Menu Design

The menu system on the D700 is essentially identical to that on all modern Nikon DSLRs. If you’ve used a D300 or D3, or even for that matter a D200, D80, D60 or D40(x), they will be immediately familar - though somewhat more complex (see box).

Navigation

Menus are mainly navigated using the “Multi-selector” - the four-way circular control on the back of the camera with a centre button. However, it’s also possible to use the command and sub-command dials (front and rear control wheels); for example the rear control scrolls up and down, the front control moves from left-to-right (from tab, to menu item, etc). This is typical Nikon attention to detail, and it’s up to you which method you prefer.

When the menu is first brought up, by a single press of the “Menu” button, the last selected item will already be hightlighted (even if the camera has been switched off in between). Because of this it’s easy to remember where you are in the menus and can quickly switch between related items.

To switch to another tab, a quick press of the multi-selector on the left will highlight the current tab; use up and down to select the required tab.

When you’ve found the correct tab, a right (or centre) press will bring you back into the list of menu options. Up and down then select between menu options, and if there are more than can be displayed on the screen the menu will scroll. The scroll bar then shows you where in the menu you currently are.

To select a menu item, again a right-press or centre-press will take you to the options for that menu item (or, in the case of the Custom Settings menu, a sub-menu containing further menu items).

All pretty much straightforward, though with some caveats (see box).

Key Menu Items

This is not an exhaustive list of menu items - if you want that, other websites do it far better than I would, or you can download the D700 manual - but it should show you the major screens that comprise the D700’s user interface.

Playback Menu

Menu Item	Menu Display	Description
Display mode		This item allows you to change which screens can be displayed during image playback. All well and good, but why the separation between “Basic photo info” and “Detailed photo info”?

Shooting Menu

Menu Item	Menu Display	Description
Image Size		Changes the size of the captured JPEG image FX Large - 4,256 x 2,832 @ 12.0mp Medium - 3,184 x 2,120 @ 6.8mp Small - 2,128 x 1,416 @ 3.0mp DX Large - 2,784 x 1,848 @ 5.1mp Medium - 2,080 x 1,384 @ 2.8mp Small - 1,392 x 920 @ 1.2mp
White Balance (fine-tune)		Fine-tune the white balance setting (modifying the “Auto” setting in this case). WB can be tuned along both the Amber-Blue (A-B) axis and the Green-Magenta (G-M) axis.
Multiple Exposure		This handy option is more useful than it might seem at first. I use it whenever I’m somewhere and in need of a long exposure, but without an ND filter that will allow me to get there (for example, shooting moving water). Using auto-gain and 10 shots, it’s possible to get a much better impression of motion blur than otherwise would be possible.

Custom Settings Menu

Menu Item	Menu Display	Description
Custom Settings menu
Sub-menus		These “sub-menus” are really treated as one long list - you do not have to return to the main Custom Settings menu to move between the Autofocus and Metering/exposure settings, for example.
c4 - Monitor Off Delay		It’s good to see a range of choices in different modes here - we can now change the review delay independantly of the menu delay. Nice.
e1 - Flash Sync Speed		Up to 1/320s sync speed with compatible Speedlights, and can use FP high-speed sync above that. This is slightly better than the D3’s 1/250s limit.
e3 - Flash control for built-in flash		“Repeat” mode makes an unusual and welcome appearance here, along with the excellent “Commander” mode (for wirelessly controlling remote Speedlights) and standard Manual mode.