Is there a way to keep my settings?

experimentalist

I'm a brand new D3200 user and that manual as well as the on-camera guide aren't compatible with my way of learning apparently.

99% of my photos are all of one thing - close-up in artificial light, on a tripod, with a self timer, spot metering and a few other specific things.

Is there a way I can make a settings program so I don't have to turn everything back to the way I want it after each photo (or with each new photo session)?

It seems like if I take a photo with my timer on (for example), it resets it to no timer for the next photo.

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks!
Laura

bruto

I know of no way you can keep the shutter release mode from exiting self timer mode. You can set a period of time during which the shutter release will stay on remote mode, though. If you are doing a number of shots in a single session, this might be worth doing. It still reverts when you turn the camera off and on again. It cannot stay on forever because the camera is turned on to receive the signal and it would kill the battery. I think you can set it to stay on for 5 minutes or so, and it resets to zero each time you shoot.

You can get a wireless remote release for ten bucks or less. B&H has a Nikon specific one for something like $6, and you can get a multi-brand one from Target for about $10. It's very nice for tripod work.

Most of the other settings will persist. Your basic exposure mode, ISO, metering mode, exposure compensation, etc. all will survive a power off and on cycle. In fact almost everything does persist except for the shutter release mode, I think.

Make sure you upload the complete manual from the CD or get it from Nikon USA because the printed one you get with the camera is not complete.

experimentalist

Hi Bruto! Thanks for the super quick response.

I'll have to look into this remote mode you mention. And yes, that's what I do; a number of shots in a single session.

I didn't realize that CD was an instruction manual. I thought it was some special software to edit photos on my PC. I'll definitely install it tomorrow so I can be less of a PITA in the future.

Thanks again!!!
Laura

bruto

The CD is both. The manual is a PDF file, and there is also a copy of View NX2. That latter program is a very useful processing program, although it works a bit slowly for some things. It will do a good clean RAW to JPG conversion, and if you shoot in RAW mode it allows a great many post processing moves to be done without penalty. You can adjust exposure, color set, white balance, and other factors, and if need be you can revert to your original with the push of a button. Raw files contain much more data than the JPG you actually see. It's kind of like a "digital negative". Many of the controls you set on the camera are applied, not to the Raw file, but to the JPG overlay. For this reason, it pays to shoot Raw. You can bulk convert to JPG of any desired size later. If you like what you see, you need not change anything, of course, but it is very nice to be able to tweak the exposure or the white balance a little. In my experience, the D3200 with the kit lens runs a little cool in white balance, and if you shoot in auto it may look a bit blue in daylight, though it looks good indoors. You can fine tune this in post and get slightly snappier color without changing settings in the camera, or you can try different settings altogether. The computer program allows you to set portrait and landscape color modes alone, which the camera does not. Landscape is relatively saturated with emphasis on the greens, which is rather nice for some things.

experimentalist

Thanks!!!

One thing that shocked me was discovering that my version of Photoshop (CS6) is not compatible with this camera's raw photo format.

I've gone ahead and ordered the most recent version of Elements (not sure yet if I want to commit to a monthly subscription for the new version of Photosohp) and hope it will not be too much like taking a step backwards.

I don't do TOO much, but I rely on layers, filters, bandaid, clone tool and other basics.

Until that arrives, I've been shooting only in JPEG fine. After all, these photos are only for online use, so I realize my standards may be lower than most. :-P

Cheers,
Laura

bruto

If you get the exposure and white balance the way you like and don't need to crop, there's not much lost in shooting straight JPEG. The main reason I like Raw is for the loss-free post processing. It's nice to keep raw files for archiving too, as long as there's something that can read them. Then again, I often use odd manual lenses that do not meter. Though I am not too bad at getting it right and reading the histogram, it's handy to be able to fine tune exposure.

I don't think I'd go as far as Ken Rockwell and suggest that you shoot in the smallest, lowest JPG available, because it's good enough. The Nikon's dense little brain does a pretty good job, and JPG is fast and space efficient.