View Full Version : Top LCD & Shots Remaining
Visual Reality
11-09-2008, 10:56 AM
Is there any way to change this to # of shots taken? Shots remaining is never correct so there is no point in having it there. I always start out at 771 but can take well over 1000 before running out of space. This means I can usually take 2 shots to reduce the shots remaining by 1.
Shots taken would be much more helpful.
cyclone2
11-09-2008, 01:07 PM
My D80 gives me that information on the rear LCD as I take the shot.
A.F.A.I.K. there is no way to alter the readout on the top panel though.
Gasbull12
11-09-2008, 01:32 PM
I believe Cyclone is correct -- no way. I agree with you that shots remaining is not needed in the active control panel -- that value is already shown in the control panel when the power switch is off. So I replaced the shots remaining in the active control panel with the ISO setting.
As Cyclone indicates, the number of shots taken shows up in the display immediately after a photo is taken. Also when you press the playback button.
Visual Reality
11-09-2008, 02:14 PM
I believe Cyclone is correct -- no way. I agree with you that shots remaining is not needed in the active control panel - so I replaced the shots remaining in the active control panel with the ISO setting.
I lost you here - you did what? I thought you just said that wasn't possible.
As Cyclone indicates, the number of shots taken shows up in the display immediately after a photo is taken. Also when you press the playback button.
I realize this, but a much better place for it is where the shots remaining is on top. There is no point to have shots remaining if that number is never correct.
The shots remaining count becomes more accurate as the card fills. The reasons for this have been explained countless times before.
When the shots remaining count is less that about 50 it is virtually spot on and why does it matter how many shots you have remaining until you get towards the end of the card anyway?
Counting up would be useless if you think things through.
Counting up gives you no indication at all of how full your card is you could be quite happily snapping away thinking "that's great I've only taken 150 shots based on the count up" only to realise the next time you pushed the shutter with the perfect shot framed that you had forgotten that you only had a 1Gb card in the camera and it is now full and you missed the shot.
Visual Reality
11-09-2008, 04:54 PM
The shots remaining count becomes more accurate as the card fills. The reasons for this have been explained countless times before.
When the shots remaining count is less that about 50 it is virtually spot on and why does it matter how many shots you have remaining until you get towards the end of the card anyway?
Counting up would be useless if you think things through.
Counting up gives you no indication at all of how full your card is you could be quite happily snapping away thinking "that's great I've only taken 150 shots based on the count up" only to realise the next time you pushed the shutter with the perfect shot framed that you had forgotten that you only had a 1Gb card in the camera and it is now full and you missed the shot.
Wrong - I know how many shots I can take and if it displayed shots taken I know exactly how I'm doing.
As I said, it is pointless to display an incorrect number so why is it there at all? It tells me 700 but I can take well over 1,000. I have to take 2 shots to reduce the count by 1.
So where is the actual practical problem in having 1100 images remaining when you think that there is only 700 according to the screen?
As many people have said over the years when you get down to the business end of the card where there is only a small amount of space left the numbers are accurate and surely that is when it's important.
BTW how are you able to know the exact size of every shot you are taking before you take it?
Visual Reality
11-09-2008, 08:02 PM
Over tens of thousands of images my average file size is almost exactly 10MB. I can fit 1300-1500 images on my card.
That is why an accurate number counting up would be much more useful than an inaccurate number counting down.
not for me thanks.
btw: you;ve shot tens of thousands of images on your d300 already ???
achuang
11-09-2008, 11:23 PM
Don't know what's up with your counter, but mine is exact every time. I can fit 178 raw onto a 1GB card and it says that right when the card's empty.
Over tens of thousands of images my average file size is almost exactly 10MB. I can fit 1300-1500 images on my card.
That is why an accurate number counting up would be much more useful than an inaccurate number counting down.
So why are you complaining about the camera when you are using a variation of 200 (almost 15%) in what you say you can get on a card yet you say you know exactly how many images will fit.
You are either just stirring for the sake of it or you are so confused you are arguing against yourself.
ssil2000
11-10-2008, 12:11 AM
this seems weird, my counter is spot on within 5 or so images, doesnt matter if i switch between jpg and raw either...
further proof that the d300 is a rubbish camera! :D
this seems weird, my counter is spot on within 5 or so images, doesnt matter if i switch between jpg and raw either...
further proof that the d300 is a rubbish camera! :D
lol. i never noticed anything unusul about the counter. 394 shots every time i load the card. as you shoot it can vary, especially if you shoot in say auto iso in varying light. but as i mentioned to VR in another thread on this, mine never varies to that degree. certainly it never varies to the point where i notice.
not that hard for me, i just look for when the card has around 20 shots left, then i take it out and put another one in. cant really understand why its such an issue TBH.
Dread Pirate Roberts
11-10-2008, 04:43 AM
My D300 shows 199 Raw shots available on an emty 4GB card. Takes at least 300 though.
I really like the implicit warning of that top panel when it's showing eg 30 shots remaining though.
accord2003
11-10-2008, 06:12 AM
I get the same too. it shows around 150 but i usually get more than that. I wonder if it could be the loseless raw compression. some images are able to compress more than others. Therefore, the count is never accurate. just wondering.
Gasbull12
11-10-2008, 12:45 PM
I'll attempt to clarify what I was trying to say earlier. Regarding the rectangle in the Control Panel which, by default, shows the number of shots remaining, it is not an option to have "shots taken" in that box. However, If you don't want to see shots remaining in that box, you can replace shots remaining with your ISO setting (or max ISO if using auto). You will see either your set ISO, or your Max auto ISO setting in the rectangle when the power is on. When the power is off, the Control Panel defaults to shots remaining.
You can see the number of shots taken in the display, either immediately after the shot is taken, or by pressing the playback button.
Visual Reality
11-10-2008, 03:41 PM
Thanks Gasbull. I didn't know you could do that, but it doesn't sound very useful to me to have ISO there so I'll just leave it.
I shoot in lossless compressed NEF. Are you guys getting spot-on results shooting in JPEG?
And no I haven't shot tens of thousands on the D300 - but I'm close to that if you combine my D80 and D300 totals. My D80 was the same way, and I suspect it is the compressed NEF that it isn't able to estimate.
Although like I said over many thousands of images the average file size is 10MB so I don't see why they couldn't use that number.
XaiLo
11-10-2008, 04:20 PM
VR, I suggest either it's broken or it averages until it learns how you're shooting... at least it's a genius in the end. :p
the d80 and d300 should have different file sizes for sure. my file sizes are on average 15-19mb. but i have noticed my file sizes even in a single shoot can range from 11mb-19mb. i shoot lossless compressed NEF.
in one particualr example the differences are; f stop, (f2.8 vs f4), shutter speed, exposure mode, (Ap vs M), metering method, (spot vs matrix), iso (200 vs 640). i dont know why or if any of those make any difference at all, just pointing out the only differences in a single shoot that made shots vary from 11mb-19mb.
so with such a wide range of image file sizes its hardly surprising that the counter cant be exactly right.
Visual Reality
11-10-2008, 09:18 PM
You're saying they can't use the figure of 10 to come up with a more accurate number? The way it is, its like they are expecting 20MB files which would be more like uncompressed. Not that hard to change in a firmware fix, guess it didn't make the list of priorities.
what does the figure of 10 mean ? (sorry, btw, i shoot uncompressed aswell. i thought i had it on compressed but i don't).
how can they use a more accurate number ? if file sizes vary according to how/ what you shoot, how is the counter supposed to anticipate exactly what it is that you'll be shooting and how big the corresponding file sizes will be ?
wif file sizes vary according to how/ what you shoot, how is the counter supposed to anticipate exactly what it is that you'll be shooting and how big the corresponding file sizes will be ?
See you are missing the whole point here. What VR is saying is that he is so clever he knows exactly how big each of his next 1100 images will be and that he can mentally keep a track of how much space is remaining on his card in a way the the poor, rather dumb Nikon firmware cannot.
:D:D:D
those dopey nikon morons. no 85/1.4 af-s, no 70-200/4 VR and now THIS.
Visual Reality
11-11-2008, 07:29 AM
See you are missing the whole point here. What VR is saying is that he is so clever he knows exactly how big each of his next 1100 images will be and that he can mentally keep a track of how much space is remaining on his card in a way the the poor, rather dumb Nikon firmware cannot.
:D:D:D
Ugh...I thought I explained it pretty clearly, but I guess not. Over thousands of images, the average file size is 10MB. The camera is expecting around ~20MB and is estimating shots remaining based on that. Therefore, I get about 2x the shots it expects. Simple fix is to change the firmware to more accurately estimate shots remaining based on a 10MB file.
tekriter
11-11-2008, 10:43 AM
not for me thanks.
btw: you;ve shot tens of thousands of images on your d300 already ???
I'm well over 60,000 on my D300 already.
Shot 1,633 last Saturday alone.
Ugh...I thought I explained it pretty clearly, but I guess not. Over thousands of images, the average file size is 10MB. The camera is expecting around ~20MB and is estimating shots remaining based on that. Therefore, I get about 2x the shots it expects. Simple fix is to change the firmware to more accurately estimate shots remaining based on a 10MB file.
my average is around 18mb. what does 18mb translate to in compressed do you know ?
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