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Nikon D300 Menu Hierarchy
Notes on Photography
by Makoto Honda
February 19, 2008
PLAYBACK MENU
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Delete
|
Can delete one or more, or all, images. I rarely delete on the
camera. If I do, I use
Delete button. |
|
Playback Folder |
Specify the folders to play back: ND300, All or
Current. |
|
Hide image |
Mark images you don't want to show to others. I hide nothing! |
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Display mode |
Specify what additional info is displayed in playback:
Highlights, Focus point, RGB histograms & Data.
Then click Done.
|
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Image review |
If set, the image is displayed on the monitor immediately after
shooting. ON or OFF. |
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After delete |
After delete, Show next, Show previous or Continue
as before. I don't care. |
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Rotate tall |
ON or OFF.
When enabled, a vertical shot shown upright on display. Need Auto image
rotation (Setup Menu) to be on. I keep it on.
|
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Slide show |
Click Start to do slide show. The frame display interval can
be set to 2, 3, 5, or 10 seconds. |
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Print set (DPOF) |
Select images to print directly from camera. |
SHOOTING MENU
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Shooting menu bank |
Choose
from
A, B, C or D. A useful feature to save
Shooting Menu settings. Click
here for detail. |
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Reset shooting menu |
Reset all the Shooting Menu settings (of the current bank) to
default. (See above.) |
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Active folder |
This allows setting of the active folder to store new pictures.
Click
here for detail.
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New folder number |
Create a new folder (numbered 100 - 999). |
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Select folder |
Select a folder to make it active. |
|
| File naming |
In addition to the folder number above, a 3-character
alpha/numeric file name can be set. Click
here for detail. |
| Image quality |
Set to JPEG (fine/normal/basic), TIFF, RAW (NEF),
or RAW+JPEG (fine/norm/basic).
I use
QUAL button + Main command dial. |
| Image size |
Set the image pixel count: L (4288x2848, 12.2MP), M
(3216x2136, 6.9MP) or S (2144x1424, 3.1MP). This is not a crop;
the image size on the sensor remains the same. Can be set using
QUAL button
+ Sub-command dial. |
| JPEG compression |
Choose between Size priority and Optimal quality. I
take quality over size. |
| NEF (RAW) recording
|
|
Type |
Choices are: Lossless compressed, Compressed or Uncompressed.
I use Lossless compress.
|
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NEF (RAW) bit depth |
Choose between 12-bit and 14-bit. The 14-bit takes
significantly more memory space than 12-bit. I usually use 12-bit.
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| White balance |
Set white balance to: AUTO, Incandescent, Daylight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, Color
temperature or Preset manual.
I use
WB button.
Click here
for detail. |
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Set Picture Control
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This allows fine-tuning of picture quality. Standard,
Neutral, Vivid or Monochrome. Click
here for detail. |
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Manage Picture Control
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This manages the picture control settings above. Click
here for detail. |
| Color space |
Set color space used: sRGB or Adobe RGB. Click here for detail. |
| Active D-Lighting |
Set the effect of Nikon's Active D-Lighting to High,
Normal, Low or Off. I keep it Normal, unless a scene
requires High. |
| Long exposure NR
|
Turn noise reduction feature ON or OFF during a long
exposure. |
| High ISO NR |
Set the amount of noise reduction to HIGH, NORMAL,
LOW or OFF on high ISO setting. |
| ISO sensitivity settings
|
|
ISO setting |
Can be set in the range of ISO 200-3200 and 100 (LO 1) &
6400 (HI 1). Easier to use ISO button +
Main command dial.
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ISO sensitivity auto control |
NO or OFF. If set, ISO setting automatically moves up
or down
as needed to get a correct exposure.
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Maximum sensitivity |
Limit the highest ISO to: 400 - 3200, 6400 (HI
1). The lowest is fixed at ISO 200.
|
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Minimum shutter speed |
Limit the slowest shutter speed to: 1/250 - 1
sec. |
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Live view
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This allows
the settings for Live View shooting. Click
here for
detail.
|
Live view mode |
Select either Hand-held or Tripod mode.
|
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Release mode |
Set shooting mode during Live View: S (single frame), CL
(continuous low-speed) or CH (continuous high-speed)
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| Multiple exposure |
Set to ON to make a multiple-exposure shot. Turn off
multi-exposure mode by selecting OFF.
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Number of shots |
Specify the number of images to be multi-exposed (2 -
10).
|
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Auto gain |
ON or OFF. If set, the camera automatically reduces the
gain of each image. Keep it on, unless the background is
dark. |
|
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Interval timer shooting |
Allow automatic interval shooting. I will try this feature
someday.... |
CUSTOM SETTING MENU
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Custom
setting bank
|
Choose the current bank to use (A, B, C or
D). Click
here for detail. |
|
Reset custom settings |
Reset
custom settings (of the currently selected bank) to the default
settings. (See above). |
a Autofocus
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a1 |
AF-C priority selection
|
This specifies how the shutter is released during AF continuous-shoot operation. Release
(shutter clicks anytime), Release+Focus (try to focus) or
Focus (must be in focus to release shutter). |
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a2 |
AF-S priority selection
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This specifies
how the shutter is released during AF single-shoot operation. The shutter clicks anytime (Release)
or only if the picture is in focus (Focus). |
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a3 |
Dynamic AF area |
Four modes are offered: 9
points, 21 points, 51 points or 51 points with
3D-tracking. Click
here for detail. |
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a4 |
Focus tracking with
lock-on
|
This
determines how long AF should wait before refocusing. Long, Normal, Short or Off. Useful feature
when an object is briefly passing through the view. If set to Off, AF
starts refocusing immediately. I set to Normal, usually. |
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a5 |
AF activation
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How to activate AF: Shutter/AF-ON (by either shutter or AF-ON
button) or AF-ON only (disable shutter AF).
|
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a6 |
AF point illumination
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The focus point momentarily illuminates in viewfinder: AUTO, ON (always) or OFF
(never).
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a7 |
Focus point wrap-around
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ON or OFF. If set, manual focus point selection (with
multi-selector) wraps around up/down or left/right. |
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a8 |
AF point selection |
During manual focus point selection, you can choose from all 51
points, or from 11 points for quick selection. |
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a9 |
Built-in AF-assist illumination
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ON or OFF. If set, the camera's assist-light comes on if
too dark to focus. |
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a10 |
AF-ON for MB-D10
|
Select the function of
AF-ON botton
on MB-D10. |
b
Metering / Exposure
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b1* |
ISO sensitivity step value |
ISO can be set by an increment of 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV or
1 EV. I use 1 EV 'cause it's quicker to change ISO. |
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b2
|
EV steps for exposure control |
Exposure (shutter &
aperture) can be set by an increment of 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV
or 1 EV. I use 1/2 EV. |
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b3 |
Exp comp / fine tune
|
Exposure compensation can be done by an increment of 1/3 EV,
1/2 EV or 1 EV. I use 1/3 EV for flexibility. |
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b4
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Easy exposure compensation |
On (auto reset), On or Off. Click
here for
detail. |
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b5 |
Center-weighted area |
The diameter in the center-weighted exposure mode can be set to:
6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 13mm, or Average.
|
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b6 |
Fine tune optimal exposure
|
Exposure compensation can be set (in the range of EV +1 to -1,
with EV 1/6 increment) for each exposure modes:
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Matrix metering
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EV compensation: -1 to +1. |
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Center-weighted metering
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EV compensation: -1 to +1. |
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Spot metering |
EV compensation: -1 to +1. |
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c Timers
/ AE lock
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c1 |
Shutter-release button AE-L |
ON
or OFF. If set, shutter-release button locks AE (auto-exposure)
also. I keep it off. |
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c2 |
Auto meter-off delay
|
Camera-top LCD
display gets turned off after 4, 6, 8, 16,
30sec, 1, 5, 10min, or never (No limit).
|
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c3 |
Self-timer delay
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Self-timer duration gets set to 2sec, 5sec, 10sec
or 20sec. Mirror does not flip until shutter release time. |
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c4* |
Monitor off delay
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Monitor (on camera back) gets turned off after 10sec,
20sec, 1min, 5min or 10min. |
d Shooting / Display
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d1* |
Beep |
Set beep volume to High, Low or Off. I keep it
low. |
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d2 |
Viewfinder grid display
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Grid display can be set ON or OFF. I like it on. |
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d3 |
Viewfinder warning display
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Warning display can be set ON or OFF. I need a
warning! |
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d4 |
CL mode shooting speed |
Low continuous-shoot speed (CL) can be set to 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 frames-per-second. I
keep it 3 fps. |
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d5 |
Max continuous release |
Maximum number of continuous shots can be set to any number in 1-100
shots. I keep it max 100. |
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d6 |
File number sequence |
ON, OFF or RESET. If on, the number continues from
where it is left off. If off, start from 0001. Click
here for detail. |
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d7 |
Shooting info display
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Display option of Shooting info on the back monitor. AUTO or
MANUAL (either dark letters
on white background or opposite). |
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d8 |
LCD illumination
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ON or OFF. Can be set by turning the camera
on/off lever. |
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d9 |
Exposure delay mode |
ON or OFF. If on, shutter is released one second
after mirror flip to kill vibration. Useful for vibration-critical
shots. |
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d10 |
MB-D10 battery type
|
Specify battery type when
using MB-D10. I do not use one.
|
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d11 |
Battery order |
Specify which battery to use first: MB-D10 batteries or D300 camera
battery. |
e
Bracketing / Flash
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e1 |
Flash sync speed |
Set flash sync speed: 1/320 (AutoFP), 1/250 (AutoFP),
1/250, 1/200, 1/160, 1/125, 1/100, 1/80 0r 1/60 second. |
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e2 |
Flash shutter speed |
Set the slowest shutter speed with flash: 1/60, 1/30. 1/15, ... 1/4,
1/2, 1, 2, ... 30 seconds. |
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e3 |
Flash control for built-in flash
|
TTL, Manual, Repeating flash or Commander
mode. |
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e4 |
Modeling flash
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When too dark for AF, use modeling light: ON or OFF. |
|
e5* |
Auto bracketing set |
Set one of four
bracketing options: AE & Flash, AE Only, Flash Only
or White Balance. |
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e6 |
Auto bracketing (Mode M)
|
Flash/speed, Flash/speed/aperture, Flash/aperture or
Flash only. |
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e7 |
Bracketing order |
MTR > Under > Over or Under > MTR > Over. |
f Controls
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f1 |
Multi-selector center button |
This determines the multi-selector's center button function when
pressed under each of the following modes:
|
Shooting
mode |
Select center focus point
(default), Highlight active focus point or No function
assigned. |
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Playback mode |
Toggle thumbnail & full frame (default), View histograms,
Zoom in
or Choose folder. |
|
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f2 |
Multi-selector
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ON (Reset meter-off delay)
or OFF (Do nothing). If set to on, multi-selector click will turn
on exposure meter if it was off. I like it. |
|
f3 |
Photo info playback |
Playback with Multi-selector displaying Info (up-down) & images
(left-right). Click ON (swap) or OFF (keep it as is). |
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f4 |
Assign FUNC button |
Default is Auto bracketing for dial (no setting for press only). Click
here for detail. |
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f5 |
Assign preview button
|
Default is Preview (no setting for dials). Click
here for detail. |
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f6 |
Assign AE-L/AF-L button |
Default is AE-L/AF-L (lock both AE & AF). Click
here for detail. |
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f7 |
Customize command dials
|
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Reverse rotation |
ON or OFF. If on, the rotation direction of both Main
& Sub command dials is reversed. I am ok with default. |
|
Change main / sub |
ON or OFF. If on, Main & Sub command dials control
Aperture & Shutter speed, respectively. I like default better. |
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Aperture setting |
ON (Aperture ring) or OFF (Sub-command dial). If on,
only the lens aperture ring can be used to adjust aperture. Keep it off. |
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Menus and playback |
ON or OFF. Keep this turkey off. Setting this
messes up all command dial & multi-selector functions I painstakingly
memorized. |
|
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f8 |
Release button to use dial |
ON or OFF. If on, you need not hold a button (ISO,
WB,
QUAL
MODE
&
EXP)
during adjustment by a command dial. I hate this. Keep it off. |
|
f9 |
No memory card |
If camera has no memory card, LOCK disallows shutter release
while OK allows it. I definitely LOCK! |
|
f10 |
Reverse indicators |
Flip exposure indicator display from [++ o --] to [-- o ++]. |
SETUP MENU
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Format memory card
|
Format CF card. I do this by camera buttons (MODE
+ DELETE). |
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LCD brightness
|
Monitor brightness can be set from -3 to +3.
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Clean image sensor
|
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Clean now
|
Dust off
the lowpass filter (new feature). A good idea to do this once
in a while. |
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Clean at startup / shutdown time |
Can set to do this automatically. I do not use this. |
|
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Lock mirror-up for cleaning |
This is used when you want to clean the sensor yourself. |
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Video mode |
Set to NTSC or PAL when connected to a video device. |
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HDMI
|
Set resolution when connected via HDMI cable. AUTO, 480p,
576p, 720p or 1080i. |
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World time |
Set time and date/time format.
|
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Language
|
Language selection. |
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Image comment |
Can add comment to each photo. |
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Auto image rotation |
ON or OFF. If set, a vertical shot is remembered.
Rotate Tall (Playback Menu) uses this info. I keep it on. |
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USB
|
Set USB connection option for PC connection. |
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Dust off ref photo |
Use this to take a reference "dusty" photo to be used in Capture NX
software.
|
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Battery info
|
Display battery info.
|
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Wireless transmitter |
I do not have one. |
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Image authentication |
If set to ON, Image Authentication info is embedded in the
image file, to be detected by Nikon Image Authentication software. |
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Save / load settings
|
This saves selected settings to the memory card. |
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GPS
|
Setting for GPS device.
|
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Non-CPU lens data |
Can set Lens number, Focal length (mm) and Maximum
aperture for each non-CPU lens. Click
here for detail. |
|
AF fine tune
|
Can fine-tune AF operation by preset manual override. Have not
tried yet. |
|
Firmware version |
View the current version of the firmware being used. A or B. |
RETOUCH MENU
I usually do not
post-manipulate pictures in the camera.
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D-Lighting |
|
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Red-eye correction |
|
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Trim |
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Monochrome |
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Filter effects |
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Color balance |
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Image overlay |
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MY MENU
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Add items |
This allows you to add any menu items you frequently use to My
Menu for easy access. Very convenient! |
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Remove items |
Delete any item already in My Menu.
|
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Rank items |
Change the order of items in My Menu. |
WHAT IS *
.......
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