Bbf & u1

hark

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There are many threads discussing how to set up BBF, but I am having trouble understanding how to set it up for U1. Let's say I want BBF set for U1 and possibly have the camera in Aperture Priority. How do I specify Aperture Priority since U1 is a mode just like Aperture Priority? And if I do get it set up for that, can I switch it to Manual Mode while I'm still in U1 with BBF? :confused:

I've seen a lot of BBF questions but not with how to work freely back and forth between Aperture Priority and Manual Modes while in either U1 or U2. Or isn't it possible?
 

480sparky

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Sounds like your U1 has already been programmed, and it just happened to be Aperture Priority. Just set your camera up like you want, then "Save" it to U1 according to the instructions.
 

hark

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Thanks, Sparky, but maybe I didn't explain my dilemma clearly enough. Nothing is set for U1 yet. If I want to retain the shutter to both focus and fire the shutter, I will use U1 to set for BBF in manual mode. BUT if I am using U1 and want to switch to BBF with Aperture Priority, does that mean I'd have to set up U2 with BBF and Aperture Priority? Or is there some way to change from Manual Mode to Aperture Priority while still in U1?
 

hark

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I don't think front- or back-button focus is something that's saved in either User Mode.

And that is very possible. I've read here people who have both BBF and the traditional shutter release, but maybe they have BBF as their regular shooting style, and the traditional shutter release as their U1 (if they hand their camera to someone else to use). Thanks for your help. I will keep digging, but it may not work out as initially planned.
 

nickt

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On my d7200 I save my bbf as manual mode to U2. Regular shutter button settings to U1 in case I hand the camera to someone not familiar with bbf. I don't normally use bbf from U2, it is just saved with some other settings I think are best for when big foot suddenly appears and I can't think fast. I can control shutter aperture, iso while using this. Iso is set to auto though with no limit (for bigfoot)
I just tried what I think you asked. I can save bbf in aperture mode as a U but I cannot switch to shutter or manual mode since I would need to leave U mode.
You probably know, but I'll mention that you can back up your U settings with the save/load settings further down in the setup menu. On the d7200 it saves to sd card 1 and you can load it back. Just don't format the card. I have a couple very old 32MB cards that I save my U settings on. It save pretty much everything, not just the U's.
 

hark

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I just tried what I think you asked. I can save bbf in aperture mode as a U but I cannot switch to shutter or manual mode since I would need to leave U mode.

Okay. That's what I thought. Maybe I will save BBF Aperture Priority as U1 and BBF Manual Mode as U2. And leave the regular shutter release as my norm. I couldn't figure out if it was possible to switch between Aperture Priority and Manual Mode while in U1. That's where I was getting stumped.

You probably know, but I'll mention that you can back up your U settings with the save/load settings further down in the setup menu. On the d7200 it saves to sd card 1 and you can load it back. Just don't format the card. I have a couple very old 32MB cards that I save my U settings on. It save pretty much everything, not just the U's.

Thanks for this. I format my cards after every time the images are put on my computer. Good to know though. Thanks for all your help, Nick! :cool: It's greatly appreciated. :)
 

480sparky

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.............Thanks for this. I format my cards after every time the images are put on my computer. Good to know though. Thanks for all your help, Nick! :cool: It's greatly appreciated. :)


Transfer your settings file to your computer, reformat the card, then transfer it back to the card.
 

Texas

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I read an article somewhere, can't find it. Said that U1 U2 and S and A will act mostly as 4 unique user settings. True if you think about it and twist the mode dial properly (rotation direction). I've yet to try some of the fine points mentioned in the article relating to which settings are saved in the U's.
 

hark

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So I set up U1 to be in Aperture Priority with BBF and U2 to be in Manual Mode with BBF, but I've encountered a problem. When I go back to my shooting menu (while in Aperture Priority), I cannot turn off BBF. Even though I go back to the menu option for Assign AE-L/AF-L button and set it for AE/AF Lock, I still have BBF. How do I revert my regular settings when not using U1 or U2 to have the shutter button do the focusing and firing the shutter? :confused:

EDIT: This is on my D750. I haven't yet tried setting up my other bodies.
 
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nickt

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I can't duplicate this on my d7200. It works as expected. Any chance you overlooked something? U's should end when switching back to regular modes. Sometimes after leaving U, the focus mode or metering mode icon lingers on the top lcd, but as soon as I hit the shutter button it updates to whatever it should be. If you are not in U mode and you can't undo bbf, something sounds wrong.

edit: I looked through the d750 manual. Nothing that looks curious. You changed F4, right? And you changed it after leaving U mode? If you change it before leaving U, it just becomes a temporary change to the U setting. It will be lost when you switch back to A mode.
The d7200 has a weird menu item, A4, for autofocus activation that the d7100 and other models do not have. It allows for both the shutter button and bb to both control focus if you are set for bbf. It can cause unexpected results, but I don't see anything like that on the d750.
 
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hark

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I can't duplicate this on my d7200. It works as expected. Any chance you overlooked something? U's should end when switching back to regular modes. Sometimes after leaving U, the focus mode or metering mode icon lingers on the top lcd, but as soon as I hit the shutter button it updates to whatever it should be. If you are not in U mode and you can't undo bbf, something sounds wrong.

edit: I looked through the d750 manual. Nothing that looks curious. You changed F4, right? And you changed it after leaving U mode? If you change it before leaving U, it just becomes a temporary change to the U setting. It will be lost when you switch back to A mode.
The d7200 has a weird menu item, A4, for autofocus activation that the d7100 and other models do not have. It allows for both the shutter button and bb to both control focus if you are set for bbf. It can cause unexpected results, but I don't see anything like that on the d750.

Before I saved them to U1 and U2, I had to set BBF while I was in Aperture Priority. That's what I can't seem to reset for some reason. They both saved to U1 and U2 correctly though. But I need to revert to my original setting while in Aperture Priority. Although I set the AE-L/AF-L button to something else, it is still working as BBF.

I'm too tired to work with it tonight. Hopefully over the weekend I can tackle my D7100 and see how that one goes. Thanks, Nick!
 

hark

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I can't duplicate this on my d7200. It works as expected. Any chance you overlooked something? U's should end when switching back to regular modes. Sometimes after leaving U, the focus mode or metering mode icon lingers on the top lcd, but as soon as I hit the shutter button it updates to whatever it should be. If you are not in U mode and you can't undo bbf, something sounds wrong.

edit: I looked through the d750 manual. Nothing that looks curious. You changed F4, right? And you changed it after leaving U mode? If you change it before leaving U, it just becomes a temporary change to the U setting. It will be lost when you switch back to A mode.
The d7200 has a weird menu item, A4, for autofocus activation that the d7100 and other models do not have. It allows for both the shutter button and bb to both control focus if you are set for bbf. It can cause unexpected results, but I don't see anything like that on the d750.

I went back through this today but am not sure why I was able to change it now. It's fixed. I went to a Autofocus then went to g3 Assign AE-L/AF-Lock button which is the same as F4. This time the change was able to be made. And U1 & U2 work as programmed with BBF so now I'm going to try setting my D610 and D7100 the same way.

Thanks for your help, Nick! :applause:
 

hark

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I just set both my D610 and D7100 the same way without any trouble at all. My D750 has what I think is a software glitch. A year or so ago when I turned on my camera, I had forgotten to turn the VR off on the lens. The very first time I pressed the shutter, the mirror locked up and ERR showed in the top display. From then on, almost every first shot of the day would cause the same reaction. Now when I turn off the body, I make sure the top display is in standby. It's almost stopped the ERR issue. So this problem with not being able to reset the AE/AL button yesterday just might have been another software glitch. Seems to be fine now.

Unfortunately Nikon says they can't remove the software and reinstall it so I simply work with its issues. Usually my D750 works flawlessly, and I love the camera. ;)
 
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