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Nikon D3 User's Guide:
Custom Setting Menu: Shooting/display

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Nikon D3

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August 2008    Top of D3 Users Guide    D3 Review    More Nikon Reviews

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d1 - d8 Shooting/display

How to Get Here

Press MENU, go to the left and select up and down to the pencil icon. You'll then see CUSTOM SETTING MENU on the color LCD. Click down to d SHOOTING/DISPLAY and click to the right.

What it Does

This menu is a random jumble. These ideally belong in other menus.

What I Change

I change d1 and leave the rest alone.

I'm sorry that Nikon put a menu called Shooting inside a menu called Custom Setting, since it has nothing to do with the larger Shooting Menu. This is something else that needs to be reorganized. Sorry.


d1 Beep        top

This is the idiotic and annoying focus confirmation beep. Thank God the D3 is a pro camera and therefore this defaults to OFF.


d2 Shooting speed        top

This selects the maximum frame rates of the CL (continuous low) and CH advance settings.

CH

The CH setting applies only to the DX format, for which you may select 9, 10 or 11 FPS. IN FX, you get 9 FPS regardless of this setting.

There's a catch: at 10 FPS, AF stays fixed during your shooting burst. At 11 FPS, AF and exposure stays fixed during your burst.

CL

The CL setting defaults to 5 FPS. I leave mine on 3 FPS, since I usually shoot here and use it to let me select either 1 frame (a short push) or a few frames if I hold down the shutter. Faster rates make it tougher for me to get off just one frame, especially at long shutter speeds what I don't want to let up until I know the shutter has closed.


d3 Max continuous release        top

This selects the maximum number of continuous shots you can make in the CL or CH continuous release modes.

It defaults to 130, and I have no reason to set it to be less. If I want fewer shots, I take my finger off the shutter release.


d4 File number sequence       top

This ensures your file numbers keep counting up. Leave this at its default of ON.

If you change it to OFF, you'll start from DSC_0001 every time you reformat. Over time you'll have hundreds of photos on your computer all called DSC_0001. It will drive you crazy and it will be too late to do anything about it.

If you ever do want to reset to DSC_0001, use the Reset option.


d5 Control Panel/viewfinder        top

Rear control panel

This lets you display either ISO (default) or exposures remaining on the tiny rear black-and-white LCD.

Frame Count

This lets you select the frame count (default) or the number of exposures remaining in the finder.

Frame count is defective. It always reads one higher than the correct value. This defect is a remnant of film cameras which would wind to the next frame, and count it, before you shot it.


d6 Shooting info display

Auto (default)

This lets the INFO display show as dark on light in daytime, and as gray on dark blue at night.

Manual

Manual lets you fix it at either setting.


d7 LCD illumination       top

At default, the top LCD only lights up when you spin the power switch. I leave this setting this way.

If you choose ON, the top LCD lights up even in daylight.


d8 Exposure delay mode       top

This makes the D3 wait 4/10s of a second to release the shutter after you press it.

It flips up the mirror first. Try this if you're using a long lens on a tripod with exposures of between 1/60 and 1/2 second, where mirror shake is the biggest problem.

The Mirror Up mode is better for this.


PLUG

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Ken


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KNOBS and BUTTONS

     FRONT

     TOP PANEL

     BACK

MENUS

     PLAYBACK   

     SHOOTING MENU

     CUSTOM SETTING MENU

          a Autofocus

          b Metering/Exposure

          c Timers/AE&AF Lock

          d Shooting/Display

          e Bracketing/Flash < < NEXT

          f Controls

     SET UP MENU

     RETOUCH MENU

     MY MENU MENU

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