Help with the D7000

Could someone walk me through the steps of how to program the different menus of the d7000? To the point: Does the mode dial have to be positioned in any particular shooting mode, when you are in the process of selecting the different settings from the different menus? If you were to "program" those settings into, say, the "S" mode, wouldn't that change the default settings that the camera originally had?

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Thanks

The first thing I would suggest is that you read the manual thoroughly.

http://www.nikonusa.com/pdf/manuals/noprint/D7000_ENnoprint.pdf

Then take the camera in hand and read it again.

Not quite sure what you're asking. PASM are more creative , so settings you set in the menu would remain constant until you go back to auto. You can program settings you like/use/often into U1/U2 very easily. The manual tells you what can be saved & what can not. I just tried this recently on my D600(Same mode dial as my D7100) & it was very easy & extremely handy. I programmed to use AF-C with AE/AF Button in U1 and U2 got a simple 1EV 3frame auto bracket.


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Thank you for your prompt response. I am rather new with the d 7000, and I am having difficulty understanding how to program the settings. Since I am still trying to work my way up the learning curve with this camera, I don't want to accidentally change the original manufacture settings of the camera. My question is: Do I have to set the mode dial to a specific mode to program the camera, or it does not matter what mode it is at while I select the -say- the custom settings that I like? How do I go about transferring these new settings to the U1 and U2, if I wanted to do so?
Thank you again for your kind assistance. I see that you are in Chicago. Beautiful City...one of my sons went to the U of Chicago, so we had several opportunities to visit. We now live in Costa Rica. Have a great evening and thank you again.

The questions you are asking are so broad there is no way to answer them. Have you read the manual completely? It will explain all of this.
You need to probably stick with Auto or Program mode for a while till you get used to the camera a little more. These are basic modes and will give you good pictures without you having to do anything else for now.

Thank you for your suggestions. I will read the manual again. It only describe the contents of each menu, but it does not explain HOW to go about programing the features/facilities of each one of these menus. Thank you anyway.
Have a great evening.

No, it doesn't matter. I shoot in A priority most of the time. U1&2 are easy. Set up what you want then go to menu setup , wrench icon, save user settings & pick u1 or 2.... Easy. Don't worry , you can't hurt anything. Go to pencil icon & first thing is reset custom settings back to default. The nikon manual sucks. There are good books by David Busch or for Dummies Series , videos all kinds of help. Have fun


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Great help Rik...Highly appreciated. I agree. The manual us not very user-friendly. I just downloaded from Amazon's Kindle some books on the d7000 by Darrell Young and David Bush. Thanks again.

first of all welcome to the forum. The information available to you here is very valuable and can help you alot in getting to know your camera, however the the more vague a question you ask the more vague will be the answer. I assume you are completely new to DSLR? That being the case you have a steep leaning curve ahead, so it is all the more important to take things slowly so you dont become overwhelmed. As already posted here numerous times, read the manual. Also Jared Polin (Froknowsphoto) does a great utube introductory video series explaining all the settings specifically on the D7K. Watch this video, and when you're done.... watch it again. See if there is a local photo club that you could join or a course at a local college you can attend.

You have basically asked the question here "how do I program my computer", for which there could be a million and one answers.

Like the others said, the question is very broad. Certain settings could be considered 'global', things like display time-out, image review, meter on time, focus modes, role of memory cards and many other settings that I would consider tweaks/customizations. Certain other things are specific to the mode. Say, if you program a shutter speed for shutter priority, then that is the extent of it, it does not apply in other modes. U1 and U2 are for saving the current state of the camera so you can quickly get back there. These user settings save pretty much everything, including customization type settings. As you learn more about your camera, these settings should make more sense.

Are you completely familiar with the principals of exposure? If not, please let us know. Understanding how exposure works is key to making good use of the instruction manual and operating your camera. If you do not understand the relationship between shutter, aperture and iso, most of your camera settings will not make any sense.

Trying to maintain the camera in all it's default settings would be hard to do as you can change so many things to make the camera work better for you. The U1 and U2 can be very helpful but you may also want to make some changes to PSAM modes and use those at times. You will also need to get accustomed to checking your lcd screens to confirm some camera settings. Also consider the 'my menu' option for those features you want to work with the most. The manual has a section on default camera settings; I made a photocopy of the information and then highlighted/noted what I changed for future reference. As for the next question you may have of 'what are the best settings?', the best settings will vary according to the situation. Take photos and see what happens with different settings.

Gerardo Mendez said:

I don't want to accidentally change the original manufacture settings of the camera. My question is: Do I have to set the mode dial to a specific mode to program the camera, or it does not matter what mode it is at while I select the -say- the custom settings that I like? How do I go about transferring these new settings to the U1 and U2, if I wanted to do so?

Click to expand...

If I understand your question here.
Modes
A - Set what aperture you want and iso(unless on auto), camera will select best shutter speed for you and iso(if on auto).
S - Set what shutter speed you want and iso(unless on auto), camera will select best aperture for you and iso(if on auto).
M - select anything you want to do and the camera will not help you unless you have iso on auto setting.

Read your manual on how to do a camera reset and how to save to U1 & U2.