auto distortion control: ON

Flicker reduction: AUTO

Metering: Matrix metering

Focus mode: AF-C (change to AF-F for hands-free recording)

AF-area mode: Auto-area AF (people)

Vibration reduction: ON (Normal)

Electronic VR: OFF (use in a pinch in place of gimbal)

Custom Setting Menu

a Autofocus

a1 AF-C priority selection: Release

a2 AF-S priority selection: Focus

a3 Focus tracking with lock-on:

• Blocked shot AF response: 5 Delayed (when subject is blocked, release the focus button and re-engage)

a4 Focus points used: ALL

a5 Store points by orientation: ON when doing portrait photography and OFF for product photography (this was getting triggered when pointing the camera downward for an overhead shot of a product and it kept moving my AF point, even when centered)

a6 AF activation: Shutter/AF-ON (read below)

a8 Focus point wrap-around: Wrap (preference)

a9 9 Focus point options:

• Manual focus mode: ON
• Dynamic-area AF assist: ON

a10 Low-light AF: ON

a11 Built-in AF-assist illuminator: OFF

b Metering/exposure

b1 EV steps for exposure cntrl: 1/3

b2 Easy exposure compensation: OFF (not functional in M mode, but see custom controls)

b3 Center-weighted area: 12

b4 Fine-tune optimal exposure: Defaults

c Timers/AE lock

c1 Shutter-release button AE-L: Not used in M mode except with Auto ISO. In a situation where I want to lock the only camera-controlled exposure variable, ISO, such as with rapidly changing stage lighting, I would rather just turn off Auto ISO and maintain manual control.

c2 Self-timer: Adjust as-needed

c3 Power off delay: Until you are done shooting and to keep the camera snappy, hit Playback and let it go into standby rather than turning off the power switch.

• Playback: 10s
• Menus: 1m
• Image review: 10s
• Standby timer: 1m

d Shooting/display

d1 CL mode shooting speed: 3fps

d2 Max. continuous release: 200

d3 Sync. release mode options: Default

d6 Extended shutter speeds (M): On

d7 Limit selectable image area: Default

d8 File number sequence: On

d10 Framing grid display: OFF (assigned to custom button)

d11 Focus peaking: Preference (I use Level 3 and Red)

d12 View all in continuous mode: ON (without this, you’re blind)

e Bracketing/flash

e1 Flash sync speed: 1/200 (adjust based on your uses)

e2 Flash shutter speed: 1/60 (this works like a minimum; not used in M mode)

e3 Exposure comp. for flash: (adjust based on your uses)

e4 Auto flash ISO sensitivity control: (adjust based on your uses)

e5 Modeling flash: ON

e6 Auto bracketing (mode M): Flash/speed

e7 Bracketing order: MTR > under > over

f Controls

f1 Customize i menu: Many of these settings can be adjusted by simply hitting i, highlighting the item, turning the dials, then focusing to confirm and exit.

• Column 1
  • Set Picture Control (use when you plan to send to SnapBridge or shoot .jpg)
  • Active D-Lighting (use when you plan to send to SnapBridge or shoot .jpg)
• Column 2
  • HDR (for a quick in-camera high dynamic range capture for SnapBridge)
  • Auto bracketing (for developing your own bracket in post)
• Column 3
  • Metering
  • White balance
• Column 4
  • Vibration Reduction
  • Shutter type
• Column 5
  • Monitor/viewfinder brightness
  • Apply settings to live view
• Column 6
  • Flash mode
  • Split-screen display zoom (I couldn’t find anything else useful, maybe this will be)

f2 Custom controls: Refer to page 409 of the Z 6II manual for what functions can be set and to which buttons. My philosophy is these buttons should be set to things that I need to access quickly as the situation dictates. If it’s a setting I don’t change often or I can take my time, it goes somewhere else like My Menu or the i menu. And because Nikon only allows certain selections, I’ve chosen what gets me the most functionality from the available buttons.

• Fn1: Silent photography (use when scene is still and you need to be quiet – when things start moving, one click and you’re back to Auto/Mechanical)
• Fn2: Subject tracking
• AF-ON: Zoom on/off (100%) – ergonomically this is way better than hitting OK to zoom. Also, at this time I do not use back-button focus. Full-sensor AF + AF-C + Subject tracking has replaced focus & recompose, and I am generally focusing while shooting so I don’t need the two separated. For the scenarios where I would like to set my focus then disable focusing, I will use f6 Release button to use dial: ON with the movie record button assigned to focus mode. If Nikon gave us an AF lock (hold) I would set this to the AF-ON button because it would give me the functionality of the old focus switch we used to have by the lens mount. Then, I would change several other buttons and my i menu around. They already have an AE lock (hold) that’s useless in Manual mode so that’s an easy one – come on, Nikon! I also just find shutter button focus to be easier and less fatiguing over long periods. In summary, I’d rather press AF-ON to lock focus like the old focus switch by the lens mount than have to hold it all the time in order to engage focus, but we can’t yet do that, so this will suffice.
• Sub-selector: Same as multi selector (enables joystick use in menus)
  • Playback zoom: Scroll (enables joystick use on image playback)
• Sub-selector center: Depth of Field Preview (not my preferred location for this function but I’m out of buttons! We need a Fn3!)
• Movie record button: Focus mode/AF-area mode
• Lens Fn button: N/A for now (AF, Preview, Zoom, and Subject tracking would be good candidates)
• Lens Fn2 button: N/A for now (AF, Preview, Zoom, and Subject tracking would be good candidates)
• Lens control ring: N/A for now (Exposure compensation would seem nice)

f3 OK button:

• Shooting mode: RESET
• Playback mode: Zoom on/off (100%)

f4 Shutter spd & aperture lock: All OFF

f5 Customize command dials:

• Reverse rotation: OFF
• Change main/sub: OFF
• Menus and playback: ON
• Sub-dial frame advance: 10

f6 Release button to use dial: ON (this makes the camera much easier to operate. Here’s your Easy Exposure Compensation in M mode – press exposure compensation button, then use rear dial to adjust ISO in EV steps, then focus to return to shooting; also works with other controls such as the movie record button when assigned to focus mode)

f7 Reverse indicators: -/+

f8 Reverse ring for focus: OFF

f9 Assign MB-N11 buttons: N/A

g Movie

g1 Customize i menu (Movie):

• Column 1
  • Microphone sensitivity
  • Attenuator
• Column 2
  • Headphone volume
  • Wind noise reduction
• Column 3
  • Metering
  • White balance
• Column 4
  • Vibration Reduction
  • Electronic VR
• Column 5
  • Monitor/viewfinder brightness
  • Highlight display
• Column 6
  • AF-area mode
  • Focus mode

g2 Custom controls (Movie):

• Fn1: Power aperture (open)
• Fn2: Power aperture (close)
• AF-ON: Zoom on/off (100%)
• Sub-selector center: Live view info display off
• Shutter-release button: Take photos
• Lens control ring: Focus (M/A)

g3 OK button:

• Shooting mode: RESET

g4 AF speed: +1

• When to apply: ALWAYS

g5 AF tracking sensitivity: 3

g6 Highlight display:

• Display pattern: ON
• Highlight display threshold: 248

g9 Assign MB-N11 buttons: N/A

Setup Menu

All defaults except:

Save focus position: ON

USB power delivery: ON

My Menu

a3 Focus tracking with lock-on

d4 Exposure delay mode

d10 Framing grid display

e1 Flash sync speed

e3 Exposure comp. for flash

e4 Auto flash ISO sensitivity control

g4 AF speed

g5 AF tracking sensitivity

Long exposure NR

High ISO NR

Connect to smart device

Airplane mode

ISO sensitivity settings (Photo)

ISO sensitivity settings (Movie)

NEF (RAW) recording

Frame size/frame rate (Movie)

Interval timer shooting

Time-lapse movie

Focus shift shooting

Format memory card

User Settings (continue to make these changes in M mode before saving to U1/U2/U3)

U1 (Photo) (M)

Used for: General Photography, including people, walkaround, macro, and flash

Method of operation: Face and Eye detection will take care of people, while hitting your subject tracking button will enable focus on non-human subjects. I will switch to single-point AF if I need a smaller focus point and am not working with people, or if I am shooting by touch with the LCD.

NEF (RAW) recording

• NEF (RAW) compression: Lossless compressed
• NEF (RAW) bit depth: 14-bit

ISO sensitivity settings

• ISO sensitivity: 100
• Auto ISO sensitivity control: ON
• Maximum sensitivity: 12800
• Maximum sensitivity with flash: 400
• Minimum shutter speed: 1/100 (ignored in M mode)

Focus mode: AF-C

AF-area mode: Auto-area AF (people)

Vibration reduction: ON (Normal)

Silent photography: OFF (use Fn button when needed)

d4 Exposure delay mode: OFF

d5 Shutter type: Auto (will use EFCS at 1/250 and below, mechanical above)

d9 Apply settings to live view: ON

Default shutter speed: 1/60

Default aperture: f/1.8 (feel free to save with the widest aperture lens you have so it defaults to the widest on all of your lenses)

Release mode: Single frame (NOT saved to user settings at this time!)

U2 (Photo) (M)

Used for: High-speed photography, including humans, wildlife, auto/aero, etc

Method of operation: Ricci explains it best:

NEF (RAW) recording:

• NEF (RAW) compression: Lossless compressed
• NEF (RAW) bit depth: 12-bit (enables faster continuous shooting)

ISO sensitivity settings:

• ISO sensitivity: 100
• Auto ISO sensitivity control: ON
• Maximum sensitivity: 12800
• Maximum sensitivity with flash: 400
• Minimum shutter speed: 1/100 (ignored in M mode)

Focus mode: AF-C

AF-area mode: Dynamic-area AF (but change depending on situation)

Vibration reduction: ON (Sport)

Silent photography: OFF (use if you need to be quiet and the scene is mostly static)

d4 Exposure delay mode: OFF

d5 Shutter type: Mechanical

d9 Apply settings to live view: OFF (enhances EVF and autofocus speed)

Default shutter speed: 1/1250

Default aperture: f/1.8

Release mode: Continuous H or H extended

U3 (Photo) (M)

Used for: Landscape, nightscape, cityscape on a tripod

Method of operation: Single-point focus via touch or remote with deliberately composed and exposed scenes, with an exposure delay and silent shutter to eliminate vibrations.

NEF (RAW) recording:

• NEF (RAW) compression: Lossless compressed
• NEF (RAW) bit depth: 14-bit

ISO sensitivity settings

• ISO sensitivity: 100
• Auto ISO sensitivity control: OFF

Focus mode: AF-S

AF-area mode: Single-point AF

Vibration reduction: OFF (can cause issues on a tripod)

Silent photography: ON

d4 Exposure delay mode: ON (2 s)

d5 Shutter type: N/A

d9 Apply settings to live view: ON

Default shutter speed: 1/60

Default aperture: f/8

Release mode: Single frame

U1 (Movie) (M)

Used for: 2160p 24fps video

Frame size/frame rate: 3840x2160; 24p

Default shutter speed: 1/50 (you want to double the movie frame rate)

Default aperture: f/1.8

U2 (Movie) (M)

Used for: 2160p 30fps video (will change to 60fps with firmware update)

Frame size/frame rate: 3840x2160; 30p

Default shutter speed: 1/60

Default aperture: f/1.8

U3 (Movie) (M)

Used for: 1080p 120fps video

Frame size/frame rate: 1920x1080; 24p x5 (slow-motion)

Default shutter speed: 1/250

Default aperture: f/1.8

Bonus: we technically get a 4th user setting bank with the M mode itself, so feel free to set up your camera for up to 4 of your shooting situations. The main difference is that changes made while using U1, U2, and U3 will revert on power off, unlike P, A, S, or M modes which automatically save setting changes.

That should get you started!

I will post updates if I revise my setup.

Now get out and enjoy your camera, and post your own settings!

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Pankaj
https://www.dpreview.com/galleries/1160557041/albums/chopta-birding-uttarakhand-india