Nikon Z9 Setup: Menu Settings to Change Before Your First Shoot

To set up a Nikon Z9 for your first shoot, start with the settings that protect the camera and your files: the sensor shield, the RAW format and the shutter sound. Then set your burst speed, autofocus, screen display and custom buttons so the camera does the boring work and you can think about the picture.

Before you change anything

Nikon's own Digitutor tutorials assume every setting is still at its default value. That means a brand-new camera is the best time to follow along and make changes one at a time.

The full manual lives online as the Reference Guide (Web Edition). One PetaPixel writer described it as a 900+ page PDF. You do not need to read all of it. Keep it open on your phone and look up a setting only when you need it.

Check your firmware first

Firmware is the camera's own software, a bit like the apps on your phone that get updates. The Z9 has changed a lot through these updates. Internal 8K 60p video arrived in firmware version 2.0, and the Auto Capture feature arrived in firmware 4.0. Firmware updates since launch also improved how well the autofocus holds on when rain or heavy snow is in the frame.

So before your first shoot, check which firmware version your camera has and whether a newer one is available from Nikon. Settings menus can look a little different from one version to the next, and that is normal.

Protect the camera first

Turn on the sensor shield

The sensor is the part that catches light and turns it into a picture. Think of it like the film in an old camera. Dust that lands on it shows up as little gray spots in your photos.

With most digital cameras, the sensor is open to the air when you take the lens off. The Z9 has a mechanical shield that you can set to close any time you turn the camera off. PetaPixel's reviewer noted it adds an extra layer of protection from dust and weather when you change lenses.

Turn this setting on, then build one simple habit: power off before you swap lenses.

Choose your shutter sound

The Z9 has no mechanical shutter at all. A shutter is like a door that opens and closes to let light in. On the Z9, that door is electronic, so there is no real click. Any sound you hear is made up by the camera, and you can turn it on or off.

Silent shooting is handy at press conferences, live broadcasts and weddings, as PetaPixel's reviewer pointed out. Some people still like a sound because it tells them a picture was taken. Try both and keep whichever one helps you.

Decide about the lit-up buttons

Eleven key buttons on the Z9 light up for low-light shooting, and you can turn this off. Leave it on if you shoot at night or indoors. It is like a nightlight for your fingers.

Pick how your pictures are saved

A RAW file is like raw cookie dough: you can still shape it however you want. A JPEG is the baked cookie: ready to eat, but harder to change.

Nikon introduced a high efficiency compressed RAW format with the Z9. Here is how the file sizes compare, according to PetaPixel:

File type	Approximate size	Source
Z9 high efficiency RAW, 45MP 14-bit	30 to 33 MB
Z9 best quality JPEG, 45MP	About 20 MB
Z6 lossless compressed RAW, 24MP	About 28 MB
Z7 lossless compressed RAW, 45MP	About 60 MB

If you plan to edit your photos, start with high efficiency RAW. If you want to share pictures straight from the camera, JPEG is fine. Neither choice is wrong, and you can change it any day.

The Z9 takes CFexpress cards in dual card slots. Two slots means you can save a backup copy as you shoot, which is like keeping a spare house key.

Set your burst speed

Burst mode means the camera keeps taking pictures while you hold the button down, like a flip book. The Z9 has a release mode dial on top, like professional DSLRs, for picking this.

Burst setting	Speed	File type	Source
Low speed	10 fps	RAW
High speed	20 fps	RAW
Faster JPEG	30 fps	JPEG only
Top speed	120 fps	11MP JPEG only

After a firmware update, PetaPixel reported upwards of 1,000 frames in a burst without filling the buffer, which is the camera's short-term memory. Nikon also has a pre-release capture mode that saves frames from just before you fully press the button, though it is limited to JPEGs.

One PetaPixel reviewer wrote that 20 fps is usually plenty on the Z9. For people, pets and everyday moments, start at the low speed. Fewer frames means less time picking favorites later. Save the fast settings for sports and wildlife.

Set autofocus so it finds your subject

Autofocus is the camera making things sharp for you. If your photos have been blurry, this section is where a lot of the fix lives.

The Z9 has a dedicated AF Mode button on the body, so you do not have to use up a custom button for it.

Try 3D tracking

With 3D tracking, you focus on your subject once, and focus sticks to them as they move around the frame or as you change your framing. It is like putting a sticker on your subject that the camera keeps following. That is much easier than moving the focus point yourself every time your subject moves. A 2024 PetaPixel comparison called 3D tracking one of the simplest and most effective setups available.

Leave subject detection on automatic

Subject detection can look for people first, then animals, then vehicles, or you can set it to look for only one of those. The automatic choice means you do not have to keep changing settings as you go from your kid to your dog.

Nikon also publishes a technical guide to the Z9's autofocus system and a Sports AF suggestion guide, which PetaPixel's writers pointed readers to for more detail. They are good next reads once the basics feel easy.

Set up your screen and viewfinder

A histogram is a little hill-shaped chart that shows how bright or dark your picture is. If the hill is piled up on the left, the photo is dark. If it is piled up on the right, it is bright. A virtual horizon is a level line, like the bubble in a builder's level.

On earlier Z cameras, you had to pick one or the other, but the Z9 lets you show both in the same display. Turn both on. They help you fix dark photos and crooked horizons before you even press the button.

PetaPixel's reviewer noted that with a few setting tweaks, the display stays fully active while you shoot bursts, with zero blackout. That helps you keep your subject in the frame. The rear screen also turns its shooting information when you hold the camera vertically.

Put your favorite settings on buttons

The Z9 has four customizable Fn buttons. Three are on the front and one is on the back. A custom button is a shortcut, like a speed-dial number on a phone.

For one example, a PetaPixel writer who has used every Nikon DSLR set Fn1 to Playback, where a second press zooms the picture to 100%, so he could check shots without lowering the camera. He set Fn2 to open Auto ISO settings and Fn3 to switch between FX and DX, which changes the picture from 45MP to 21MP. He also set the Fn4 button to open a short personal menu of settings he picked himself.

You do not need to copy that setup. Start by asking which setting you change most, and put it on the button that is easiest for your finger to reach.

One caution: the same writer was still unsure whether the Z9's Menu Banks could lock in your settings the way the U1, U2 and U3 options do on other Z cameras. Until you know how they behave on your camera, write your favorite settings on a note in your phone so you can rebuild them.

Leaving auto: the three settings that make the picture

Every photo is made by three settings working together. Shutter speed is how long the door stays open. Aperture is like the pupil of your eye, opening wide in the dark and getting small in bright sun. ISO is how sensitive the camera is to light, like turning up the volume on a quiet song.

A fast shutter freezes motion. Photographer Göran Strand said the Z9 can go down to an exposure time of 1/32000th of a second, which he used to photograph a biathlon bullet leaving a rifle. You will rarely need that, but it shows how much room the camera gives you.

If you use flash, the Z9's flash sync speed is 1/250th of a second, which can help reduce the background light. PetaPixel's reviewer said images shot at ISO 10,000 and higher were more usable than any he had seen before. That is his experience, and it suggests you can raise ISO in dim rooms instead of letting the photo turn blurry.

Auto ISO is a gentle first step out of full auto: you choose the shutter speed and aperture, and the camera handles ISO. If a photo comes out too dark or blurry, that is not a failure. It is the camera showing you which of the three settings to adjust next time.

If you shoot video

Nikon lists N-Log and HDR (HLG) video, a wave-form display, a red REC frame indicator and time codes among the Z9's video features. Turn on the red REC frame indicator first. It puts a red border on the screen while you record, so you never wonder whether the camera is rolling.

The Z9 can record 4K up to 120fps in 8- or 10-bit H.265, 10-bit Apple ProRes 4:2:2 HQ or 12-bit ProRes RAW HQ. Digital Camera World reported it never once overheated when shooting 4K 120p or 8K 30p, even past 2.5 hours. The same review noted that autofocus takes a hit in video compared with stills.

For your first video, H.265 in 10-bit is a simple start. Log formats like N-Log look flat and gray until you color them later, so leave those for when you are ready to edit. The beginner's guide to shooting video with any camera covers frame rates and shutter speed in plain terms.

Auto Capture

Nikon describes Auto Capture as a feature that takes photos or video by itself based on rules you set ahead of time, working together with the autofocus. Since firmware 5.0, you can set the start date, time and duration in advance. It is like setting a trail camera for wildlife. Leave it for later, once the everyday settings feel natural.

Your next step

Change a few settings, go take pictures, then come back and change a few more. The Z9 has a lot of menus, and nobody learns them in one evening. If you want a wider walkthrough of how Nikon menus are organized, the Nikon camera menu setup guide walks through each tab.