This document describes new features available with the Nikon Z 50 "C" firmware version 2.30, specifically focusing on the "Save Focus Position" and "Recall Focus Position" functionalities. These features enhance the camera's custom controls, allowing users to save and recall specific focus positions, which can be particularly useful for photographers and videographers who frequently return to subjects at a fixed focus distance.
Function Description
The core function introduced in this firmware update is the ability to store and retrieve a camera's focus position. This is achieved through new options added to Custom Setting f2, "Custom controls (shooting)." Users can assign "Save Focus Position" to a lens Fn button and "Recall Focus Position" to a lens Fn2 button.
When "Save Focus Position" is assigned to a lens Fn button, pressing and holding this button will save the current focus position. If the operation is successful, an icon will appear in the shooting display, confirming that the focus position has been saved. This allows users to lock in a specific focus point for later use.
Conversely, "Recall Focus Position" can be assigned to a lens Fn2 button. Pressing this button will instantly restore the previously saved focus position. This eliminates the need to manually refocus on a subject that is consistently at the same distance, streamlining the shooting process.
Usage Features
The "Save Focus Position" and "Recall Focus Position" features offer several practical usage benefits:
- Fixed Focus Distance Shooting: This functionality is ideal for scenarios where a subject is consistently at a fixed distance, such as product photography, studio portraits, or certain types of wildlife photography where subjects might return to a specific spot. By saving the focus position once, users can quickly recall it without manual adjustment, saving time and ensuring consistent focus.
- Versatile Application: Focus positions can be saved and recalled in both photo and video modes, providing flexibility across different shooting disciplines. This means videographers can also benefit from quickly returning to a specific focus point during a shoot.
- Any Focus Mode Compatibility: The ability to save focus positions in any focus mode (e.g., AF-S, AF-C, MF) further enhances its versatility. Users are not restricted to a particular autofocus setting when utilizing this feature.
- Memory Recall with Fn/Fn2 Buttons: The memory recall function is specifically designed to work with autofocus Z mount lenses equipped with both Fn and Fn2 buttons. This ensures a dedicated and intuitive control scheme for saving and recalling focus positions.
- Manual Focus Activation during Recall: When recalling a focus position, holding the lens Fn2 button activates manual focus. This is a useful feature as it prevents the camera from automatically refocusing if the shutter-release button is pressed halfway while the control is held, giving the user precise control over the focus point.
Maintenance Features
While the document primarily focuses on new functionalities, it also outlines important considerations related to the "maintenance" or behavior of these features under various conditions:
- Lens Detachment Reset: The stored focus position is automatically reset when the lens is detached from the camera. This is a crucial "maintenance" aspect, as it prevents the camera from attempting to recall a focus position that might be irrelevant or inaccurate with a different lens or after a lens reattachment.
- Environmental Factors: Changes in ambient temperature can affect the accuracy of a recalled focus position. This is an important caution for users, as temperature fluctuations can cause slight shifts in lens elements or sensor calibration, leading to a focus point that is slightly different from the one originally saved. Users should be aware of this potential variability, especially in environments with significant temperature swings.
- Zoom Lens Considerations: If a saved focus position is recalled after the lens focal length has been adjusted via zoom, the previously saved position may tend to change. The camera provides an auditory cue (four short beeps) in such cases, provided that the "Beep on/off" option in the setup menu is not set to "Off." This serves as an alert to the user that the recalled focus might not be perfectly accurate due to the zoom adjustment, prompting them to re-evaluate focus if precision is critical.
- Display Interference: Focus positions cannot be saved while shooting information is displayed. This implies a specific operational sequence or state the camera needs to be in for the save function to execute correctly, preventing potential conflicts with on-screen data.
- Auditory Feedback (Beep Functionality): The camera provides auditory feedback for saving and recalling focus positions in photo mode, sounding two short beeps, provided "Beep on/off" is not "Off." This serves as an immediate confirmation of the action. However, it's important to note that no beep sounds in silent photography, video mode, or when the beep option is turned off, ensuring discretion when needed. This "maintenance" of user feedback helps in confirming successful operations without being intrusive in all shooting scenarios.
- Firmware Updates: The availability of these features is contingent on updating the camera's "C" firmware to version 2.30. Users are directed to the Nikon Download Center to obtain the latest firmware, emphasizing the importance of keeping the camera's software up-to-date to access new functionalities and improvements. This highlights the ongoing "maintenance" through software updates provided by the manufacturer.
- Hardware Requirement: The memory recall function is explicitly stated to be available only when an autofocus Z mount lens equipped with Fn and Fn2 buttons is mounted on the camera. If a lens lacks an Fn2 button, the camera cannot save the focus position, even if "Save Focus Position" is assigned to the lens Fn button. This is a critical hardware "maintenance" consideration, as it defines the necessary equipment for utilizing the full scope of these features.
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