Basic Camera Settings

The core settings for wildlife photography are:

AF-area mode	[3D-tracking]
ISO sensitivity	ISO AUTO (auto ISO sensitivity control enabled)
Set Picture Control	[Standard]
White balance	[Auto]
Image quality	[RAW + JPEG normal] (Z 9), [RAW + JPEG/HEIF normal] (Z 8)

Recommended Settings by Subject

For the recommended camera settings for different types of animals, see “Recommended Settings by Subject” (0 Small Animals Moving in and out of a Fixed Position, Medium-Sized Animals Visiting a Particular Location, Birds in Flight, Large Slow-Moving Animals with the Landscape).

AF-Area Mode: "3D-Tracking"

Select [3D-tracking] for AF-area mode to automatically track focus on fast-moving animals.

Caution: 3D-Tracking

The camera may be unable to track subjects that:

are similar in color, brightness, or pattern to the background,
change visibly in size, color, or brightness,
are too large or too small,
too bright or too dark,
move quickly, or
are obscured by other objects or leave the frame.

Photographing Multiple Subjects

We recommend setting AF-area mode to [Auto-area AF]. If [Auto-area AF] is selected, you can position the focus point over a different face or eye using the multi selector when more than one face or eye is detected.

ISO Sensitivity: ISO AUTO

Auto ISO sensitivity control automatically adjusts ISO sensitivity if optimal exposure cannot be achieved at the value selected by the user.

To prevent ISO sensitivity from rising too high, it is recommended to set ISO sensitivity to [2000] for [ISO sensitivity settings] > [Maximum sensitivity] in the photo shooting menu.

Set Picture Control: "Standard"

Selecting [Standard] Picture Control creates pictures with well-balanced contrast and hues, allowing you to photograph without worrying about the shooting conditions. It also makes it easier to retouch after shooting.

Managing Picture Control

Picture Controls that have been adjusted to your preference can be saved in [Manage Picture Control] in the photo shooting menu. When adjusting Picture Controls, we recommend using [Standard] as the source Picture Control for a vivid, well-balanced, standard results.

White Balance: "Auto"

Selecting [Auto] white balance allows the camera to automatically adjust white balance for optimal results with the given light sources, allowing you to capture colors that are close to what you see with your eyes.

Image Quality: "RAW + JPEG Normal" (Z 9), "RAW + JPEG/HEIF Normal" (Z 8)

Shooting with [RAW + JPEG normal] (Z 9) or [RAW + JPEG/HEIF normal] (Z 8) image quality allows you to use NEF (RAW) images for extensive editing and processing and JPEG images for immediate viewing on a computer.