Custom settings f1 to f12

(User’s Manual pages 318–330)

Custom setting f1 – Switch

(User’s Manual page 318)

Figure 6-57 show the screens that are used to select backlighting when the power switch is rotated to the light bulb icon, as shown in Figure 6-56.

The LCD backlight option will turn on only the Control Panel LCD’s backlight when the power switch is fully rotated.

The Both option will turn on the Control Panel LCD’s backlight and will display the Shooting information screen in the Monitor LCD.

Custom setting f2 – Multi selector center button

(User’s Manual pages 318 and 319)

Custom setting f2 concerns how the Multi Selector’s center button works. This setting comes in two parts, according to what mode the D700 is currently using. The two modes are as follows:

Shooting mode is when you are actually using the camera to take pictures.

Figure 6-56. Using the power switch to turn on Control Panel LCD back-lighting

Figure 6-57. Custom setting f1 screens – Switch modes

Playback mode is when you are examining pictures on the Monitor LCD.

First, let’s examine how pressing the Multi Selector’s center button works in Shooting mode. Figure 6-58 shows the screens used to configure Custom setting f2 in Shooting mode.

There are three selections in Shooting mode.

Select center focus point – Often when shooting, you’ll be using your thumb to move the selected focus point (AF sensor bracket) around the viewfinder. You’ll be using the spot meter or AF sensor to focus on the most appropriate area of your subject. When you are done, you have to scroll the AF sensor back to the center. Not anymore! If Select center focus point is selected, the focus point pops back to the center point of the viewfinder when you press the Multi Selector’s center button. This is the default action of the button.

Highlight active focus point – Sometimes, when viewing certain subjects, it may be a little hard to see the small black AF sensor bracket in the viewfinder. When Highlight active focus point is selected and you press the Multi Selector’s center button, the AF sensor lights up in red for easy viewing of its current location. Careful, though, because the Multi Selector button is sensitive to sideways movement and it is easy to move the sensor while trying to find it.

Not used – This does what it says, and nothing happens when you press the Multi Selector button. When I first saw this setting, I thought it was a reserved setting for some future use. Finally, I realized that it means that the Multi Selector’s center button is disabled when Not used is selected.

Now, let’s look over how the Multi Selector’s center button can be used in Playback mode. Figure 6-59 shows the screens used to configure Custom setting f2 in Playback mode.

Thumbnail on/off – This feature allows you to switch from viewing one image on your camera’s Monitor LCD to viewing multiple thumbnails instead. It’s a toggle, so you can press the Multi Selector’s center button to turn thumbnail view on and off.

View histograms – I discovered this really cool feature while I was writing this book and immediately switched to it as my default setting. I love this! It shows a yellow “luminance” histogram, which seems to most closely represent the green channel of the RGB. When f2 is set to View histograms, I can have an image open on my monitor, then press and hold the Multi Selector’s center button to view the histogram. This saves a lot of scrolling around through the data, RGB histograms, and information screens. It’s a quick histogram view that disappears when the Multi Selector’s center button is released. Great feature!

Figure 6-58. Custom setting f2 screens – Shooting mode

Figure 6-59. Custom setting f2 screens – Playback mode

Zoom on/off – If you regularly want to zoom into your image on the monitor without using the normal zoom in and out buttons, this is a good feature for you. If you have a monitor image showing and Zoom on/off is selected, when you press the Multi Selector’s center button the image zoom jumps immediately to one of three levels of zoom, skipping the middle steps. Here are the three levels shown in Figure 6-60:

Low magnification seems to be the same as viewing the image at 100% pixel-peeping level. Medium magnification is two levels deeper magnification, past 100%. And, finally, High magnification is as far in as the zoom will go, the highest point of magnification, which is way past 100%. The zoom display centers on the focus point used to take the image.

If you are using thumbnail view, you can select from a series of images on the monitor. When you have one of the images selected, even though it is not full size, you can press the Multi Selector’s center button and the image first goes to full size, then zooms to whichever of the three zoom magnification levels you selected previously. When you press the button again, it switches back to thumbnail view.

Choose folder – Some photographers like to use the multi-folder capability of the D700. (See Chapter 5 in the section Shooting Menu’s 20 Item Review for more information.) If you have images in multiple folders on the current CF memory card in your D700, have the All option selected for Playback Folder in the Playback Menu, and have Choose folder selected in Custom setting f2, then when the Multi Selector’s center button is pressed in Playback mode, the camera will present you with a menu of folders (those in addition to the current folder) to choose from (Figure 6-61).

Figure 6-60. Custom setting f2 screens – Playback mode – magnification levels

Figure 6-61. Custom setting f2 screens – Playback mode – Choose folder – actual folder choice

If your current CF card has only one folder, or all other folders on the CF card are empty, this setting will have no effect; pressing the Multi Selector’s center button will appear to be ignored.

There’s quite a flexible series of functions all imbedded in the Multi Selector’s center button, as controlled by Custom setting f2.

Custom setting f3 – Multi selector

(User’s Manual page 319)

The screens used to configure Custom setting f3 are shown in Figure 6-62.

Reset meter-off delay – This setting is a handy way to turn the exposure meter on without pressing the shutter-release button halfway down. Maybe you’d like to meter the subject but not cause autofocus to start, so instead of using the shutter release to turn the meter on, you can use the Multi Selector instead.

I find this to be a useful function for another reason. I’ll often want to move the AF sensor’s focus point around the viewfinder, but the light meter has gone off, so it won’t move. I have to press the shutter release halfway to activate the meter, then scroll the AF point around the viewfinder. When Reset meter-off delay is selected, any usage of the Multi Selector causes the light meter to come on. Custom setting c2 controls how long it stays on; the default is 6 seconds.

Figure 6-62. Custom setting f3 screens

Figure 6-63. Custom setting f4 screens

Do nothing – If the light meter is off, and you press the Multi Selector button, it stays off.

Custom setting f4 – Photo info/playback

(User’s Manual page 320)

Figure 6-63 shows the screens used to configure Custom setting f4.

Info (left-right) / Playback (up-down) This is the default value for Custom setting f4. When you are viewing a series of pictures, you can press the Multi Selector button left/right to scroll through your images or up/down to view each data screen and its histogram on a single screen.

Info (up-down) / Playback (left-right)

If you prefer scrolling through your memory card’s images by pressing the Multi Selector button up/down, this is the setting to use. Left/right takes you through each data screen and its histogram on a single screen.

Nikon seems to want to make the D700 very flexible so that it can meet the needs of a wide range of user preferences.

Figure 6-64. Custom setting f5 screens

Figure 6-65. Custom setting f6 screens

Custom setting f5 – Assign FUNC button

Custom setting f6 – Assign preview button

Custom setting f7 – Assign AE-L / AF-L button

(User’s Manual pages 320–325)

These three separate custom settings are discussed in this one section. All three work essentially the same, so instead of repeating the same instructions three times, I chose to explain them together. When I speak of the Selected button, I am talking about the FUNC. (Fn) button, the Preview button, or the AE-L / AF-L button.

Figure 6-64 shows the screens used to configure Custom setting f5

(User’s Manual page 320).

Figure 6-65 shows the screens used to configure Custom setting f6

(User’s Manual page 324).

Figure 6-66 shows the screens used to configure Custom setting f7

(User’s Manual page 325).

Custom setting f7 is designed to let you customize the usage of the Selected button alone, or the Selected and command dials combination. There are many different functions to select from.

Carefully review the following list, paying close attention to the functions marked with a double asterisk (**). Setting those functions will disable functionality in another part of the D700.

Custom settings f5, f6, and f7:

Figure 6-67. Virtual horizon views

Custom settings f5, f6, and f7:

Choose image area – When this option is assigned to a Selected button, you can press the Selected button, then rotate either command dial to choose between the FX Image area and the DX Image area. Shutter spd & aperture lock – By assigning this option to a Selected button, you can press that button and rotate the Sub-command dial to lock/unlock the aperture, or rotate the Main command dial to lock/ unlock the shutter speed. Once locked, the aperture and/or shutter speed settings are locked until unlocked by repeating the procedure.

1 step spd/aperture – If you have Custom setting b2 set to EV steps like most photographers, you can change your D700’s shutter speed and/or aperture in EV steps while in A-Aperture priority, S-Shutter priority, and M-Manual. However, you may want to use larger EV steps occasionally. By setting 1 step spd/aperture in f5 or f6 (it cannot be set in f7), you can hold down the Selected button and the camera will then allow you to change the shutter speed or aperture in one-stop increments (1 EV step) instead of the normal EV steps. Example shutter speeds in EV steps are , , , . Example shutter speeds in 1 EV step are , , , .

Choose non-CPU lens number – If you have configured non-CPU lenses under the D700’s Setup Menu – Non-CPU lens data, then you’ll be able to hold down the Selected button while rotating the Sub-command dial to scroll through a list of up to nine non-CPU lenses.

Auto bracketing – This is the default action of Custom setting f5 – FUNC. button + dials. This works quite well for me, since I can hold the Fn button down with a finger while rotating the Main command dial to set the number of shots, then rotating the Sub-command dial to set the bracketing EV value. Nikon was wise to provide this functionality after removing the BKT button from the D700. I use bracketing quite often for High Dynamic Range (HDR) images. This is not quite as good as a BKT button, but works well enough. If you choose to, you can use any of the Selected buttons to do auto bracketing instead.

Dynamic AF area – This function only works under specific circumstances:

If you have chosen to use the Dynamic-area AF and you set Custom setting f5, f6, or f7 (Selected button + dials), you can rotate either of the command dials on the camera’s front or back and it will change the number of AF points to one of these four available settings:

(See Chapter 3, for details on these point selections.)

None – Nothing happens when you hold down the Selected button and rotate the command dials.

Custom setting f8 – Shutter speed and aperture lock

(User’s Manual page 326)

Figure 6-68 shows the screens used to configure Custom setting f8. For frequent, short-term locking of shutter speed and/or aperture, using Custom setting f5, f6, or f7 may prove the better choice. But for studio work in which you want to ensure that a particular shutter speed and/or aperture is consistently used and cannot be readily—or accidentally—changed, Custom setting f8 is the tool to use.

Figure 6-68. Custom setting f8 screens

Figure 6-69. Custom setting f9 screens

Custom setting f9 – Customize command dials

(User’s Manual page 326)

Figure 6-69 shows the screens used to configure Custom setting f9.

There are four settings under Custom setting f9, as follows.

Reverse rotation – This setting allows you to change the functionality of the rotation direction of the command dials. There are two selections:

Change main/sub – This setting allows you to swap the functionality of the two command dials. The Main command dial will take on the functions of the Sub-command dial and vice versa. There are two settings:

Aperture setting – Figure 6-70 shows the two selections that allow you to modify how the D700 treats CPU lenses that have aperture rings on the lens (non-G lenses):

Figure 6-70. Custom setting f9 screens: Aperture setting

Figure 6-71. Custom setting f9 screens: Menus and playback

Menus and playback – As shown in screen three of Figure 6-71, there are two selections for how the menus and image playback works when you would rather not use the Multi Selector:

When using either of these settings, you can press OK or press the Multi Selector’s center button to make a selection.

Custom setting f10 – Release button to use dial

(User’s Manual page 328)

Figure 6-72 shows the screens used to configure Custom setting f10.

This custom setting allows those who hate holding down buttons and turning command dials at the same time to change to a toggling method.

Figure 6-72. Custom setting f10 screens

If the exposure meter turns off while the Yes operation is active, you must press it again to lock the action.

Custom setting f11 – No memory card?

(User’s Manual page 329)

Figure 6-73 shows the screens used to configure Custom setting f11.

This setting defaults to enabling the release of the shutter when you try to take an image without a CF memory card inserted in the camera. By enabling it, you can take pictures without a memory card. Here are the two settings.

LOCK – Release locked – When you choose this setting, your camera will refuse to release the shutter when there is no memory card present.

OK – Enable release – Use this setting if you simply want to preview a set of shots on the Monitor LCD without recording any images to the memory card. Note that a small red box containing the word Demo will appear in the upper-left corner of the displayed image.

Figure 6-73. Custom setting f11 screens

Custom setting f12 – Reverse indicators

(User’s Manual page 330)

In Figure 6-74 we see the screens used to configure Custom setting f12.

Normally, anytime you see the exposure indicators in your D700’s Control Panel LCD, viewfinder, or the Monitor LCD’s info display, the “+” is on the left, and the “–” is on the right. See Figure 6-75 where I show the info screen and the exposure indicator.

If you want, you can reverse this indicator so that the “–” is on the left and the “+” is on the right. Notice how the second screen of Figure 6-75 has the exposure indicator reversed. Here are the two settings.

+o– : This is the normal polarity (+/–) of the exposure indicator.

–o+ : This is the reversed polarity (–/+) of the exposure indicator.

Select your favorite indicator direction for maximum camera comfort!

Figure 6-74. Custom setting f12 screens

Figure 6-75. Exposure indicator, as shown in the info screen: +/− on the left, and -/+ on the right