12
The Custom Settings Menu
Unlike the Shooting menu options, which you are likely to modify frequently as your picture-taking environment changes, Custom Settings are slightly more stable sets of preferences that let you tailor the behavior of your camera in a variety of different ways for longer-term use.
Some options are minor tweaks useful for specific shooting situations. You can turn off the autofocus assist lamp, the back-panel monitor’s shooting information display, and the D800’s built-in beeper when you are shooting an acoustic music concert, when you’d rather not disrupt the environment. Others make the camera more convenient to use. Perhaps you’d like to assign a frequently used feature to the Fn button, or turn on the viewfinder grid display to make it easier to align vertical or horizontal shapes.
Best of all are the settings that actually improve the way the D800 operates. Custom Setting b6, for example, provides a way to fine-tune the exposures your camera calculates for each of the metering modes: Matrix, Center-weighted, and Spot. If you find that one or the other consistently over- or underexposes more than you like, it’s easy to dial in a permanent correction. Should you feel that the D800 is taking a few pictures that are out of focus, Custom Settings a1 and a2 can be used to tell it not to fire until optimum focus is achieved.
This chapter concentrates on explaining all the options of the Custom Settings menu and, most importantly, when and why you might want to use each setting.
Custom Settings Menu Layout
There are 50-plus different Custom Settings, arranged in seven different categories, as shown in Figure 12.1: Autofocus, Metering/Exposure, Timers/AE Lock, Shooting/Display, Bracketing/Flash, Controls, and Movie. Some of those may seem to be an odd match. What does bracketing have to do with flash? Oh, wait! You can bracket flash (as well as non-flash) exposures. The category system does have an advantage. Once you’re familiar with what settings are available within each category, you can select the Custom Settings menu, scroll down to the specific category you want, and enter the Custom Settings system at that point, skipping the other entries.
However, once you get past the main Custom Settings screen, the entries are one long scrolling list, so if you’ve guessed wrong about where you want to start, you can enter the list at any point and then scroll up or down until you find the entry you want. Or, press the left directional key to get back to the main screen, then move down to another entry point and re-enter. The Custom Settings menu items are all color- and letter-coded: a (red) for autofocus functions; b (orange) for metering/exposure; c (green) for timers and AE lock features; d (light blue) for shooting/display functions; e (dark blue) for bracketing/flash; f (purple) for adjustments to the D800’s controls; and g (magenta) to assign Movie mode functions to the Fn, Preview, AE-L/AF-L, and shutter buttons.
Figure 12.1 These seven categories include more than 50 different entries in the Custom Settings menu.
For simplicity, in this book I have been consistently referring to the Custom Settings menu entries by their letter/names, so that you always know that when I mention Custom Setting #a8, I am describing the eighth entry in the Autofocus menu, Built-in AF-assist Illuminator. That terminology makes it easy to jump quickly to the specific entry. Note that for simplicity’s sake, in the figures that illustrate each of the separate Custom Settings categories in this chapter, that category’s entries are shown on as few screens as possible. In practice, as you scroll through the listings, the entries for a particular category may be spread over several different screens.
You can select a Custom Settings function as you do any menu entry, by pressing the multi selector right button, and navigating through the screen that appears with the up/down (and sometimes left/right) buttons. Confirming an option is usually done by pressing the OK button, pushing the multi selector right button, or sometimes by choosing Done when a series of related options have been chosen.
At the top level, you’ll see these entries:
Custom Settings Bank
a. Autofocus
b. Metering/Exposure
c. Timers/AE Lock
d. Shooting/Display
e. Bracketing/Flash
f. Controls
g. Movie
Custom Settings Bank
The Custom Settings menu has four banks, counterparts to the A, B, C, and D banks in the Shooting menu, that store specific collections of Custom Settings. As with the Shooting menu banks, you can recall any of the four at any time. As I mentioned in Chapter 3, the Custom Settings banks A, B, C, and D should not be confused with the four similarly named Shooting menu banks A, B, C, and D, which provide storage of separate sets of options. You can use your Shooting menu banks and Custom Settings menu banks in any combination.
The D800 uses bank A by default. To switch to another bank:
Press MENU and select the Custom Settings menu.
Scroll to Custom Settings bank and press the multi selector right button.
Scroll to the bank you want to use with the multi selector up/down buttons, and press either OK or the multi selector right button to confirm your choice.
The Custom Settings menu appears again. Press the MENU button to back out of the menu, or simply tap the shutter release.
If you’ve changed a bank from its default values, the active bank’s letter will be shown in the control panel and the shooting information display. As with Shooting menu banks, any changes you make to one menu bank do not affect the other banks, so you can set one up with the settings you like to use in particular situations, and assign each of them customized names of up to 20 characters to replace the generic A, B, C, and D designations. As with the Shooting menu banks, use the standard Nikon text-entry screen to enter the name you want to use.
Press MENU and select the Custom Settings menu.
Scroll to the Custom Settings menu bank entry and press the multi selector right button.
Scroll down to Rename and press the multi selector right button to confirm your choice.
Scroll down to the bank you want to rename, and press the multi selector right button to activate the text entry screen.
Use the multi selector navigational buttons to scroll around within the array of alphanumerics, as described in Chapter 11. Press the multi selector’s center button to insert the highlighted character; hold down the Thumbnail/Zoom Out button and use the left/right buttons to move the cursor within the line of characters; remove a character by highlighting the character and pressing the Trash button. Press OK when finished, then press the left button twice to return to the Custom Settings menu, or just tap the shutter release to exit the menu system entirely.
Reset Custom Settings
You can restore the Custom Settings banks to their defaults by choosing Custom Settings Bank, scrolling to the bank you want to reset, and pressing the Trash button. Only the currently active bank is reset; the other three are untouched. In Chapter 3, I provided a list of recommended Custom Settings menu bank settings for typical photo environments. Tables 12.1-12.6 show the default values as the Nikon D800 comes from the factory, and after a reset. If you don’t know what some of these settings are, I’ll explain them later in this chapter. Be careful when changing any of your carefully tailored customized settings back to the defaults.
Table 12.1 Default Custom Settings Bank Values: Autofocus
Table 12.2 Default Custom Settings Bank Values: Metering/Exposure
Table 12.3 Default Custom Settings Bank Values: Timers/AE Lock
Table 12.4 Default Custom Settings Bank Values: Shooting/Display
Table 12.5 Default Custom Settings Bank Values: Bracketing/Flash
Table 12.6 Default Custom Settings Bank Values: Controls
Table 12.7 Default Custom Settings Bank Values: Movie
a. Autofocus
The red-coded Autofocus options (see Figure 12.2) deal with some of the potentially most vexing settings available with the Nikon D800. After all, incorrect focus is one of the most damaging picture killers of all the attributes in an image. You may be able to compensate for bad exposure, partially fix errant color balance, and perhaps even incorporate motion blur into an image as a creative element. But if focus is wrong, the photograph doesn’t look right, and no amount of “I meant to do that!” pleas are likely to work. The D800’s autofocus options enable you to choose how and when focus is applied (using the AF-S or AF-C focus mode you selected on the camera body), the controls used to activate the feature, and the way focus points are selected from the available 51 zones.
Figure 12.2 The Autofocus options menu.
a1 AF-C Priority Selection
As you learned in Chapter 5, when not using live view, the Nikon D800 has two primary autofocus modes, continuous-servo autofocus (AF-C) and single-servo autofocus (AF-S). This menu entry allows you to specify what takes precedence when you press the shutter release all the way down to take a picture: focus (called focus priority) or the release button (called release priority). You can choose from:
Release. When this option is selected (the default), the shutter is activated when the release button is pushed down all the way, even if sharp focus has not yet been achieved. Because AF-C focuses and refocuses constantly when autofocus is active, you may find that an image is not quite in sharpest focus. Use this option when taking a picture is more important than absolute best focus, such as fast action or photojournalism applications. (You don’t want to miss that record-setting home run, or the protestor’s pie smashing into the Governor’s face.) Using this setting doesn’t mean that your image won’t be sharply focused; it just means that you’ll get a picture even if autofocusing isn’t quite complete. If you’ve been poised with the shutter release pressed halfway, the D800 probably has been tracking the focus of your image.
Release+focus. The shutter is released when the button is pressed, but the frame rate is reduced slightly to give the D800 more time to autofocus every shot in the sequence when AF-C mode is used. (In non-live view modes, the D800 is able to autofocus only between shots when the mirror is down and the autofocus sensors can interpret the incoming light.) You would not want to use this setting if the highest possible continuous shooting rates are important to you.
Focus. The shutter is not activated until sharp focus is achieved. This is best for subjects that are not moving rapidly. AF-C will continue to track your subjects’ movement, but the D800 won’t take a picture until focus is locked in. You might miss a few shots, but you will have fewer out-of-focus images.
a2 AF-S Priority Selection
This is the counterpart setting for single-servo autofocus mode.
Release. The shutter is activated when the button is depressed all the way, even if sharp focus is not quite achieved. Keep in mind that, unlike AF-C, the D800 focuses only once when AF-S mode is used. So, if you’ve partially depressed the shutter release, paused, and then pressed the button down all the way, it’s possible that the subject has moved and release priority will yield more out-of-focus shots than release priority with AF-C. This setting is most viable if you’re using a fast lens with a speedy internal focus motor (designated AF-S, which is not the same as the AF-S focus mode).
Focus. This default prevents the D800 from taking a picture until focus is achieved and the in-focus indicator in the viewfinder glows a steady green. If you’re using single-servo autofocus mode, this is probably the best setting. Moving subjects really call for AF-C mode in most cases.
a3 Focus Tracking with Lock-on
Sometimes new subjects interject themselves in the frame temporarily. Perhaps you’re shooting an architectural photo from across the street and a car passes in front of the camera. Or, at a football game, a referee dashes past just as a receiver is about to make a catch. This setting lets you specify how quickly the D800 reacts to these transient interruptions that would cause relatively large changes in focus before refocusing on the “new” subject matter. You can specify a long delay, so that the interloper is ignored, a shorter delay, or turn off lock-on completely so that the D800 immediately refocuses when a new subject moves into the frame. The D800 provides intermediate settings between long/normal and normal/short, and numbers each of the settings. In the labels below, the D800’s number system is shown first. The options are as follows:
AF 5/Long. The longest delay causes the D800 to ignore the intervening subject matter for a significant period of time. Use this setting when shooting subjects, such as sports, in which focus interruptions are likely to be frequent and significant.
AF 4. A slightly shorter delay (Nikon does not provide the exact timings).
AF 3/Normal. This default setting provides an intermediate delay before the camera refocuses on the new subject. It’s usually the best choice when shooting sports in either of the continuous shooting modes, as the long delay can throw off autofocus accuracy at higher fps settings.
AF 2. A slightly shorter delay than Normal.
AF 1/Short. Choose this setting to tell the D800 to wait only a moment before refocusing. Very high frame rates may work better when you allow refocusing to take place rapidly, without a lock-on delay.
Off. Turn off focus lock-on if you want the D800 to refocus immediately. This may be the best choice for general subjects, because it allows the camera to smoothly follow focus on a moving subject with no delay.
a4 AF Activation
This setting lets you change which controls are used to activate autofocus, either the shutter release button and the AF-ON button or the AF-ON button only. Most of us learned to use a half-press of the shutter release button to activate autofocus at the same time the exposure is calculated, but if you’re willing to retrain yourself to use the AF-ON button, there are some nifty things you can do. For example, the AF-ON button can be used to lock in focus separately from exposure and taking the picture, and to produce the effect called trap focus in which you pre-focus at a certain point, press the shutter release, and the D800 doesn’t take a picture until your subject (say, a horse crossing the finish line) moves into the pre-focused position. I described trap focus in more detail in Chapter 5, but you can learn the basic use of this custom setting now.
Shutter/AF-ON. With this default setting, you can use either the shutter release button or the AF-ON button to initiate focus. For example, you could press the AF-ON button to start the autofocus operation as you initially frame the image, then press the shutter release when you’re ready to take the picture to meter the scene. Or, without changing anything, you could press the shutter release button to perform autofocus and metering at the same time.
AF-ON only. This setting decouples metering from autofocus activation. You must press AF-ON to start autofocus, and you must press the shutter release to start metering. So, you can activate and re-activate autofocus at any time. For example, suppose you’re photographing a field goal attempt in a football game. Press AF-ON to lock in focus on the player who will be holding the ball for the kicker. When the play begins, focus will remain locked on the holder, even if defenders suddenly burst into the frame. As the kicker goes into motion, press the shutter release button to meter the scene and take the picture, confident that the focus you’ve set will not change. (In fast-moving situations, this is obviously more precise than manually focusing.) As a bonus, you don’t have to worry about autofocus lag; the D800 will snap the picture virtually instantly. AF-ON can also be used in sneaky ways with the AE-L/AF-L button, and I covered those in Chapter 5.
a5 AF Point Illumination
It’s usually helpful to have the active focus point highlighted in red in the viewfinder, although the flashing indicator does use a minuscule amount of power. This setting lets you specify when/if this highlighting happens. Your choices include:
Auto. With this default setting, the D800 will illuminate the selected focus point if it determines that highlighting is needed to sufficiently contrast the focus zone from the background.
On. The selected focus point is always highlighted.
Off. The selected focus point is never highlighted in red.
If you select Off when using any of the D800’s crop modes, the area outside the crop boundaries is darkened. This makes it easier to differentiate the image area from the full frame, so if you’re using a crop mode you’ll usually want to set AF Point Illumination to Off. However, if having the active focus point highlighted is important, go ahead and use the On setting when working in crop modes.
a6 Focus Point Wrap-Around
This setting is purely a personal preference parameter. When you press the multi selector left/right and up/down buttons to choose a focus point, the D800 can be told to stop when the selection reaches the edge of the 51-point array—or, it can continue, wrapping around to the opposite edge, like Pac-Man leaving the playing area on one side or top/bottom to re-emerge on the other. (I hope I’m not revealing my age, here.) Your choices are simple; decide which behavior you prefer:
Wrap. Pressing the left/right or up/down buttons when you’ve reached the edge of the focus point display wraps the selection to the opposite side, still moving in the same direction.
No Wrap. The focus point selection stops at the edge of the focus zone array.
a7 Number of Focus Points
You can choose the number of focus points available when you manually select a zone using the multi selector up/down and left/right buttons. Your choices, shown in Figure 12.3, are as follows:
51 points. This is the default. All 51 focus points can be selected.
Figure 12.3 Select from all 51 focus points (left), or 11 more widely spaced points (right).
11 points. A more widely spaced array of points is available. This can be the best choice for faster focus point selection when taking pictures of relatively large, evenly illuminated subject matter such that choosing precise focus zones is not particularly beneficial. I often use the 11-point option when photographing basketball games.
a8 Built-in AF-Assist Illuminator
Use this setting to control whether to use the AF-assist lamp built into the Nikon D800, or rely on the more powerful AF-assist lamp built into Nikon electronic flash units (like the Nikon SB-910) and the Nikon SC-29 coiled remote flash cord (for firing the flash when not mounted on the camera).
On. This default value will cause the AF-assist illuminator lamp to fire when lighting is poor, but only if single-servo autofocus (AF-S) is active, or you have selected the center focus point manually and either Single-point or Dynamic-area autofocus (rather than Auto-area autofocus) has been chosen.
Off. Use this to disable the AF-assist illuminator. You’d find that useful when the lamp might be distracting or discourteous (say, at a religious ceremony or acoustic music concert), or your subject is located closer than one foot, eight inches or farther than about 10 feet. Turning off the illuminator can be important in stage and dance performances, because performers often use a point of light in the audience area to orient themselves as they spin or turn.
It’s important to note that AF-assist illumination is not available with all lenses, most commonly because the lenses themselves are so large that they block the AF illuminator. The lenses affected are:
Lenses longer than 200mm. Because the AF illumination is good only out to about 10 feet, it should be obvious that long lenses that aren’t typically used at such close focusing distances (or may not even focus that close) are not practical for focus-assist. Nikon specifically states that neither the VR I or VR II versions of its 200mm f/2 and 200-400mm f/4 zoom lenses can be used with focus-assist.
Lenses that are usable from 2 feet, 4 inches to 10 feet. Some lenses are large enough that they block the AF-assist illuminator at close focusing distances (2 feet 4 inches or less). FX lenses on this list are the 16-35mm f/4G VR; the 24-70mm/28-70mm f/2.8 medium zooms; Nikon’s 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens; and the 200mm f/4 Micro-Nikkor. In addition, the 17-55mm f/2.8 and 18-200mm f/3.5-f5.6 DX-format lenses also fall into this category.
Lenses that can be used from 3 feet, 7 inches to 10 feet. The D800’s built-in AF illuminator is blocked by the 24-120mm f/4 lens and 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lenses, and the DX format 55-200mm f/4-56 DX zoom.
Lenses that can be used from 4 feet, 11 inches to 10 feet. These include a group of FX lenses, including the 14-24mm f/2.8 super-wide, both VR I and VR II versions of Nikon’s 70-200mm f/2.8 zooms, both the AF and AF-S versions of the company’s 80-200mm f/2.8 zoom, and the 70-300 f/4-5.6 telephoto zoom. Nikon’s 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR zoom blocks the AF illuminator at any distance closer than 7 feet, 7 inches, so you can chalk that one off your focus-assist list as well.
b. Metering/Exposure
The orange-coded Metering/Exposure Custom Settings (see Figure 12.4) let you define six different parameters that affect exposure metering in the Nikon D800.
b1 ISO Sensitivity Step Value
This setting determines the size of the “jumps” it should use when making ISO adjustments—either one-third or one full stop. At the 1/3 stop setting, typical ISO values would be 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, and so forth. Choose 1/2 stop settings, and your choices would be 200, 280, 400, 560, 500, 800, 1100, and 1600 over the same range. For really large increments, set the full-stop option, and choose 200, 400, 800, and 1600, and so forth. The larger increment can help you leap from one ISO setting to one that’s much larger with one click in environments where you don’t care to fine-tune sensitivity. As you’ve surmised, your choices include 1/3 step (the default); 1/2 step; and 1 step.
Figure 12.4 There are six metering/exposure options.
b2 EV Steps for Exposure Cntrl.
This setting tells the Nikon D800 the size of the “jumps” it should use when making exposure adjustments—either one-third, one-half, or one full stop. The increment you specify here applies to f/stops, shutter speeds, EV changes, and autoexposure bracketing. As with ISO sensitivity step value, you can select from 1/3 step (the default); 1/2 step; and 1 step increments.
Choose the 1/3 stop setting when you want the finest increments between shutter speeds and/or f/stops. For example, the D800 will use shutter speeds such as 1/60th, 1/80th, 1/100th, 1/125th, and 1/160th second, and f/stops such as f/5.6, f/6.3, f/7.1, and f/8, giving you (and the autoexposure system) maximum flexibility.
With 1/2 stop increments, you will have larger and more noticeable changes between settings. The D800 will apply shutter speeds such as 1/60th, 1/125th, 1/250th, and 1/500th second, and f/stops including f/5.6, f/6.7, f/8, f/9.5, and f/11. These coarser adjustments are useful when you want more dramatic changes between different exposures.
b3 Exp./Flash Comp. Step Value
This third “increment” setting functions identically to the other two but applies to exposure compensation and flash exposure compensation adjustments you make by holding down the relevant EV adjustment buttons on the camera. (The Exposure Compensation button is on the top panel, just southeast of the shutter release button, as introduced in Chapter 2.) The flash compensation button can be found on the left side of the pentaprism, just below the flash pop-up button. Both add or subtract from the exposure when held down while the main command dial is rotated. This setting tells the Nikon D800 the size of the “jumps” it should use when making these exposure adjustments. As with ISO sensitivity and exposure control step values, you can select from 1/3 step (the default); 1/2 step; and 1 step increments.
b4 Easy Exposure Compensation
This setting potentially simplifies dialing in EV (exposure value compensation) adjustments by specifying whether the Exposure Compensation button must be pressed while adding or extracting EV compensation. Because of the possibility of confusion or error, I tend to leave this setting turned off. Your choices are as follows:
On (Auto reset). This setting allows you to add or subtract exposure by rotating the sub-command dial when in Programmed (P) or Shutter-priority (S) exposure modes, or by rotating the main command dial when using Aperture-priority (A) mode. Rotating either dial has no effect in manual (M) exposure mode. (If you’ve reversed the behavior of the command dials using Custom Setting f7, the “opposite” command dial must be used to make the changes.) Any adjustments you’ve made are canceled when the camera is shut off, or the meter-off time expires and the D800’s exposure meters go back to sleep. That’s a useful mode, because most of us have made an EV adjustment and then forgotten about it, only to expose a whole series of improperly exposed photos. You can still have “sticky” EV settings when Easy Exposure Compensation is turned on: just hold down the Exposure Compensation button when you make your changes.
On. This setting brings the Easy Compensation mode into conformance with the D800’s behavior when the Exposure Compensation button is pressed: in either case, any EV modifications you make will remain until you countermand them. As I have mentioned several times, forgetting to “turn off” EV changes after you’ve moved on to a different shooting environment is a primary cause of over and underexposure among those of us who are forgetful or who ignore the D800’s flashing EV warnings.
Off. With this default setting, you must always press the Exposure Compensation button while rotating the main command dial to add or subtract exposure. Use this choice when you don’t want any EV changes unless you deliberately make them by pressing the button.
b5 Center-Weighted Area
This setting changes the size of the center-weighted exposure spot when the D800 is used with a non-CPU (generally older AI and AI-S and earlier lenses that haven’t been updated with a “computer” chip). Your choices include 8mm, 12mm, 15mm, 20mm, or full-frame average (which turns the metering mode from a center-weighted system to an old-fashioned averaging system). If you’re using a non-CPU lens, the center-weighted area is fixed at 12mm, and the camera ignores whatever choice you may have entered here. Because the D800 shows the default 12mm area in the viewfinder, you have a visual indication of what area is being emphasized by the metering system. Figure 12.5 shows the relative size of the center-weighted zones.
b6 Fine-Tune Optimal Exposure
This setting is a powerful adjustment that allows you to dial in a specific amount of exposure compensation that will be applied, invisibly, to every photo you take using each of the three metering modes. No more can you complain, “My D800 always underexposes by 1/3 stop!” If that is actually the case, and the phenomenon is consistent, you can use this custom menu adjustment to compensate.
Figure 12.5 Center-weighting can use zones measuring 8, 12, 15, and 20mm.
Exposure compensation is usually a better idea (does your camera really underexpose that consistently?), but this setting does allow you to “recalibrate” your D800 yourself. You can fine-tune exposure separately in each of the four A, B, C, D Custom Settings banks, and your dialed in modifications will survive a two-button reset. However, you have no indication that fine-tuning has been made, so you’ll need to remember what you’ve done. After all, you someday might discover that your camera is consistently overexposing images by 1/3 stop, not realizing that your Custom Setting b6 adjustment is the culprit.
In practice, it’s rare that the Nikon D800 will consistently provide the wrong exposure in any of the three metering modes, especially Matrix metering, which can alter exposure dramatically based on the D800’s internal database of typical scenes. This feature may be most useful for Spot metering, if you always take a reading off the same type of subject, such as a human face or 18-percent gray card. Should you find that the gray card readings, for example, always differ from what you would prefer, go ahead and fine-tune optimal exposure for Spot metering, and use that to read your gray cards. To use this feature:
1. Select fine-tuning. Choose b6 Fine-tune optimal exposure from the Custom Settings menu.
2. Consider yourself warned. In the screen that appears, choose Yes after carefully reading the warning that Nikon insists on showing you each and every time this option is activated.
3. Select metering mode to correct. Choose Matrix metering, Center-weighted, or Spot metering in the screen that follows by highlighting your choice and pressing the multi selector right button.
4. Specify amount of correction. Press the up/down buttons to dial in the exposure compensation you want to apply. You can specify compensation in increments of 1/6 stop, half as large a change as conventional exposure compensation. This is truly fine-tuning.
5. Confirm your change. Press OK when finished. You can repeat the action to fine-tune the other two exposure modes if you wish.
c. Timers/AE Lock
This category (see Figure 12.6) is a mixed bag of settings, covering both entries that adjust delay times (c2 through c4) and how the shutter release and AE-L buttons interact (c1). I think the latter setting, changed slightly for the D800, should have been placed in the purple f-coded Controls section, especially since with the original D300, Nikon moved the assignment of the AE-L/AF-L button setting (which used to reside here with some earlier cameras) to that location. They moved one of the settings, but not the other. Go figure.
c1 Shutter-Release Button AE-L
This is another of Nikon’s easily confusing options for controlling how and when auto-focus and exposure are activated and locked. The intent is to allow you to separate autofocus and autoexposure activation and locking.
Off. Exposure is locked only when the AE-L/AF-L button is pressed. This is the default.
On. Exposure locks when either the shutter release button is depressed halfway or the AE-L/AF-L button is held down.
c2 Auto Meter-Off Delay
Use this setting to determine how long the D800’s exposure meter continues to operate after the last operation, such as autofocusing, focus point selection, and so forth, was performed. The default value is 6 seconds, but you can also select 4, 6, 10, and 30 seconds, as well as 1, 5, 10, and 30 minutes, or No limit, which keeps the meter active until the camera is switched off.
To save power, you should select an intermediate value, such as 8, 16, or 30 seconds if the default 6 seconds is not long enough. When the Nikon EH-5a/EP-5b AC adapter is connected to the D800, the exposure meter will remain on indefinitely, just as if you’d specified No limit. Absent an external power source, any setting longer than 8 seconds will definitely eat up power.
Figure 12.6 The Timers/AE Lock settings.
Even so, sports shooters and some others prefer a longer delay, because they are able to keep their camera always “at the ready” with no delay to interfere with taking an action shot that unexpectedly presents itself. Extra battery consumption is just part of the price paid. For example, when I am shooting football, a meter-off delay of 16 seconds is plenty, because the players lining up for the snap is my signal to get ready to shoot. But for basketball or soccer, I typically set the meter-off delay for No limit, because action is virtually continuous. My D800 has plenty of power, and I carry two sets of spares. I rarely shoot much more than 1000-1200 shots at any sports event, so that’s often sufficient juice even with meter-off delay set for No limit.
Of course, if the meters have shut off, and the power switch remains in the On position, you can bring the camera back to life by tapping the shutter button.
c3 Self-Timer
This setting lets you choose the length of the self-timer shutter release delay. The default value is 10 seconds. You can also choose 2, 5, or 20 seconds. If I have the camera mounted on a tripod or other support and am too lazy to attach the MC-30 cable release (I have three, one for each camera bag, so I always have one available), I can set a 2-second delay that is sufficient to let the camera stop vibrating after I’ve pressed the shutter release. I use a longer delay time if I am racing to get into the picture myself and am not sure I can make it in 10 seconds.
Your options include:
Self-timer delay. The default value is 10 seconds. You can also choose 2, 5, 10, or 20 seconds. If I have the camera mounted on a tripod or other support and am too lazy to dig around for my wired or IR remote, I can set a two-second delay that is sufficient to let the camera stop vibrating after I’ve pressed the shutter release. I use a longer delay time if I am racing to get into the picture myself and am not sure I can make it in 10 seconds.
Number of shots. After the timer finishes counting down, the D800 can take from 1 to 9 different shots. This is a godsend when shooting photos of groups, especially if you want to appear in the photo itself. You’ll always want to shoot several pictures to ensure that everyone’s eyes are open and there are smiling expressions on each face. Instead of racing back and forth between the camera to trigger the self-timer multiple times, you can select the number of shots taken after a single countdown. For small groups, I always take at least as many shots as there are people in the group—plus one. That gives everybody a chance to close their eyes. Of course, the ML-L3 IR remote is often your best choice, but this facility works well if you don’t have one handy.
Interval between shots. If you’ve selected 2 to 9 as your number of shots to be snapped off, you can use this option to space out the different exposures. Your choices are 0.5 seconds, 1, 2, or 3 seconds. Use a short interval when you want to capture everyone saying “Cheese!” The 3-second option is helpful if you’re using flash, as 3 seconds is generally long enough to allow the flash to recycle and have enough juice for the next photo.
Tip
If you want a longer delay and are really lazy, just turn the D800’s release mode dial to the Mup position. No menu changes required! When you press the shutter release all the way down, the mirror will raise (reducing vibration so you can take a picture immediately), but if you do nothing else, the picture will be taken anyway 30 seconds later. (To take a picture immediately after the mirror is raised, press the shutter release a second time.) Return the release mode dial to the single frame or continuous shooting modes to cancel this temporary self-timer option.
c4 Monitor Off Delay
You can adjust the amount of time the monitor remains on when no other operations are being performed. As with the meter-off delay, if the EH-5a/EP-5b AC adapter is attached, the monitor will remain on for the maximum amount, about 10 minutes. With the D800, you can specify separate values for Playback (the default is 10 seconds); Menus (the default is 1 minute); Information display (default is 10 seconds); Image review (4 seconds); and live view (10 minute default). Choosing a brief duration for all or each of these can help preserve battery power. However, the D800 will always override the review display when the shutter button is partially or fully depressed, so you’ll never miss a shot because a previous image was on the screen.
SAVING POWER WITH THE Nikon D800
There are several settings and techniques you can use to help stretch the longevity of your D800’s battery. To get the most from each charge, consider these steps:
Playback menu. Image review: Turn off image review after each shot. You can still review your images by pressing the Playback button.
Auto meter-off delay. Set to 4 seconds if you can tolerate such a brief active time.
Monitor off delay. Set values for the minimum length, 10 seconds. That big 3.2-inch monitor uses a lot of juice, so reducing the amount of time it is used when you don’t turn it off manually (either for automatic review or for playing back your images) can boost the effectiveness of your battery.
Reduce LCD illumination. Set Custom Setting d8 to Off, so the control panel will be backlit only when you manually use the switch around the shutter release.
Reduce LCD brightness. In the Setup menu, select the lowest of the seven brightness settings that work for you under most conditions. If you’re willing to shade the monitor with your hand, you can often get away with lower brightness settings outdoors, which will further increase the useful life of your battery.
Cancel VR. Turn off vibration reduction if your lens has that feature and you feel you don’t need it.
Use a card reader. When transferring pictures from your D800 to your computer, use a card reader instead of the USB cable. Linking your camera to your computer and transferring images using the cable takes longer and uses a lot more power.
d. Shooting/Display
This menu section (see Figure 12.7) offers a variety of mostly unrelated shooting and display options not found elsewhere, but which are not frequently changed, making them suitable for a Custom Settings entry. The figure shows only the first eight entries; you must scroll down to see the last three.
d1 Beep
The Nikon D800’s internal beeper provides a (usually) superfluous chirp to signify various functions, such as the countdown of your camera’s self-timer or autofocus confirmation in AF-S mode (unless you’ve selected release priority in Custom Setting a2). You can (and probably should) switch it off if you want to avoid the beep because it’s annoying, impolite, distracting (at a concert or museum), or undesired for any other reason. It’s one of the few ways to make the D800 a bit quieter. (I’ve actually had new dSLR owners ask me how to turn off the “shutter sound” the camera makes; such an option was available in the point-and-shoot camera they’d used previously.) Select d1 Beep from the menu, and select one of the following:
Volume. Select Off to disable the beeper, or values of 1 (soft) through 3 (loud). A quarter-note icon appears in the monochrome control panel and the shooting information display.
Pitch. Select High for a high-pitched beep, or Low for a deeper tone.
d2 CL Mode Shooting Speed
You can specify the frames per second shooting rate for continuous low speed mode (CL), from 1 frame per second to 5 frames per second. Faster rates are better for sports action, such as the image shown in Figure 12.8.
Choose one of these firing speed ranges for CL from among those available that is suitable for the kind of shooting environment you’re in:
Normal continuous shooting. I set my D800 to the 1 fps rate most of the time, so that I can take multiple shots quickly without needing to press the shutter release repeatedly. A one-second rate isn’t so fast that I end up taking a bunch of shots that I don’t want, but it is fast enough that I can shoot a series.
Bracketing. When I’m using bracketing, I generally have the D800 set to shoot a bracketed set of three pictures: normal, over, and underexposure. With the camera set to 3 fps, I can press the shutter once and take all three bracketed shots, with basically the same framing, within about one second.
Figure 12.7 A mixed bag of entries is found in the Shooting/Display submenu.
Figure 12.8 High frame rates can capture a critical moment when shooting sports action.
Slower action sequences. The 5 fps rate available for sports photography often produces an embarrassing plethora of pictures that are a pain to wade through after the event is over. For some types of action, such as long distance running, golf, swimming, or routine baseball plays, a rate of 3 to 5 fps might be sufficient. You can make this more reasonable speed available by defining it here as the continuous low speed frame rate.
d3 Max. Continuous Release
Use this setting to limit the number of consecutive shots that can be taken in one burst when using continuous shooting modes. Your choices are any value between 1 and 100. Choosing a particular setting does not mean that the D800 will actually take that many shots if you hold down the shutter button long enough. As your buffer fills, continuous shooting will slow down and eventually pause while the D800 dumps pictures to the memory card. However, the D800’s file sizes at 36 megapixels are quite large, so you can easily find yourself waiting for the memory card to store images, especially if you’re shooting RAW+JPEG at a 5 fps rate. I have my D800 set to 30 shots maximum, but almost never reach that point when shooting.
d4 Exposure Delay Mode
This is a marginally useful feature (and mildly annoying if you forget to turn it off) that you can use to force the Nikon D800 to snap a picture about 1, 2, or 3 seconds (your choice) after you’ve pressed the shutter release button all the way. It’s useful when you are using shutter speeds of about 1/8th to 1/60th second hand-held and want to minimize the effects of the vibration that results when you depress the shutter button. It can also be used when the camera is mounted on a tripod, although the self-timer function, set to a two-second delay, is more useful in that scenario. When switched On, the camera will pause while you steady your steely grip on the camera, taking the picture about one second later. When turned Off, the picture is taken when the shutter release is pressed, as normal. One interesting side-effect of this mode is that it separates the normally invisible pre-flash produced by any D800’s external flash that’s connected with the delay, so, if you’re shooting living subjects (human or animal), they may be startled by the initial flash and close their eyes just before the main flash fires 1,000 milliseconds later.
d5 File Number Sequence
The Nikon D800 will automatically apply a file number to each picture you take, using consecutive numbering for all your photos over a long period of time, spanning many different memory cards, starting over from scratch when you insert a new card, or when you manually reset the numbers. Numbers are applied from 0001 to 9999, at which time the D800 “rolls over” to 0001 again.
The file numbers produced by the D800 don’t provide information about the actual number of times the camera’s shutter has been tripped—called actuations. For that data, you’ll need a third-party software solution, such as the free Opanda iExif (www.opanda.com) for Windows (see Figure 12.9) or the non-free ($34.95) GraphicConverter for Macintosh (www.lemkesoft.com). These utilities can be used to extract the true number of actuations from the Exif information embedded in a JPEG file.
Figure 12.9 Opanda iExif shows the exact number of pictures that have been taken with your camera.
Opanda Studios
The camera keeps track of the last number used in its internal memory and, if File Number Sequence is turned On, will apply a number that’s one higher, or a number that’s one higher than the largest number in the current folder on the memory card inserted in the camera. You can also start over each time a new folder has been created on the memory card, or reset the current counter back to 0001 at any time. Here’s how it works:
On. At this default setting, the D800 will use the number stored in its internal memory any time a new folder is created, a new memory card inserted, or an existing memory card formatted. If the card is not blank and contains images, then the next number will be one greater than the highest number on the card or in internal memory (whichever is higher). Here are some examples.
You’ve taken 1,235 shots with the camera, and you insert a blank/reformatted memory card. The next number assigned will be 1,236, based on the value stored in internal memory.
You’ve taken 1,235 shots with the camera, and you insert an old memory card you previously used with the D800, but which has a picture numbered 0728. The next picture will be numbered 1,236.
You’ve taken more than 9,999 shots with the camera and the counter has rolled over to 0001 again, and your new total is 1,235 shots. You insert an old memory card with a picture from before the rollover that’s numbered 8,281. The next picture will be numbered 8,282, and that value will be stored in the camera’s menu as the “high” shot number (and will be applied when you next insert a blank card). This misnumbering makes it a good idea to always reformat your memory cards before taking a photo, if at all possible.
Off. If you’re using a blank/reformatted memory card, or a new folder is created, the next photo taken will be numbered 0001. File number sequences will be reset every time you use or format a card, or a new folder is created (which happens when an existing folder on the card contains 999 shots).
Reset. The D800 assigns a file number that’s one larger than the largest file number in the current folder, unless the folder is empty, in which case numbering is reset to 0001. At this setting, new or reformatted memory cards will always have 0001 as the first file number.
d6 Viewfinder Grid Display
The D800 can display a grid of lines overlaid on the viewfinder (see Figure 12.10), offering some help when you want to align vertical or horizontal lines. Note that the intersections of these lines do not follow the Rule of Thirds convention, and so are less useful for composition, assuming you want to follow the Rule of Thirds guideline in the first place. If you happen to subscribe to the Rule of Quarters, you’re all set. Note that for critical applications, it’s possible that your D800’s viewfinder isn’t absolutely accurate. I sometimes have to rotate images slightly in Photoshop because the grid is not perfectly aligned. Your options for this grid display are On and Off (the default).
Figure 12.10 The D800’s optional grid display can help with composing and aligning images in the viewfinder.
d7 ISO Display and Adjustment
Options: Show Sensitivity, Show ISO/Easy ISO, Show Frame Count
This entry controls whether ISO or frame count is displayed in the viewfinder and control panel. You have three options.
Show ISO sensitivity. The viewfinder and control panel will display the current ISO sensitivity in the position where the frame count is normally shown.
Show ISO/Easy ISO. This option also replaces the frame count with the ISO display, but when active you can change the ISO quickly by rotating the sub-command dial (when using P or S exposure modes) or by rotating the main command dial (when using A mode).
Show Frame Count. In this default mode, the number of exposures remaining is shown in the viewfinder and control panel. To see the ISO setting on the monitor, press the INFO button.
d8 Screen Tips
Screen tips are the Tool Tip type labels that pop up when you’ve selected an item on the information display that you want to change. Choose On to enable screen tips; off to disable them (after you’ve memorized each option’s function).
d9 Information Display
This menu entry (see Figure 12.11) refers to the shooting information display that appears when you press the Info button. You can set this display to change automatically from dark lettering on a light background to light lettering on a dark background, or you can select one or the other to be used all the time. The monitor will automatically change its brightness to provide the best contrast for the selected text display. Your choices are as follows:
Auto. If the scene as viewed through the lens indicates a bright environment, the shooting info display will appear as black letters on a white background, producing an improved view in full daylight. If the scene appears dark, the display will have lighter letters on a dark background. Note that it’s easy to “fool” the camera. Until you take the lens cap off, you’ll see the dark background display regardless of your shooting environment. If you’re standing in a darkened location, but point the camera at a bright scene, the D800 will show you the “daylight” display.
Manual. Select this option and you can choose B (Dark on light) or W (Light on dark) to be used as the display at all times.
Figure 12.11 The second screen of Shooting/display options.
d10 LCD Illumination
When set to Off (the default), the control panel (and the status LCDs on any attached compatible Nikon speedlight, such as the Nikon SB-910) will illuminate for as long as the exposure meters are active, but only when the switch around the shutter release is pressed toward the maximum clockwise direction, just past the On indicator. Choose On, and the panel will be illuminated any time the exposure meters are active (and thus using more power), without the need to press the switch.
d11 MB-D12 Battery Type
This option is needed to communicate to the D800 what type of AA batteries are being used in the MB-D12 battery pack/grip, because the different varieties of AA batteries provide slightly different voltages, and change voltages at different rates as they are used up. The setting you select here has no effect when you’re using an EN-EL15. Your choices include:
LR6 (AA alkaline). For ordinary alkaline batteries
HR6 (AA NiMH). For Nickel-Metal Hydride rechargeable batteries
FR6 (AA lithium). For non-rechargeable lithium batteries
Because of their limited capacity, you’ll want to use conventional AA alkaline batteries only as a last resort, and then only when the weather is warmer than 68 degrees Fahrenheit, because the chemical reactions that provide power decline at lower temperatures. Alkalines retain their power longer when not used, so they may be a reasonable choice if you rarely use your MB-D12 and want to keep it ready to go. But I expect few readers will have this useful accessory sitting on a shelf gathering dust.
d12 Battery Order
When using the MB-D12 battery pack/grip, the batteries in the pack and in your D800 are used consecutively. That is, one of them powers the camera until it is exhausted, and then the D800 switches to the other. You can choose the order in which this switch-off takes place.
The default setting is Use MB-D12 Batteries First. You can also specify Use Camera Battery First. If you were using AA alkaline batteries in the MB-D12 as an emergency reserve, you’d probably want to use the D800’s internal battery first, so the alkalines wouldn’t be prematurely exhausted and could live to shoot as backup another day. If you’re using an EN-EL15 in the MB-D12, and shooting a lot, you might want to use the MB-D12 battery first, and use the camera’s battery as a backup, because the MB-D12 battery can be changed more quickly, and without removing the grip from the D800.
e. Bracketing/Flash
There are lots of useful settings in this submenu (see Figure 12.12) that deal with bracketing and electronic flash (hence the cleverly concocted name). I provided a thorough description of using bracketing in Chapter 4, and a complete rundown of flash options in Chapters 9 and 10. Here, I’ll offer a recap of the settings at your disposal.
e1 Flash Sync Speed
As you may already know (or will learn in Chapter 8), the focal plane shutter in the Nikon D800 must be fully open when the flash fires; otherwise, you’ll image one edge or the other of the vertically traveling shutter curtain in your photo. Ordinarily, the fastest shutter speed during which the shutter is completely open for an instant is 1/250th second. However, there are exceptions when you can use faster shutter speeds with certain flash units (such as the Nikon SB-910, SB-700, and SB-R200) for automatic FP (focal plane) synchronization. There are also situations in which you might want to set flash sync speed to less than 1/250th second, say, because you want ambient light to produce secondary ghost images in your frame. (I’ll address all these sync issues in Chapter 9.)
Figure 12.12 Bracketing and flash options are available in this menu.
You can choose the following settings:
1/320 s (Auto FP). This setting allows using compatible external flash units with high-speed synchronization at 1/320th second or faster, and activates auto FP sync when the camera selects a shutter speed of 1/320th second or faster in Programmed and Aperture-priority modes. Other flash units, including the built-in flash, will be used at speeds no faster than 1/250th second.
1/250 s (Auto FP). This similar setting allows using the named external flash units with high-speed synchronization at 1/250th second or faster, and activates auto FP sync when the camera selects a shutter speed of 1/250th second or faster in Programmed and Aperture-priority modes. Other flash units, including the flip-up internal flash, will be used at speeds no faster than 1/250th second.
1/250 s. At this default setting, only shutter speeds up to 1/250th second can be used with flash, both internal and external. Note: To lock in shutter speed at 1/250th second, rotate the main control dial in M or S modes to choose the x250 setting located after the 30s and bulb speeds.
1/200 s-1/60 s. You can specify a shutter speed from 1/200th second to 1/60th second to be used as the synchronization speed for flash units.
e2 Flash Shutter Speed
This setting determines the slowest shutter speed that is available for electronic flash synchronization when you’re not using a “slow sync” mode (described in Chapter 10). As you may know, when you’re using flash, the flash itself provides virtually all of the illumination that makes the main exposure, and the shutter speed determines how much, if any, of the ambient light contributes to that second, non-flash exposure. Indeed, if the camera or subject is moving, you can end up with two distinct exposures in the same frame: the sharply defined flash exposure, and a second, blurry “ghost” picture created by the ambient light.
If you don’t want that second exposure, you should use the highest shutter speed that will synchronize with your flash. This setting prevents Programmed or Aperture-priority modes (which both select the shutter speed for you) from inadvertently selecting a “too slow” shutter speed. You can select a value from 30 s to 1/60 s, and the D800 will avoid using speeds slower than the one you specify with electronic flash (unless you’ve selected slow sync, slow rear-curtain sync, or red-eye reduction with slow sync, as described in Chapter 10). The “slow sync” modes do permit the ambient light to contribute to the exposure (say, to allow the background to register in night shots, or to use the ghost image as a special effect). For brighter backgrounds, you’ll need to put the camera on a tripod or other support to avoid the blurry ghosts that can occur from camera shake, even if the subject is stationary.
If you are able to hold the D800 steady, a value of 1/30 s is a good compromise; if you have shaky hands, use 1/60 s or higher. Those with extraordinarily solid grips or a lens with vibration reduction can try the 1/15 s setting. Remember that this setting only determines the slowest shutter speed that will be used, not the default shutter speed.
e3 Flash Cntrl for Built-in Flash
The Nikon D800’s built-in flash has four modes, which I’ll describe in a lot more detail in Chapter 9. Your four options are as follows:
TTL. When the built-in flash is triggered, the D800 first fires a pre-flash and measures the light reflected back and through the lens to calculate the proper exposure when the full flash is emitted a fraction of a second later.
Manual. You can set the level of the built-in flash from full power to 1/128 power.
Repeating flash. The flash fires multiple bursts, producing a stroboscopic lighting effect. As I described in Chapter 9, when you choose repeating flash you’ll be asked to select Output (flash power level), Times (the number of times the flash is fired at the output level you specify), and Frequency (how often the flash fires per second). Note that these factors are interdependent. For example, if you tell the flash to fire at 1/8 output power, you can select from 2 to 5 flashes, at a rate of 1 to 50 flashes per second. That’s because the flash has only enough power for a maximum of 5 flashes at the 1/8 output setting. At 1/128 power, there’s enough juice for 2 to 35 individual flashes, at a rate of no more than 50 flashes per second.
Commander mode. If you never use external flash, you can safely ignore this setting. If you do, you’ll want to set up the D800 for your most frequently used options, to avoid having to fiddle with the camera if you decide to pull your SB-910 out of your bag for some impromptu multi-flash shooting. In Commander mode, the built-in flash emits pre-flashes that can be used to wirelessly control one or more remote external flash units.
Tip
If the Nikon SB-400 flash unit is attached and turned on, this menu choice is not available, because the SB-400 unit, unlike the D800’s built-in flash and other external flash units, cannot function in Commander mode. You’ll be able to set flash compensation and flash mode for the built-in flash as well as individual “groups” of flashes (Groups A and B) and the triggering channels. As you’ll see, using electronic flash with the Nikon D800 is worth a book of its own, but I’ll do my best to explain the vagaries in Chapter 9.
e4 Modeling Flash
The Nikon D800, and certain compatible external flash units (like the SB-700 and SB-910/SB-900) have the capability of simulating a modeling lamp, which gives you the limited capability of previewing how your flash illumination is going to look in the finished photo. The modeling flash is not a perfect substitute for a real incandescent or fluorescent modeling lamp, but it does help you see how your subject is illuminated, and spot any potential problems with shadows.
When this feature is activated, pressing the Depth-of-field button on the D800 briefly triggers the modeling flash for your preview. Selecting Off disables the feature. You’ll generally want to leave it On, except when you anticipate using the Depth-of-field preview button for depth-of-field purposes (imagine that) and do not want the modeling flash to fire when the flash unit is charged and ready. Some external flash units, such as the SB-910, have their own modeling flash buttons.
e5 Auto Bracketing Set
The Nikon D800 can automatically take several pictures using slightly different settings within a range that you specify, and apply the changes to automatic exposure, electronic flash, white balance, or (with the D800) Active D-Lighting. This setting allows you to specify whether bracketing is used for both automatic exposure and flash (AE & flash), automatic exposure only (AE), flash bracketing only (Flash only), white balance color bracketing alone (WB bracketing) or (with the D800) Active D-Lighting bracketing alone. No autoexposure or flash bracketing will be performed when white balance bracketing or ADL bracketing is activated. Because you can specify white balance manually when importing a RAW file, WB bracketing is not available when Quality has been set to NEF (RAW) or NEF (RAW)+JPEG. The results you get with flash bracketing can vary quite a bit, depending on the amount of ambient illumination and flash mode you’ve chosen, but exposure bracketing is fairly consistent. I tend to leave this option set to AE most of the time. White balance bracketing is useful when you’re not quite sure of the color balance of your illumination. ADL bracketing with the D800 can come in handy when you’re not sure which Active D-Lighting setting will work for a particular situation. You’ll find more about bracketing in Chapter 4.
e6 Auto Bracketing Mode (Mode M)
If you’re using manual exposure mode to set the shutter speed and f/stop yourself, you can still take advantage of exposure bracketing. The Nikon D800 will take the basic settings you specified and adjust the exposure to provide over, under, and as-set variations. This setting determines whether shutter speed, aperture, or both are used to create the bracketing exposures. Remember, you set the basic exposure using shutter speed and aperture, and the D800 brackets around those values. If your flash is used and has been activated for bracketing using Custom Setting e5, the flash will be factored in, as well. The menu entries can be tricky to understand, so I’m going to spell them out:
Flash/Speed. With this default value, the D800 will vary the shutter speed to produce bracketed exposures and, if flash bracketing is available, will vary flash output as well. Use this option to keep your aperture set at the f/stop you select, say, to provide a certain desired amount (or lack) of depth-of-field. This setting works best when bracketing a moderate number of shots—say, 2 to 5 exposures—because the shutter speed changes among the bracketed set won’t be dramatic.
Flash/Speed/Aperture. This option tells the D800 to vary both shutter speed and aperture from your manual settings, and to vary flash output if flash bracketing is available. This setting is useful when creating a large bracket set, up to nine different exposures, because you’ll rarely want to vary shutter speed or aperture alone over such a large range of shots. The Flash/Speed/Aperture option spreads the variation over a combination of shutter speeds and apertures.
Flash/Aperture. The D800 will use the aperture to bracket your photos taken by ambient light, and if flash bracketing is available, will use flash output as well. This option is best if you’re shooting sports with manual exposure and want to lock in a specific shutter speed. As with Flash/Speed, this setting works best when the number of exposures in your bracket set is limited to 2 to 5 exposures; otherwise, the f/stop selected can vary wildly.
Flash Only. The D800 will bracket only flash exposure.
e7 Bracketing Order
Use this setting to define the sequence in which bracketing is carried out. Your choices are the default: MTR > Under > Over (metered exposure, followed by the version receiving less exposure, and finishing with the picture receiving the most exposure) and Under > MTR > Over, which orders the exposures from least exposed to most exposed (for both ambient and flash exposures). The same order is applied to white balance bracketing, too, but the values are Normal > More Yellow > More Blue and More Yellow > Normal > More Blue. (Nikon actually calls “yellow” by the term “amber,” but I’ve found “yellow” easier to understand.) You’ll find lots more about bracketing in Chapter 4. When doing ADL bracketing with the D800, this setting has no effect.
f. Controls
You can modify the way various control buttons and dials perform by using the options in this submenu, shown in Figure 12.13.
f1 Illuminator Switch
When you rotate the power switch, located concentrically with the shutter release, all the way to the clockwise position, the control panel is backlit for approximately six seconds. Choose the monitor Backlight option, the default, and that’s exactly what happens. The Switch and Information Display also turns on the shooting information display on the color monitor.
f2 Multi Selector Center Button
There are three groups of options available here, one for use when the camera is in shooting mode, and another when you’re reviewing images in playback mode. The third is applied during live view mode. So the multi selector center button can have three different functions. In shooting mode:
RESET/Select center focus point. This default setting lets you quickly select the center focus point in the viewfinder simply by pressing the multi selector center button.
Highlight active focus point. The active point is illuminated when you press the button.
Not used. Nothing happens when the multi selector center button is pressed. If you find yourself sloppily pressing the center button in the heat of the moment while shooting, use this setting to deactivate it and avoid unwanted actions.
Figure 12.13 Modify the behavior of the D800’s controls with these menu options.
In playback mode:
Thumbnail on/off. This default setting alternates between full-frame and thumbnail playback.
View histograms. When selected, a larger histogram is displayed while the multi selector center button is pressed.
Zoom on/off. Use the multi selector center button to toggle between full-frame or thumbnail playback (whichever is active) and playback zoom. You can choose Low Magnification, Medium Magnification, and High Magnification.
Choose slot and folder. This mode pops up the slot and folder selection screen.
In live view mode:
RESET/Select center focus point. This setting selects the center focus point in the viewfinder by pressing the center button.
Zoom on/off. Use the multi selector center button to toggle between full-frame or thumbnail playback (whichever is active) and playback zoom. You can choose Low Magnification, Medium Magnification, and High Magnification.
Not used. Nothing happens when you press the multi selector center button.
f3 Multi Selector
By default, pressing the left/right or up/down buttons on the multi selector when the exposure meters are off does nothing. If you would rather have the meters activated instead, switch from the Do Nothing default to Reset Meter-Off Delay. The meters will spring to life when one of the directional buttons is pressed, and remain active until the delay you’ve set previously in Custom Setting c2 has elapsed.
f4 Assign Fn (Function) Button
You can define the action that the Fn button performs when pressed alone, or when pressed while the command dials are rotated. There are no less than 16 different actions you can define for the button alone (including None), and five for the Fn button + a command dial. For the Fn button alone you can choose from:
Preview. Depth-of-field preview. Perhaps you’d like to use the DOF preview button for something else, and substitute the Fn button for DOF preview.
FV Lock. Press the Fn button to lock the value of the built-in or external flash, and press again to unlock it. This is the default value for the button.
AE/AF Lock. Lock both focus and exposure while the Fn button is pressed. Use this setting or one of the next three when you want to have a specific mode of operation normally available from the AE-L/AF-L button, but would prefer to trigger the behavior with the Fn button pressed instead.
AE Lock only. Lock only the exposure while the Fn button is pressed.
AE Lock (Hold). Exposure is locked when the Fn button is pressed, and remains locked until the button is pressed again, or the exposure meter-off delay expires.
AF Lock only. Focus is locked in while the Fn button is held down.
AE Lock (Reset on Release). Lock exposure when Fn button is pressed; unlock when the button is pressed a second time, or the shutter button is pressed down all the way, or the exposure meters time out and turn off.
AF-ON. The AE-L/AF-L button is used to initiate autofocus.
Flash off. The built-in flash (if elevated) and any external flash attached and powered up will not fire while the Fn button is held down. Handy if you want to temporarily disable the flash, say, to take a picture or two by available light, and then return to normal flash operation.
Bracketing burst. If the Fn button is pressed while exposure or flash bracketing have been activated in Single frame mode, all the shots will be taken, one after another, each time the shutter release is pressed. If Continuous high speed or Continuous low speed shooting modes (CH or CL) are active (or if white balance bracketing is active), the D800 will repeat the bracketing bursts for as long as the shutter release button is pressed down.
Matrix metering. Switch from the current metering mode to Matrix metering while the Fn button is held down. You can use this to switch rapidly, say, from Spot metering to Matrix metering in a single session.
Center-weighted metering. Switch from the current metering mode to Center-weighted metering while the Fn button is held down.
Spot metering. Switch from the current metering mode to Spot metering while the Fn button is held down. This is my favorite setting, because I like to switch from Matrix to Spot metering from time to time.
Playback. This option redefines the Fn button to provide the same function as the Playback button. You’ll find this useful when a long, heavy lens is mounted on your camera and it’s difficult to press the Playback button with the left hand.
Access top item in My Menu. Another new option, this one summons the first entry in your My Menu roster. Effectively, you can select any menu item that you access frequently, place it at the top of My Menu (as described in Chapter 13), and jump to that item by pressing the Fn button.
+NEF (RAW). If your D800 is currently set to shoot JPEG only, use this setting so that when you press the Fn button, the next shot will be recorded as a RAW+JPEG set. I use this option when shooting sports or other fast-moving events, then decide to shoot an image, say, along the sidelines, that could benefit from RAW manipulation later.
Viewfinder virtual horizon. Press the Fn button to view or hide the Virtual Horizon indicators at the bottom and sides of the viewfinder. The display shows the degree of tilt of the camera, with the bars to the left and right of center disappearing as the D800 is leveled in the roll orientation, and the bars at the right side of the viewfinder centering as pitch is corrected. (See Figure 12.14.)
None. Deactivates the Fn button.
To define the Fn button + command dials options, choose one of the following. Note that setting any of these while Preview, FV lock, AE lock (Reset on release), or AE lock (Hold) are active will reset the Fn button (alone) to None:
Choose image area. Select from DX, FX formats, 5:4, 1.2x, or Auto (the D800 will detect Nikon DX lenses, and some from third-party manufacturers).
Shutter Speed & Aperture Lock. Hold down the Fn button and rotate the main command dial to lock shutter speed when using Shutter-priority and Manual exposure modes; rotate the sub-command dial to lock the aperture when using Aperture-priority and Manual exposure modes.
Figure 12.14 The scales at the bottom and right side of the viewfinder show the amount of horizontal and forward/back tilt of the camera.
1 step spd/aperture. If you sometimes prefer coarser exposure settings of 1 whole step (instead of the 1/3 or 1/2 step increments that are normally set), use this option. When holding down the Fn button and rotating a command dial, shutter speed and aperture changes are made in whole step increments instead.
Choose non-CPU lens number. If you swap out older non-CPU manual lenses frequently, this option provides a quicker way of telling the D800 which lens number (1 to 9) to use. I often mount an old manual focus 85mm f/1.8 lens or 55mm f/3.5 Micro Nikkor on my D800, and can use this facility to switch back and forth between the lens settings I’ve manually entered for these lenses. (Chapter 13 will show you how to do that in the Setup menu.)
Active D-Lighting. Press the Fn button and rotate the command dials to adjust Active D-Lighting, as discussed in Chapter 4.
None. No action is performed when the Fn button is held down while the command dials are rotated.
USING BOTH FN PLUS FN + COMMAND DIALS
The settings that preclude the use of the Fn button + command dials combinations can be confusing. To make things simpler, you can define the Fn button to use AE/AF lock, AE lock only, AF lock only, Flash Off, bracketing burst, Matrix, Center-weighted, or Spot metering options with any of the Fn button + command dial options. If you define the Fn button to provide Preview, FV lock, AE lock (Reset on release), AE lock (Hold), Playback, or +NEF (RAW) functions, you cannot use any of the Fn button + command dial options at all. If you elect to use any Fn button + command dial settings, then the antagonistic Fn button functions are disabled. It’s as simple (or complicated) as that.
f5 Assign Preview Button
The Depth-of-field button can also be defined as you wish, with the same options and limitations as for the Fn button, except that AF-ON is not available, and the default action for the Preview button is DOF Preview. The default setting is None.
f6 Assign AE-L/AF-L Button
As if the Nikon D800 didn’t have enough buttons that are user-definable, you can change the behavior of the AE-L/AF-L button, too, both when it is used alone and when held down while command dials are rotated. The options and limitations are basically the same as for the Fn button described earlier, except that 1 Stp Spd./Aperture and Active D-Lighting are not available. The default value for the AE-L/AF-L button is AE/AF Lock; there is no default action for AE-L/AF-L button + command dials.
f7 Shutter Speed & Aperture Lock
Hold down the Fn button and rotate the main command dial to lock shutter speed when using Shutter-priority and Manual exposure modes; rotate the sub-command dial to lock the aperture when using Aperture-priority and Manual exposure modes. Shutter speed and aperture lock are not available when using the P exposure mode.
f8 Assign BKT Button
You can redefine the BKT button, located on the right side of the release mode dial. The options are:
Auto Bracketing. Press the BKT button and rotate the command dials to select the bracketing increment and number of shots in the sequence, as described in Chapter 4.
Multiple exposure. Press and rotate the command dials to choose the multiple exposure mode and number of shots, as described in Chapter 11. If you shoot a lot of multiple exposures, or shoot multiple exposures more than you bracket, this behavior can come in quite handy, as it’s faster than accessing the Multiple Exposure menu entry in the Shooting menu.
HDR. Press the button and rotate the command dials to choose the HDR mode and exposure differential, as described in Chapter 4.
f9 Customize Command Dials
This menu entry, the first in the next page of the Controls submenu (see Figure 12.15), can change the behavior of the command dials. Use the available tweaks to change the behavior of the dials to better suit your preferences, or if you’re coming to the Nikon world from another vendor’s product that uses a different operational scheme. Keep in mind that redefining basic controls in this way can prove confusing if someone other than yourself uses your camera, or if you find yourself working with other Nikon cameras that have retained the normal command dial behavior. The reason that the dials are set for their default directions is to match the direction of rotation of the aperture ring/sub-command dial (when changing the aperture). Turning any of the three to the left decreases exposure, while rotating to the right increases exposure.
Figure 12.15 The second page of the Controls submenu.
Reverse rotation. Rotating the main command dial (both the regular camera dial and the one on the vertical grip) counterclockwise causes shutter speeds to become shorter in Manual and Shutter-priority modes; rotating the sub-command dial counterclockwise selects larger f/stops. If you want to reverse the directional orientation of the dials (so you’ll need to rotate the main command dial clockwise to specify shorter shutter speeds, etc.), set this option to Yes. Set to No to return to the original D800 scheme of things.
Change main/sub. Select On to exchange the functions of the main and sub-command dials. When activated, the main dial will set the aperture in Manual and Aperture-priority modes, and the sub-command dial will adjust the shutter speed in Manual and Shutter-priority modes. All other normal functions are swapped, as well. Select Off to return to the Nikon D800’s default arrangement.
Aperture setting. Ordinarily, autofocus lenses having an aperture ring are locked at their smallest aperture when mounted on the Nikon D800 (and other Nikon models) and f/stops are set using the sub-command dial (unless you’ve used the Change Main/Sub option above). The default setting of the sub-command dial retains this behavior. If you’d rather unlock the aperture ring on the lens and use that instead, choose Aperture Ring. Type G lenses, which lack an aperture ring, will still be adjusted using the sub-command dial, regardless of how this setting is made. Non-CPU lenses, which lack an electronic connection to the camera, are always set using the aperture ring.
Menus and playback. You can change the orientation of the command dials when navigating menus and playback options, too. By default, the main command dial is used to select an image during full-frame playback; move the cursor left or right during thumbnail viewing, and move the menu highlighting up or down. The sub-command dial is used to display additional photo information in full-frame playback, to move the cursor up and down, and to move back and forth between menus and submenus. (Note that you can also use the multi selector directional buttons for these functions.) When set to On, the functions assigned to the dials are reversed. This choice is new to the Nikon D800.
f10 Release Button to Use Dial
Normally, any button used in conjunction with a command dial must be held down while the command dial or sub-command dial is rotated. Choose Yes for this option if you want to be able to press the button and release it, and then rotate the command dial. You can continue to make adjustments until the button is pressed again, or you press the Mode, Exposure Compensation, Flash, ISO, Qual, or WB buttons, or the shutter release button is pressed halfway. Exposure meter time-out also turns off setting mode, unless the D800 is connected to an AC adapter. Choose No to return to the D800’s default behavior, which requires that the button be held down while the adjustment is made.
f11 Slot Empty Release Lock
This option gives you the ability to snap off “pictures” without a memory card installed—or to lock the camera shutter release if that is the case. It is sometimes called play mode, because you can experiment with your camera’s features or even hand your D800 to a friend to let them fool around, without any danger of pictures actually being taken.
Back in our film days, we’d sometimes finish a roll, rewind the film back into its cassette surreptitiously, and then hand the camera to a child to take a few pictures—without actually wasting any film. It’s hard to waste digital film, but “shoot without card” mode is still appreciated by some, especially camera vendors who want to be able to demo a camera at a store or trade show, but don’t want to have to equip each and every demonstrator model with a memory card. Choose Enable Release to activate “play” mode or Release Locked to disable it.
The pictures you actually “take” are displayed on the LCD monitor with the legend “Demo” superimposed on the screen, and they are, of course, not saved. Note that if you are using the optional Camera Control Pro 2 software to record photos from a USB-tethered D800 directly to a computer, no memory card is required to unlock the shutter even if Release Locked has been selected.
f12 Reverse Indicators
Refugees from the Canon world or other dSLR product lines are sometimes put off that Nikon cameras place the plus exposure values on the left side of the analog exposure display in the control panel, viewfinder, and shooting information display, with the negative values on the right, to match the rotation of the aperture ring (if used). This default setting (+0−) can be swapped for the opposite orientation (−0+) to change the display. My take is that if you’ve fled to Nikonland, you might as well get used to it. I suppose this setting is useful for a dedicated Canon shooter who sometimes uses a Nikon dSLR, and who never needs to change exposure using an aperture ring.
f13 Assign MB-D12 AF-ON Button
You can use the AF-ON button included in the MB-D12 grip for its intended purpose when firing the camera in vertical orientation, or you can redefine the button to a related function, depending on your working preferences. While the options for this button are similar to those for the main AF-ON button, this setting changes only the behavior of the AF-ON button on the vertical grip; the AF-ON button on the D800 camera body next to the viewfinder may be set up to do something different (which can be very confusing).
Your choices let you define the AF-ON button for three different functions: normal AF-ON behavior; AE-L/AF-L exposure lock/focus lock functions; and whatever action you’ve defined for the Fn button. Your choices are as follows:
AF-ON. This default setting defines the AF-ON button as an AF-ON button, natch. Autofocus is initiated when the button is pressed.
FV lock. The AF-ON button will lock the flash value for the D800’s built-in flash and compatible dedicated flash units like the SB-910. Press again to cancel FV lock.
AE/AF lock. With this setting, both focus and exposure are locked when the AF-ON button is held down.
AE lock only. Exposure is locked while this button is held down.
AE lock (Reset on release). Exposure locks when the button is held down, and remains locked even when the button is released. You can cancel the AE lock by pressing the button a second time, by taking a picture, or allowing the exposure meters to turn off at the end of their normal meter-off delay.
AE lock (Hold). This exposure locks when the AF-ON button is pressed, and remains locked at that exposure until the button is pressed again, or the meters turn off.
AF lock only. This setting locks autofocus as long as the button is pressed.
Same as Fn button. The Fn button is a little hard to reach when using the vertical grip’s controls; this setting sets the AF-ON button to perform the same setting that you’ve specified for CSM #f4.
g. Movie
You can set separately for movie shooting some of the button assignments available for still shooting (Fn button, Preview button, AE-L/AF-L button), plus a new option, Shutter button. These entries include some options that aren’t appropriate/useful for still photography, but which can come in handy for video capture. You’ll find more about movie shooting in Chapters 14-16.
g1 Assign Fn (Function) Button
You can define the action that the Fn button performs when pressed in live view movie mode. For the Fn button alone you can choose from:
Power aperture (open). When used in conjunction with the Preview button defined as Power Aperture (close), you can use the Fn and Pv buttons to close down the aperture to the f/stop that is used to capture video, allowing you to preview depth-of-field. The power aperture feature is available before you start shooting and not if photo information is being displayed, and only when the D800 is set for Aperture-priority or Manual exposure modes.
Index marking. Press while capturing video to add an index marker at the current point. You can use the markers when editing and reviewing your movies.
View photo shooting info. Normally, movie recording information appears on the monitor during capture. If you’d rather see shutter speed, aperture, and other settings, press this button to turn the photo shooting information display on or off.
None. Deactivates the Fn button during movie shooting.
g2 Assign Preview Button
You can define the action that the Pv button performs when pressed in live view movie mode. For the Pv button alone you can choose from:
Power aperture (close). When used in conjunction with the Fn button defined as Power Aperture (Open), you can use the Fn and Pv buttons to close down the aperture to the f/stop that is used to capture video, allowing you to preview depth-of-field. The power aperture feature is available before you start shooting and not if photo information is being displayed, and only when the D800 is set for Aperture-priority or Manual exposure modes.
Index marking. Press while capturing video to add an index marker at the current point. You can use the markers when editing and reviewing your movies.
View photo shooting info. Normally, movie recording information appears on the monitor during capture. If you’d rather see shutter speed, aperture, and other settings, press this button to turn the photo shooting information display on or off.
None. Deactivates the Fn button during movie shooting.
g3 Assign AE-L/AF-L Button
The behavior of the AE-L/AF-L button can also be defined for movie mode. Your choices are:
Index marking. Press while capturing video to add an index marker at the current point. You can use the markers when editing and reviewing your movies.
View photo shooting info. Normally, movie recording information appears on the monitor during capture. If you’d rather see shutter speed, aperture, and other settings, press this button to turn the photo shooting information display on or off.
AE/AF lock. This is the default definition for the AE-L/AF-L button. When active, it locks both focus and exposure while the AE-L/AF-L button is pressed. Use this setting or one of the next four when you want to have a specific mode of operation normally available from the AE-L/AF-L button, but would prefer to trigger the behavior with the AE-L/AF-L button pressed instead.
AE lock only. Lock only the exposure while the AE-L/AF-L button is pressed.
AE lock (Hold). Exposure is locked when the AE-L/AF-L button is pressed, and remains locked until the button is pressed again, or the exposure meter-off delay expires. This is the fourth of the settings mutually exclusive with using a AE-L/AF-L button + command dial setting.
AF lock only. Focus is locked in while the AE-L/AF-L button is held down.
None. Deactivates the AE-L/AF-L button during movie capture.
g4 Assign Shutter Button
The behavior of the shutter release button can also be defined for live view and movie mode. Your choices are:
Take Photos. If you select this option, pressing the shutter release down all the way ends movie recording and captures a still photograph using the 16:9, 1920 × 1080 HD aspect ratio. This is a good option if you think you might want to take still pictures during a video session.
Record movies. Although the D800 has a Movie button (located southwest of the shutter release) to activate video capture, you can also redefine the shutter release to start capture when the D800 is set to live view movie mode (the LV switch must be rotated to the Movie position, and the Lv button pressed to initiate live view for this function to work). When activated, press the shutter release halfway to focus, and all the way down to initiate or end movie capture. With this mode set, you can also use remote controls attached to the 10-pin connector or MC-D10 wired remote linked to the D800 through the remote socket on the GP-1 GPS device to begin recording movies. I like this mode as a vibration-free way to focus and start capture when grabbing movies with the D800 mounted on a tripod. There’s less vibration than when you manually press the D800’s Movie button.