D300 users - how easy are custom banks?

[wildviper]

I just switched to Canon 7D and now am thinking of returning it in favor of the D300/D300s.

FYI, the reason is cause 7D doesn't do Spot Metering from the focus point like all Nikons do. That's just one reason but a VERY important one.

However, before I do such a move, there are few things that I like in the 7D that I am not sure how easy it is in the D300/s.

Canon has on the dial where you select Av, M and such..three custom selections: C1, C2 and C3. These are similar to Custom Shooting Banks on the Nikon. However, they are super easy to get to...you just turn the dial.

Thus my questions are:

1. How easy is to get to one of the four custom shooting banks? Can you program it into a button for super easy access?
2. I read that after you have activated one of the Custom setting bank, any changes you make (example, going from ISO 200 to 1600) will automatically be saved on the custom bank. Only workaround, it seems is for you to manually "revert" back to old savings (go back to ISO 200, for example). Is this really true? Any workarounds?
3. This is not related to the above:
   1. On Exposure Bracketing, once setup to say take 3 pictures with with +-1 EV exposure differences, do you just click the shutter button once? or do you have to press the shutter button 3 times.

Appreciate any help on this. I tried going through the D300 manual and I couldn't figure out the answers above.

[cyclohexane]

# How easy is to get to one of the four custom shooting banks? Can you program it into a button for super easy access?

It is really easy; you can change settings banks in about 5-10 seconds using the menus. Some Nikon bodies allow you to change custom settings banks just by holding a button and turning a dial, but I don't remember if the D300 does this.

I used to have all sorts of different custom settings for different situations, but I find that I pretty much just use the same one for everything now. Of course, I pretty much shoot the same thing every day, so it's not a big deal.

I read that after you have activated one of the Custom setting bank, any changes you make (example, going from ISO 200 to 1600) will automatically be saved on the custom bank. Only workaround, it seems is for you to manually "revert" back to old savings (go back to ISO 200, for example). Is this really true? Any workarounds?

You're not really understanding how they work. The idea of custom settings banks is so that they REMEMBER your changes. There are two sets of custom settings banks, one for image settings called the "Shooting Menu" (ISO, WB, Picture Style, Color Space), and one for camera operation settings called the "Custom Settings Menu" (AF modes, frame rate, self-timer duration, etc.). Each will remember four presets (A, B, C, and D) that can be selected independently.

1. On Exposure Bracketing, once setup to say take 3 pictures with with +-1 EV exposure differences, do you just click the shutter button once? or do you have to press the shutter button 3 times.

You can hold it down if you set the camera to continuous drive, and it'll fire off every shot.

[wildviper]

Originally Posted by cyclohexane

It is really easy; you can change settings banks in about 5-10 seconds using the menus. Some Nikon bodies allow you to change custom settings banks just by holding a button and turning a dial, but I don't remember if the D300 does this.

Does anyone know if I can select via a combo of a button and a dial? I want to be able to activate one custom bank really fast. 5-10 secs is a long time if some action is just happening in front of you. My biggest gripe with the D70s was that it didn't have this. I lost a lot of shots.

You're not really understanding how they work. The idea of custom settings banks is so that they REMEMBER your changes. There are two sets of custom settings banks, one for image settings called the "Shooting Menu" (ISO, WB, Picture Style, Color Space), and one for camera operation settings called the "Custom Settings Menu" (AF modes, frame rate, self-timer duration, etc.). Each will remember four presets (A, B, C, and D) that can be selected independently.

Ok, now I am even more confused. Please tell me if what I want is possible or not with the D300/s.

- I want to setup the settings, Shooting and Custom Settings in a certain way:

For example, these are the settings:

• Dynamic Focus with 3 D Tracking,
• Spot metering,
• ISO 200,
• Aperture mode at F/8,
• EV Comp to +1,
• Sunny WB
• large JPEG only
• AutoFocus only by AF button and not by half press shutter

This is what I would call my "base" settings...from here, i would start changing stuff depending on my needs...but as a base, it would help in a pinch.

Now, if I save this on a particular settings bank, will I be able to come back from whereever my camera settings were to the above particular setttings in an instant?

With the Canon 7D, I am able to put all these on C1 and then just turn the dial and all my settings are there.

Then the second question that follows is the "changes" being saved automatically. So, if I understand it correctly...if I go on and change the above settings to say Raw+Jpegs and ISO 1600...is that what will be auto saved even if I don't want it to?

So next time, I will get the above changes when I select the particular settings bank?

[cyclohexane]

5-10 secs is a long time if some action is just happening in front of you.

Yeah, you have to find the category (Playback, Shooting, Custom Settings, etc.) you want for the bank in the menu, but at least the option to change the bank is at the very top.

Firmware update 2.0 added a lot of functionality to the D300 that is not mentioned in the menu, so the ability to use a button and dial may very well be there. I rarely changed from bank to bank while shooting at the same venue, but that was me.

I got rid of my D300, otherwise I'd check for you.

- I want to setup the settings, Shooting and Custom Settings in a certain way:

I'll address each of these individually below:

* Dynamic Focus with 3 D Tracking,

Dynamic focus is set with a switch on the outside of the camera.

3D Tracking Mode is selected in the Custom Settings Menu (CSM), and will be retained in a CSM bank. If you change to 9-point, 21-point, or 51-point non-3D tracking, it will save over the setting. You can program several buttons on the camera to change the tracking mode quickly.

* Spot metering

Metering is set with a switch on the outside of the camera.

* ISO 200,

The Shooting Menu bank you are on will remember the last ISO you used in that shooting bank. There's no way to quickly switch Shooting banks and start at a specific ISO unless you change it back each time.

* Aperture mode at F/8,

Mode is independent of the settings banks, and so are exposure settings. None of these can be retained.

* EV Comp to +1,

EV compensation is not retained in a settings bank. You can, however, configure a settings bank to automatically bias the meter a certain amount of EV, but it will not be shown in the viewfinder, so for example you have to remember that "CUSTOM B" (how a custom settings menu bank is displayed on the top LCD) adds +0.7 EV when using Center-Weighted metering.

* Sunny WB

The Shooting bank you are currently on retains the last used WB, and will overwrite the saved WB if you change it.

* large JPEG only

The Shooting bank you are currently on retains the last used QUAL setting, but will overwrite your choice if you were to suddenly switch to RAW.

* AutoFocus only by AF button and not by half press shutter

The CSM Bank you are on will remember your setting for this. You're not changing this on the fly often, are you?

So, if I understand it correctly...if I go on and change the above settings to say Raw+Jpegs and ISO 1600...is that what will be auto saved even if I don't want it to?

Yes, it will auto save those settings. I'd be pretty stoked if the camera could remember a starting point without me having to change it, but alas Nikon has implemented the Shooting banks pretty poorly.

[wildviper]

Yeah, from the sounds of it, the custom banks are not implemented well at all.

I guess I am staying with my Canon 7D and not returning it.

In the Canon 7D, I can set everything up exactly the way I want it...and save it to C1 or C2 or C3. Now, everytime I dial over to one of those custom choice, my setup comes in and stays that way even if I change later few things. Unless, I "SAVE". Come on Nikon...what's with Autosave

[cyclohexane]

the custom banks are not implemented well at all.

The CSM banks work well enough, as you're not likely to change how long you want the LCD screen to stay on often, but the "Shooting" banks stink. For one thing, half the stuff in them should move into the CSM banks...

[MrB]

Originally Posted by cyclohexane

Firmware update 2.0 added a lot of functionality to the D300 that is not mentioned in the menu, so the ability to use a button and dial may very well be there. I rarely changed from bank to bank while shooting at the same venue, but that was me.

I couldn't find any firmware update 2.0 on Nikon's website for the D300.

[cyclohexane]

Oops, maybe it was called something else? It came out at the end of October last year, so v1.10?

[Joves]

Originally Posted by cyclohexane

Oops, maybe it was called something else? It came out at the end of October last year, so v1.10?

Yeah it is 1.10. I never use the banks because my other cameras didnt have them and, Im used to shifting everything on the fly. Im a button and, dials moving fool.

[wildviper]

Originally Posted by wildviper

Yeah, from the sounds of it, the custom banks are not implemented well at all.

In the Canon 7D, I can set everything up exactly the way I want it...and save it to C1 or C2 or C3. Now, everytime I dial over to one of those custom choice, my setup comes in and stays that way even if I change later few things. Unless, I "SAVE". Come on Nikon...what's with Autosave

Ok, after doing some research, there is a WAY!!!! And it seems pretty amazing, all be it, a bit awkward to use..but there is a way.

From what I found out, once you setup the camera the way you want, the shooting and custom banks the way you want...you can SAVE this to a CF card. At a later point, you can re-load all your settings.

What I learnt from one photog is that he saves his stuff:

1. For wedding
2. For Sports
3. For Low/Night shots
4. For full Auto

He just loads his settings before every shoot to ensure nothing had changed. Now, here is the sweet thing....you can save multiple different settings on different CF cards and load them.

So, you could have:

Joe's setup AND Mary's setup on different CF cards. Whoever uses the camera, just loads that up. And, if you have 2 cameras(one backup), you can load the EXACT settings on both.

Wow...this is pretty sweet....so much so that I returned my Canon 7D!!!!!!! Got a D300s.