Nikon D850 - Common setting changes
Standard Changes
1. Playback Menu
-- Playback Display Options
* Check - Focus Point
* Check - Highlights
* Check - RGB Histogram
* Check - Shooting data
* Check - Overview
-- Rotate Tall - Turn off if you want your vertical shots to play back filling the whole LCD when vertical.
2. Photo Shooting Menu
-- File Naming
- Default is DSC
* Change to D85 for D850
(I do this since I have multiple camera bodies I can tell at a glance when looking at the images when camera body I used)
-- Primary slot selection
- Default is XQD
* Change it depending on what you are using for memory cards if you are using XQD and SD. Since XQD are currently expensive and hard to come by, when I get one, I will use that for a backup slot. I will use SD cards as my primary for now until I can get more XQD cards.
-- Secondary slot function
- Overflow is the default and is the typical choice
- Backup is what you would choose if you were out traveling and didn't have the ability to backup your photos. Whatever gets recorded on the primary card will get also recorded onto the Secondary card. This is also used by Wedding photographers and others who have to protect their images against catastropic failure.
- RAW Primary - JPEG Secondary - Also provides backup assurance only your backup is in the form of a JPEG instead of a Raw. Not perfect for backup, but good when you are short on memory cards.
- Note: Both of the Backup options will slow your camera down. How much will depend on how fast your memory cards are. But it's worth knowing about just in case you are shooting speed sensitve subjects.
-- Image Size
- NEF (RAW)
- Raw L is the default. After all, isn't more resolution why we got the D850?
- Raw M and Raw S both save on memory and give you smaller Raw images. This is an option that can be common with Wedding and Portrait photographers.
-- NEF (RAW) recording
- NEF (RAW) Compression
- Lossless compressed is the default and is my choice
- Compress and Uncompressed can also be chosen.
(The point of this is to save file size of the Photo. Lossless compressed is the smallest option, and there have been many tests done on the imaged qaulity, and most people agree it doesn't hurt the image quality. But some people do think it does. So it's a personal choice, and perhaps one you will want to test out yourself)
- NEF (RAW) bit depth
- 14-bit is the Default
- 12-bit is also an option, it will give you a smaller file size for the photo but can also reduce quality. From my testing that quality loss is seen most in the highlights and shadows. Myself I would never use 12-bit.
-- Set Picture Control
- Default is A Auto
* SD Standard is the what you should change it to. Especially with Landscapes we don't want the camera to add saturation, contrast, etc. We want to control that when we process. Standard will render your RAW photos pretty much the same as you captured it.
Note: Do not choose Landscape because you are shooting Landscapes. You will find that your photos end up too saturated and there will be loss of detail.
3. CUSTOM SETTING MENU
d Shooting/display
-- d9 Viewfinder grid display
- Default is off
* Turn it on for grids that are in Thirds. It's a huge help for composing.
f Controls
-- f4 Customize command dials
- Reverse Rotation
* Check Exposure compensation
(If you haven't grown up shooting Nikon Film Cameras this may not matter to you, but for me it feels more natural that when you use Exposure Compensation that turning the selector to the left brightens the exposure and turning to the righ darkens the exposure - This is a personal preference)
-- f7 Reverse indicators
* Change to "+ O -"
(This is again a personal preference. Test it out and choose what feels natural for you. Unless you are an old time Nikon Film user, in which case you will want to change this)
4. SETUP MENU
-- Time zone and date
* Choose your Time Zone
* Set the Date and Time
* Choose the Date Format - I change it to Y/M/D which makes for easier sorting on your computer.
-- AF fine-tune
- Default value is Off
- This is something you will need to test. Set up you camera on a tripod and shoot a wall or something. I tape lens calibration sheets onto my wall, and then use the AF to focus, and then double check that when I zoom in the photo is actually in focus. If it's not, then turn AF fine-tune ON, and adjust it to make the lens be in focus.
(Note there are lots of different type of Lens Calibration charts you can download off the internet. You can also Google the different methods on how to test your lens for calibration. Choose the method that works best for you)
Standard Changes
1. Playback Menu
-- Playback Display Options
* Check - Focus Point
* Check - Highlights
* Check - RGB Histogram
* Check - Shooting data
* Check - Overview
-- Rotate Tall - Turn off if you want your vertical shots to play back filling the whole LCD when vertical.
2. Photo Shooting Menu
-- File Naming
- Default is DSC
* Change to D85 for D850
(I do this since I have multiple camera bodies I can tell at a glance when looking at the images when camera body I used)
-- Primary slot selection
- Default is XQD
* Change it depending on what you are using for memory cards if you are using XQD and SD. Since XQD are currently expensive and hard to come by, when I get one, I will use that for a backup slot. I will use SD cards as my primary for now until I can get more XQD cards.
-- Secondary slot function
- Overflow is the default and is the typical choice
- Backup is what you would choose if you were out traveling and didn't have the ability to backup your photos. Whatever gets recorded on the primary card will get also recorded onto the Secondary card. This is also used by Wedding photographers and others who have to protect their images against catastropic failure.
- RAW Primary - JPEG Secondary - Also provides backup assurance only your backup is in the form of a JPEG instead of a Raw. Not perfect for backup, but good when you are short on memory cards.
- Note: Both of the Backup options will slow your camera down. How much will depend on how fast your memory cards are. But it's worth knowing about just in case you are shooting speed sensitve subjects.
-- Image Size
- NEF (RAW)
- Raw L is the default. After all, isn't more resolution why we got the D850?
- Raw M and Raw S both save on memory and give you smaller Raw images. This is an option that can be common with Wedding and Portrait photographers.
-- NEF (RAW) recording
- NEF (RAW) Compression
- Lossless compressed is the default and is my choice
- Compress and Uncompressed can also be chosen.
(The point of this is to save file size of the Photo. Lossless compressed is the smallest option, and there have been many tests done on the imaged qaulity, and most people agree it doesn't hurt the image quality. But some people do think it does. So it's a personal choice, and perhaps one you will want to test out yourself)
- NEF (RAW) bit depth
- 14-bit is the Default
- 12-bit is also an option, it will give you a smaller file size for the photo but can also reduce quality. From my testing that quality loss is seen most in the highlights and shadows. Myself I would never use 12-bit.
-- Set Picture Control
- Default is A Auto
* SD Standard is the what you should change it to. Especially with Landscapes we don't want the camera to add saturation, contrast, etc. We want to control that when we process. Standard will render your RAW photos pretty much the same as you captured it.
Note: Do not choose Landscape because you are shooting Landscapes. You will find that your photos end up too saturated and there will be loss of detail.
3. CUSTOM SETTING MENU
d Shooting/display
-- d9 Viewfinder grid display
- Default is off
* Turn it on for grids that are in Thirds. It's a huge help for composing.
f Controls
-- f4 Customize command dials
- Reverse Rotation
* Check Exposure compensation
(If you haven't grown up shooting Nikon Film Cameras this may not matter to you, but for me it feels more natural that when you use Exposure Compensation that turning the selector to the left brightens the exposure and turning to the righ darkens the exposure - This is a personal preference)
-- f7 Reverse indicators
* Change to "+ O -"
(This is again a personal preference. Test it out and choose what feels natural for you. Unless you are an old time Nikon Film user, in which case you will want to change this)
4. SETUP MENU
-- Time zone and date
* Choose your Time Zone
* Set the Date and Time
* Choose the Date Format - I change it to Y/M/D which makes for easier sorting on your computer.
-- AF fine-tune
- Default value is Off
- This is something you will need to test. Set up you camera on a tripod and shoot a wall or something. I tape lens calibration sheets onto my wall, and then use the AF to focus, and then double check that when I zoom in the photo is actually in focus. If it's not, then turn AF fine-tune ON, and adjust it to make the lens be in focus.
(Note there are lots of different type of Lens Calibration charts you can download off the internet. You can also Google the different methods on how to test your lens for calibration. Choose the method that works best for you)