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D3 User's Guide: Front, Nikon D3. August 2008 Top of D3 Users Guide D3 Review More Nikon Reviews Want free live phone support? In the USA, call (800) NIKON-UX, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Front Dial top Used for all sorts of settings. You knew that. It usually changes the aperture setting. Depth-of-Field Preview Button top The preview button lies naturally under your middle finger. Tap this to stop the diaphragm down to the taking aperture. The viewfinder gets darker, but look carefully and you can see what's in focus or not. This is a legacy feature from film days. Today most people look at the LCD playback. You can program this button do other things as explained in Custom Functions. FUNCTION Button top The Function (Fn) button lies naturally under your ring finger. I program this trick button for many different things depending on what I'm doing. This button is programmed as explained in Custom Functions. Upper Front Controls, Nikon D3. Self Timer Light top Blinks when the self timer is counting, but you knew that, too. Studio Flash Connector top Pop open the tethered rubber cover to connect a PC cord from your professional flash system to your D3. PC stands for Prontor Compur, a popular German shutter back in the 1930s who invented this connector. The PC connector has nothing to do with personal computers. Idiotic Remote Terminal Connector top Pop open the tethered rubber cover to connect one of Nikon's expensive electronic remote controls, like the $55 MC-30 and $130 MC-36. Since Nikon overprices these, you can buy counterfeits cheap, but honestly, the release you buy today will last you far longer than any digital camera. I still use the one I bought back in the 1990s before the practical DSLR was even invented. These work on just about all motorized Nikon film and digital cameras. Sorry, but the D3 won't work with the superb pocket-sized $17 ML-L3 wireless cable release, as the cheaper cameras can. Since Nikon knows you're a big spender with the D3, you'll have to buy the clumsy $175 ML-3 wireless release system. Nikon doesn't bother to thread the shutter release, so you have to buy one of these gizmos instead of a standard $6 cable release on a tripod. Nikon D3 front lower buttons. Focus Mode Switch top See my complete Guide to Setting the D3's AF System. Lens Release top Push this button and turn the lens to remove it. It locks automatically when you attach and rotate a lens. Battery Release top You also know this: lift it up and and turn to unlock the battery. The battery slides in and out. You have to pull out the battery to charge it. You have to twist the lock again when replacing the battery. Nikon is funny. If you buy a spare battery (not needed, since you get 2,000 ~ 3,000 shots per charge), Nikon sells you only the battery, not the locking cover to which it attaches. People who buy a second battery may also want to buy an extra locking cover, which is the cover with the twist lock you see above. My D3 User's Guide continues below. I support my growing family through this website. This guide is free to read online, but copyrighted and formally registered. If you haven't helped yet and would like to save or make a printed copy of this article for your camera bag, please send me $5.00 for each complete or partial copy that you print or save, for personal use only. Others charge $29.99 for crappier information, and with your honesty I can continue to offer these guides online for less. If you bought your D3 by clicking through my links, then you've saved money and also helped me write this guide. Thank you and please enjoy it. It's great people like you, and those who help me otherwise, who allow me to keep adding to this site for everyone's benefit. The biggest help is to use these links to Adorama, Amazon, B&H, Ritz and J&R when you get your goodies. It saves you money and is a huge help to me. These places have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally. Thanks for reading!
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