firmware 2.0 | Picturing Change

Nikon Z8 Experience User Guide Now Updated for Firmware 2!

My latest Full Stop e-book, Nikon Z 8 Experience user guide to the Nikon Z8 mirrorless camera has been fully updated for the changes and additions of camera Firmware 2.00! This e-book goes beyond the manual to help you learn the features, settings, and controls of the powerful and highly customizable Nikon Z 8. Plus most importantly it explains how, when, and why to use the functions, settings, menu options, and controls in your photography.

You can learn more about this Nikon Z8 guide, view a preview, and purchase it here:

www.fullstopbooks.com/nikon-z-8-experience/

Here is a summary of the Firmware 2.00 updates, which have all been incorporated into the Nikon Z 8 Experience book:

In February of 2024, Nikon released a Firmware 2.00 update for the Z 8. This firmware includes significant additions and changes to the camera, and borrows features from the flagship Z 9 and the Z f models. These include bird subject detection, Auto Capture to set up the camera to automatically capture images based on specific parameters, and new Picture Controls for stills and video. The update also adds Pixel Shift Shooting to create up to a 180 MP image from several exposures, new shutter sound options, and more options for customizing the camera controls. The performance of 3D-Tracking AF-Area Mode has been improved for certain situations including small, fast-moving subjects. Additional video options include new Slow-Motion Video, Low ISO settings for N-Log video, and changes to Hi-Res Zoom speeds.

Nikon has created a Supplementary Firmware Update Manual that includes all these Firmware 2.00 changes. This document and the file with the latest firmware can be downloaded here:

https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/products/616/Z_8.html

The firmware changes have been incorporated into the text of this book in the appropriate sections.

Left: The new Birds option in the AF Subject Detection Options. Right: The camera detected a bird, and placed the autofocusing frame at its eye.

Still Photography: Subject Detection now includes the Birds option. The camera has added new Bracketing increments such as 1.3 and 1.7, three new Picture Controls including Flat Monochrome, Deep Tone Monochrome, and Rich Tone Portrait, and the Large size option for the JPEG (HEIF) Primary – JPEG (HEIF) Secondary recording. Additions also include Pixel Shift Shooting for creating high resolution images, and Auto Capture where you can set up the camera to automatically capture an image based on subject type, motion, and distance. Pre-Release Capture will now buffer for up to 300 seconds when the shutter button is half-pressed, and new shutter sound options have been added.

Left: The new Auto Capture feature and its various options. Right: Selecting the desired subject Direction for Auto Capture.

Video Recording: Subject Detection now includes the Birds option, and the camera has added three new Picture Controls, Auto Capture, Slow-Motion Videos, and a change in color for the Hi-Res Zoom in-focus display. Low ISO sensitivity settings for N-Log video have been added (down to 200 ISO equivalent), as well as changes to the Hi-Res Zoom speed options.

Playback: In the Playback i Menu the behavior of the Select for Upload option has changed. Select for upload will now mark an image for transfer and place it in the upload queue, and Select for Priority Upload will mark an image for immediate upload to a computer or FTP. Playback Speed has been added to the Video Playback i Menu. In the Playback Menu, Series Playback now includes Auto Series Playback Options such as loop, delay, and speed, and the Auto Image Rotation item has been added for playback.

Controls: Support for Power Zoom has been added for PZ lenses, including the ability to customize controls such as the Zoom-in and Zoom-out Buttons or the Fn1 and Fn2 Buttons to operate Power Zoom. The size of the Focus Point Border Width can be changed for the Focus Point Display, so that it can be more easily seen. Exposure Delay Mode has been added to delay shutter release up to 3 seconds after pressing the shutter. A Half-Press to Cancel Zoom (MF) option has been added so that a zoomed-in view of the displays will be cancelled by half-pressing the Shutter Button, and the full view of the frame can be seen before capturing an image when manually focusing. If a button has be assigned to the Recall Shooting Functions (Hold) option, exposure compensation and white balance can now be changed while shooting, and the new setting will be retained by the recall function.

Left: Additional buttons can now be customized, including the Focus Mode Button, Playback Button, and BKT Button. Right: The new Cycle AF-Area Mode option, which can be assigned to the Focus Mode Button or various other buttons.

The Playback Button, BKT Button, WB Button, and Focus Mode Button can now be customized for shooting, and a few new options are available for the customizable controls including Switch Eyes, Cycle AF-Area Mode, Pixel Shift Shooting, Power Zoom, and Exposure Delay Mode. The Cycle AF-Area Mode option can be used to select, for example, three of your most commonly used AF-Area Modes, and then quickly cycle through them with the press of a button. For image playback, several controls can now be customized including the Playback Button, ISO Button, Exposure Compensation Button, BKT Button, WB Button, and Lens Fn and Fn2 Buttons. Some new roles are available for playback controls, including Frame Advance Zoom Position and Playback Zoom Face Selection. If a button has been customized for shooting, video, or playback, you can now reset it back to the default setting by pressing the delete button.

When formatting a CFexpress memory card using the Format Memory Card item of the Setup Menu, the procedure has changed for selecting a Quick Format or Full Format, with the Delete Button now used for a full format. The Non-CPU Lens Data menu item now allows you to add a name to a registered lens, as well as manually enter in a specific focal length and maximum aperture. When entering IPTC information, the character limit for the Category entry is increased to 256 characters, and new options have been added to the Setup Menu > Camera Sounds item, including 5 types of shutter sounds.

Displays: Previously the shooting display could be magnified up to 200%, and that has been increased to 400%. The Finder Display Size (Photo LV) menu item has been changed to Viewfinder Display Size, and applies to photo and video shooting. A Distance Units item has been added to the Setup Menu, to select Meters or Feet for the manual focus distance display.

Left: The new Keep Connection option for the Connect to FTP Server function. Right: The new Overwrite Copyright Info option for the Connect to Other Cameras function.

Networks: Changes have been made to the Connect to FTP Server item of the Network Menu, including the number of available network profiles and an auto reconnect Keep Connection option. Changes have also been made to the Connect to Other Cameras item of the Network Menu, used for synchronized release of multiple Z 8 cameras, including the procedure to set up synchronized release and the ability to group cameras. Up to 16 other Z 8 cameras can be remotely controlled using the Nikon NX Field remote capture software. When connecting to other cameras, the Overwrite Copyright Info option has been added, so that the copyright info from the master camera can be applied to the images from the remote cameras. And when using an MC-N10 remote grip and AirGlu accessories, Bluetooth will no longer be disabled.

In addition, various issues have been corrected and performance improvements have been made to the Z 8, as listed on the firmware update page. The firmware update page on the Nikon website includes instructions for updating the firmware. You will download the new firmware file, and copy it to the root folder of a memory card that has been formatted in the camera. Insert the memory card with the new firmware into Slot 1, turn on the camera, and make sure the Photo Shooting Menu > Primary Slot Selection menu item is assigned to Slot 1, and that the other memory card slot is empty. Access Setup Menu > Firmware Version, and follow the instructions on the screen.

Learn more about Nikon Z 8 Experience, view a preview, and purchase it on my Full Stop website here:

www.fullstopbooks.com/nikon-z-8-experience

Take control of your camera and the images you create!

Setting Up the Nikon Z8 Menus

The powerful mirrorless Nikon Z8 offers far more menu items and customization options than most previous cameras in the Z line-up. In fact, most of the menu items and options are the same as the professional Z9 model. In order to take full advantage of this sophisticated camera, you are going to need to dig into the Menus and Custom Settings, and set up the camera to work best for how you shoot and for the type of situations you are shooting.

To assist you with this, I have created a detailed and comprehensive Nikon Z8 Menu Setup Spreadsheet, which lists suggested settings and starting points for the Photo Shooting Menu and the Custom Settings. The spreadsheet has been updated for Firmware 2.0! It has complete and separate camera setup recommendations for different types of shooting, including:

General / Travel / Street
Landscape / Architecture
Action / Sports
Moving Wildlife / Birds
Studio / Portraits
Concert / Performance

Detail of the Nikon Z8 Menu Setup Spreadsheet

The Nikon Z8 Setup Spreadsheet can be downloaded from my website here. Printing instructions are also included on that page.

http://www.fullstopbooks.com/setup-guides/

For explanations of all the menu items, controls, features, functions, and autofocus system of the Z8, have a look at my clear and comprehensive Nikon Z8 Experience e-book guide. This user-friendly guide will help you to take control of your camera, and the images you create. Learn more about it and purchase it at my website here:

http://www.fullstopbooks.com/nikon-z-8-experience/

What the Canon 7D Firmware 2 Upgrade Will Do For You

Soon after the release of the long awaited 5D Mark III professional full-frame dSLR, Canon announced that it would update the firmware of the EOS 7D to expand its functions and to add several new menu items that had been introduced on the 5D Mk III (as well as some additional features). And now, this Canon 7D Firmware 2 update is here! You can download it from Canon on the 7D product page:

Canon 7D Firmware 2 2.0 EOS upgrade update

With this update, Canon has increased the versatility and boosted the capabilities of the popular and powerful 7D. These improvements now give you more control over Auto ISO settings and over audio recording during Movie shooting, quick access to new and existing editing features during playback, and in-camera RAW processing. The 7D is also now compatible with the optional Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver. Perhaps most dramatically, the maximum continuous burst capability has been increased so that the 7D is now able to shoot more continuous frames before pausing: up to 25 RAW or 130 JPEG images when using a 128GB UDMA card, or 23 RAW and 110 JPEG images when using a standard (8GB minimum) CompactFlash card. When saving both RAW+JPEG image files, the camera has improved from 6 consecutive shots to 17.

Here are all of the Canon EOS 7D Firmware 2 improvements:

Option to set the time zone and daylight saving time along with the date. Now when you travel, you merely have to adjust the time zone setting for your destination and not reset the time.
Increased maximum burst during continuous shooting. This is a fantastic update for those shooting long continuous bursts, allowing you to shoot 23 RAW or 110 consecutive JPEG images when using a typical memory card, or even 17 RAW+JPEG images over the previous 6. Invest in a 128GB UDMA card and shoot 25 RAW or 130 JPEG consecutively.
Ability to set the desired maximum ISO Auto setting. Now when using Auto ISO you can select the maximum ISO setting, between 400 and 6400, that the camera will choose – to avoid creeping into unwanted noisy ISO settings.
Registering or changing the file name prefix of JPEG and RAW files. If you have the need to customize the file name prefix of your images, due to using more than one camera or any other reason, the camera now offers you a few different ways to do this.
Manual adjustment of audio recording levels for Movie shooting (64 levels). Like the 5DIII, you can now adjust the audio level while shooting video. While the in-camera microphone is mono, an optional external mic can record in stereo.

Canon 7D eos firmware 2 2.0 update video movie sound audio recording level manual adjust

Option to rate images (1 to 5 stars). You can now rate your images in-camera, which can help you to get a head start on editing.
Added option to Jump through images by Rating. The rating can also be used in conjunction with Image Jump or when putting together a slide show.
Quicker scrolling of magnified image view during playback. This is an unexpected but welcomed update to help make in-camera image review a bit easier.
Quick Control screen during playback to easily access various image options. The various Quick Control screens can often be the quickest and easiest way to access and change a variety of settings and features. The camera has now added a convenient Quick Control Screen for image playback. When reviewing an image, or when in Live View or Movie Shooting Modes, pressing the [Q] Button will bring up Quick Control screens specific to those operations. The Playback Quick Control Screen allows you to easily access image functions including Protect, Rotate, Rating, RAW image processing, Resize JPEG, Highlight Alert, AF Point Display, and Image Jump. During Live View shooting, you can quickly access Auto Lighting Optimizer and the image recording quality by pressing the [Q] Button. During Movie shooting, pressing the [Q] Button will allow you to quickly access similar functions as with Live View plus the movie recording size setting.

Canon 7D eos firmware 2 2.0 update quick control rating q screen

RAW image processing in-camera. Now you can process RAW images in-camera and then save them as JPEG images. This is useful if you need to quickly output a processed file, and you can apply a White Balance, Picture Style (and adjust its variables), Auto Lighting Optimizer, High ISO Speed Noise Reduction, choose the JPEG Image Quality output, select the Color Space (sRGB, AdobeRGB), and utilize Peripheral Illumination, Distortion, and Lens Aberration corrections.

Canon 7D eos firmware 2 2.0 update raw processing in camera

Ability to resize JPEG images in-camera. This new menu item can be used to resize (reduce only) a JPEG image in-camera, which could be useful if you need to quickly output a smaller JPEG file (with lower pixel count). You can also use the [Q] Button during image playback to quickly access Resize.
GPS settings menu and added compatibility with optional Canon GPS device. The 7D is now compatible with the optional Canon GPS Receiver GP-E2, which will allow you to record location information as part of the EXIF data of your image including elevation, direction, longitude, and latitude.

My e-book camera guide Canon 7D Experience is being updated to incorporate all the EOS 7D Firmware 2 updates. If you have already bought the guide from my Full Stop website or from Amazon you will be contacted about how to obtain the revised guide. This updated guide, perhaps the only Canon 7D guide incorporating Firmware 2 additions, should be available by mid-August.