Post Your Custom Settings

ChromiumPrime

As a follow-up to the AF-On thread and after reading the various responses there, I started wondering about how others customize the rest of their settings and why. I'll go first and share mine.

Camera: D7000

a3 - Focus tracking: Off (more responsive AF-C)

b4 - Center-weighted metering: Avg (wish this was a separate metering setting)

d2 - VF grid display: On

d3 - ISO display/adjustment: Easy ISO (changing ISO in PSA modes is a snap, downside it's also easier to bump ISO by mistake)

e6 - Bracketing order: under > MTR > over (just makes more sense and easier to remember)

f3 - Fn button: Top MY MENU item: ISO sensitivity settings (quick access to Auto ISO)

f4 - Preview button: AE lock (hold)

f5 - AE-L/AF-L button: AF-On (with AF-C + M/A lenses effectively allows AF-S/AF-C/MF without changing settings)

f6 - Custom command dials: Reverse rotation: On 

f9 - Reverse indicators: - 0 + (again makes more sense)

Oddly enough, I have yet to use the U1 or U2 custom banks... I have them set-up just haven't used them :-??

DXV_Photo

Camera: D90

a1 - AF-area Mode:  single point ( I really haven't done any action shooting so it stays here most of the time)

a5 - Focus point wrap-around: On

c5 - Remote on duration: 15 min. (I really hate that the camera automatically turns the remote off)

d1 - Beep:  Off

d2 - Viewfinder grid display: On

d3 - IOS display and adjustment: Easy ISO

d10 - Exposer delay mode: off (I turn this on when shooting from a tripod since it is the closes thing I have to mirror up)

e2 - Flash cntrl for buit-in flash: Commander mode (Just got a SB-700 and have been really enjoying moving the flash around)

f3 - Assign FUNC button:  AF-area mode

f4 - Assign AE-L/AF-L button:  AF-On ( A new change I am testing out but am really starting to like it and being able to keep the camera in AF-C)

ChromiumPrime

Thanks for sharing DVX!

I went ahead and changed my remote on duration. I have an ML-L3 remote but don't use it often so never gave it too much attention but I agree. The default was on 1m which just seems too short so changed it to 5m. I also put exposure mode delay in "my menu" for easy access in future. I have Mirror up mode and use it all the time but my problem is I'm sometimes way too absent minded. I too often only click the shutter once and just sit and wait for the exposure to be over only to find the camera was the one waiting on me and not the other way around.

PB_PM

For some users the list would be extensive. I use all four setting banks on my D700 and D300, so it would take a long time type them all out.

Ratatoskr

Not very helpful without knowing what type of photography you do.
The setup is so different depending on what you want to do so for anyone to have any use of this they need to know how and what you photograph.

DXV_Photo states is not doing action so everyone will know that his settings will probably not be the best for that type of photography.
ChromiumPrime doesn't state anything and those settings would be really bad for BiF and many other types of photography.

ChromiumPrime

@PB_BM Just type your most used settings on your most used camera... or if you're really feeling up to the challenge (and time to waste) then my all means type them all 

@Ratatoskr True, I didn't state the type of photography I do but I thought the settings I posted were universal enough. That plus the explanations I wrote next to them, I thought made them useful :-??

But anyway, if you want to know, then I do mostly landscapes and macro along with occasional portraits. Feel free to share your own settings and and type of photography if you want.

EDIT: I also occasionally shoot pet portraits as well as BiF from my balcony on the 18th floor and find those same settings work great (although I often find my 70-300 too short for this)

Ratatoskr

Thanks ChromiumPrime

Msmoto

I have not found for me, it is useful to use the memory banks in the D4.  For some reason, I prefer to adjust, mode (PASM), focus (AF, VR, C, S, area), ISO (auto, range, min shutter), and to do this with each shooting venue.  This could be simply an inability to learn, or a desire to live in the 1960's..  Rats, my Emoticon is not laughing.

Ratatoskr

You have no emoticon at all Msmoto.

I can give YOU one

:-B

spraynpray

This could be simply an inability to learn, or a desire to live in the 1960's..  Rats, my Emoticon is not laughing.

1960's?  That emoticon's prolly spaced out somewhere....   @-) ;

ChromiumPrime

A little less conversation a little more action please... Peter should add an emoticon of the King B-)

JJ_SO

My first Nikon was D7000 (and still is). After I bought D800, I wanted also to save the user-settings and had to learn, the "Pro"-models don't have them. They do have banks. 4 for general settings and 4 for specific, so altogether 16 possible combinations. I'm sure, Pro photogs are born with brain the size of a planet to remember all this settings and to see a difference in them. Me, I do like it simple and comprehensible for somebody who's not spending 14 hours a day behind a camera.

I had to learn that the banks don't save AF settings and that they save only the last settings - contrary to the user settings of Non-Pros, which are a solid base you always can come back to. Me, I prefer the way D7000 does it. Even I created a table with all possible settings for D800 just to get an overwiew of what can be done. Unfortuantely, you can't save them, you only get a snapshot of the camera's setting. If I could attach a PDF here... but it's in German anyway and I won't go through that in English again.

The D7000 is set to dance / stage photography and to landscape. The rest I prefer to set up when needed. It saves every setting, even the AF's, the ISO, automatic-mode and aperture.

The D800 has one setting which engages the light of the top display and is helpful for nightshots. The rest, like Msmoto is done after what appears to be necessary.

spraynpray

A little less conversation a little more action please... Peter should add an emoticon of the King B-)

All tech-talk and no laughs makes us very dull people... :-t

ChromiumPrime

A little less conversation a little more action please... Peter should add an emoticon of the King B-)

All tech-talk and no laughs makes us very dull people... :-t

Was just having a little fun myself L-) :P )

ChromiumPrime

@JJ_SO That's interesting about the D800 banks not saving the AF settings. Weird why they Nikon did it that way. Also how's the top display light on D800 different than the one on D7000? Just wondering.

PB_PM

The setting banks on the pro cameras save setting, but if you change something within that setting bank it does not revert to the previous setting if you leave that bank and come back the way the U settings on the D7000/D600 do.

spraynpray

A little less conversation a little more action please... Peter should add an emoticon of the King B-)

All tech-talk and no laughs makes us very dull people... :-t

Was just having a little fun myself L-) :P )

So was I - LOL!

JJ_SO

The setting banks on the pro cameras save setting, but if you change something within that setting bank it does not revert to the previous setting if you leave that bank and come back the way the U settings on the D7000/D600 do.

Yes, that's what drove me nuts, because I didn't understand why the user settings are not to be applied, but a bank (out of four) is - but only as long as you don't change them again. Even unconscious or without wanting to do so. I can imagine the sense of banks, but I'd like to see as well an option for user settings although I estimate them to be triple big

PB_PM

To me that is the setting banks advantage. If I find an issue I don't need to hunt around for the "Save settings" feature that the lower end cameras have, I simply set it and forget it. If I am shooting something that requires totally different setting I switch banks.

spraynpray

To me that is the setting banks advantage. If I find an issue I don't need to hunt around for the "Save settings" feature that the lower end cameras have, I simply set it and forget it. If I am shooting something that requires totally different setting I switch banks.

Absolutely.

JJ_SO

I can see this advantage. And at the same time, I'm missing to have 2 or 3 user settings. I mean, the D800 menus already are of epic length, three modes more or less would not be such a difference for those who don't need them. I find it quite helpful after finding out which settings work well for my pics, to jump back to them whenever I need to.

spraynpray

I use mine for HDR work.

PB_PM

@JJ_SO I use MY Menu and the Quick Menu using the INFO button to get to settings I need to access in such a manner.

JJ_SO

--deleted, double postetd--

JJ_SO

Oh my, what did I do? I answered PB-PM's post, it appeared twice and I edited the last one. Now the other is gone, too. Blast. :-S

PB_PM

Yeah that happens sometimes, don't delete anything next time, the apparent double post goes away when you refresh the page.