My Nikon Z6iii Setup Guide Is done! It covers way more than the video series and I've actually changed a few things since shooting the video, so lots of new stuff too. Check it out at the link below: bcgwebstore.com/product/the-ultimate-nikon-z6iii-setup-shooting-guide-for-wildlife-photography/
Steve, I received my Nikon Z 6III camera a couple days ago and was at a loss to set it up. Nikon included a worthless User's Manual that basically did nothing to explain or show how to set up and utilize the many useful functions that this sophisticated camera provides. I am only an amateur photographer whose prior camera is the Nikon D5100. I was lucky enough to stumble across your 4 setup videos for this Z 6III camera. Your presentation was thorough and "spot on". I can't thank you enough for coming to my rescue.
Yes it's completely useless if you are upgrading from like a entry level camera to a more professional camera. It's actually not recommended that's the reason why many people sell their cameras and then buy a medium level camera. All the best.
Steve, a million thanks for the setup videos for the new Z6III. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your videos. I know they take an incredible amount of time that you could use shooting instead! Thanks for your generosity! Can’t wait for the manual to come out.
Thanks again, Steve. Just finished the 4th setup video. Even went back and quickly went through the first two now that I have the Z6III in hand. I know it took you a lot of time to put these together. Thanks so much...great job!
Steve. This is my first leap into Nikon mirrorless after a D500 and even with the help of Mastering the Z6ii I was struggling. Now, after all four videos I feel I have a chance of mastering this complicated piece of kit- can't wait for the book though!! Keep up the good work.
Thank you, Steve! I enjoy all the content you put out for us. It really helps hearing it from someone that uses these things in the specific way we are interested in.
Very helpful set of guides. Definitely will be going back to my notes when I start setting up my new Z6iii. Thanks and looking forward to your Sept set-up guide.
Thank you for this excellent series. Just traded my 6II for a 6III yesterday. Your series has certainly helped with setting it up. Looking forward to more on this camera.
Great tips, thanks! About the i menu, little tip: you don't have to put the most often used items on the left because 1) if the cursor is there, you can simply move left to wrap around on the right side, which actually makes the far bottom right and the left top items closest. And 2) because the i menu remembers the position anyway, so it doesn't necessarily open with the top left selected.
Absolutely fabulous, Steve. I have just completed my second run through all four setup videos. First time to get the flavour and decide that this will be a setup I could use at least as a starting point. The second time through was to setup my Z6iii which astonishingly arrived today. Talk about timing! I’m going to an airshow this weekend. Prefer birds but I’ll see how the autofocus does locking onto BIG birds.
Thanks Steve for putting together such an excellent guide. I've found it super useful as I work to setup my Z6iii, coming from a D7100. Whilst it's quite familiar, there are just so many more options and customisations to work through! Looking forward to seeing your setup guide when it comes out.
Thank you Steve for putting these videos together. I am coming from a Z6 but this camera, as you know has much more technology and features so your videos (yes I watched all four) were very helpful. I have your Nikon Z Autofocus book and will be picking up your Z6iii book as well.
Wow, definitely subbed and will be on the lookout for your guide book (watched all 4 videos). I'm a professional....hobby collector 😂...so fairly new to photography but having this video was easy and helped me learn the camera basics while going through initial setup. Thanks for doing this, I learned a lot!
Great four part series Steve, only further thing I added in the play display options; is highlights & RGB historgram enabled, I do like to see if there are blinkies for clipped highlights during play back.
Focus/AF-Area mode selection is a gem (17:20). Always found it awkward to quickly change AF-Area with the front dial since my index finger since it is on top of the shutter button. Now to retrain muscle memory 🙄
Steve - I’m an amateur who less than occasionally shoots wildlife but find your videos and books quite essential and valuable! I know you suggest lossless compression in the setup guide but wanted to pass off to any apple photos and Mac users something I learned the hard way - lossless compression is the only raw option that is recognized by MAC OS and iOS. - i.e. Apple software only reads to the last level of Z6ii NEF Files so the other raw compression options can’t be read.
Steve, fantastic series thank you so much for taking the time to present it to us. I may finally pull the trigger on mirrorless with the release of the Z 6III. I have a large collection of Nikon AF-S lenses that I really have no intention of getting rid of and I was wondering if you could possibly run a couple of tests on the Z 6III with the FTZ II adapter to check functionality? I will more than likely ease into Z glass, but right now I am keeping my D700, D500 and D850.
Thanks - every lens I've used has been fine with it. I've used the 600TC, 600PF, 800PF, 180-600, 24-105 and all have worked as expected and pretty much seem the same as on the Z8/9.
Hello and thanks for the video. I wanted to ask you: Can you set the rear dial to change the ISO, particularly when the camera is in aperture priority mode? (In practice it would be the old EasyIso mode, which Nikon has decided to no longer allow unfortunately.) A thousand thanks.
These four videos are great!!! Looking forward to your book. My main 3 types of photography are animals (esp BIF), landscape and Astro. It looks like most of the setup for wildlife will work for landscape. Are you sure you don't want to take up astro so you can create a guide for that too? 😊 (is there anyone you happen to know and would recommend if you don't want to dive deep into another genre?)
Thanks for your interest! I don't usually cover flash though since I don't use it for wildlife work anymore (the dynamic range and ISO performance of modern cameras kind of make fill flash moot).
Thank you for reaching back. Currently I am using bridge camera, Nikon P1000, but this is time to be extra nice husband and receive permission to buy something more serious. Now I am inclined to buy Z6III and 180-600. So, your book will be very appreciated. Greatly admire your channel.@@backcountrygallery
I have the camera now with the 600 mm f6.3 pf and are impressed with the trial photos I have produced on local birds. My question follows do nearly all of the settings you recommend but cant work out the following. In my fuji cameras I can have blinkies showing before I take the photo and also the histogram but I found blinkies more accurate especially with white birds. From what I have seen you can only see these in review by which time it is too late. Is this correct?
Awesome video as always. Can I ask how (if it is even possible) to assign toggling between two Video Frame rates (slow motion and not) to a function button? Thank you in advance.
I can set the Frame rate in My Menu but to access it with a custom button, I need to be in shooting picture mode so I will need to go out of Video mode, go to picture, hit Display (this is where I assigned Choose First Item on My Menu), choose the frame rate, then switch back to video. There are a lot less steps than going through the menu but maybe there is a way that I can do this while in Video mode?
Hi Steve, thank you so much for the Z6III series as always!! Super helpful. Kindly please confirm that, (1) no sensor guard on Z6III and no option inside the manual; (2) on Z8, I setup my Fn2 as a recall photo setting ie for low light, much slower shutter speed, it's not available on Z6III either? Thanks again!
The video record button never has started video in shooting mode. You have to flip the little switch around the DISP button to go into video and then that button will record when you press it (it's a different control setup when the camera is in video mode).
@@v4l4r_m0rghul15 Like they user settings? Nope, U1, U2 and U3 save Photo Shooting, Custom Settings, and Video menu settings. So, it's not a separate set when in video mode.
It is strange to follow your video while using a Z6 iii with the same firmware, but then seeing that we do not have the same submenus at all. Here I am thinking of "g2 Custom controls" where you have "AF-area mode" on Fn1 right below your function in the menu "Switch eyes." At the same place in my menu, I have "AE Lock (hold)." I also noticed in another one of your great videos that you can format in two different ways. I don't have that function either, only a "Format." Is there really a difference in camera menus despite it being the same camera? Or are you using a Z7, 8, or 9?
I didn't cover the "G" menu since it's video, you're probably looking at the F menu in the video and the G menu on your camera :) The format options only show for CF Express card, not SD, so that might be it.
Hi Steve. Just discovered your videos and they are awesome. Have a quick question. Does the z6iii have recall shooting functions like the Z8/z9? I use this quite often on the z8 and found it very useful to assign a whole set of functions to one press of a button. I am reading that the z6iii does not offer this? Hoping you can verify. Thanks.
Thanks for the kind words :) Sadly, it does no have Recall Shooting Functions - I wish it did, but I guess they had to save some of the good stuff for the high-end cameras :)
@@backcountrygallery that is such such a huge bummer. I suppose the U1-3 settings could replace that but not as quick as a tap of a button. If Nikon is reading this by chance, please bring this with a firmware update :)
I'm having a surprising issue with my new Z6111. I am unable to save any settings on the Fn buttons. I thought, based on my other Nikons, that one had to press OK but that does not work.
I was hoping the Z6III being new much more expensive now especially if purchased outside USA with exchange rates , had the side select focus buttons reminiscent of DSLR and now incorporated on the pro body Z8 Z9 this is a very important feature so you don't have to fiddle or search in menus and was surprised they kept the older Z6 first Gen body style , didn't charge the body to accommodate this but then the been counters at Nikon had to differentiate Z6III enough from Z8 otherwise it might of hindered sales of a Z8 if it had similar features .Maybe we will see if it comes in next version Z6IV ?
I am looking at getting this camera with the 500mm f5.6 pf which does not have a control ring. Can you assign a control dial for this function without having to press the ISO button? Also how good is video in crop mode?
Unfortunately, you can't assign ISO to the 500PF - you have to have a Z lens. I don't do much video, so I can't really say one way or another. My wife has shot with it a bit and seems to like the camera for video work, but it's mostly been full frame.
@@backcountrygallery Hi Steve Thanks for the reply. I was asking about assigning a button or control dial on the camera as the lens does not have ISO control.
I need some help please. This is my first mirrorless and using the settings you show in these videos. My problem is everything I set is not staying set when I turn the camera back on. I see my AF-c goes back to AF-S every time and my animal detection does not stay on each time and my focus area goes back to something other than I had set. I am sure it is just some little button or something I am not doing for it to hold these settings. Please help! I have not set up any of the user profiles yet. This is all in the normal camera menu.
You're probably on one of the User settings (U1,U2,U3). When you turn off the camera, any settings you made with revert back to the defaults for those values. If you use a different mode (like M, A,P,S etc), they'll stick.
@@backcountrygallery I am in the green auto on my dial and focus or area or animal detection are not staying set. I have not tried to set up anything past part three on the videos yet.
It's a bit sad & disappointing that the Z6iii doesn't have the "Cycle AF Area" option & the separate Bird AF. Hopefully Nikon will come to their senses and add it in future updates because both Sony/Canon doesn't cripple their autofocus in their new full frame bodies. The Canon R6ii has the R3 autofocus. The Sony A7C II has the A7RV autofocus.
My Nikon Z6iii Setup Guide Is done! It covers way more than the video series and I've actually changed a few things since shooting the video, so lots of new stuff too. Check it out at the link below:
bcgwebstore.com/product/the-ultimate-nikon-z6iii-setup-shooting-guide-for-wildlife-photography/
I always watch your videos first before reading your book. Thank you for taking the time to go into so much detail.
Steve, I received my Nikon Z 6III camera a couple days ago and was at a loss to set it up. Nikon included a worthless User's Manual that basically did nothing to explain or show how to set up and utilize the many useful functions that this sophisticated camera provides. I am only an amateur photographer whose prior camera is the Nikon D5100. I was lucky enough to stumble across your 4 setup videos for this Z 6III camera. Your presentation was thorough and "spot on". I can't thank you enough for coming to my rescue.
Seems like Z6iii is an overkill for you. Try z30?
Yes it's completely useless if you are upgrading from like a entry level camera to a more professional camera. It's actually not recommended that's the reason why many people sell their cameras and then buy a medium level camera. All the best.
No just take the time to learn it’s a journey ❤ enjoy !
Thanks Steve! As always, fantastic stuff. I just got a Z63 to experiment with, and these videos were invaluable!
Wow! You are batting 1000. All 4 videos are awesome. Now just need to figure out if this is the camera for me. Thanks.
Steve, a million thanks for the setup videos for the new Z6III. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your videos. I know they take an incredible amount of time that you could use shooting instead! Thanks for your generosity! Can’t wait for the manual to come out.
Thanks again, Steve. Just finished the 4th setup video. Even went back and quickly went through the first two now that I have the Z6III in hand. I know it took you a lot of time to put these together. Thanks so much...great job!
Steve. This is my first leap into Nikon mirrorless after a D500 and even with the help of Mastering the Z6ii I was struggling. Now, after all four videos I feel I have a chance of mastering this complicated piece of kit- can't wait for the book though!! Keep up the good work.
Thank you, Steve! I enjoy all the content you put out for us. It really helps hearing it from someone that uses these things in the specific way we are interested in.
Very helpful set of guides. Definitely will be going back to my notes when I start setting up my new Z6iii. Thanks and looking forward to your Sept set-up guide.
Thanks Steve, I love your setup guide for the Z9 and will definitely be purchasing the Z6III setup guide as well. Great job!
Thank you for this excellent series. Just traded my 6II for a 6III yesterday. Your series has certainly helped with setting it up. Looking forward to more on this camera.
Great tips, thanks! About the i menu, little tip: you don't have to put the most often used items on the left because 1) if the cursor is there, you can simply move left to wrap around on the right side, which actually makes the far bottom right and the left top items closest. And 2) because the i menu remembers the position anyway, so it doesn't necessarily open with the top left selected.
Well, that was fun. Appreciate see your point of view for what you use your camera for.
Thanks Steve and well done. I do a lot more candid street photography than wildlife and your settings work for that also.
Excellent series, thx! Helped as both overview and setup! Already impressed with the new pup, big improvement over prior Z6II!
Absolutely fabulous, Steve. I have just completed my second run through all four setup videos. First time to get the flavour and decide that this will be a setup I could use at least as a starting point. The second time through was to setup my Z6iii which astonishingly arrived today. Talk about timing! I’m going to an airshow this weekend. Prefer birds but I’ll see how the autofocus does locking onto BIG birds.
Thanks, Steve, for a very helpful set of setup videos! Much appreciated.
Always helpful and I have bought the book too. Thank you.
Thanks so much!
Thanks Steve for putting together such an excellent guide. I've found it super useful as I work to setup my Z6iii, coming from a D7100. Whilst it's quite familiar, there are just so many more options and customisations to work through! Looking forward to seeing your setup guide when it comes out.
Thank you Steve for putting these videos together. I am coming from a Z6 but this camera, as you know has much more technology and features so your videos (yes I watched all four) were very helpful. I have your Nikon Z Autofocus book and will be picking up your Z6iii book as well.
Thanks so much!
Wow, definitely subbed and will be on the lookout for your guide book (watched all 4 videos). I'm a professional....hobby collector 😂...so fairly new to photography but having this video was easy and helped me learn the camera basics while going through initial setup. Thanks for doing this, I learned a lot!
Thanks so much for putting these videos together. These helped a lot.!
Great four part series Steve, only further thing I added in the play display options; is highlights & RGB historgram enabled, I do like to see if there are blinkies for clipped highlights during play back.
Focus/AF-Area mode selection is a gem (17:20). Always found it awkward to quickly change AF-Area with the front dial since my index finger since it is on top of the shutter button. Now to retrain muscle memory 🙄
Steve - I’m an amateur who less than occasionally shoots wildlife but find your videos and books quite essential and valuable! I know you suggest lossless compression in the setup guide but wanted to pass off to any apple photos and Mac users something I learned the hard way - lossless compression is the only raw option that is recognized by MAC OS and iOS. - i.e. Apple software only reads to the last level of Z6ii NEF Files so the other raw compression options can’t be read.
Fantastic set up guide once again ❤
Mine is scheduled to show up on Thursday! Will step through all four again once the eagle has landed!
One of the best things about the Z6III is the control/button layout as it's the same as the Z8 and Z9.
Steve, fantastic series thank you so much for taking the time to present it to us. I may finally pull the trigger on mirrorless with the release of the Z 6III. I have a large collection of Nikon AF-S lenses that I really have no intention of getting rid of and I was wondering if you could possibly run a couple of tests on the Z 6III with the FTZ II adapter to check functionality? I will more than likely ease into Z glass, but right now I am keeping my D700, D500 and D850.
Thanks, I enjoyed all 4. Looking forward to September. On a different topic, do you have any comments about lenses and this camera?
Thanks - every lens I've used has been fine with it. I've used the 600TC, 600PF, 800PF, 180-600, 24-105 and all have worked as expected and pretty much seem the same as on the Z8/9.
Hello and thanks for the video.
I wanted to ask you:
Can you set the rear dial to change the ISO, particularly when the camera is in aperture priority mode?
(In practice it would be the old EasyIso mode, which Nikon has decided to no longer allow unfortunately.)
A thousand thanks.
These four videos are great!!! Looking forward to your book. My main 3 types of photography are animals (esp BIF), landscape and Astro. It looks like most of the setup for wildlife will work for landscape. Are you sure you don't want to take up astro so you can create a guide for that too? 😊 (is there anyone you happen to know and would recommend if you don't want to dive deep into another genre?)
I've done some astro, but not much - I don't really know / follow anyone. You might ask at the BCG Forums if anyone has any recommendations.
@@backcountrygallery THANKS!!!
Great series! Quick question: in your upcoming set up book will you cover any flash setting guide?
Thanks anyway! Really admire your content.
Thanks for your interest! I don't usually cover flash though since I don't use it for wildlife work anymore (the dynamic range and ISO performance of modern cameras kind of make fill flash moot).
Thank you for reaching back. Currently I am using bridge camera, Nikon P1000, but this is time to be extra nice husband and receive permission to buy something more serious. Now I am inclined to buy Z6III and 180-600. So, your book will be very appreciated.
Greatly admire your channel.@@backcountrygallery
I have the camera now with the 600 mm f6.3 pf and are impressed with the trial photos I have produced on local birds. My question follows do nearly all of the settings you recommend but cant work out the following. In my fuji cameras I can have blinkies showing before I take the photo and also the histogram but I found blinkies more accurate especially with white birds. From what I have seen you can only see these in review by which time it is too late. Is this correct?
Awesome video as always. Can I ask how (if it is even possible) to assign toggling between two Video Frame rates (slow motion and not) to a function button? Thank you in advance.
I can set the Frame rate in My Menu but to access it with a custom button, I need to be in shooting picture mode so I will need to go out of Video mode, go to picture, hit Display (this is where I assigned Choose First Item on My Menu), choose the frame rate, then switch back to video. There are a lot less steps than going through the menu but maybe there is a way that I can do this while in Video mode?
Hi Steve, thank you so much for the Z6III series as always!! Super helpful. Kindly please confirm that, (1) no sensor guard on Z6III and no option inside the manual; (2) on Z8, I setup my Fn2 as a recall photo setting ie for low light, much slower shutter speed, it's not available on Z6III either? Thanks again!
Yes, you are correct. For some things, you need a Z8/9 :)
@@backcountrygallery Thank you Steve!!
What if I am a hybrid shooter and need to record some video? What button to use if the record button is already used for AF area?
The video record button never has started video in shooting mode. You have to flip the little switch around the DISP button to go into video and then that button will record when you press it (it's a different control setup when the camera is in video mode).
Thanks Steve, for someone who is just trying to get their first Nikon Z camera it is super useful.
A follow up question, do we get 3 more custom modes when we flip to the video mode?
@@v4l4r_m0rghul15 Like they user settings? Nope, U1, U2 and U3 save Photo Shooting, Custom Settings, and Video menu settings. So, it's not a separate set when in video mode.
This is my new camera. What should be the assigned tracking button as back button focus ?
It is strange to follow your video while using a Z6 iii with the same firmware, but then seeing that we do not have the same submenus at all. Here I am thinking of "g2 Custom controls" where you have "AF-area mode" on Fn1 right below your function in the menu "Switch eyes." At the same place in my menu, I have "AE Lock (hold)."
I also noticed in another one of your great videos that you can format in two different ways. I don't have that function either, only a "Format."
Is there really a difference in camera menus despite it being the same camera? Or are you using a Z7, 8, or 9?
I didn't cover the "G" menu since it's video, you're probably looking at the F menu in the video and the G menu on your camera :) The format options only show for CF Express card, not SD, so that might be it.
Hi Steve. Just discovered your videos and they are awesome.
Have a quick question. Does the z6iii have recall shooting functions like the Z8/z9?
I use this quite often on the z8 and found it very useful to assign a whole set of functions to one press of a button.
I am reading that the z6iii does not offer this? Hoping you can verify. Thanks.
Thanks for the kind words :) Sadly, it does no have Recall Shooting Functions - I wish it did, but I guess they had to save some of the good stuff for the high-end cameras :)
@@backcountrygallery that is such such a huge bummer. I suppose the U1-3 settings could replace that but not as quick as a tap of a button. If Nikon is reading this by chance, please bring this with a firmware update :)
And thank you for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated.
I'm having a surprising issue with my new Z6111. I am unable to save any settings on the Fn buttons. I thought, based on my other Nikons, that one had to press OK but that does not work.
I was hoping the Z6III being new much more expensive now especially if purchased outside USA with exchange rates , had the side select focus buttons reminiscent of DSLR and now incorporated on the pro body Z8 Z9 this is a very important feature so you don't have to fiddle or search in menus and was surprised they kept the older Z6 first Gen body style , didn't charge the body to accommodate this but then the been counters at Nikon had to differentiate Z6III enough from Z8 otherwise it might of hindered sales of a Z8 if it had similar features .Maybe we will see if it comes in next version Z6IV ?
I am looking at getting this camera with the 500mm f5.6 pf which does not have a control ring. Can you assign a control dial for this function without having to press the ISO button? Also how good is video in crop mode?
Unfortunately, you can't assign ISO to the 500PF - you have to have a Z lens. I don't do much video, so I can't really say one way or another. My wife has shot with it a bit and seems to like the camera for video work, but it's mostly been full frame.
@@backcountrygallery Hi Steve Thanks for the reply. I was asking about assigning a button or control dial on the camera as the lens does not have ISO control.
@@chrisbartlett8146 Oh, sorry. Pretty much just the normal ISO button (press it and turnt he command dial).
Is there a way to program a button to turn off subject detection?
I wish - I've been asking for this forever. Or a toggle where you can switch between the modes (and OFF) you wanted.
I need some help please. This is my first mirrorless and using the settings you show in these videos. My problem is everything I set is not staying set when I turn the camera back on. I see my AF-c goes back to AF-S every time and my animal detection does not stay on each time and my focus area goes back to something other than I had set. I am sure it is just some little button or something I am not doing for it to hold these settings. Please help! I have not set up any of the user profiles yet. This is all in the normal camera menu.
You're probably on one of the User settings (U1,U2,U3). When you turn off the camera, any settings you made with revert back to the defaults for those values. If you use a different mode (like M, A,P,S etc), they'll stick.
@@backcountrygallery I am in the green auto on my dial and focus or area or animal detection are not staying set. I have not tried to set up anything past part three on the videos yet.
@@smallfarmfun OK, that'll do it too - switch to a normal exposure mode and that should solve it. :)
Shame it doesn't have the "Cycle AF-area mode" option that the Z8 and Z9 have, fingers crossed for the next firmware update
I agree - that really messes me up. I have two radically different setups between the Z8/9 and the Z6iii
It's a bit sad & disappointing that the Z6iii doesn't have the "Cycle AF Area" option & the separate Bird AF. Hopefully Nikon will come to their senses and add it in future updates because both Sony/Canon doesn't cripple their autofocus in their new full frame bodies.
The Canon R6ii has the R3 autofocus. The Sony A7C II has the A7RV autofocus.
I sure hope to see it. It's a little tough going between the Z8/9 and the Z6iii since my AF workflow is complete different.
@@backcountrygallery yes that is the problem having Z6iii as 2nd body..... remembering different functions on custom buttons between Z8/9 & Z6iii.
Dammit you skipped over f14 Full Frame Flick backs… WTH is this LOL