Nikon D7000 tips

[Grandpaw]

You may find turning on the grid display in the viewfinder helpful

In the very first Tip I told you how to use the Virtual Horizon to help keep your pictures level and to help you eliminate those pictures that slant. In this tip I will show you another option that you may find useful. In the menu system you can turn on a grid display that you can see in the viewfinder while composing your pictures that may help line up and keep things straight without using the virtual Horizon. The grid display is there without being distracting or annoying while shooting. I find it useful and leave mine on all of the time. Like all the tips or ideas in my thread it is something I would suggest trying out and if it is an option you don't like it is easily changed and removed.

Here is how you do it
Go to the CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU which is the third one down on the left that looks like a pencil and press "OK"
Go down to the "D" Shooting/ display and press "OK"
Go down to "a2" Viewfinder grid display and press"OK" again
Choose "ON" and press "OK"

Now, unless you repeat this and choose to turn the display "off" the grid will always be displayed in the viewfinder to help you keep things straight and level. Hopefully this is something you might find useful, Jeff

[ropeboy]

Hi Grandpaw,
Absolutely superb thread. I've been using my D7000 since last August, it's always been a great camera but your tips have really helped with helping me understand what it is capable of. Just set the diopter, this has the possibility to make a major difference to my macro shots, instead of squinting into the viewfinder and half guessing if the shot is right suddenly the view has become crystal clear. Also the focus point indicator, a really useful tip.
Strange thing with the diopter is that I have adjusted it significantly from standard in order to get it clear but my eyesight is pretty good, I wouldn't have expected that.
Thanks again and keep it up, this post has made me join the forum, much appreciated.
Simon

[Grandpaw]

Hi Grandpaw,
Absolutely superb thread. I've been using my D7000 since last August, it's always been a great camera but your tips have really helped with helping me understand what it is capable of. Just set the diopter, this has the possibility to make a major difference to my macro shots, instead of squinting into the viewfinder and half guessing if the shot is right suddenly the view has become crystal clear. Also the focus point indicator, a really useful tip.
Strange thing with the diopter is that I have adjusted it significantly from standard in order to get it clear but my eyesight is pretty good, I wouldn't have expected that.
Thanks again and keep it up, this post has made me join the forum, much appreciated.
Simon

Thanks Simon for letting me know that the tips are doing some good. It is always encouraging to hear from people that benefit from the tips in this thread, Jeff

[Grandpaw]

This is TIP # 50, can you believe it? I would like to start off giving everyone a VERY BIG THANK YOU that takes the time to read the tips that I have written and also like to thank you for the nice comments in your replies on the forum, your E-Mails, and your PM's that you have sent me about the tips and that you are getting something useful out of them. As of this posting the Tips thread has been viewed 22, 050 times, which really amazes me at the interest shown. Some of this information you may have already known but hopefully everyone has managed to find a few new and helpful tips that you have benefited from. As long as continued interest is shown and I can think of new things to write about, I will keep posting. Thanks again to everyone for making this as successful as it has been, Jeff

My focus point needs to stay active longer

Pressing the shutter button down half way will activate your focus system in your camera. If you are in AF/S or single active focus point you can locate your focus point exactly where you want your point of focus to be, such as on a person's eye when taking a portrait. Where the problem comes in is that Nikon sets their cameras to turn the focus system off 4 seconds after being activated and this may not give you enough time to compose your shot and locate the focus point exactly where you need it. There is a very simple answer to this and it is to extend the length of time the meter stays on, or active, allowing you to locate it precisely where you want it. The amount of time your meter stays on can be adjusted or set anywhere from 4 seconds to forever. I have all my cameras set to stay on for 30 seconds and this is what I recommend you to do also. This should allow you plenty of time to use your multi selector button to locate your focus point in any of up to 39 different points you have to choose from. I will show you the steps on how to do this and you can choose any of the many different time delays that are listed in the menu. Setting your time longer will keep you from having to keep pressing the shutter half way down to get the focusing system turned back on. This tip can save you both time and aggravation, adding to the fun and enjoyment of taking pictures.

Here is how you do it
Go to the CUSTOM SETTING MENU which is the third one down on the left and looks like a pencil and press "OK"
Scroll to Timers/AE lock and press "OK" again
Scroll to "c2" Auto meter-off delay and press "OK"
Scroll up or down and highlight the desired length of time and press "OK" and you are done

From now on after pressing the shutter button down half way to activate the focusing system you will have however much time you have chosen in the menu to compose your shot and move the focus point with the multi selection switch to where you need it. My recommendation is to set it for 30 seconds but you can set the amount of time to whatever works best for you. Thanks go out to Armando who sent me a PM and reminded me about this for a tip, Jeff

[Grandpaw]

After a couple of shots my flash quits working

Anytime I plan on doing some shooting I always make it a habit to check my batteries and memory cards and make sure they are ready to go. On my D7000 I can see just how much battery I have left in my camera and battery grip by looking in my menu. On the flashes I do not have that ability so I always have a spare set with me. Sooner or later you will find yourself getting ready to go and check the batteries in your flash by manually operating your flash two or three times to make sure it is working. The problem with checking your flash out using this method is that if your flash has been setting around for a while that it will probably have just enough energy stored up for two or three quick flashes and then it will go dead leaving you stranded as far as using your flash. The only way to be sure you are covered and not get caught in this position is to always have spare batteries on hand. Finding out the batteries are down when you start to shoot can be a disaster. Your D7000 will show you in the LCD screen approximately how much battery life your camera still has but checking it through the menu is much more accurate,

Here is how you do it
Go to the SETUP MENU which is the fourth one down on the left and looks like a wrench and press "OK"
Scroll down to Battery info and press "OK" again
After reading the info press "OK" one more time

I have added the battery information to "MY MENU" (covered in tip #4) so I can easily check to see the status of my batteries. If you have a battery grip with a battery installed it will give you the status of each battery separately. Remember to ALWAYS bring extra batteries for your flash so you don't get caught without the use of your flash. This is a very simple and common sense tip but one if you do not use, will sooner or later come back to cause you big problems. Just in case your wondering, yes I have had this happen to me, Jeff

[Grandpaw]

Obtaining FOCUS LOCK and EXPOSURE LOCK separately

Normally when you press the shutter half way down on your camera it will meter for the scene and set the focus. Sometimes it would be nice to split these functions up and do them separately. You can choose and assign many buttons on the D7000 to do what you want but for this tip we are going to use the AE-L, AF-L button that is located just to the right of the viewfinder. This and other buttons can be programmed to do many different things in several combinations. For the purpose of this tip we will only talk about programming the AE-L, AF-L button to lock and hold the exposure leaving the shutter button to set the focus.

Here is how you do it

Go to the CUSTOM SETTING MENU which is the third one down on the left that looks like a pencil and press "OK"
Scroll down to "f" Controls and press "OK" again
Scroll down to "f5" Assign AE-L/AF-L button and press "OK" again
Scroll down to AE lock (Hold) and press "OK" and you are done.

This is the option I like to use and is only one of the many options available to you in the menu. You can get a brief explanation of each choice in the menu by highlighting the option and pressing the button to the left side of the rear LCD screen that has the "?" question mark on it. If you go with the option above you will still be able to shoot your camera like you always have and press the shutter down half way to lock in both the meter reading and the focus just as you always have.

The difference now is that you have a second option of choosing the exposure, recomposing and then locking in the focus separately, all you need to do is press and release the AF-E, AF-L button first, locking in the exposure, then recomposing and pressing and the shutter button to obtain focus. In using this option the exposure will stay locked until the picture is taken or the meter has timed out and shuts off. How to extend the time the meter stays active was covered in Tip #50.

Remember that by setting up your camera as described above that you have only added a second option of obtaining EXPOSURE AND FOCUS LOCK separately allowing for better lighting and composition. You will still be able to operate them together like you have always done by pressing the shutter button half way down just like you were able to do before adding this additional option, Jeff

[gerald]

Great advice, I too have forgotten to set my camera back to normal settings that resulted in having several out of focus shots!

[Grandpaw]

Ever have the EV setting seem to change by itself?

Have you ever been taking pictures and notice that the EV compensation setting shows a minus or plus value when viewing your pictures in the camera and you haven't changed it? You wonder why this happened so you set it back to zero and notice a few shots later that the EV compensation value has changed again when reviewing your picture? You keep resetting it back to zero but it seems to keep changing on it's own giving you over or under exposed photos. Well I have the answer to this and it is easily fixed. Just to ease your mind I will confirm that it has nothing to do with demons taking over the camera either. What has happened is that your camera has been changed to EASY EXPOSURE COMPENSATION in the menu which allows you to change the EV Compensation using only the rear command dial by itself without holding down the "plus-minus" button on the top of the camera. If you do not realize this option is selected and bump or turn the rear command dial, it will either add or subtract compensation to your photo, either making your photos over or under exposed without you realizing what is going on. I DO NOT RECOMMEND setting your camera up for this due to the potential of bumping the rear command dial and this getting changed accidentally. To check how your camera is set, look at the steps below.

Here is how you do it

Go to the CUSTOM SETTING MENU which is the third selection down on the left that looks like a pencil and press"OK"
Scroll down to "b" Metering/exposure and press "OK"
Scroll down to "b3" Easy exposure compensation and press "OK"
Make sure "OFF" is selected and press "OK" again and you are done.

By making sure the "EASY EXPOSURE COMPENSATION" is turned "OFF", you will not be able to accidentally change the setting preventing unwanted setting changes being made. Having this set up option turned on and not realizing it can drive you crazy trying to figure out what is causing you the problems, Jeff

[Grandpaw]

Seeing your ISO in the viewfinder

It is very handy to be able to see the F-stop and shutter speed in the viewfinder while you are shooting to help you know what your camera is set on but you are leaving out one very important piece of information. It would also be nice to see what ISO your camera is using. It can be very disappointing shooting a large series of pictures only to find out that the ISO was set above normal from your last shoot and you didn't realize it or that the auto ISO has jumped it up and you didn't notice.

I find it very helpful to be able to see the F-stop, shutter speed and the ISO so you can get a complete picture of what is going on each time you look through the viewfinder. If you would like to add being able to view the ISO also to see all three settings this tip will show you how.

Here is how you do it

Go to the CUSTOM SETTING MENU which is the third one down on the left that looks like a pencil and press"OK"
Next highlight "d" Shooting/display and press "OK" again
Next highlight "a3" ISO display and adjustment and press "OK"
Highlight Show ISO sensitivity and press "OK" again and you are done

From now on you will be able to see what ISO setting your camera is on both in the viewfinder and in the LCD display on the top of your camera. If you choose to set your camera up this way the ISO will be shown in place of your remaining picture count in the top LCD screen. To view the remaining photo count, you will need to access it now by pressing the INFO button which will display both the remaining photo count and the ISO on the rear LCD screen. I find it more useful to be able to see the ISO while shooting than seeing the photo count on the top screen. I have my cameras set this way and would highly recommend trying it, Jeff

[Grandpaw]

Assigning the role played by the second SD slot

With the Nikon D7000 you have the ability to have two SD cards in your camera at the same time. The second slot can be assigned to be used for overflow so when the first card get filled it will start placing images in the second card. It can also be assigned as backup so that it will have a duplicate copy of what has been taken on the card in slot one. A third option is to have RAW Slot 1 - JPEG Slot 2. I personally choose to use slot #2 for overflow. If you choose the overflow option the remaining photo count that shows on your LCD screen will only show shots remaining on the active card and NOT the total remaining on both cards. To set this up follow the steps below.

Here is how you do it

Go to the SHOOTING MENU which is the second one down on the left and press "OK "
Scroll down to"Roll played by card in slot 2" and press"OK"
Highlight the option you wish to use and press"OK" and you are done

There is a good possibility that you already knew all of this and have it set in your camera. My Tip for this post is to let you know that you have one more option that was not listed and you may not know about that you can do with slot #2. If you like to shoot video and want to increase your chances of not having your video interrupted by running out of memory you have one more option. Take one of the SD cards that you have with the larger memory capacity and place it in slot #2 and go with the additional option that wasn't listed above.

Here is how you do it

Go to the SHOOTING MENU which is the second one down on the left and press "OK"
Scroll down to Movie settings and press "OK"
Next highlight Destination and press"OK" again
Now choose (2) Slot 2 and press "OK" and you are done

By choosing this option, all of your videos will be placed all together on the second card and will make it easier to keep up with. If you noticed it will also show you the amount of recording time that is available on that card. Your movies clips will be of many different lengths of time up to the maximum of 20 minutes and keeping up with how much memory you have used on this card and how much is remaining can be a problem. The answer to this is to just come back to this same location and it will show you just how much recording time is now remaining on this card. Checking the time remaining every once in a while should keep you from running out of memory during an important recording session.

If you take a lot of video and choose this option I would also like to suggest that you add this in your "MY MENU", (covered in Tip #4), so you can easily and quickly check your second card for the remaining record time you have available. I think this is going to be a very helpful tip for those who choose to use it, Jeff

[bravozulu]

This is a question about modifying preiously saved U1 & U2 settings. Suppose I want to add something specific, such as a focus preference. Do I turn the mode dial to U1 of U2, select the focus Menu and make a change, and then simply go to the Setup menu to save the new setting?

Will the old U1/U2 settings be preserved?

[Grandpaw]

This is a question about modifying preiously saved U1 & U2 settings. Suppose I want to add something specific, such as a focus preference. Do I turn the mode dial to U1 of U2, select the focus Menu and make a change, and then simply go to the Setup menu to save the new setting?

Will the old U1/U2 settings be preserved?

Simple answer is YES. You will have all the settings that you had before with the addition of the change that you made, Jeff

[Franglais]

With the Nikon D7000 you have the ability to have two SD cards in your camera at the same time. The second slot can be assigned to be used for overflow so when the first card get filled it will start placing images in the second card. It can also be assigned as backup so that it will have a duplicate copy of what has been taken on the card in slot one. A third option is to have RAW Slot 1 - JPEG Slot 2. I personally choose to use slot #2 for overflow. If you choose the overflow option the remaining photo count that shows on your LCD screen will only show shots remaining on the active card and NOT the total remaining on both cards. To set this up follow the steps below.

I've been wondering about what is the best approach now that I have a camera with two cards (D800 - one Compact Flash and one SDHC).

- I don't feel comfortable unless I have a copy of my precious images (rampant paranoia approach)
- I shoot RAW + JPG. The JPG is an immediate copy just in case something happens to the RAW file
- My Compact Flash card is 32GB (with a 16GB one in reserve) while my SDHC card is only 16GB

After some thought I decided:

- the overflow approach doesn't give me a copy of everything on the second card
- the copy-everything-to-both-cards approach isn't really suited when you have different sized cards
- finally I chose to put the RAW files on the CF card and the JPG's on the SDHC card.

When I'm out on a trip and the CF card is full I transfer the RAW files to a computer and format the CF card but I leave all the JPG's on the SDHC card till I get home.

BTW I've noticed that if I remove the first card (CF) it automatically switches over to overflowing everything onto the SDHC card. Smart stuff.

Anybody see anything wrong with this approach? I'm afraid of missing something. Rampant paranoia..

[Grandpaw]

I've been wondering about what is the best approach now that I have a camera with two cards (D800 - one Compact Flash and one SDHC).

- I don't feel comfortable unless I have a copy of my precious images (rampant paranoia approach)
- I shoot RAW + JPG. The JPG is an immediate copy just in case something happens to the RAW file
- My Compact Flash card is 32GB (with a 16GB one in reserve) while my SDHC card is only 16GB

After some thought I decided:

- the overflow approach doesn't give me a copy of everything on the second card
- the copy-everything-to-both-cards approach isn't really suited when you have different sized cards
- finally I chose to put the RAW files on the CF card and the JPG's on the SDHC card.

When I'm out on a trip and the CF card is full I transfer the RAW files to a computer and format the CF card but I leave all the JPG's on the SDHC card till I get home.

BTW I've noticed that if I remove the first card (CF) it automatically switches over to overflowing everything onto the SDHC card. Smart stuff.

Anybody see anything wrong with this approach? I'm afraid of missing something. Rampant paranoia..

I think all of us have different wants, needs, and the way we approach how we do the things we do. As far as I'm concerned this sounds like a good way for you to go about setting it up. Over the last 40 some years of taking pictures the only time I had a problem is when I sent off some film for a wedding and they lost it for a while but was eventually found and everything turned out OK. Now that I send the files over the internet to get printed I always have the original in my possession. As far as the cards I have never had a problem with any of them so I haven't had a need to have a duplicate. This is an option that certainly will not hurt a thing to do but I have to wonder how you ever made it with your other cameras in the past that only had a slot for one card. I take Raw & fine JPEG and that works for me. If I ever have a problem with a card I will probably change my mind. I guess you can never be too safe and if it make you feel more under control go for it because it sure can't hurt anything. Then one day, years in the future, if I ever have a problem you can say that I should have had mine set up for the second slot to back up the first and give me a big"I told you so". Jeff

[Franglais]

I've had very few bad experiences with cards. But it's wider than that. I think I'll start a new post

Thanks

[Grandpaw]

I think I might give the video a try

I am going to give you this tip in the form of a story. I purchased my first good camera back in 1971 and it was a Nikon F 35mm. Over the years I have taken thousands of pictures and really enjoyed my photography. I made the move to digital in about 2005. A few years later when I bought my first camera that did video I just kept on shooting stills and had not tried to do any video. While at a location where I was taking pictures of a man singing and playing a guitar I though that now might be a good time to try the video out. I had been shooting many of my still shots in portrait style to fill the frame up to make the shot more interesting. I had a senior moment and turned my camera vertical and started watching the rear LCD screen and recording the guitar player. Well for my first try at taking a video I found out three important pieces of information. 1st the sound came out pretty good and I was happy with it. 2ND the picture quality seemed very good to me also, and 3rd I had two options for viewing my video on the TV. I could either lay on the couch and watch my great video or turn the TV on it's side because you DO NOT TAKE VIDEO IN PORTRAIT STYLE because it comes out sideways on the screen.

The point of telling you this is that many of us buy equipment and wait until it is time to actually use it before trying it out and learning how it works. My Tip for today is to learn how your equipment works and experiment BEFORE the actual time you need it like I did so you eliminate all the surprises that may keep you from capturing those important memories.

After 40 some years of taking still pictures and not shooting any video, it just seemed natural to turn my camera vertical to frame the shot better. I can tell you that this works well for stills but not so great for video. Fortunately for me I tried my first attempt at video on a subject that really didn't matter whether I got it or not. So many people wait until the important event comes up that they want pictures or video of only to find out they don't know how to operate the equipment they have and either get unusable shots or none at all.

I cannot tell you the amount of times that I have been at an event and watched people that didn't even know how to turn on their camera much less get a picture after they figure out that first important step.

Here is how you do it

Get camera out of box
Read manual
Experiment and learn how to operate camera
Actually use your camera and get familiar with it BEFORE those special events in your life come up
Capture memories that you can keep forever

If you apply this tip with each and every piece of equipment you purchase you will find that your ratio of great memories that you can capture will go up instead of your blood pressure, Jeff

[Franglais]

I had a senior moment and turned my camera vertical and started watching the rear LCD screen and recording the guitar player....

Like the expression, I shall use that one in my English class.

I haven't dared to press the red button on the back of the camera. Haven't read the manual

[bravozulu]

Grandpa,

Have you ever seen or heard of a plasticized shooting checklist for the D7000? Perhaps you have one or two scribbled on index cards you could share.

Yesterday, I went on my first real shooting outing with my new gear. 45 images. Lots of mistakes. I wrongly assumed that if I had cranked in a bunch of personal preferences into PASM custom settings and in U1 and U2, I would be ok. The occasion was a BBQ with a lot of pretty Hollywood young ladies. The outcome was laughable.

If only I would have checked, I would have rectified some truly odd settings. Where the heck the EV -2.7 come from? Gawd. And commander mode for the pop-up. And on, and on, and on.

Gary in Santa Monica

[Grandpaw]

Getting some help with manual focusing

I myself always use auto focus and find that it does an exceptional job on getting sharp pictures. I also use single focus just about 100% of the time. Some people prefer to use manual focus just because they like it, or because they are using non auto focus lenses or might just be shooting macro shots. TIP, if you like using manual focus you can get some assistance by watching the green light, IN FOCUS INDICATOR, that is visible in the lower left hand corner of the viewfinder. This green light lights up when the camera is in focus whether you are using AUTO or MANUAL lenses and can be very helpful as a focusing aid. You can also get an audible beep that can be adjust in volume that will also let you know when focus has been achieved. I will show how to turn "ON" or "OFF" the beep and adjust the volume below.

Here is how you do it

Go to the CUSTOM SETTING MENU which is the third one down on the left and looks like a pencil and press "OK"
Next scroll to "d" Shooting/display and press "OK"
Scroll to "a1" Beep and press "OK" again
Choose Volume and press "OK" again
Choose the level of sound you want and press "OK" one more time and you are done

My personal preference is to shoot on AUTO FOCUS with the audible beep turned off. I have tried shooting in manual and have not had very much luck using my eyes and in comparison have never had the AUTO FOCUS fail me. In many different shooting situations the beep can be annoying and distracting so I choose to leave it off.

I have been gone on vacation but have returned home and plan on posting TIPS on a regular basis again.
Jeff

[wfooshee]

I don't like moving my eye back and forth to use the green dot. It works, but on moving subjects is extremely difficult.

Nikon, make the focus sensor turn green in the viewfinder so my eye can stay on the image. Thanks.

[Grandpaw]

I don't like moving my eye back and forth to use the green dot. It works, but on moving subjects is extremely difficult.

Nikon, make the focus sensor turn green in the viewfinder so my eye can stay on the image. Thanks.

If you don't like the green light, try activating the BEEP and just place it to volume "1" and you will be able to hear it without being too loud. This way you don't have to look at anything. Try it, you might like it.
Jeff

[Grandpaw]

Be careful adjusting the brightness of the rear LCD screen

When you use your camera out in the bright sun and try and review a recent shot to check it out it is often difficult to see the picture. One of the things that you can do to help this out is to turn the brightness up on the rear viewing screen and many of us have done this. The good thing about adjusting this is that it will allow you to see your photo easier. The down side to making this or any adjustments to the rear screen is that it will brighten up the picture you are viewing and give you an unrealistic impression of your picture and maybe cause you to make adjustments to your exposures that will actually mess up your picture. This will have even more negative effect when viewing inside or in dark places possibly making you think the picture is over exposed and in need of adjustment.

Tip. Making brightness adjustments is totally up to you how the camera is set up but I did want to make you aware of the possible down side of making such adjustments. I will show you below how to check your brightness and set it.

Here is how you do it

Go to the SETUP MENU which is the fourth one down on the left and looks like a wrench and press "OK"
Scroll to LCD brightness and press "OK" again
Use up and down arrows in multi selector button to select brightness and the press"OK" one last time and you are done.


Remember that by adjusting the brightness of the rear LCD screen you will get a false impression of what your picture looks like and may make unnecessary adjustments to a picture that really doesn't need anything done to it. Jeff

[Grandpaw]

Adjusting exposure compensation

The D7000 has a very good metering but it still might need some help in certain situations as due all cameras. After all it is just a piece of equipment and will give you the exposure it thinks you need for the shot and is right most of the time. This means that the camera will average out the light for an entire shot and give you the settings it thinks you need. Sometimes you will find that with certain conditions such as a mostly light or mostly dark situation that the camera may be off a little on the lighting. You can help it out by using the "+ -" plus - minus button on the top of your camera and either adding or subtracting to your exposure to make it correct. Using the exposure compensation will allow you to either add or subtract light as needed to get the lighting right for this particular lighting situation. I will show you how it is done and explain what changes below.

Here is how you do it

To over ride what your camera thinks is needed all you need to do is press and hold down the PLUS MINUS button on top of the camera near the lower right hand side of the shutter button and rotate the rear command dial as needed. If you are in Aperture Priority mode, making adjustments to the Exposure Compensation will change the shutter speed to accomplish what you need so be aware of this when making changes. On the other hand if you are in Shutter Priority mode, adjusting the Exposure compensation will change the Aperture or (F stop) to make the adjustment. You may find you need as little as a 1/3 stop adjustment or in some cases up to maybe a full couple of F stops to get the job done.

Remember that this compensation will remain this way on ALL FUTURE pictures until you set it back to "0" so don't forget to reset this adjustment back to normal. Make sure you read and understand tip #58 first so you are not looking at a altered exposure to judge by. Jeff

[Grandpaw]

Tired of having to hold a button down while turning a dial to make adjustments

There are several adjustments on the D7000 that require you to hold a button down while turning either the command or sub command dial to adjust settings. If you find this awkward or difficult to do you have another option. An example of this is changing the ISO. Normally to do this you would press and hold down the ISO button and turn the rear command dial to make the adjustment. You do have an option in the menu that will allow you to press and release the button to lock the ISO and then turn the command dial separately. If you choose to change this in the menu it will work this way on any adjustment that normally requires you to press and hold down a button while turning a dial. After the adjustment is made you will need to press the initial button one more time to unlock this feature.

This is how you do it

Go to the CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU which is the third one down on the left and looks like a pencil and press "OK"
Scroll down to "f Controls" and press "OK" again
Scroll down to "f7" Release button to use dial and press "OK"
Select "Yes" and press "OK" and you are done

From now on, any function that requires you to hold down a button and turn a dial at the same time will now allow you to press and release the button and turn the dial separately. If you choose this option, remember to go back and press the first button one more time to UNLOCK that feature after the adjustment is made. I myself do not use this feature but for some it might be useful. If you try this and do not find it useful, repeat the above directions and select "No" to turn it off. Jeff

[Grandpaw]

Reversing your "-"minus and "+"plus indicators

Most people, at least in the United States, are accustomed to seeing "-" negative numbers or indicators on the left and "+" positive indicators to the right on a screen or graph like is used for your meter readings. Tip.... Nikon sets theirs the other way around. Did you know if you think that it would look more natural and be more of what you are accustomed to looking at the other way around you can easily reverse these indicators to make it look more like what you are use to seeing.

Here is how you do it

Go to CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU which is the third menu down on the left that looks like a pencil and press"OK"
Scroll down to "f" controls and press "OK" again
Scroll down to "f9" Reverse indicators and press "OK"
Next choose how you would like the indicators to appear, press "OK" and your done

How you choose the way the indicators are displayed is totally up to personal taste and what you might feel more comfortable looking at. If you would like to try it, just remember that this is like all the other options that the D7000 has to offer and that it can easily be changed back if you do not like it this way. This is a small adjustment but one that may make it easier to work with your camera. Jeff