Can't access menu

Mitchy

New member
Hi peeps. I just bought a new secondhand D700. Was following a youtube video yesterday and adjusting various things in the menu without being sure what I was doing to be fair but setting my camera up like his. Now I cannot see the normal display in the top screen. When I switch on it says OF 1.0 with a long line under it and when I move the dial on the camera it goes to 3F 1.0 if I go one way and -2F 1.0 if I go the other way. When I press the button on the front left of the camera the display returns while it's pressed but goes away again when released. How do I return it to normal. Thanks in advance
Mitch
 

Marilynne

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Have you tried a factory reset?

Factory reset is hold the two green buttons and turn the camera on.
 

lucien

Senior Member
I agree with Marilynne's input. But I would also reset the custom menu as well. And if enough people with more knowledge see this thread. You will be in good hands.

Good luck
 

Bikerbrent

Senior Member
Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.
We look forward to seeing more posts and samples of your work.

Hopefully Marilynne's suggestion to do a factory reset will get you up and running. Did you get a manual with your camera? If not, you can go to Nikon.com and download one. Another option is a purchase a D700 book. You should never start making menu changes for your camera without understanding what you are doing.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
A Nikon rep told me that a factory reset will only reset the shooting menu. If other settings are changed, that's where you might run into problems if you don't know what settings are factory default and what might have been changed. Feel free to ask any questions here. Surely someone will be able to tell you how any particular setting is set on their own camera.
 

lucien

Senior Member
if after going through the manual and a custom shooting menu reset as well. You might have gotten a "defective" D700, that's the price we pay for going used and not from a store like adorama or b and h, which offer some sort of a warranty.
 

Marilynne

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Oops, forgot to say Welcome! Don't forget to let us know how things work out for you.

Please feel free to introduce yourself here - https://nikonites.com/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=35

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1. Resize photo to 1000px on the long side.
2. Resolution set to 72ppi (Pixels Per Inch)

These guidelines will be good for viewing on a computer but will not be good for printing. This will help safeguard your copyright.
 
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Mitchy

New member
I just tried it and at first I thought it had worked. The normal display came up on the top screen when it booted up but when I let go of the buttons it returned to this other display. The display shows exposure and flash bracketing screen. ( I looked it up) When I press the FN button on the front it returns to the normal display up top but again it changes back when I let go of the button.
Here's to hoping someone can help. I no longer have access to the menu button on the back of the camera so I can't go back and try to reset anything. I can still take photos but can't adjust anything. Each time I release the FN button it makes a sound like taking a photo.
 

TwistedThrottle

Senior Member
Thats a rough way to start out with your new to you camera. Sorry. Did the camera function normally before you went into the menu and made some changes? If there is no way to get back into the menu, all the buttons dont seem to do what they're supposed to do, it seems to me you are a few button clicks away from having a new to you paperweight. Was there any kind of warranty that came with it? Try to troubleshoot a few things. Are there any sticky buttons? The camera might be receiving multiple commands if so. Are all the contacts clean? The camera might be getting a jammed or incomplete signal from somewhere. Is the battery fully charged and the contacts on the battery clean? Inside the battery compartment, do the pins look straight? If all other attempts fail, you might want to try to do a firmware update. That might wake up the camera, but in order to apply it, you would need to somehow access the menu, (caution! this might brick your camera. Only do it as a final last resort, just before throwing it against the wall. If you dont follow the firmware directions exactly, it can brick the camera. This may include holding buttons down). If you hold the side button on the front of the camera that mysteriously puts the camera right, can you continue to hold that button and access the menu? Is there a camera store near you that services cameras? Sending it off to Nikon for repair might cost more than a new second hand D700. Fingers crossed for ya, let us know what you come up with.
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
That would be menu F10... Turn it OFF...

There are two ways buttons work. One is... You hold a button, and the turn a command dial, while holding the button... when you release the button, the camera returns to the normal state.

The other one works by pressing the button, and the camera remains in that state, while you turn a dial, and the returns when you press the button a second time.

An example.

Press and hold the ISO button, and the screen changes...turning the back dial, changes the iso...release the ISO button, and the screen returns to the normal screen.

Other option is press the ISO button once, and the top screen changes to the ISO screen... Turning the back button changes the ISO. To return to the regular screen, you need to press the ISO button again...

Menu F10 on the D700 changes between these two optional ways the buttons act.
 

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
Sounds like the FN button is set for depth of field preview. It can be changed if you don't use that function.

If you decide to start all over, there is a reset option for both the shooting menu and custom settings in each menu. It is the second thing listed for each menu. That will take care of the things the 2 button reset won't.

Good luck.
 
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Mitchy

New member
Very frustrating. It seems that the FN button thinks it's permanently pressed. Perhaps I did change the settings somehow on the Menu F10 but now I have no access to the menu to change it back? My nearest camera repair shop is 250km awa in Lisbon. Any ideas will be tried even though that may be what got me into this in the 1st place. It was fine before.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Here is a Nikon link on resetting the body. The video shows the camera is on. Hold the two green buttons down until the control panel (top screen on the body) blinks. Then let go of the two buttons, and the reset is done.

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-a...tton-reset-feature-on-nikon-dslr-cameras.html

The only other thing I can think of is to try these directions @Peter7100 posted over in this thread. https://nikonites.com/photography-q-and-a/45073-she-dead-jim.html#axzz6yiAhrDqc

Not sure if this is relevant to this make/model, but on Canon body, I was able to reset things by doing the following: 1. Switch off, 2. remove battery and card 3. switch on 4. Hold down the shutter for at least 15 seconds 5. switch off 6. re-instal battery and card 7. switch on and keep your fingers crossed.
It worked for me and cleared unusual issues I was having with it.
This was apparently a suggestion from a technician in one of their factories and was not widely known in the public domain. It makes you wonder if this is what they do when people send their cameras in for a repair costing a fortune:confused:

I did this myself on my first D7200, and it worked like a charm. If you read through that other thread I linked above, it worked for some of us when we were experiencing a variety of issues.

Other than that, all I can suggest is if you are in any local social media photography groups, ask if there is a Nikon shooter who'd be willing to look at the camera and see if they can come up with what's wrong.
 

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
I guess I am a little confused. The menu button is not working? Do the other buttons wake up the back screen?

Does the info button work on the back of the camera? If so, that gets you to the quick settings screen, which is a short-cut to selected settings in the menu. If the buttons have a mind of their own because the electronics are shot, then it may not be worth repairing if it can be repaired even. Anyway, give this a shot and see if you can get into the menus to make changes.
0003E1BD-6E8C-49BB-BA03-BA218849DA8F.jpg
 

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
What is the Fn button doing to make it seem like it is still depressed? Has it closed down the lens aperture and is stuck in that position?
 

lucien

Senior Member
Very frustrating. It seems that the FN button thinks it's permanently pressed. Perhaps I did change the settings somehow on the Menu F10 but now I have no access to the menu to change it back? My nearest camera repair shop is 250km awa in Lisbon. Any ideas will be tried even though that may be what got me into this in the 1st place. It was fine before.

Can you find the video again and just reverse the steps that you followed while you were watching it? Give that a try, pause it if you have to while reversing your trail.

Good luck,
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
You might be caught in the bracketing mode. Check your menu and just make sure you're not in either a flash or exposure bracketing mode. Maybe you are touching the bracketing menu button or it could be stuck in the on position...
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
This does look like the bracketing menu mode. OF means that the bracketing is off, 0 frames bracketing, when you turn the wheel, it goes to 3 frames bracketing. Find yourself a D700 user manual on line and just reset the bracketing menu. If I remember correctly, (it's been a long time without the D700) the function button was factory set to activate the bracketing mode.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
This does look like the bracketing menu mode. OF means that the bracketing is off, 0 frames bracketing, when you turn the wheel, it goes to 3 frames bracketing. Find yourself a D700 user manual on line and just reset the bracketing menu. If I remember correctly, (it's been a long time without the D700) the function button was factory set to activate the bracketing mode.

Here you go!

https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/products/15/D700.html
 

Mitchy

New member
OK so I'm a muppet. I took the camera to town today and met a photographer (by chance) who looked at it and said "This buttons stuck down" He then pried it up a bit and Hey Presto - back to normal. The FN button was stuck on (and currently stays on when pressed) and was only offset when I pressed the "Depth of field preview" button (which I've been mistakenly describing as the FN button in previous posts). I also found a camera repair shop only 80km away and have a lift there next week to get it cleaned and pimped. Yay ! Thank you all for your time and suggestions, I'll be back with pictures soon. Much love. x
 
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