User presets on Nikon D850

[tjphxaz]

I wonder why the newer Nikon DSLRs do not have the saved user presets that were available on the D750. I use the four Photo Shooting Menu Banks and the four Custom Settings Banks with A set for Indoor Action, B for Outdoor Action, C for Landscapes and D for General, Travel, Street. However, unlike the U1, U2 settings on the D750 there is no memory associated with the menu banks except whatever the last settings are. It seems to me this could be addressed with software changes and a firmware update. I compensate for this shortcoming by saving my default settings on a memory card and periodically performing a 'Load Settings' from the card to cameras in case I have forgotten to undo any setting changes made to address specific shooting situations. I would ask this of Nikon though I expect others have and I figure my complaint would go into a black hole.

 

[DRwyoming]

I don't think it's a question of newer vs older cameras. Nikon has always offered certain automation features like Program Exposure Mode, Scene Modes (e.g. Landscape, Macro, Portrait, Sports) and U1, U2 saved settings on their more consumer oriented cameras and left those features off their more pro oriented cameras.

I'd guess the working assumption at Nikon is that more experienced photographers tend to check and select specific settings based on what they're shooting and the conditions presented to them at the time of the shoot and rely less on saved settings for different shooting scenarios. I tend to agree with that view and don't really use the photo shooting memory banks.

I do keep the menus I access most frequently in My Menu and have a programmable rear panel button assigned to get me there quickly for things like changing Focus Tracking Lock-ON settings or quickly toggling shutter release delay (e.g. some landscape and astro shots) which can save some digging around in the menus to change things that aren't immediately accessible via camera controls.

 

[MartyD]

I would guess that Nikon is hearing from both sides of this debate!

It seems like every other camera I purchase changes from the storage banks to the U1, U2, U3 settings. I currently have a D500 with the storage banks and a Z6 with U1, U2, and U3. I like the fact that on my D500 if I make a change while in the banks it is retained. If I turn the D500 off and back on my settings return to the state they were in when I turned the camera off. I also like that with 4 of each it seems to give me more possibilities. It is also possible to give descriptive names to the setting banks.

I have struggled with the U settings on the Z6 because they are not retained. If I create a U1 mode, save it, then while shooting make an adjustment, then turn the camera off, when I turn it back on again it returns to the original U1 mode. For example if my U1 mode is set to aperture preferred at F8 with ISO 100 and while shooting I adjust the aperture to F4 at 200 as lighting changes, when I turn the camera off and back on it returns to F8 at ISO 100. The camera has to be off for a few seconds for this to happen, if you turn it off and back on immediately it does retain the settings. If I want to retain the settings I have to go to the Save Settings menu and save the new settings before turning the camera off.

 

[JANuser]

All the things you don't like about U1/U2 is what makes them great, they revert to what you saved them as. Say your turn them camera off at the end of the day with a bunch of crazy settings, because you wanted to shoot the blue moon. That night after shooting you put the camera down and don't use it again all week because you are busy. Saturday morning pick it up and want to shoot your kids sports event, but because you forgot to turn off expsoure delay mode the camera is doing something you don't expect. You waste 5 minutes trying to figure out what you did, and miss your kids shift with the first goal the game. With the U1/U2 the camera reverts to your saved settings, and that doesn't happen. It's great, loved that feature o the D750. Might be enough to push me to a Z camera, someday, maybe.

The banks are useless. I used them back on my D300 and D700, but haven't bothered on my previous D810 and current D850. What''s the point of them even existing, since it doesn't save anything?

 

[Dusty Pane]

Well JANuser, I would argue that "all the things you do not like about [the banks] is what makes them great"
Instead of changing individual settings you switch to your "night sky" settings banks for the blue moon shot in Friday night and when you're done, you simply switch to the "action shooting" bank for your son's game the next morning

 

[dabhand16]

I like the banks. I always return them to my base settings when I've done shooting.

 

[fcotterill]

Maintaining a long standing tradition, Nikon ranks its camera's customizations according to its sacred view of what the Enthusiast vs Professional needs. And of course only Nikon knows best. Judging by recent resistance to constructive feedback on the Z6/Z7 lines, they remain stubbornly arrogant in ignoring requests.

I'm another who appreciates most of what's available in the Custom/Photo banks of the D850, notwithstanding a couple of criticisms.

The solutions with D850 and Pro camera lineages - the more costly Z models also - would be to Add more Options in the Menus to toggle off/on "Save Latest User Settings" for each individual Custom/Photo bank. This would be a logical option in a Setup submenu. ALthough another layer of submenu, the options will be invaluable and cater for the wider spectrum of photographers.

No less more importantly, as explained in recent the thread, I suspect Nikon will also please if we could host-switch between the Custom Banks using am assigned Control (eg Record)+Front Dial (as you can already swop Banks with the Rear-Dial).
EDIT: There is also this suggestion to improve D850 Custom settings, by the author of the 'D850 in Germany'