Nikon Z system -Tips and Tricks for the Z5

This is a collection of tips that I found while using the Nikon Z5. Most are from my perspective and support my workflow. Some are a backup reminder for me, since it is so easy to forget how a rarely changed setting works. I hope you find something here you had not yet discovered before.

I update this page sometimes to add what I learned. The current version is from June 2024.

Quick Start

Since this is my most read post on this blog, let me start with a quick setup recommended for starters. It is one step beyond the fully automatic Mode AUTO. Using it, you will gain some control that the AUTO mode does not provide. The setting is good for most hand-held camera shots.

• Set the camera to Mode A on the mode dial. This is aperture priority, and it will allow to select the aperture with one of the wheel dials. By default, is the front wheel, but that can be changed. The camera will select a shutter speed and an ISO setting on its own, if ISO AUTO is enabled. If you want to isolate a subject, use F4 and wider, and if you want to get more of the scene in sharpness, use F8 and closer. Of course, this mode works best on a prime lens where you can go up to apertures like F2 to get beautifully isolated subjects. 
• The camera will try to make a good decision on your shutter speed. It will even consider the focal length of your lens. Longer lenses will need shorter shutter speeds to avoid blurring due to camera shake. To give the camera the option to select a good shutter speed, you need to enable ISO AUTO. Set this by pressing the ISO button and turning the back dial. Set the ISO to ISO100 with the front dial. You can customize ISO AUTO in the Photo Shooting Menu. It is possible to set a maximum ISO, a maximal shutter speed, or a setting that takes care of the focal length and can be customized from low to high. For starters set maximum ISO to 1600, and the shutter speed selection to Auto at Fast. This will protect you better from motion blur by selecting a shorter shutter speed.
• Set the AF mode to AF-S with Auto Area. This can be done via the i-Menu. Press the i button and select those settings. By default, eye detection should be on. Check a4 in the Custon Settings Menu for this. Now, your camera will focus on an eye or face if one is detected as soon as the shutter is pressed halfway. Otherwise, it will auto-select focus points on your scene. The focusing is done when the shutter is pressed halfway down. You can release the shutter and press again halfway to get other focus points.
• To get a precise focus point, use tracking. If you are shooting with the display, simply touch on the subject you want to focus at. Tracking will be enabled. Make sure that small icon on the display says Position Focus Point once you touch it. Alternatively, you can immediately focus or immediately take a picture by touching on the screen. This is selected via the small icon on the display. If you are shooting with the electronic view finder, start tracking with the OK button. Position the tracking point over the subject and focus shortly. Pressing OK again will allow to set another tracking point. Pressing the minus key (-) will release the tracking. You can also set another, more comfortable, button to enable and release the tracking (see below).
• If you do not like the exposure, use the +/- key to set an exposure compensation. The +/- value will remain set until you reset it to zero, unless a user mode is selected which resets everything. However, it is much easier and better to use the other wheel dial for exposure compensation. You can enable this feature in b2 in the Custom Settings Menu. I have set it to Reset, so the compensation is neutralized when the camera is switched off. Note that the camera will show a preview of the exposure by default. So you see the results immediately. An alternative is to use the histogram (see below).
• Save these settings to one of the user modes in the Setup Menu, after you have selected a good medium aperture like F5.6. This aperture will be saved and set every time you dial into this user mode.

This should give you a really good start with the camera. Especially if you shoot via the display, it feels like a smartphone now. But it gives much more control and better images than the AUTO mode. 

By major request, I have some tips to improve the sharpness of the images in critical situations.

• For moving subjects, you need a short shutter speed. Even for children, 1/200 and shorter are necessary. For birds in flight or sports, 1/500 is a good starting point, but 1/2000 is better. Of course, it might be necessary to open the lens to its maximum or increase the ISO. But this is much better than losing a picture due to motion blur. Set the camera to shutter priority S (or to manual mode M if you want to control the aperture too). You can use ISO AUTO to get the correct exposure even if your lens is not fast enough, i.e., you reached your widest aperture. In dim light, ISO might be increased very much and the image will get noisy. There is now software for noise reduction which works very efficiently. You will need to post-process your images. The in-camera process can also remove noise.
• If the subject moves or your camera is moved, you will need continuous auto focus, AF-C, instead of single auto focus AF-S. Set this in the i menu. Alternatively, you can customize a key to reach the settings for the focus modes. The camera can also use eye and face detection in this mode, and that is good enough for children or sports, provided you have a short enough shutter speed. For fast birds, it might be better to use the dynamic area which consists of a single zone which is used to start the focusing and 9 attached zones if the bird moves out of this zone. Using the four-way stick, you can move the zone around. The Z8 and Z9 will do a more perfect job in tracking birds, even in low light. But you can get sharp images with the Z5 too.
• Most lenses allow to override the AF while the shutter is half pressed. Together with the zoom, this allows very precise focusing. In the i menu you can set focus peaking. This makes the sharp parts of the images flash in red. After you got the hang of that feature, it allows a good judgment of the sharp edges in your images. This is much easier with back button focus (see below), because turning the focus ring while keeping the shutter half pressed is awkward.
• You can use the + key to zoom in while focusing, and the - key to zoom out. The display or view finder will zoom in on the selected focus point. You get much more precise control and the camera will focus more precisely. You can move the area with the four-way stick or the four buttons around the OK button. You can focus and release while the camera is zoomed in. This is easier done with back button focus (see below), because the focus will be fixed before you touch the shutter. You can also set a key to zoom in 100% and out to normal with one key press. I am using the video key, since I do videos only in video mode. This key can be set in Custom Setting Menu at f2. 

Camera Setup

My first tip is very important for me, and changed my camera operation drastically to the better. You can disable the AF for the shutter completely (Custom Setting Menu at a7). To focus, you now use the AF-ON button with your right thumb. It is set to focusing by default. This is called back button focus. You will need a short while to accommodate to this way of focusing. But there are many advantages.

• You can now use single autofocus in continuous autofocus mode AF-C by simply releasing the focus button once the focus is found.
• You can concentrate on precise focusing, e.g. by zooming on or manual override, without having to hold the shutter button halfway down.
• You can keep the focus between shots without having to switch to manual focus.

Note, that this posting will be growing over time, as I plan to add more tips to the list. Let us start with some settings for buttons and displays.

• The monitor mode button on the left side of the EVF (electronic view finder) cycles through the modes of the monitor and the EVF. You should take a look at the settings option "limit monitor mode selection" (in Setup Menu). I have only "automatic display switch" and "monitor only" active. This limit makes it easier to use this button. 
• I found that the automatic monitor switch stops working sometimes. In this case, you need to fix the eye approximation sensor above the ocular. In most cases, pulling the rubber eye piece to the sides helps so that it stretches above the ocular. This removes a bulge of rubber forming in the gap. If that does not help, push the rubber upwards to remove it from the eye piece and clean the whole area. Click it back in place. Finally, it kept annoying me and I glued the rubber to the underlying plastic using a drop of quick glue. In the end, I bought a cheap replacement.
• You should also visit the "playback display options" (in Playback Menu). It determines the different displays that show when you view an image on replay. I have selected "focus point", "exposure info" which shows the histogram, "overview" for a good balance between image and information, and "none" for the full image. The image review I had on "monitor only" in the playback menu. I did not like to review the image automatically after each shot when using the viewfinder. You can turn "image review" completely off if you prefer. I have "rotate tall" to OFF. This prevents the camera from showing a tiny preview of a portrait image when it is held in landscape mode.
• The red video button can be set to go to the user menu in picture shooting mode (which is selected with the lever behind the DISP button, by the way). This is done in Custom Setting Menu at f2. You should then configure the user menu and add the things you want to access instantly. My user menu contains things like "ISO sensitivity settings", "connect to smart device", "format memory card", "focus shift shooting", "time lap movie". The user menu can also be used in the "recent settings" mode, displaying the recently used menu items. I do not like that and prefer to control the settings contained in that menu. 
• The red video button can also be set to zoom 100%. I have set it that way. It makes it easier to nail the exposure precisely, especially with back button focus (see below). The zoomed area can be moved with the four-way stick. You can shoot when zoomed in.
• You can override the autofocus on many lenses by turning the focussing ring on the lens. This will put the camera temporally into manual mode. Focus peaking will activate. If you hold the shutter halfway pressed it will not refocus on release. Back button focus makes this a lot easier.
• I use the F1 front button to set the AF mode (Custom Setting Menu at f2, button to Focus Mode). This is far easier than going via the i-menu. You can set the AF mode and area after pressing this button with the forward or back wheel.
• The F2 front button can be configured to start tracking (Custom Setting Menu at f2). This works better than the default (the OK button). It releases the track if you press the button once more.  Tracking is very useful and can work together with the big autofocus area and eye detection. Just put the tracking rectangle on your subject, focus and recompose. In AF-C mode, you will have to keep the shutter halfway down while tracking, or use the AF-ON button if it is configured to start focusing (Custom Setting Menu at f2, button to AF-ON). The tracking rectangle will always go to the center every time you press F2.
• If you have the focus setting on the display on (see the small icon on the display), you might accidentally start the tracking by grabbing your camera. I found myself doing that so often that I disabled touch features on my display. Another problem with big hands is that F1 or F2 might accidentally be pressed.
• For the AE exposure area, you have to use the i-menu. All you can set is a button to toggle set a specific AE area (Custom Setting Menu at f2).
• I also have "release button to use dial" ON (custom settings f6). This allows for a more relaxed handling of all settings. You do not have to keep the settings button pressed down and turn wheels at the same time. Pressing the button once more or focusing releases the settings mode.
• It is a good idea to use the easy exposure compensation on this camera (Custom Setting Menu at b2). I have it on RESET. What that means is that you can use the other dial in A or S mode to correct the exposure. If you switch the camera on or off, it will reset the exposure to zero. Note, that the exposure "+/-" button does not work this way. It will remember the compensation if you turn the camera off. It does also work in M mode, however.

Some tips concerning the touch screen.

• You already noticed that the AF point can be set by touching the screen. The small icon on the left shows what this is doing. You can set it to release the shutter, to focus only, or to do nothing. In the wide area mode, touching will enable tracking if AF only is selected. Now you can touch the delete icon to remove the track, or press the "-" key.
• You can set all framed settings on the display by touching it. E.g., in A mode, you can set the F-stop and the ISO. You can also call the i-menu by touch.
• In replay mode, you can scroll with your finger along the lower edge of the display through the images on the card. You can also pinch to zoom in and out, and, of course, move the zoomed area with the finger.

Shooting Tips

• You can use two SD cards. That's one of the nice points of the Z5. There is no need for the expensive XQD cards. You can use the second one for overflow, backup or JPEG, if you are shooting RAW+JPEG. One of the problems with backup is that you see the images on the second card too. This might be confusing. You can simply remove the second card if you do not need a backup, and insert it if you do. Note, that the mode for the second card is saved along with the user modes!
• A good use for the second card is to simply keep it in the camera all the time and backup all images there. If it is big enough, this will work a long time. If you have to delete an image, you can select the option to delete the backup too.
• The matrix metering is usually good enough for almost everything. The exposure on this camera is meant to be corrected using the preview image. See above for using a dial (easy exposure compensation). You can press DISP until you see a histogram. This might help you to nail the best exposure and not blow out highlights. 
• The matrix metering with highlight protection should be used only for dark scenes with bright objects that you need to expose correctly, e.g., on a stage. Normal scenes might get grossly underexposed with this setting.
• You can set a button to lock the auto exposure (AEL) (Custom Setting Menu at f2). Some have it on the AF-ON button. If you never use back button focus, this is a good idea. Setting AEL is necessary for panoramas or other stacked shots. It is also possible to lock exposure by pressing the shutter halfway (Custom Setting Menu c1). In this setting, burst shots can also lock the exposure. A simple alternative is to use manual mode M. 
• The autofocus of this camera is very advanced (although the Z6 and Z7 have an even better AF in low light). You can set it via the i-menu or a button if you have set one (see above). You should start learning with AF-S and the wide area mode. In principle this will focus once if you press the shutter halfway (or press AF-ON if it is set so), and select focus points in the focus area automatically. The set focus points will turn green if the focus was successful. In insufficient light, the camera will display a message and go to low light focussing, which is slower. If set (Custom Setting Menu at a12), a focus assist lamp will illuminate the scene. That works only for close objects, of course.
• In wide area mode, the camera can use eye and face detection (Custom Setting Menu at a4), even for dogs and cats. You can use the joystick to switch between eyes or faces. Note, that the camera has only face detection in movie mode.
• In wide area mode, the camera can also track subjects. I explained above how to use the F1 front button for the tracking. In principle, you press your track button, position the square on your subject, and focus. You can then recompose the scene and the focus will remain on the tracked subject.
• Continuous autofocus (AF-C) is good for objects that might change the distance while you focus. The camera is trying to predict the focus position. You do not get feedback by a green rectangle in this mode. The mode should be used for sports or and other fast action. But you should also use it for handheld macro shots. The DOF might be so tiny that even a small move of the camera changes the focus. Tracking can be used in AF-C too, but you need to hold down the shutter halfway to track (or use back button focus).
• Other modes use smaller focus areas, including a slow pinpoint area. In AF-C, there is a mode which takes into account surrounding points. Some use it for birds and other fast-moving subjects. You can move the focus areas with the joystick. You can set the center of the stick to reset the focus point to the center of the image, or the OK button.

User Presets

Here is an idea for the user setting U1. It is made for quick shooting with the option to go manual if necessary. This is my walk around mode.

• Set aperture priority (A). Usually, this is what you want to control for DOF and Bokeh. Only for fast moving subjects or long lenses shutter priority (S) is the way to go.
• Save this setting to user mode U1 and switch to U1. Do not switch off the camera before you have completed all settings.
• Select F8 to start with. This is for outside everyday shooting. If you are mainly doing portraits, use a more open aperture for the start.
• Set ISO Auto with a limit you can live with. Mine is ISO1600. I rarely shoot in very low light where I need a fast shutter speed. ISO Auto helps to avoid images spoiled by camera shaking. This is not a mode where we want to balance everything carefully before we take an image.
• Set AF-S and big area, and eye detection on. This is the best setting for quickly taking up the camera and focus. If the focus does not work, use tracking or go manual.
• Set F1 to start Focus Tracking. That is far better than using the default OK. It will switch the tracking off when pressed again. To track, place the rectangle on the subject and focus. You can then recompose your shot.
• Set F2 to set Autofocus Mode / Autofocus Area. Thus, you can go for single point or even pin point quickly. Or you can switch to AF-C if the subject is moving.
• Set AF-ON to AE-Lock (Hold). If you want to use back button focus, leave it on AF-ON and disable the shutter focus in a7. But I use exposure lock often, and back button focus rarely. I have set U2 in S mode and AF-C for back button focus.
• Enable Easy Exposure Compensation in b2. Then you can use the other dial to compensate the exposure. If you are not using a user setting U1-U3, you want to set b2 to Reset. In this case, the compensation is reset if you switch the camera off and on.
• Set the OK button to zoom 100%. You can then easily zoom in manual focus mode to check the focus. To go to MF, either use the set button F2 or switch on your lens, if your lens has an A/M switch.
• Set Focus Peaking to level 3 and red. This helps in manual mode.
• Save everything to U1 again.

So far for now. Have fun! In case of questions, please comment.