Z8 - Setting Recall shooting functions (hold) not working?

[Chris J Newman]

This year I moved up from a D800 to a Z8. Not long ago I got round to setting Shooting menu banks. I consider one of the great advantages of the minimal cost of digital photos is that I use exposure bracketing for nearly all my hand-held shots other than flash (Bank D) but not on a tripod (Bank A) when I can take single shots, and check exposure before deciding whether to take another. So I’m delighted that my Z8 Shooting menu banks remember bracketing, unlike my D800 where sometimes I would be puzzled about the results of exposure adjustments on the tripod until I realized I hadn’t disabled bracketing. But unfortunately the Z8 Shooting menu banks don’t remember Release modes.

Very recently I came across Recall shooting functions. With a bit of a struggle I managed to set Recall shooting functions to Button Fn2, with Single frame for banks A and D. I then thought I could make use of Fn2 in the other banks, for instance switching from my usual Single-point AF to subject detection. However, I now find I’m unable to make any further changes to Recall shooting, even when I try to add Single frame to Banks B or C. (Fn2 still works in Banks A and D.) I would appreciate confirmation that I’m using the right sequence for the settings, and if so, suggestions for freeing up the function.

In a recent attempt to add a setting, I started in Shooting Menu Bank B, with no Functions set for Recall Shooting:

[Menu] to f2 Customs controls (shooting)

> Fn2 button symbol

[Menu] to Recall shooting functions (hold)

> Release mode > Single frame

[OK] to check Single frame for Release mode

[Menu] back to Fn2 button

[Menu] again back to f Controls

[AF-ON] shows Release mode as 20

Pressing Fn2 makes no change

Checking the menu confirms Recall shooting functions (hold) shows Release mode S checked.

 

[JA_Johnson]

After entering your RSF (hold) settings assigned to a button in f2, be certain to press the Menu button to confirm your entry.



Also, once you have your Photo Shooting and Custom Settings Banks set up as you prefer, I suggest saving your camera settings via Save/Load Menu Settings in the Setup menu. That way you can recover your camera’s settings to a known state whenever you want.

 

[Chris J Newman]

Thanks very much for your reply.

After entering your RSF (hold) settings assigned to a button in f2, be certain to press the Menu button to confirm your entry.

I assume I covered the above when, after getting ‘Single frame’ checked in the ‘Release mode’ list:

I pressed [Menu] taking me back to the Fn2 button icon,

And then [Menu] again taking me back to ‘f Controls’ in the ‘CUSTOMS SETTING MENU’ list.

Or did I miss a step?

Also, once you have your Photo Shooting and Custom Settings Banks set up as you prefer, I suggest saving your camera settings via Save/Load Menu Settings in the Setup menu. That way you can recover your camera’s settings to a known state whenever you want.

Thanks for that advice; it sounds well worth doing once I get back to being able to set Recall shooting functions.

 

[JA_Johnson]

I assume I covered the above when, after getting ‘Single frame’ checked in the ‘Release mode’ list:

I pressed [Menu] taking me back to the Fn2 button icon,

And then [Menu] again taking me back to ‘f Controls’ in the ‘CUSTOMS SETTING MENU’ list.

Or did I miss a step?

I don’t think you’ve missed a step. What you’ve done appears correct and should properly set RSF (hold) for that Custom Settings Bank.

 

[Chris J Newman]

I don’t think you’ve missed a step. What you’ve done appears correct and should properly set RSF (hold) for that Custom Settings Bank.

Thank you for the clarification.

It seems clear my Z8 is no longer accepting the procedure for setting ‘Recall shooting functions (hold)’. Can anyone advise me how to get the camera operating properly again, please?

 

[Pierre Lagarde]

I don’t think you’ve missed a step. What you’ve done appears correct and should properly set RSF (hold) for that Custom Settings Bank.

Thank you for the clarification.

It seems clear my Z8 is no longer accepting the procedure for setting ‘Recall shooting functions (hold)’. Can anyone advise me how to get the camera operating properly again, please?

By any chance, are you in C15 or more release mode ? Because the camera can't switch to Single frame with a button from those release modes (they're may be also other conditions where it doesn't work, though).

 

[Bill Ferris]

There's nothing wrong with your Z8. Unfortunately, the Nikon banks system is not terribly intuitive. Let's refresh ourselves with some basics.

The Custom Settings and Photo Shooting banks work independently of each other. Selecting Shooting bank A does not bring Custom Settings bank A along for the ride.

RSF (hold) is assigned to a fn button in the Custom Settings bank. It's found among the roles that can be assigned in the f2 menu. While you can assign RSF (hold) to more than one function button, there can be only one RSF (hold) configuration per Custom Settings bank. If you'd like four different RSF (hold) configurations stored in your Z8, you'll need to store one each in CS banks A, B, C and D.

As was mentioned in a prior post, RSF (hold) can be configured as single shot only if the camera is configured to shoot continuous low or continuous high by default.

If you don't mind a suggestion, I would recommend assigning "release mode" to fn 2. If the release mode dial is set to quick release mode selection, you can press fn2 and rotate the front or rear command dials to select any one of the available release modes. It's not instantaneous but it's still pretty quick. That also reserves RSF (hold) for a configuration that's needed instantaneously.

Good luck.

 

[Chris J Newman]

There's nothing wrong with your Z8. Unfortunately, the Nikon banks system is not terribly intuitive. Let's refresh ourselves with some basics.

The Custom Settings and Photo Shooting banks work independently of each other. Selecting Shooting bank A does not bring Custom Settings bank A along for the ride.

RSF (hold) is assigned to a fn button in the Custom Settings bank. It's found among the roles that can be assigned in the f2 menu. While you can assign RSF (hold) to more than one function button, there can be only one RSF (hold) configuration per Custom Settings bank. If you'd like four different RSF (hold) configurations stored in your Z8, you'll need to store one each in CS banks A, B, C and D.

As was mentioned in a prior post, RSF (hold) can be configured as single shot only if the camera is configured to shoot continuous low or continuous high by default.

If you don't mind a suggestion, I would recommend assigning "release mode" to fn 2. If the release mode dial is set to quick release mode selection, you can press fn2 and rotate the front or rear command dials to select any one of the available release modes. It's not instantaneous but it's still pretty quick. That also reserves RSF (hold) for a configuration that's needed instantaneously.

Good luck.

Thank you for explaining that Recall shooting functions are linked to Custom Settings banks rather than Photo Shooting banks. From the context in which I’d seen the feature recommended, I’d assumed they changed with each Shooting Menu Bank. I find it very frustrating that the two types of banks can’t be linked so that a single process changes both at once.

On my D800 I only changed the Custom Settings bank to apply a 3-sec delay for stability when shooting from a tripod. As my Z8 has no moving mirror or shutter that now seems less important, and anyway I suspect I might be able to set a function button to do that. I now realise I won’t be able to use Recall shooting functions to do different things unless I change the Custom Settings banks. I’m not yet sure whether that is a worthwhile approach, or what I might set other buttons than Fn2 to achieve. Leaving Recall shooting functions to set button Fn2 to switch to Single frame release when I want that for use on a tripod or with flash still seems very convenient.

However, my camera still doesn’t seem to be working the way it should.

Until today I’d never moved it from Customs Setting Bank A. As Recall shooting functions is linked to the current Customs Setting Bank, why in Customs Setting Bank A is it only causing button Fn2 to change the Release mode (or other settings I choose to apply) when the camera is in Shooting Menu bank A or D, not when it’s in Shooting Menu banks B or C?

I switched to Customs Setting Bank B to investigate Recall shooting functions there, checked Metering to be switched to Spot metering (previously I’ve left the camera on Matrix metering), and unchecked Release mode. In Customs Setting Bank B, pressing button Fn2 when in Shooting Menu bank A or D currently successfully switches to Spot metering, but when it’s in banks B or C it has no effect. This confirms that I’ve been following the correct procedure to set Recall shooting functions. However, I don’t want to retain this setting; I just made it to confirm that the problem with my Recall shooting functions seems to be specifically with Shooting Menu banks B and C!

 

[Bill Ferris]

I now realise I won’t be able to use Recall shooting functions to do different things unless I change the Custom Settings banks. I’m not yet sure whether that is a worthwhile approach, or what I might set other buttons than Fn2 to achieve. Leaving Recall shooting functions to set button Fn2 to switch to Single frame release when I want that for use on a tripod or with flash still seems very convenient.

However, my camera still doesn’t seem to be working the way it should.

Until today I’d never moved it from Customs Setting Bank A. As Recall shooting functions is linked to the current Customs Setting Bank, why in Customs Setting Bank A is it only causing button Fn2 to change the Release mode (or other settings I choose to apply) when the camera is in Shooting Menu bank A or D, not when it’s in Shooting Menu banks B or C?

Have your read Pierre's comment? He raised the possibility that, if the camera is in a high-speed frame capture mode (e.g. C15, C30, etc.), you won't have single frame available as a release option. What's the chosen release mode in Shooting banks B and C?

I switched to Customs Setting Bank B to investigate Recall shooting functions there, checked Metering to be switched to Spot metering (previously I’ve left the camera on Matrix metering), and unchecked Release mode. In Customs Setting Bank B, pressing button Fn2 when in Shooting Menu bank A or D currently successfully switches to Spot metering, but when it’s in banks B or C it has no effect. This confirms that I’ve been following the correct procedure to set Recall shooting functions. However, I don’t want to retain this setting; I just made it to confirm that the problem with my Recall shooting functions seems to be specifically with Shooting Menu banks B and C!

Would it be possible for you to use your phone camera to make a snap of the rear LCD information display when the camera is in Shoot bank A, Custom bank A? Then make a photo of the display with the camera in Shoot bank B, Custom bank A. Repeat for Shoot banks C and D paired with Custom bank A. Please, post those snaps in a message to this thread.

The info display may reveal a setting that's creating a conflict with single shot being assignable to RSF (hold).

Keep in mind, you don't have to save or recall any settings in the Z8 for the configurations you're creating in the Shoot and Custom banks to be saved. If you're in Shoot bank A, any change you make to a setting in the Photo Shooting menu will be remembered by the camera. If you're in Custom bank A, any change you make to a setting in Custom Settings bank A will be remembered by the camera.

If you've activated the extended menu banks (this is in the Photo Shooting menu), the shooting bank will also remember the exposure mode, f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO.

 

[Chris J Newman]

Have your read Pierre's comment? He raised the possibility that, if the camera is in a high-speed frame capture mode (e.g. C15, C30, etc.), you won't have single frame available as a release option. What's the chosen release mode in Shooting banks B and C?

Would it be possible for you to use your phone camera to make a snap of the rear LCD information display when the camera is in Shoot bank A, Custom bank A? Then make a photo of the display with the camera in Shoot bank B, Custom bank A. Repeat for Shoot banks C and D paired with Custom bank A. Please, post those snaps in a message to this thread.

The info display may reveal a setting that's creating a conflict with single shot being assignable to RSF (hold).

Keep in mind, you don't have to save or recall any settings in the Z8 for the configurations you're creating in the Shoot and Custom banks to be saved. If you're in Shoot bank A, any change you make to a setting in the Photo Shooting menu will be remembered by the camera. If you're in Custom bank A, any change you make to a setting in Custom Settings bank A will be remembered by the camera.

If you've activated the extended menu banks (this is in the Photo Shooting menu), the shooting bank will also remember the exposure mode, f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO.

I'm off on a butterfly walk soon, but could take some screen photos when I get back (I'll get on better with my compact camera than my phone). I have activated the extended menu banks. But, as I stated in my previous post, I switched the camera to Customs Setting Bank B and set RSF (hold) for metering. That worked for Shooting Menu banks A and D, but was ignored by B and C. I wouldn't expect metering to conflict with other settings. The problem seems to be with the Shooting Menu banks B and C, not the settings I'm trying to make.

I haven't previously had time to respond to Pierre. I don't think my Z8 has a C15. I think it has C30, C60 and C120, but I've never used any of those settings. Shooting Menu banks B and C are usually on high speed 20 shots/sec, to work with exposure bracketing.

 

[Pierre Lagarde]

Have your read Pierre's comment? He raised the possibility that, if the camera is in a high-speed frame capture mode (e.g. C15, C30, etc.), you won't have single frame available as a release option. What's the chosen release mode in Shooting banks B and C?

Would it be possible for you to use your phone camera to make a snap of the rear LCD information display when the camera is in Shoot bank A, Custom bank A? Then make a photo of the display with the camera in Shoot bank B, Custom bank A. Repeat for Shoot banks C and D paired with Custom bank A. Please, post those snaps in a message to this thread.

The info display may reveal a setting that's creating a conflict with single shot being assignable to RSF (hold).

Keep in mind, you don't have to save or recall any settings in the Z8 for the configurations you're creating in the Shoot and Custom banks to be saved. If you're in Shoot bank A, any change you make to a setting in the Photo Shooting menu will be remembered by the camera. If you're in Custom bank A, any change you make to a setting in Custom Settings bank A will be remembered by the camera.

If you've activated the extended menu banks (this is in the Photo Shooting menu), the shooting bank will also remember the exposure mode, f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO.

I'm off on a butterfly walk soon, but could take some screen photos when I get back (I'll get on better with my compact camera than my phone). I have activated the extended menu banks. But, as I stated in my previous post, I switched the camera to Customs Setting Bank B and set RSF (hold) for metering. That worked for Shooting Menu banks A and D, but was ignored by B and C. I wouldn't expect metering to conflict with other settings. The problem seems to be with the Shooting Menu banks B and C, not the settings I'm trying to make.

I haven't previously had time to respond to Pierre. I don't think my Z8 has a C15. I think it has C30, C60 and C120, but I've never used any of those settings. Shooting Menu banks B and C are usually on high speed 20 shots/sec, to work with exposure bracketing.

Ok, noted. Try to update your firmware then and see if it changes something.

BTW : https://onlinemanual.nikonimglib.com/z8/en/adding_c15_393.html

 

[Thom Hogan]

to work with exposure bracketing.

There's your culprit.

 

[Chris J Newman]

to work with exposure bracketing.

There's your culprit.

Solved thank you Thom! If Bracketing is set to anything other than 0F, Recall shooting functions (hold) seems to be disabled. I now realize my camera is still working as it was set up to do, just not the way I expected and hoped.

Sadly, I won’t be able to get nearly as much benefit from RSF as I was beginning to think. Most of my shooting is done with exposures bracketed. My types of shooting are differentiated almost entirely by features set through the Shooting Menu banks rather than the Customs Setting Banks. So even if exposure bracketing didn’t disable RSF (hold), as RSF is linked to the Customs Setting Banks rather than the Shooting Menu banks I’d assumed from its being named shooting functions, I probably wouldn’t find it worth changing Customs Setting bank each time I changed Shooting Menu bank just to enable the RSF function that would have been useful for that type of photography. Hence I’ll probably leave the camera with what I thought was just my initial RSF setting, using Fn2 to set Single frame as the easiest way of getting round the omission of Release mode from Shooting Menu banks.

Thanks for everyone’s help on this issue.

 

[Pierre Lagarde]

to work with exposure bracketing.

There's your culprit.

Indeed ! Thank you Thom.