Home   Donate   New   Search   Gallery   How-To   Books   Links   Workshops   About   Contact

Nikon D5000 User's Guide:
Setup Menu
(wrench)
© 2009 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
Please help KenRockwell..com

Nikon D5000

Nikon D5000. enlarge

June 2009    Top of D5000 Users Guide    D5000 Review    More Nikon Reviews

 

NEW: Nikon D5000 Users Guide for iPhone and iPod 23 December 2009

 

Want free live phone support? In the USA, call (800) NIKON-UX, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

 

How to Get Here

Select the Set Up Menu by pressing MENU, moving to the left and then up or down to select the wrench icon. You'll then see SET UP MENU on the color LCD.

 

What it Sets

This sets the usual housekeeping like rotation, the clock and file numbering.

 

What I Change

This menu contains the secret message mode I use to encode my © and contact information into every file shot with my D5000.

 


 

Format memory card       top

I format my card every time I put it in my D5000, and every time I go out shooting.

It's always best to be using a freshly formatted card.

To be safe, always reformat the card in the D5000 after the D5000 has been connected to any computer.

Of course formatting completely wipes any photos off your card. Be sure to have these photos transferred and backed up to at least two locations before formatting. See my Field Workflow page for more.

 


 

LCD Brightness        top

This changes the midtones on the LCD. It doesn't appear to change the intensity of the backlight. It seems to be a gamma (contrast) control.

For the adjustment to take effect you must remember to hit OK after making a selection.

I leave mine at 0.

 


 

Info Display Format        top

This lets you choose various graphic designs for the panel that displays when you press INFO.

I prefer GRAPHIC.

 


 

Auto information display        top

Leave this off.

If you turn it on, the rear LCD lights up with the INFO display any time you tap the shutter button.

This will annoy you to no end, since unlike Canon, Nikon has no eyeball sensor to turn it off as you bring the D5000 to your eye.

 


 

Info wrap-around        top

I turn this on.

This lets you get from one end to the other of the INFO display without having to go backwards through all of the settings.

 


 

Clean image sensor       top

This setting runs the self-cleaning function.

It also allows you to set it to run every time the D5000 is turned off or on, just like Canon. I wouldn't do this, since it wastes a lot of time, but if you do, tapping anything turns it off immediately.

 


 

Lock mirror up for cleaning       top

This setting is for mechanical cleaning.

Don't ever touch the sensor with sensor swabs or anything, ever!

I clean my cameras with a vacuum, or send them in to Nikon after a few years if the dirt gets really bad.

I know people who have destroyed $5,000 cameras by trying to do it themselves. I won't.

 


 

Video Mode        top

This sets the format of the analog video output.

Use NTSC (525 lines, 59.94Hz) in the Americas and Japan, and PAL (625 lines, 50Hz) in Europe.

This output will always look much worse on a TV or projector than images do on a computer or projected through a computer. Read Why Images Look Awful from the Video Output for more.

 


 

HDMI        top

This sets the format of the HDMI digital TV output.

I leave it on Auto, and unlike the crappy analog video output, it looks fantastic on a big HDTV.

 


 

Time zone and date        top

This is where you set the date and time.

There is a nice map for finding time zones. You can swap among time zones without having to reset the seconds, a boon for me who keeps his D5000 set to the exact second.

 


 

Language        top

This sets English or other languages.

Set yours to Swedish and see if you can navigate back to English. Fun!

Unfortunately Nikon figured this out, and if you do, the Language option, which before was only listed as Språk in Swedish, also is listed as (Language) in every language mode, even when your best friend has set your D5000 to work in Korean.

 


 

Image Comment        top

This lets you add a secret text message into every file. Mine is set to (c) KenRockwell.com with my phone number! You see this text looking at the EXIF data in software on a computer. Sadly Nikon provides no real © symbol.

You set this by going to MENU > Set Up Menu > Image Comment > Input Comment > (add your message like you did on 1970s video games) > Enter. You must hit ENTER or it will forget everything you just did!

To edit or remove a character, select it in the Input Comment screen by holding the checkerboard button and clicking the big thumb selector. Select a new character with the same selector and press the center of the selector to add it. Press the Trash button to delete a character.

When you get your text message spelled out, go to Attach Comment and hit OK so a small checkmark shows. Now go to and select DONE. If you forget to check Attach it won't attach, and if you forget to hit DONE it will also forget everything you just did. Sorry, I don't write the firmware.

It's great having everything you shoot have your contact info embedded. It also allows you to prove ownership in a third-world country when catching a thief with your camera. Help the cop go through the menus and read your personal ID information.

 


 

Auto Image Rotation        top

This sets a flag in vertical images which keys most software to display the image vertically. I leave this ON.

It does not actually rotate the images; it just sets a flag. Someday the camera's firmware will work properly and rotate the image itself, but no camera does this yet.

I perform lossless rotation to my images later in iView.

 


 

Image Dust Off ref Photo        top

This is used to take a picture of the dust on your sensor. If you pay Nikon another $100 for Nikon Capture software you can use this to erase the dust more easily from your images shot in raw. You people know who you are. I don't do this!

 


 

GPS        top

This lets you make the meter stay on all the time if you wish.

If the meter turns off, the D5000 needs to resync communication with the GPS each time.

 


 

Firmware Version        top

This lets you confirm if your camera is up-to-date with Nikons' free firmware updates.

As of 04 June 2009, the D5000 sitting in front of me reads A 1.00, B 1.00 and L 1.001.

There is always newer firmware; I'm too busy shooting to bother to load it.

 


PLUG

My D5000 User's Guide continues below.

I support my growing family through this website.

This guide is free to read online, but copyrighted and 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 D5000 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 costs you nothing 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!

Ken


Back to Top of D5000 User's Guide or Top of Nikon D5000 Review

KNOBS and BUTTONS

     FRONT

     TOP PANEL

     BACK

MENUS

     PLAYBACK   

     SHOOTING MENU

     CUSTOM SETTING MENU

          a Autofocus

          b Exposure

          c Timers/AE Lock

          d Shooting/display

          e Bracketing/flash

          f Controls

     SET UP MENU

     RETOUCH MENU < < NEXT

     RECENT ITEMS (or MY MENU) MENU

Home   Donate   New   Search   Gallery   How-To   Books   Links   Workshops   About   Contact