Camera set-up for Nikon Z8 and Z9
If you read my Mix and Match article, you’ll know that I recently traded in one of my ⍺1 camera bodies and a few Sony lenses for a new Nikon Z8 with a NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens. The main reasons were to benefit from Pre-Release Capture and a built-in 1.4x teleconverter.
After wrestling with all the options (at home and abroad!), here’s a list of all my current settings for the Z8. They should be roughly the same for the Z9—but with a few exceptions.
Note that this is only a starting point, so feel free to experiment yourself and see what works for your style of photography.
Custom changes
The full list of settings is shown at the end of this article, but it’s a very long list (!), so I’ll pick out a few highlights. All the ones beginning with a letter and a number are in the Custom Settings Menu.
By the way, it’s handy to know that any settings you’ve changed in the Custom Settings Menu will show up with an asterisk over the letter in the relevant sub-menu. For example, I’ve changed one of the settings in the a3 Focus tracking with lock-on sub-menu, so the ‘a’ appears with an asterisk above it.
Back button focus
Back button focus is pretty much essential for wildlife photography. It allows you to track subjects in motion by keeping your thumb pressed on the AF-ON button, and it also allows you to lock the focus and exposure when you take your thumb away. This means you can happily recompose your shot any number of times until either the animal moves or the lighting conditions change.
a8 AF activation OFF
AF-ON only
Out-of-focus release
Enable
Viewfinder virtual horizon
I’m a great believer in getting as much right in camera as possible, and setting up your Fn1 function button to show the virtual horizon in the viewfinder is a very neat trick that avoids hours spent in post-processing checking all your horizons are straight.
f1 Custom control assignment
Fn1
Viewfinder virtual horizon
You can do the same with your MB-D18 battery grip if you have one.
f10 Assign MB-D18 buttons
Fn button [graphic]
Viewfinder virtual horizon
Zoom to 100% in playback by pressing the multi selector button
The best way to check the sharpness of your images is at 100%, and you can easily toggle between full frame and 1:1 by customising the multi selector button.
f2 Multi selector center button
Playback mode
Zoom on/off
1:1 (100%)
Zoom to 100% in live view by pressing the multi selector button
The best way to check the sharpness of your images in live view is at 100%, and you can easily toggle between full frame and 1:1 by customising the multi selector button, just as you did for playback mode.
f2 Multi selector center button
Live view
Zoom on/off
1:1 (100%)
Review images using main command dial and set sub-command dial to advance by 10
Canon users can easily scroll through their images because they have a circular command dial on the bank of the camera. Using the multi selector button is a lot slower, but you can set things up so that you can use the main command dial to whizz through your images one-by-one and the sub-command dial to advance by 10 (or 50) frames each time.
f4 Customize command dials
Menus and playback ON
On
Sub-dial frame advance 10
10 10 frames
Format memory cards without using menus
Having to scroll through the menu system just to format your memory card(s) is a bit of a pain. Here’s a simple trick to do it by pressing the delete and ISO buttons instead.
Press and hold delete and ISO buttons until For appears on the top LCD screen.
Select the primary or secondary card using the main command dial.
Press and hold delete and ISO buttons again.
Use movie record button to change ISO on your D810
If you have a D810 and a D850 as I do, this just allows you to get used to changing the ISO in roughly the same way, given that the movie record button on the D810 is in much the same place as the ISO button on the D850. Change the ISO with the main command dial and switch Auto ISO on and off with the sub-command dial.
f13 Assign movie record button ISO
Press + command dials ISO
ISO ISO sensitivity
Nikon Z8 menu settings
Here are all my Z8 settings, organised by menu section. The active options are in bold.
PHOTO SHOOTING MENU
Shooting menu bank [with custom names for my favourite shots]
A ANIMALS
B BIRDS
C SLOW PAN
D SUNRISE
Extended menu banks
ON
OFF
Storage folder
Rename NCZ_8 [a custom name I chose]
Select folder by number 147
Select folder from list
147NCZ_8
File naming
File naming NZ8
sRGB/BT.2100: NZ8_1234
Adobe RGB: _NZ81234
Primary slot selection
C/X CFexpress/XQD card slot
SD card slot
Secondary slot function
Overflow
Backup
RAW primary - JPEG secondary
JPEG primary - JPEG secondary
2ry slot image size (JPEG basic)
Large
5392x3592; 19.4 MMedium
4032x2688; 10.8 MSmall
2688x1792; 4.8 M
Image area
Choose image area
FX
DX
DX crop alert ON
Tone mode SDR
SDR
HLG
Image quality RAW
RAW + JPEG/HEIF fine★
RAW + JPEG/HEIF fine
RAW + JPEG/HEIF normal★
RAW + JPEG/HEIF normal
RAW + JPEG/HEIF basic★
RAW + JPEG/HEIF basic
RAW
JPEG/HEIF fine★
JPEG/HEIF fine
JPEG/HEIF normal★
JPEG/HEIF normal
JPEG/HEIF basic★
JPEG/HEIF basic
Image size settings [greyed out]
RAW recording ON Lossless compression
ON Lossless compression
ON High efficiency★
ON High efficiency
ISO sensitivity settings
ISO sensitivity Lo 1.0
Lo 1
64
100
200
400
800
1600
3200
6400
12800
25600
Hi 1.0
Hi 2.0
Auto ISO sensitivity control ON
ON
OFF
Maximum sensitivity Hi 2.0
Lo 1
64
100
200
400
800
1600
3200
6400
12800
25600
Hi 1.0
Hi 2.0
Maximum sensitivity with ↯ Hi 2
Same as without flash
Hi 2100
200
400
800
1600
3200
6400
12800
25600
Hi 1.0
Hi 2.0
Minimum shutter speed AUTO
Auto
1/16000 s
1/13000 s
1/12000 s
1/10000 s
1/8000 s
1/6400 s
1/6000 s
1/5000 s
1/4000 s
1/3200 s
1/2500 s
1/2000 s
1/1600 s
1/1250 s
1/1000 s
1/800 s
1/640 s
1/500 s
1/400 s
1/320 s
1/250 s
1/200 s
1/160 s
1/125 s
1/100 s
1/80 s
1/60 s
1/50 s
1/40 s
1/30 s
1/25 s
1/20s
1/15 s
1/13 s
1/10 s
1/8 s
1/6 s
1/5 s
1/4 s
1/3 s
1/2.5 s
1/2 s
1/1.6 s
1/1.3 s
1 s
2 s
4 s
8 s
15 s
30 s
White balance AUTO2
AUTO2 Auto
AUTO0 Keep white (reduce warm colors)
AUTO1 Normal
AUTO2 Keep warm lighting colors
Natural light auto
Direct sunlight
Cloudy
Shade
Incandescent
Fluorescent
Flash
Choose color temp.
PRE Preset manual
Set Picture Control NL
A Auto
SD Standard
NL Neutral
VI* Vivid
MC Monochrome
PT Portrait
LS Landscape
FL Flat
Manage Picture Control
Save/edit
A Auto
SD Standard
NL Neutral
VI* Vivid
MC Monochrome
FM Flat Monochrome
DM Deep Tone Monochrome
PT Portrait
RP Rich Tone Portrait
LS Landscape
FL Flat
01 Dream
02 Morning
03 Pop
04 Sunday
05 Somber
06 Dramatic
07 Silence
08 Bleached
09 Melancholic
10 Pure
11 Denim
12 Toy
13 Sepia
14 Blue
15 Red
16 Pink
17 Charcoal
18 Graphite
19 Binary
20 Carbon
Rename [greyed out]
Delete [greyed out]
Load/save
Copy to camera
Delete from card
Copy to card [greyed out]
Set Picture Control (HLG) [greyed out]
Color space sRGB
sRGB
Adobe RGB
Active D-Lighting AUTO
A Auto
H2 Extra high 2
H1 Extra high 1
H High
N Normal
L Low
Off
Long exposure NR OFF [greyed out]
High ISO NR NORM
High
Normal
Low
Off
Vignette control ON
High
Normal
Low
Off
Diffraction compensation ON
On
Off
Auto distortion control ON
On
Off
Skin softening OFF
High
Normal
Low
Off
Portrait impression balance OFF
1 Mode 1
2 Mode 2
3 Mode 3
Off
Photo flicker reduction OFF
High-frequency flicker reduction OFF
On (shutter speed fine-tuning)
Off
Metering
Matrix metering
Center-weighted metering
Spot metering
Highlight-weighted metering
Flash control [greyed out]
Flash mode [greyed out]
Flash compensation 0.0 [greyed out]
Focus mode AF-C
AF-S Single AF
AF-C Continuous AF
MF Manual focus
AF area mode 3D
Pinpoint AF [greyed out]
Single-point AF
Dynamic-area AF (S)
Dynamic-area AF (M)
Dynamic-area AF (L)
Wide-area AF (S)
Wide-area AF (L)
Wide-area AF (C1)
Wide-area AF (C2)
3D-tracking
Auto-area AF
AF subject detection options Animal
Auto
People
Animal
Birds
Vehicle
Airplanes
Subject detection off
Vibration reduction ON
Auto bracketing AE↯
Auto bracketing set AE↯
AE↯ AE & flash bracketing
AE AE bracketing
↯ Flash bracketing
WB WB bracketing
ADL bracketing
Number of shots 0F
Increment 1.0
Multiple exposure OFF
Multiple exposure mode OFF
On (series)
On (single photo)
Off
Number of shots 2
Overlay mode AVG
ADD Add
AVG Average
LIGHT Lighten
DARK Darken
Save individual pictures (RAW) ON
ON
OFF
Overlay shooting ON
ON
OFF
HDR overlay OFF
HDR mode OFF
ON (series)
ON (single photo)
OFF
HDR strength AUTO
Auto
Extra high
High
Normal
Low
Save individual pictures (RAW) ON
On
Off
Interval timer shooting OFF
Start
Choose start day/time 05/18 17:22 [current date and time]
Now
Choose day/time
Interval 00:01’00”
00:01’00”
End day/time 2020/05/18 17:22 [current date and time]
Intervalsxshots/interval 1x1
0001x1=00001
End day/time 2020/05/18 17:22 [current date and time]
Exposure smoothing ON
Interval priority OFF
Focus before each shot OFF
Options OFF
AE bracketing
Number of shots 3F
Increment 1.0
Starting storage folder
New folder [tick box]
Reset file numbering [tick box]
Time-lapse video OFF
StartInterval 00 : 00’ 05”
Shooting time 00 : 25’ 00”
Exposure smoothing ON
Choose image area FX
FX
DX
Video file type H.265 8-bit
H.265 8-bit (MOV)
H.264 8-bit (MP4)
Frame size/frame rate 2160 p★ 30
H.265 8-bit (MOV)4320 p★ 30 7680x4320; 30p
4320 p★ 25 7680x4320; 25p
4320 p★ 24 7680x4320; 24p
2160 p★ 60 3840x2160; 60p
2160 p★ 50 3840x2160; 50p
2160 p★ 30 3840x2160; 30p
2160 p★ 25 3840x2160; 25p
2160 p★ 24 3840x2160; 24p
1080 p★ 60 1920x1080; 60p
1080 p★ 50 1920x1080; 50p
1080 p★ 30 1920x1080; 30p
1080 p★ 25 1920x1080; 25p
1080 p★ 24 1920x1080; 24p
Interval priority OFF
Focus before each shot OFF
Destination C/X
C/X CFexpress/XQD card slot
SD card slot
OFF
Focus shift shooting OFF [greyed out]
Pixel shift shooting OFF
Auto capture
Start [greyed out]
Select user preset P-1
P-1 User preset 1
P-2 User preset 2
P-3 User preset 3
P-4 User preset 4
P-5 User preset 5
VIDEO SHOOTING MENU
Shooting menu bank [with custom names for my favourite shots]
A ANIMALS
B BIRDS
C SLOW PAN
D SUNRISE
Extended menu banks
ON
OFF
Storage folder
Rename NCZ_8 [a custom name I chose]
Select folder by number 147
Select folder from list
147NCZ_8
File naming NZ8
Destination C/X
CFexpress/XQD card slot
05h 59m 19sSD card slot
--h --m --s
Video file type H.265 10-bit
N-RAW 12-bit (NEV) SDR
ProRes RAW HQ 12-bit (MOV) SDR
ProRes 422 HQ 10-bit (MOV) SDR
H.265 10-bit (MOV) SDR
H.265 8-bit (MOV)
H.264 8-bit (MP4)
Frame size/frame rate 2160 p★ 120
H.265 8-bit (MOV)4320 p★ 30 7680x4320; 30p
4320 p★ 25 7680x4320; 25p
4320 p★ 24 7680x4320; 24p
2160 p★ 120 3840x2160; 120p
2160 p★ 100 3840x2160; 100p
2160 p★ 60 3840x2160; 60p
2160 p★ 50 3840x2160; 50p
2160 p★ 30 3840x2160; 30p
2160 p★ 25 3840x2160; 25p
2160 p★ 24 3840x2160; 24p
1080 p★ 60 1920x1080; 60p
1080 p★ 50 1920x1080; 50p
1080 p★ 30 1920x1080; 30p
1080 p★ 25 1920x1080; 25p
1080 p★ 24 1920x1080; 24p
Video quality (N-RAW) HIGH
High quality
Normal
Image area
Choose image area FX
FX
DX
DX crop alert ON
Extended oversampling ON
ISO sensitivity settings
Maximum sensitivity Hi 2
200
400
800
1600
3200
6400
12800
25600
Hi 1.0
Hi 2.0
Auto ISO control (mode M) ON
ISO sensitivity (mode M) 64
64
100
200
400
800
1600
3200
6400
12800
25600
Hi 1.0
Hi 2.0
White balance AUTO2
Same as photo settings
AUTO2AUTO2 Auto
AUTO0 Keep white (reduce warm colors)
AUTO1 Normal
AUTO2 Keep warm lighting colors
Natural light auto
Direct sunlight
Cloudy
Shade
Incandescent
Fluorescent
CW Cool-white fluorescent
DW Day white fluorescent
DY Daylight fluorescent
Choose color temp.
5 0 0 0 K
A-B 0.0
G-M 0.0
PRE1 Preset manual
Set Picture Control FL
Same as photo settings
NLA Auto
SD Standard
NL Neutral
VI* Vivid
MC Monochrome
FM Flat Monochrome
DM Deep Tone Monochrome
PT Portrait
RP Rich Tone Portrait
LS Landscape
FL Flat
01 Dream
02 Morning
03 Pop
04 Sunday
05 Somber
06 Dramatic
07 Silence
08 Bleached
09 Melancholic
10 Pure
11 Denim
12 Toy
13 Sepia
14 Blue
15 Red
16 Pink
17 Charcoal
18 Graphite
19 Binary
20 Carbon
Manage picture control
Save/edit
A Auto
SD Standard
NL Neutral
VI* Vivid
MC Monochrome
FM Flat Monochrome
DM Deep Tone Monochrome
PT Portrait
RP Rich Tone Portrait
LS Landscape
FL Flat
01 Dream
02 Morning
03 Pop
04 Sunday
05 Somber
06 Dramatic
07 Silence
08 Bleached
09 Melancholic
10 Pure
11 Denim
12 Toy
13 Sepia
14 Blue
15 Red
16 Pink
17 Charcoal
18 Graphite
19 Binary
20 Carbon
Rename [greyed out]
Delete [greyed out]
Load/save
Copy to camera
Delete from card
Copy to card [greyed out]
HLG quality [greyed out]
Active D-Lighting OFF
H+ Extra high
H High
N Normal
L Low
Off
High ISO NR OFF
High
Normal
Low
Off
Vignette control ON
High
Normal
Low
Off
Diffraction compensation ON
Auto distortion control ON
Skin softening OFF [greyed out]
Portrait impression balance OFF
1 Mode 1
2 Mode 2
3 Mode 3
Off
Video flicker reduction AUTO
Auto
50 Hz
60 Hz
High-frequency flicker reduction OFF
On (shutter speed fine-tuning)
Off
Metering
Matrix metering
Center-weighted metering
Highlight-weighted metering
Focus mode AF-C
AF-S Single AF
AF-C Continuous AF
AF-F Full-time AF
MF Manual focus
AF area mode Subject-tracking AF
Single-point AF
Wide-area AF (S)
Wide-area AF (L)
Wide-area AF (C1)
Wide-area AF (C2)
Subject-tracking AF
Auto-area AF
AF subject detection options Animal
Subject detection
Auto
People
Animal
Birds
Vehicle
Airplanes
Subject detection off
AF when subject not detected ON
Vibration reduction OFF [greyed out]
Electronic VR ON [greyed out]
Microphone sensitivity A
Auto
Manual
15
1-20
Microphone off
Attenuator ON
Frequency response WIDE
WIDE Wide range
VOICE Vocal range
Wind noise reduction ON
Mic jack plug-in power ON
Headphone volume 15
15
Timecode
Record timecodes OFF
ON
ON (with HDMI output)
OFF
Count-up method REC [greyed out]
Timecode origin [greyed out]
Drop frame OFF [greyed out]
External rec. cntrl (HDMI) OFF
Hi-Res Zoom OFF
Auto capture
Start [greyed out]
Select user preset P-1
P-1 User preset 1
P-2 User preset 2
P-3 User preset 3
P-4 User preset 4
P-5 User preset 5
CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU
Custom Settings bank A
A ANIMALS [custom name I chose]
B
C
D
a Focus
a1 AF-C priority selection
Release
Focus + release
Focus
a2 AF-S priority selection
Release
Focus
a3 Focus tracking with lock-on
Blocked shot AF response [Steady Subject motion]
Quick 1 2 3 4 5 DelayedBlocked shot AF response [Erratic Subject motion]
Quick 1 2 3 4 5 Delayed
a4 Focus points used
All points
Alternating points
a5 Store by orientation
Focus point
Focus point and AF-area mode
Off
a6 AF activation OFF
Shutter/AF-ON
AF-ON only
a7 Focus point persistence AUTO
Auto
Off
a8 Limit AF-area mode selection
☐ Pinpoint AF
☑︎ Single-point AF
☐ Dynamic-area AF (S)
☐ Dynamic-area AF (M)
☐ Dynamic-area AF (L)
☐ Wide-area AF (S)
☐ Wide-area AF (L)
☐ Wide-area AF (C1)
☐ Wide-area AF (C2)
☑︎ 3D-tracking
☑︎ Auto-area AF
a9 Focus mode restrictions
Single AF
Continuous AF
Manual focus
No restrictions
a10 Focus point wrap-around OFF
a11 Focus point display
Manual focus mode ON
Dynamic-area AF assist ON
AF-C in-focus display ON
3D-tracking point color R
W White
R Red
Focus point border width 1
3
2
1
a12 Built-in AF-assist illuminator OFF
a13 Focus peaking
Focus peaking display OFF
Focus peaking sensitivity PEAK 2
PEAK 3 3 (high sensitivity)
PEAK 2 2 (standard)
PEAK 1 1 (low sensitivity)
Focus peaking highlight color Y
R Red
Y Yellow
B Blue
W White
Focus point selection speed NORM
LOW Low
NORM Normal
HIGH High
b Metering/exposure
b1 ISO sensitivity step value 1
1/3 step
1 step
b2 EV steps for exposure cntrl 1/3
1/3 EV steps (comp. 1/3 EV)
1/2 EV steps (comp. 1/2 EV)
1 EV steps (comp. 1/3 EV)
b3 Easy exposure compensation OFF
On (Auto reset)
On
Off
b4 Matrix metering face detection ON
b5 Center-weighted area STNDRD
SMALL Small
STNDRD Standard
AVG Average
b7 Fine-tune optimal exposure
Exposure compensation icon is not displayed when exposure is altered from the default value.
Continue?Yes
No
b7 Keep exp. when f/ changes OFF
Maintain exposure by varyingShutter speed
ISO sensitivity
Exposure maintenance off
c Timers/AE lock
c1 Shutter-release button AE-L OFF
ON On (half press)
ON On (burst mode)
Off
c2 Self-timer
Self-timer delay 2s
2s 2 s
5s 5 s
10s 10 s
20s 20 s
Number of shots 1
1
Interval between shots 0.5s
0.5s 0.5 s
1s 1 s
2s 2 s
3s 3 s
c3 Power off delay
Playback 1m
4 s
10 s
20 s
1 min
5 min
10 min
Menus 10s
4 s
10 s
20 s
1 min
5 min
10 min
Picture review 1m
4 s
10 s
20 s
1 min
5 min
10 min
Standby timer 1m
10 s
20 s
30 s
1 min
5 min
10 min
30 min
No limit
d Shooting/display
d1 Continuous shooting speed
Continuous high-speed 20
20 20 fps
15 15 fps
12 12 fps
10 10 fps
Continuous low-speed 10
10 10 fps
8 8 fps
6 6 fps
5 5 fps
4 4 fps
3 3 fps
2 2 fps
1 1 fps
d2 Maximum shots per burst ♾️
d3 Pre-Release Capture options
Pre-release burst 1s
OFF None
0.3s 0.3 s
0.5s 0.5 s
1s 1 s
Post-release burst 1s
OFF None
0.3s 0.3 s
0.5s 0.5 s
1s 1 s
d4 Sync. release mode options
Sync
No sync
d5 Exposure delay mode OFF
3 s
2 s
1 s
0.5 s
0.2 s
Off
d6 Extended shutter speeds (M) ON
d7 Limit selectable image area
☑︎ FX (36x24)☑︎ DX (24x16)co
☐ 1:1 (24x24)
☐ 16:9 (36x20)
d8 File number sequence ON
On
Off
Reset
d9 View mode (photo Lv)
Show effects of settings
Adjust for ease of viewing
d10 Starlight view OFF
d11 Warm display colors OFF
Warm display color options OFF
Mode 1
Mode 2
Off
Warm color display brightness 0
0 -3 - +3
d12 LCD illumination ON
d13 View all in continuous mode ON
d14 Release timing indicator
Indicator type Type B
Type A
Type B
Type C
Type A auto restore delay 1/6
1/200 s
1/160 s
1/125 s
1/100 s
1/80 s
1/60 s
1/50 s
1/40 s
1/30 s
1/25 s
1/20 s
1/15 s
1/13 s
1/10 s
1/8 s
1/6 s
d15 Image frame ON
d16 Grid type 3x3
3x3
4x4
5:4
1:1
16:9
d17 Virtual horizon type Type B
Type A
Type B
d18 Half-press to cancel zoom (MF)
d19 Custom monitor shooting display
☑︎ Display 1
☐ Display 2
☐ Display 3
☐ Display 4
☐ Display 5
d20 Custom viewfinder shooting display
☑︎ Display 1
☐ Display 2
☐ Display 3
☐ Display 4
☐ Display 5
d21 High fps viewfinder display ON
e Bracketing/flash
e1 Flash sync speed 1/250*
1/250 s (Auto FP)
1/200 s (Auto FP)
1/200 s
1/160 s
1/125 s
1/100 s
1/80 s
1/60 s
e2 Flash shutter speed 1/60
1/60 s
1/30 s
1/15 s
1/8 s
1/4 s
1/2 s
1 s
2 s
4 s
8 s
15 s
30 s
e3 Exposure comp. for flash
Entire frame
Background only
e4 Auto ↯ ISO sensitivity control
Subject and background
Subject only
e5 Modeling flash ON
e6 Auto bracketing (mode M)
Flash/speed
Flash/speed/aperture
Flash/aperture
Flash/ISO sensitivity
Flash only
e7 Bracketing order N
MTR > under > over
Under > MTR > over
e8 Flash burst priority
Prioritize frame advance rate
Prioritize precise flash control
f Controls
f1 Customize i menu
[graphic]
f2 Custom controls (shooting)
[graphic]
f3 Custom controls (playback)
[graphic]
f4 Control lock
Shutter speed lock OFF
Aperture lock OFF
Focus-point lock OFF
f5 Reverse dial rotation
☐ Exposure compensation
☐ Shutter speed/aperture
f6 Release button to use dial OFF
f7 Reverse indicators -0+
+0-
-0+
f8 Release ring for focus OFF
f9 Focus ring rotation range [greyed out]
f10 Control ring response HIGH
High
Low
f11 Switch focus/control ring roles [greyed out]
f12 Assign power zoom buttons
Use [magnification] buttons OFF
Power zoom speed +3
Slower -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5
f13 Full-frame playback flicks
Flick up ★5
Rating
★5
★4
★3
★2
★1
Candidate for deletion
Select for upload to computer
Select for upload (FTP)
Protect
Voice memo
None
Flick down
Rating
★5
★4
★3
★2
★1
Candidate for deletion
Select for upload to computer
Select for upload (FTP)
Protect
Voice memo
None
Flick advance direction ➡️
⬅️ Left←Right
➡️ Left→Right
f14 Prefer sub-selector center ON
g Video
g1 Customize i menu
[graphic]
g2 Custom controls
[graphic]
g3 Control lock
Shutter speed lock OFF
Aperture lock OFF
Focus-point lock OFF
g4 Limit AF-area mode selection
☑︎ Single-point AF
☐ Wide-area AF (S)
☐ Wide-area AF (L)
☐ Wide-area AF (C1)
☐ Wide-area AF (C2)
☑︎ Subject-tracking AF
☑︎ Auto-area AF
g5 Focus mode restrictions
Single AF
Continuous AF
Full-time AF
Manual focus
No restrictions
g6 AF speed +5
Slower -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 Faster
When to apply ALWAYS
ALWAYS Always
REC Only while recording
g7 AF tracking sensitivity 1
High 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Low
g8 Hi-Res Zoom speed +5
Slower -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 Faster
g9 Assign power zoom buttons
Use [magnification] buttons OFF
Power zoom speed
Pre-post recording +5
Slower -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 Faster
During recording +5
Slower -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 Faster
g10 Fine ISO control (mode M) OFF
ON (1/6 EV)
OFF
g11 Extended shutter speeds (mode M) OFF
g12 View assist OFF
g13 Zebra pattern
Pattern tone range HIGH
HIGH Highlights
MID Mid-tones
OFF Zebra pattern off
Pattern
Pattern 1
Pattern 2
Highlight threshold 250
250 120 - 255
Mid-tone range 160
Value 160 0 - 255
Range ±10 ±5 - ±20
g14 Limit zebra pattern tone range
Highlights
Mid-tones
No restrictions
g15 Grid type 3x3
3x3
4x4
2.35:1
1.85:1
4:3
1:1
90%
g16 Brightness information display HIST
HIST
WFM
WFM (L)
g17 Half-press to zoom (MF) OFF
g18 Custom monitor shooting display
☑︎ Display 1
☐ Display 2
☐ Display 3
☐ Display 4
g19 Custom viewfinder shooting display
☑︎ Display 1
☐ Display 2
☐ Display 3
g20 Red REC frame indicator ON
PLAYBACK MENU
Delete [greyed out]
Playback folder ALL
NCZ_8 [a custom name I chose]
All
Current
Playback display options
Add info☐ Focus point
☐ Mark first shot in series
Additional photo info
☑︎ Exposure info
☐ Highlights
☐ RGB histogram
☐ Shooting data
☐ Overview
☑︎ None (picture only)
☐ File info
Detailed shooting data☑︎ Basic shooting data
☐ Flash data
☐ Picture control/HLG data
☐ Other shooting data
☐ Copyright info
☑︎ Location data
☐ IPTC data
Delete pictures from both slots ON
Yes (confirmation required)
Default delete option“Selected picture”
Same pictures ON C/X & SD
Yes
No
Dual-format recording PB slot C/X
CFexpress/XQD card slot
SD card slot
Filtered playback criteria
☐ Protect
☐ Picture type
Picture type selection☐ Rating
Choose ratings☐ Select for upload to computer [greyed out]
Uploaded/not uploaded [greyed out]Select for upload (FTP) [greyed out]
Uploaded/not uploaded [greyed out]☐ Voice memo
☐ Retouched pictures
Series playback
Sub-selector displays first shot OFF
Auto series playback OFF
Auto series playback options
Loop playback OFF
Wait before playback NORM
Long
Normal
Short
Start immediately
Auto series playback speed 30
5 5 fps
15 15 fps
30 30 fps
At current release mode speed
List series as single thumbnails OFF
Picture review OFF
On
On (monitor only)
Off
After delete
Show next
Show previous
Continue as before
After burst, show
First picture in burst
Last picture in burst
Auto image rotation ON
Auto-rotate pictures ON
Copy images [greyed out]
SETUP MENU
Format memory card
CFexpress/XQD card slot
SD card slot
Language
English
[various other languages]
Time zone and date
Time zone
London
09/02/2025 14:06:59 [current date and time]UTC 0
Date and time
Y M D H M S
2025. 02. 09 14:06:59 [current date and time]
Date format DMY
YMD Year/Month/Day
MDY Month/Day/Year
DMY Day/Month/Year
Daylight saving time OFF
London UTC 0 09/02/2025 14:06:59 [current date and time]
Monitor brightness +5
Lo 2, Lo 1, -5 - +5, Hi 1, Hi 2
Monitor color balance
[graphic to alter G, B, A and M values]
Viewfinder brightness AUTO
Auto
Manual 0
Setting viewfinder brightness. Check the brightness in the viewfinder as you set it.
Viewfinder color balance
Setting viewfinder brightness. Check the brightness in the viewfinder as you set it.Viewfinder display size STNDRD
Standard
Small
Limit monitor mode selection
☑︎ Automatic display switch
☐ Viewfinder only
☐ Monitor only
☐ Prioritize viewfinder (1)
☐ Prioritize viewfinder (2)
Auto rotate info display OFF
AF fine-tuning options OFF
AF fine-tune OFF
Fine-tune and save lens [greyed out]
Default
0 -20 0 +20
List saved values [greyed out]
Choose values for current lens [greyed out]
Non-CPU lens data No. 1
Lens number 1
Focal length (mm) --
Maximum aperture --
Lens name
Distance units m
Meters (m)
Feet (ft)
Save focus position ON
Save zoom position (PZ lenses) ON
Auto temperature cutout HIGH
Standard
High
Sensor shield behaviour at power off ON
Sensor shield closes
Sensor shield stays open
Clean image sensor
Start
Automatic cleaning OFF
Clean at shutdown
Cleaning off
Image Dust Off ref photo [greyed out]
Pixel mapping [greyed out]
Image comment OFF
Attach comment OFF
Input comment
Copyright information ON
Attach copyright information ON
Artist
Nick Dale PhotographyCopyright
Copyright 2025 Nick Dale, all rights reserved.
IPTC
Edit/save
Select preset to edit or saveIPTC P-1 Unused
IPTC P-2 Unused
IPTC P-3 Unused
IPTC P-4 Unused
IPTC P-5 Unused
IPTC P-6 Unused
IPTC P-7 Unused
IPTC P-8 Unused
IPTC P-9 Unused
IPTC P-10 Unused
Delete [greyed out]
Auto embed during shooting OFF
Off
IPTC P-1 Unused
IPTC P-2 Unused
IPTC P-3 Unused
IPTC P-4 Unused
IPTC P-5 Unused
IPTC P-6 Unused
IPTC P-7 Unused
IPTC P-8 Unused
IPTC P-9 Unused
IPTC P-10 Unused
Load/save
CFexpress/XQD card slot
SD card slot
Voice memo options
Voice memo control
Press and hold
Press to start/stop
Audio output (playback) 10
Speaker/headphones
10
HDMI
Off
Camera sounds [greyed out]
Silent mode ON
Touch controls ON
Enable/disable touch controls ON
Enable
Playback only
Disable
Glove mode
HDMI
Output resolution AUTO
Auto
4320p (progressive)
2160p (progressive)
1080p (progressive)
1080i (interlaced)
720p (progressive)
Output range AUTO
Auto
Limited range
Full range
Output shooting info ON
Mirror camera info display ON
USB connection priority
Upload
Shooting
Wireless remote (WR) options [greyed out]
Assign remote (WR) Fn button OFF
AF-ON
AF lock only
AE lock (Reset on release)
AE lock only
AE/AF lock
FV lock
↯ Disable/enable
Switch FX/DX
Photo flicker reduction
Preview
Recall shooting functions
☑︎ Shooting mode S
☑︎ Shutter speed 1/15
☐ Aperture [greyed out]
☑︎ Exposure compensation -1.0
☑︎ ISO sensitivity settings
☑︎ Metering
☑︎ White balance
☑︎ AF-area mode
☑︎ AF subject detection options
☑︎ Focus tracking with lock-on
☐ AF-ON
☑︎ Release mode
Continuous high-speed 20
20 20 fps
15 15 fps
12 12 fps
10 10 fps
Continuous low-speed 10
10 10 fps
8 8 fps
6 6 fps
5 5 fps
4 4 fps
3 3 fps
2 2 fps
1 1 fps
Single frame S
High-frequency flicker reduction
+RAW
View mode (photo Lv)
None
Conformity marking
[Graphic]
Battery info
[information screen showing Charge, No. of shots, Battery age (0 - 4)]
USB power delivery ON
Energy saving (photo mode) ON
Slot empty release lock OK
LOCK Release locked
OK Enable release
Save/load menu settings
Save menu settings
Load menu settings
Reset all settings
Reset
Do not reset
Firmware version
C 2. 01
Done
Network Menu
Airplane mode OFF
Connect to smart device ON
Pairing (Bluetooth) ON
Start pairing
Paired devices
NickDale’siPhone [the name of my phone]
Bluetooth connection ON
NickDale’siPhone
Connection to smart device established
Select pictures for upload
Auto select for upload ON
Manually select for upload
C/X SD 147NCZ_8 [my custom name]
Deselect all
Deselect all pictures?Yes
No
Wi-Fi connection OFF
Establish Wi-Fi connection
Wi-Fi connection settings
SSID
[keyboard for custom name]
Authentication/encryption
OPEN
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHYA2-PSK
WPA3-SAE
WPA2-PSK/WPA3-SAE
Password
[keyboard for custom name]
Channel
Auto
Manual 1
1
Current settings
SSID: NIKON_Z8_35317
Authentication/encryption:
WPA2-PSK/WPA3-SAE
Password:
1259431c [custom password]
Channel:
Auto
Subnet mask:
255. 255. 255. 000
DHCP server IN PROFILE address:
192. 168. 001. 001Reset connection settings
Reset Wi-Fi settings?Yes
No
Upload while off OFF
Location data (smart device)
Latitude : N 51°27. 808’ [current position]
Longitude : W 0°13. 587’ [current position]
Altitude : 12m [current position]
UTC : 10/02/2025 08:09:10 [current time]
NickDale’siPhone
Connection to smart device established.
Connect to computer OFF
Network settings
Create profile
Connecting to another device ends any existing connections.
OK?Yes
No
Copy to/from card
Copy profile from card [greyed out]
Copy profile to card
No network profile to copy
End current connection
Connection type
Picture transfer
Camera control
Options [greyed out]
Connect to FTP server OFF
Network settings
Create profile
Connecting to another device ends any existing connections.
OK?Yes
No
Copy to/from card
Copy profile from card [greyed out]
Copy profile to card
No network profile to copy
End current connection
Connection type
Picture transfer
Camera control
Options [greyed out]
Connect to other cameras OFF
Synchronized release ON
Network settings
Create profile
Connecting to another device ends any existing connections.
OK?Yes
No
Copy to/from card
Copy profile from card [greyed out]
Copy profile to card
No network profile to copy
End current connection
Master/remote
Master camera
Remote camera
Group settings
New
[keyboard to enter custom name]
Copy to/from card [greyed out]
Group name [greyed out]
Synchronize date and time [greyed out]
Overwrite copyright info [greyed out]
Choose a profile
ATOMOS AirGlu BT options OFF
Connect to ATOMOS AirGlu BT OFF [greyed out]
Save ATOMOS AirGlu BT pairing info
Connecting to another device ends any existing connections.
OK?Yes
No
Delete ATOMOS AirGlu BT pairing info
Pairing info for the ATOMOS AirGlu BT will be deleted.
OK?Yes
No
Camera
NCZ8 [custom name][keyboard to enter custom name]
USB data connection MPT/PTP
MPT/PTP
iPhone
USB-LAN
Router frequency band 2.4G/5G
2.4 GHz/5 GHz
2.4 GHz
5 GHz
MAC address
Wi-Fi:3C-BE-E1-32-48-81 [code generated automatically]
Wired LAN:
————————
My Menu
AF subject detection options Animal
Auto
People
Animal
Birds
Vehicle
Airplanes
Subject detection off
AF area mode 3D
Pinpoint AF [greyed out]
Single-point AF
Dynamic-area AF (S)
Dynamic-area AF (M)
Dynamic-area AF (L)
Wide-area AF (S)
Wide-area AF (L)
Wide-area AF (C1)
19x11 [custom area selection box]
Wide-area AF (C2)
9x7 [custom area selection box]
3D-tracking
Auto-area AF
Add items
PHOTO SHOOTING MENU
Shooting menu bank
Extended menu banks
Storage folder
File naming
Primary slot selection
Secondary slot function
Image area
Choose image area
DX crop alert
Tone mode
Image quality
Image size settings
Image size
Enable DX image sizes
Image size (DX)
RAW recording
ISO sensitivity settings
ISO sensitivity
auto ISO sensitivity control
Maximum sensitivity
Maximum sensitivity with ↯
Minimum shutter speed
White balance
Set Picture Control
Manage Picture Control
Set Picture Control (HLG)
Color space
Active D-Lighting
Long exposure NR
High ISO NR
Vignette control
Diffraction compensation
Auto distortion control
Skin softening
Portrait impression balance
Photo flicker reduction
High-frequency flicker reduction
Metering
Flash control
Flash control mode
Flash compensation (TTL)
Wireless flash options
Remote flash control
Group flash options
Radio remote flash info
Flash mode
Flash compensation
Focus mode
AF-area mode
AF subject detection options
Vibration reduction
Auto bracketing
Multiple exposure
Multiple exposure mode
Number of shots
Overlay mode
Save individual pictures (RAW)
Overlay shooting
Select first exposure (RAW)
HDR overlay
HDR mode
HDR strength
Save indivudual pictures (RAW)
Interval timer shooting
Time-lapse video
Focus shift shooting
Pixel shift shooting
Auto capture
VIDEO SHOOTING MENU
Shooting menu bank
Extended menu banks
Storage folder
File naming
Destination
Video file type
Frame size/frame rate
Video quality (N-RAW)
Image area
Choose image area
DX crop alert
Extended oversampling
ISO sensitivity settings
Maximum sensitivity
Auto ISO control (mode M)
ISO sensitivity (mode M)
White balance
Set Picture Control
Manage Picture Control
HLG quality
Active D-Lighting
High ISO NR
Vignette control
Diffraction compensation
Auto distortion control
Skin softening
Portrait impression balance
Video flicker reduction
High-frequency flicker reduction
Metering
Focus mode
AF-area mode
AF subject detection options
Subject detection
AF when subject not detected
Electronic VR
Microphone sensitivity
Attenuator
Frequency resoponse
Wind noise reduction
Mic jack plug-in power
Headphone volume
Timecode
External rec. cntrl (HDMI)
Hi-Res Zoom
Auto capture
CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU
Custom settings bank
[list of all settings as before]
a Focus
[list of all settings as before]
b Metering/exposure
[list of all settings as before]
c Timers/AE lock
[list of all settings as before]
d Shooting/display
[list of all settings as before]
e Bracketing/flash
[list of all settings as before]
f Controls
[list of all settings as before]
g Video
[list of all settings as before]
PLAYBACK MENU
Delete
Playback folder
Playback display options
Delete pictures from both slots
Dual-format recording Polar bear slot
Filtered playback criteria
Series playback
Picture review
After delete
After burst, show
Auto image rotation
Auto-rotate pictures
Copy image(s)
SETUP MENU
Format memory card
Language
Time zone and date
Monitor brightness
Monitor color balance
Viewfinder brightness
Viewfinder color balance
Viewfinder display size
Limit moniotr mode selection
Auto rotate info display
AF fine-tuning options
Non-CPU lens data
Distance units
Save focus position
Save zoom position (PZ lenses)
Auto temperature cutout
Sensor shield behavior at power off
Clean image sensor
Image Dust OFF ref photo
Pixel mapping
Image comment
Copyright information
IPTC
Voice memo options
Voice memo control
Audio output (playback)
Camera sounds
Silent mode
Touch controls
HDMI
Output resolution
USB connection priority
Wireless remote (WR) options
Assign remote (WHITE RHINO) Fn button
Conformity marking
Battery info
USB power delivery
Energy saving (photo mode)
Slot empty release lock
Save/load menu settings
Reset all settings
Firmware version
NETWORK MENU
Airplane mode
Connect to smart device
Pairing (Bluetooth)
Select pictures for upload
Wi-Fi connection
Establish Wi-Fi connection
Wi-Fi connection settings
Upload while off
Location data (smart device)
Connect to computer
Connect to FTP server
Connect to other cameras
ATOMOS AirGlu bt options
USB data connection
Router frequency band
MAC address
Remove items
AF subject detection options Animal
AF-area mode 3D
Rank items
AF subject detection options Animal
AF-area mode 3D
Choose tab
MY MENU
RECENT SETTINGS
If you’d like to order a framed print of one of my wildlife photographs, please visit the Prints page.
If you’d like to book a lesson or order an online photography course, please visit my Lessons and Courses pages.
