I use a Z6iii as a my primary camera for landscapes, but secondary for wildlife. The two modes of use require very different user settings. Sure I can use the U modes on the Z6iii but they revert to default every time the camera powers down or times out... which is beyond stupid, but that is a different story.
IMO what Nikon should have given us is a way if loading U settings into the main PSAM settings - sort of "neutered" shooting banks present in the Z8 and Z9. Or at least the ability to save multiple settings files to the card and load them on demand from the camera menus.
As far as I can tell there is no path to the former and the only way to do the latter is to save the settings file on different locked SD cards and swap them in/out as needed. Writing both settings on a single card is not a viable option because it requires renaming the settings file in the field, and there is no way I am lugging a laptop and a card reader.
Has anyone found a more flexible workaround to the Nikon constraints? I understand they want to push the people towards the higher tier hardware, but they could have neutered the capability sufficiently to differentiate from the Z8/Z9 without dumbing it down to the point of being of such limited utility.
I just ran a simple test. First I set up U1 to Manual, f/6.3, ISO 100 and then saved the U1 settings. I then switched to Aperture priority from U1, changed multiple settings, etc, turned off the camera and turned it back on. Changed from Aperture priority to U1 and my settings - Manual, f/6.3 and ISO 100 were maintained. I didn’t go into AF settings, but I’m confident those would be saved as well. You might consider doing a factory reset and putting your settings back in.
Maybe you can give some examples of settings that are specifically changing.
AFIK the intended behavior of U settings on all bodies is to be a set of default values that the camera reverts to upon power timeout or power down. So if you switched to a U mode and then made any adjustments to parameters, the moment the camera powers down things revert to the last saved setting. The only way retain settings you changed is to keep saving them to U settings.
I have a few extra SD cards so last night I just saved three sets of PSAM settings to three different cards and stuck them in my bag.
In the past I've rented Z7 and Z7II and have owned a Z7II for several years. The current U settings get set back to the saved U values only on when powered down, not on timeout. The drain is so small on the current Z7II when asleep, that I generally keep the camera turned on all the time when out shooting. When it wakes up, the U setting are what they were when last awake.
As I understand it, the U settings only get copied to the memory cards when "Save/Load Menu Settings / Save Menu Settings" is performed. That is also when the majority of all the other settings are saved as well.
Bernie wrote:
In the past I've rented Z7 and Z7II and have owned a Z7II for several years. The current U settings get set back to the saved U values only on when powered down, not on timeout. The drain is so small on the current Z7II when asleep, that I generally keep the camera turned on all the time when out shooting. When it wakes up, the U setting are what they were when last awake.
As I understand it, the U settings only get copied to the memory cards when "Save/Load Menu Settings / Save Menu Settings" is performed. That is also when the majority of all the other settings are saved as well....Show more →
Thank you for the correction. I habitually turn off the camera power which is why I conflated a timeout with a power-down. On my birding setups I set the timeout to 5 mins to minimize the chance of missing some action if I am waiting on a bird to do something.
I prefer the u settings of my Z6-3. I set up the parameters for each of the 3 for different scenarios. The other settings PASM remember where they were last set. On my D850, it has the 4 banks which I have seen on previous models, but never utilized. I just set it for whatever is happening at the moment and If I turn it off, it retains those setting. If I need something for a different scenario, I have to dial those in. On my OM-1 I have 4 custom settings banks U1-U4. They encompass everything I typically want. The OM system system has a superior dial system where I don't have to lock the U1 to U4 settings. I just twist the dial to what I want. If i want to lock it, I can but I have yet to bump it off the setting I set it to. The Z5 I had for a few minutes was the same. I hate the lock button on the Z6-3.
