What are you little known, yet useful features!?

[rellik666]

Okay so I have had my D300s for nearly 2 years now and there are lots of settings and buttons I don't use or

Whilst I can look in my manual, I don't know how these things would make my life easier/better etc.

So spill all you Nikon folks, what settings buttons features that you use that make you life easier?

[Meumerke]

D300s: AF point lock and AF-on button.

[rellik666]

Thanks, how do you use it though? Why is it useful to you?

[kiwi]

autoiso
programmable Fn button

[fillum]

Roo, I went through the same thing a while ago with my D300 . As I don't know what you currently use some things may be redundant.

On a serious note
- Auto-ISO is great for times when you want to keep your aperture wide and s/s fast (e.g. sport)
- I use the user menu to set up things I use frequently (e.g. Auto-ISO on/off; battery info; etc)
- shooting banks might be helpful, but I haven't got the hang of them yet
- set the centre of the big round dial on the back to toggle 100%-zoom in playback
- I set the "AE-L / AF-L" button to AE lock only and have it set to toggle (press it once - exposure locked, press it again exposure 'unlocked')

On a fun note
- using the time-lapse function (can't remember what it's called)
- in-camera multiple exposure (examples)



Cheers.

[nightbringer]

AE-L/AF-L on my D3100 ... I never really used it a lot until recently, when I started doing the focus-recompose technique a lot more.

[reaction]

I tried Auto-ISO once to balance out fading light, but it didn't work as I expected :|
Seems the choice of s/s was not what I would have expected.

I find the 8 banks the most useful

I've found some possible issues with the AF-on button + C system, the AF won't lock center as expected vs using S. It's only noticable in rare instances tho...

I think the thing is not finding new settings to use, but finding out the times when a system fails

[arthurking83]

There's a small black button on top of the body close to and in front of the info LCD screen and slightly angled in a downwards position for a better ergonomic placement. You right index finger should naturally fall onto this button too.
if you press it, the camera makes a loudish snapping noise, sometimes in a single isolated manner, and other times in a repeated ratatatat multiple burst method.
This one helps to make pictures!


LOL! .... if you're ever seeking guidance on a personal level, I'm almost always available.

We haven't done a meetup for way too long, my hours are annoyingly tedious and long on most days, but now with DST it may be worth our while to arrange a meetup down along docklands or something???

The focus mode switch is something I sometimes use.
The one with the three different icons where one is a manual spot focus mode where you choose where you want to focus, the middle one is an annoying auto focus point selection mode, based on soem unfathomable Nikon algorithm of monumental proportion half way deciding between this point or that point, or some other point in the future where a Delorean with a mad scientist and a young kid may suddenly appear as an apparition of some kind! ... have no idea on how to control this mode. BUT! The top most mode the square white box icon, is kinda useful in maintaining a half decent focus tracking feature onto a subject of your choice.
You focus and recompose, and keep focusing as you recompose and as long as the camera is in AF-C focus mode and you are half pressing(or better still using the AF-On method) it will try very hard to keep the focus point on the original subject matter you initially chose.
It's not perfect, I don't always use it or like it, but sometimes it does work well.

That (second)auto focus point selection is annoying tho! I never use it, but that could be only because I've never bothered to figure out how to best use it too!

[Tommo1965]

for me its the user menu..as I learn about the camera..Im adding more and more to this menu...the latest being the flash in commander mode .

im really enjoying using the remote flashes and being able to control their output via the body

the other is the choice of AF sensors

[FallingHorse]

It is little known that I have no redeeming features at all