When I’m shooting landscapes, I like to be able to shoot an HDR set of exposures quickly and easily, and I’ve set up both my D700 and D300 to use the Function Button to allow me to enable, adjust and disable Auto Bracketing in a few seconds. It’s so easy now that going into HDR mode is second nature, and when I’m concerned that a single exposure won’t give me what I want, bam! I turn on an auto bracketed set of 3, 5, 7 exposures, get the set, and go right back to single exposure mode just like that.
The first step to setting this up is to make sure that the camera will auto bracket using only the auto exposure setting. This function is found on the D300 and D700 in Custom Setting e5, Auto Bracketing Set. Select AE Only to bracket only the exposure rather than the flash or white balance. (To get to Custom Settings, press Menu on the back of your D300 or D700, then scroll to the Custom Setting Menu with the little pencil icon on the left column. Below the top two choices are six sets of settings, lettered a-f. E5 is the fifth option under the E set.)
Then we want to assign Auto Bracketing to the Function Button. Assign Func. Button is found at Custom Setting f4 on the D300 and f5 on the D700. Auto Bracketing requires two dials to set, so choose FUNC. button + dials. This will allow you to set the number of bracketed exposures and how many exposure stops are between each of those exposures in the set.
Now when you press and hold the Function Button, the Main Command Dial (on the back of your camera and under most people’s right thumb) will control the number of exposures in your bracketed set, and the Sub-Command Dial (on the front of your camera and under most people’s right index finger) will control how many stops are between each exposure. Unless you keep reading and follow my next bit of advice, you’ll need to HOLD the Function Button down to make these adjustments. When you let go of the Function Button, whatever settings you had are what you’ll get.
Avoiding Carpal Tunnel with Release Button To Use Dial
One of the things I love most about modern DSLRs is the degree to which they’re little computers and thus programmable; many of the functions on my Nikons can be adjusted to suit how I like to work. This ability also comes in handy when some element of the camera body’s design doesn’t really make sense to me as a user, even if I suspect there is a very good reason for that element from a design/manufacturing perspective. By this I mean that some of the button locations don’t always seem like the best possible choice, especially when using those buttons requires some seemingly unnecessary dexterity on my part.
Fortunately, the aforementioned ability to change the way the camera does certain things can help compensate for that. One of the settings I like most on my D300 and D700 is called Release Button To Use Dial. As mentioned above, some of the camera functions require you to hold one button down while rotating a dial to adjust a given setting, such as changing from Manual to Aperture or Shutter Priority shooting modes, or adjusting settings for bracketed exposures. The latter in particular benefits from changing this setting from its default because you’re using two dials, and remembering to hold the Function Button down while operating two dials AND doing the mental acrobatics required to choose number of exposures and exposure gap… Well, why not make things as simple as possible?
Updated 2015: The Release Button To Use Dial setting is found at f11 on the D4, f8 on the D300 and D3X, and f10 on the D700. It’s an ON or OFF choice. To engage it, select ON and hit OK. Now when you press the a function button such as Mode, Exposure Compensation, ISO, WB, etc, any other controls needed to make adjustments remain active until you press an other function button or the shutter.
Changing this function took a little bit of getting used to, but it is SO MUCH EASIER than holding the button down while adjusting dials that this is one of my most highly recommended custom functions. A simple tap of the Function Button lets you adjust your settings in peace and with no strain on your ring finger. And it comes in handy for other settings, as well, such as the shooting mode mentioned earlier as well as Exposure Compensation. If you forget to toggle off whichever setting you’re adjusting, when you got to make your exposure, hitting the Shutter while take care of that for you.
I cant recall from my Canon days if this feature is available for my Canon shooter friends, but I suggest you folks check out your manuals and see. It’s great!
