Although your Nikon camera may work just fine straight out of the box, you can still make it work better for you by making a few simple adjustments. There is always something in the menus that you can tweak to improve your results, whether it’s the burst depth, your focus, or the way that your image looks.
Save Settings
Nikon cameras offer the option of saving your camera settings. You can save your main camera settings to your memory card and load them again at any time by selecting “Save/Load Settings” from the menu system. You can also copy settings from one camera to another (of a similar model) or share one camera with multiple people using this feature.
Rename Files
There can be conflicts in the file names between cameras if you have more than one. The File Naming option in the Photo Shooting menu allows you to change the default prefix of “DSC” to anything you wish.
In order to separate the files for multiple cameras, I renamed them as follows: WB1_, 1WB_, etc. “WB” signifies my initials. Because the camera’s File number sequence counter resets to 0001 when you exceed 9999 images, you have to avoid accidentally overwriting the first 9999 images when the counter rolls back to 0001. To do this, I follow these steps:
| First 9999 images: | 1WB_0001 through 1WB_ 9999 |
| Second 9999 images: | 2WB_0001 through 2WB_9999 |
| Third 9999 images: | 3WB_0001 through 3WB_9999 |
Viewfinder Level
Your camera can be configured so that pushing the joystick activates the artificial horizon in the viewfinder. This will show you whether the camera is tilted in one direction or the other, enabling you to level your shot without taking your eyes off of the subject. The setup varies for different cameras.
High-Speed Flash Sync
On Nikon DSLRs, the Auto FP setting enables you to shoot at shutter speeds faster than the normal sync speed (with limited flash range) with supported flash units. You will find this setting in the Bracketing/Flash section of the Custom Settings menu.
Easy ISO and Easy Exposure Compensation
On some Nikon models, you can set it up so that a simple turn of the main dial instantly changes your ISO or exposure. This is a convenient way to adjust ISO and exposure without the need to continuously press buttons and spin dials. Watch the video to see the methods for turning this on.
Viewfinder Grid
By switching on Viewfinder Grid, you transfer the simple viewfinder to one with a grid overlay. The setting can be found in Custom Settings. Choose Shooting/Display > Viewfinder grid display.
Exposure Delay Mode
In the absence of a cable shutter release, you can set a short delay between when you press the shutter and when it releases.
Fine Tune AF
When it comes to autofocus, not every camera body and lens combination performs well. Sometimes the point of focus may be behind or in front of the subject you are focusing on, especially when using wide apertures, where the depth of field can be very shallow.
Fine-tuning the AF on Nikon’s cameras can help. Recently, many enthusiast and professional cameras have incorporated this feature. It works by applying a small bias to a particular camera and lens combination in order to counter any inaccuracies.
One advantage of this feature is that it doesn’t physically change anything inside the lens. Therefore, it’s useful if you only have this issue with one camera that you use.
As soon as you store any adjustments for a particular optic, the camera will recognize it automatically whenever you mount it. This will enable you to apply the correction without any further effort on your part. Even if you never have to use it, it’s useful to know it’s there.
In-Camera Straighten & Adjust Perspective
Even before in-camera Raw processing became commonplace, Nikon’s Retouch menu has offered many post-capture processing options. Even with entry-level cameras, you can find a number of options that will speed up post-processing.
You may find the Straighten option useful if your horizon is wonky, and the Crop option useful if you see something that should be in the frame’s periphery.
For example, Perspective Control is handy when photographing buildings, while Distortion Control is helpful when shooting close-ups where the subject appears distorted, such as when using wide-angle lenses.
Quiet Please – Lose the ‘Beep’
It’s not uncommon for a photographer to need to be discreet when they’re out shooting, for example, when they’re shooting inside a church or at an event.
One of the easiest ways to make your camera less distracting is to turn off the beep that sounds when autofocus is confirmed.
Additionally, if your camera has a silent shutter feature, you may want to use it.