Tag Archives: camera settings

Books, News

Nikon Z9 Wildlife Settings Guide Update

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Now Includes Settings for Nikon Z9 Firmware v2.1

I’m pleased to announce the immediate release of the second edition of Bird Photography with the Nikon Z9. This new edition is updated to include the new features (and their consequences) available with Nikon Z9 firmware version 2.1

What’s New in the Second Edition

  • I’ve fully updated the printable PDF guide to include new features in Z9 firmware 2.1, including:
    • Wide-area Custom AF
    • Recall shooting settings (hold)
    • Focus recall
    • Pre-burst capture
    • Focus point selection speed
    • High FPS viewfinder display
  • I completely revised my custom settings to incorporate the new features in the Z9 and my most recent control configurations for both BBF and Shutter AF
  • Updated camera file (.bin) includes my latest Z9 camera settings
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Software and Post-Processing, Tips and Tricks

Shoot Raw? You can ignore these In-Camera Settings

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Some camera settings just don’t matter if you shoot in raw format

Tulips, photographed with my Nikon D850 in RAW format and processed with Lightroom Classic CC.

I see a lot of the same questions over and over on the online discussion groups. You’ve just gotten a new DSLR and you want to set it up. There are so many customizations in today’s digital cameras, so you want to do it right. As it turns out, many settings that are applied in-camera will have no meaning if you capture in RAW format and use a 3rd-party raw converter (Lightroom, Capture One, Luminar, Photos) to edit your images.

Continue reading Shoot Raw? You can ignore these In-Camera Settings →
Op-Ed

Are you overthinking your camera settings?

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Modern DSLRs offer many custom image settings, but do any of them really matter?
Modern DSLRs offer many custom image settings, but do any of them really matter?

How do I set up my in-camera settings? I get asked this question a lot. Most modern DSLR cameras offer a tremendous number of options for image quality and other settings that go beyond film, when all that mattered was setting the appropriate exposure.

Camera settings come in several categories, but here are the major ones:

  • Exposure (shutter speed, aperture, ISO)
  • White balance (color temperature)
  • Processing settings (color, contrast, sharpness)
  • Noise reduction settings
  • Other corrections (lens distortion, vignette removal, etc.)

Each of these settings offers the photographer control over the final image, so it’s easy to see how they can quickly become overwhelming. But here’s the deal. Unless you shoot JPEG or use your manufacturer’s raw conversion software (eg, Nikon Capture NX or Canon DPP), most of these settings are utterly meaningless.

For RAW shooters who use a 3rd party software tool such as Lightroom or Capture 1, the majority of these camera settings are completely ignored! Wait… what?! Continue reading Are you overthinking your camera settings? →

News, Tips and Tricks

Set up your camera for great bird photos

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A blue grosbeak perches at Dos Venadas Ranch, Texas.
A blue grosbeak perches at Dos Venadas Ranch, Texas.

This photograph of a blue grosbeak illustrates just how far camera technology has come in the eight years since I first traveled to the private birding blinds of South Texas. Back then, I was using a Nikon D2x and 200-400mm f/4 zoom lens. I got plenty of good images, but my keeper rate was fairly low, especially as light faded. I also didn’t seem to get the sharpest shots at times and I couldn’t really figure out why, as some shots were tack-sharp. Was it the camera? The lens? Or was it something else about my technique? Continue reading Set up your camera for great bird photos →