Controls on your Nikon Z fc camera
If you’re not familiar with the Nikon Z fc camera, here’s a quick guide to its buttons, dials, and other external controls. See the next section of the Cheat Sheet for information about the functions of the labeled buttons, switches, and dials.
Functions of buttons and other controls
The Z fc has so many external controls that it can be a challenge to remember what each button, dial, or switch does. To that end, the following table provides a handy reference guide that you can print and tuck in your camera bag in case you forget which control does what. (Some controls have additional functions during certain operations, but the table lists the ones you’ll use most often.)
Note: This information concentrates on features available when you shoot in the P, S, A, and M Shooting modes. A few controls also work in Auto mode.
| Control | Functions |
| Shooting mode switch | Rotate the switch to select the shooting mode, which determines how much control you have over other camera settings, including exposure. For the most control, choose P, S, A, or M. For fully automated shooting, select Auto. |
| ISO dial | While holding down the unlock button, rotate the dial to change the ISO setting, which affects the camera’s sensitivity to light. Release the button after selecting a setting. |
| Shutter speed dial | Rotate the dial to choose settings ranging from 4 seconds to 1/4000 second; to access other settings, press and hold the dial’s unlock button while rotating the dial. |
| Photo/video switch | Rotate the switch to the still-camera position to take pictures; rotate the switch to the video camera position to record videos. |
| Shutter button | Press the button halfway down to initiate autofocusing and exposure metering. Press the button the rest of the way down to take a picture. |
| Record button | After putting the camera into video mode, press the button to start and stop recording. During photo shooting, press the button once to hide onscreen data; press a second time to redisplay data. |
| Exposure compensation dial | Rotate the dial to apply exposure compensation, which adjusts exposure for the next picture or video you shoot. A higher value produces a brighter picture. |
| Control panel | Normally displays the current aperture setting (f-stop value); may display other data in certain situations. |
| Playback button | Toggles picture playback on and off. |
| Delete button | While reviewing photos and videos, press to erase the currently displayed or selected file. |
| Monitor mode button | Press to change the monitor mode, which determines when the camera displays the live preview in the monitor and when it switches to showing the preview in the viewfinder. |
| AE-L/AF-L/protect button | Interrupts continuous exposure adjustment, locking in the current settings as long as you hold down the button. When you use continuous autofocusing, also locks in current focusing distance. During playback, locks the current file so that it’s protected from accidental erasure. |
| i button | Displays the i menu, a mini-menu that offers quick access to options related to the task at hand (photo shooting, video recording, or playback). |
| Multi-selector/OK button | During shooting, press outer edges up/down/left/right to navigate menus and select camera settings; press OK to lock in your choice of settings. During playback, press up/down to change the playback display mode; press left/right to scroll through pictures. During playback, press OK to magnify the currently displayed photo or to start playing a video. |
| Zoom-in button | During shooting or while viewing photos in single-image view, press to magnify the display. When using thumbnail view during playback, press the button as many times as needed to return to single-image view. In calendar view, press to return to thumbnail view. During video playback, press the button to increase audio volume. |
| Zoom-out/thumbnail/help | If you magnify the display during shooting or picture playback, press the button to reduce the magnification level. When the display isn’t magnified during playback, press the button as many times as needed to cycle from single-image display to thumbnail display to calendar view. When menus are displayed and you see a question mark in the lower left corner, press the button to display an information screen about the current function. |
| DISP button | Press to cycle through the available display styles for the monitor and viewfinder during shooting and playback. For playback, you must first enable display styles via the Playback Display Options setting on the Playback menu. |
| Menu button | Opens camera menus. Menu items that appear dimmed can’t be adjusted in the current exposure mode. |
| Main command dial | Used to adjust a variety of settings, sometimes in combination with pressing a camera button. |
| Lens-release button | Press to disengage lens from camera lens mount so that you can remove the lens. |
| Sub-command dial | Used to adjust a variety of settings, often in combination with pressing a camera button. |
| Fn (Function) button | At the camera’s default settings, pressing the button displays the white balance settings. You can customize the button to perform another function via the custom controls options on the Custom Settings menu. |
Shooting modes on the Nikon Z fc
Your choice of Shooting mode determines how much control you have over picture settings, including options that affect exposure, color, and autofocusing features.
Set the exposure mode via the Shooting mode switch shown below. For the most control over exposure, set the switch to S, A, or M mode.
Shooting modes
Auto: Completely automatic photography; the camera analyzes the scene and tries to choose settings that produce the best results.
P (programmed autoexposure): The camera selects the f-stop and shutter speed to ensure proper exposure, but you can choose from multiple combinations of the two settings. Rotate the Main command dial to view the available combinations.
S (shutter-priority autoexposure): You set shutter speed, and the camera selects the f-stop that will produce a good exposure. Use the shutter speed dial to set the shutter speed. Or set the dial to the 1/3 step setting and then use the main command dial to adjust shutter speed. Be sure to hold down the unlock button before rotating the dial to the 1/3 Step setting or the X (flash sync speed) setting. The B and T settings are not compatible with this shooting mode. You also can tap the shutter speed box on the monitor to change the setting.
A (aperture-priority autoexposure): You select f-stop, and the camera selects the shutter speed that will produce a good exposure. Rotate the sub-command dial to adjust the f-stop setting. You also can tap the f-stop box on the monitor to adjust the setting.
M (manual exposure): You control both the shutter speed and f-stop. Adjust the shutter speed by using the same techniques outlined for shutter-priority autoexposure. The B (bulb) and T (time) shutter speed settings are available. Adjust the f-stop setting by rotating the sub-command dial or by tapping the f-stop box on the monitor.