Settings banks on Nikon professional cameras.

[Peter Connan]

After the demise of my D750, some exceptionally kind soul donated me a D3.

I was initially sceptical, until I got it in my hands. I am blown away by what this ten-year-old camera can still do!

The only problem is that the one item missing from the originally-shipped equipment is the manual, and never having owned a professional Nikon before, I am a bit lost with the two settings banks.

Can anybody please give me, or point me toward, a list of which settings are controlled by the two settings banks?

[tommiejeep]

Peter, you can download the D3 Manual (PDF) from: http://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/products/1/D3.html
I was sorry to see my D700 go and I am sitting, waiting for the money to hit my bank from the sale of my D3S.

The Shooting Banks are pretty easy to set up for how you want to use each one.  Just takes some time to enter the settings for each one.  I had them set up for Wildlife(fast), Sport, Wildlife (Still) and Portrait.  Since I shoot most Wildlife and Sport in Manual  (RAW and Jpeg) the big difference was how I customized the jpeg settings and ADL( for Sport).  Also had the ISO range and shutter speeds for each bank.

In some ways I preferred the D750 two banks on the wheel.
Cheers,
Tom

[Peter Connan]

Thanks Tommie

I think the U1/U2 modes are safer, in that changes must be saved. Thus occasion-specific changes don't come back to haunt you later, and because they control more parameters, including crucually the exposure mode.

But, it's nice to have more than two options...

[Frank Fremerey]

The is still a great camera, although I am just selling mine.

The D500/D850 are better. But. I I was on a budget I would sure keep mine and continue towork with her

[chambeshi]

Peter, the D3 remains a classic and deservedly so. It reset the bar on DSLR specs. A friend of mine also swears by his, and he's keeping it together with a new D850

I use the banks on the D500 and D850 - both the Photobanks and Custombanks (c1 on thes dslrs). Configured to open with the Fn2 button, which I don't think the D3 has

[David H. Hartman]

The banks can be saved to one's memory card. From there they can be backed up to one's primary computer. Whenever a card is formatted the banks need to be restored to the memory card. I only format a memory card at my primary computer and only after backup NEF(s) to three HD(s). I only format a memory card about every two weeks.

All the banks are saved to a BIN file. This files can be write protected by one's primary computer when the card is in a card reader. I one tries to over-write the BIN files and error message say something about file can not be created. For a camera with two memory bays the primary can be popped out and then a new BIN file can be written. I do this quite infrequently, perhaps once or twice in six months.

A "My Menu" can be created and I place the load/save settings in the middle of the first page. I use four pairs of banks, General, Action, Cinema and DX Interval. General and Action are the same except some auto stuff is not used like Auto Distortion because it use the same memory as the buffer and so fewer photos can be taken before filling the buffer. Cinema, a bit lofty for what I do, is for when I dabble in video.

What I'd like is not a U1/U2 switch on the outside of the camera but I'd like a U1-U4 accessed by double pressing the info button. I like the custom settings and shooting menus just as they are. I just don't like having to select each independently which I do on the first page of my menu.

Hope this helps,

Dave Hartman

[Peter Connan]

Thanks all.

I have down-loaded the manual and am working my way through it.