cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

I use the focus shift feature on my D850 a lot; it's why I decided to upgrade from my D810. I recently ran into a problem with that feature. After putting a set of images in folder number 999, it could no longer create a new folder for another set of images, unless I fed it a formatted card, and it would then write one more folder numbered 999.

I just spent an hour on the phone with Nikon about this problem. I spoke with a very, very nice guy, very tolerant of my many ignorances. Got my firmware updated. Learned my refurb D850 came with an incorrect body cap; he couldn't sell me a new one because they're out of stock. Learned that my serial number, which starts with a 3, was still not grey market, as someone on the Hog had indicated. Reset everything to no effect on my original problem.


While we talked, I began to search my online manual, and learned how to manually reset that folder number to 100 (nothing less seems possible). You go into the Photo Shooting Menu, go down to and open Storage folder, and then open either Select Folder By Number or Select from List. As usual, Easy Peasy, once you know how.

So, if like me, you're a rabid focus shift shooter, you'll bump into this issue, and you now have a solution, and you won't have to kill an hour or more talking to Nikon.

Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

Don't know that I'd call myself a 'rabid' --all that ceaseless frothing at the mouth and snarling at strangers (and even friends!!!1!) comes across as being a bit.... uhm... excessive, y'know?-- anything, but the f64 tendencies (and 'aesthetic', if there is such a word) I carry over from those dim, dark days of shooting large format has, in fact, translated itself out into shooting a whole lot of focus stacked stuff these digital days.

Which, admittedly, has nothing to do with either Nikon's numbering system or the conundrum you faced regarding resets, deep dives into the Menus, or anything of the kind. Notwithstanding the fact I don't own a focus shifting (ah! so that's what Nikon calls that feature? I sort of wondered...) D850, and what focus stacked images I've made with my D810 have been done the hard way, by manually re-focusing from one frame to the next, as quickly as possible, I confess that having that in-camera focus-shifting capability has tempted me --more than once-- to consider putting out the big bucks to upgrade. So far, however, I've resisted that temptation.

And to maintain the status of this off-topic comment, I do, however, use the 'focus bracketing' feature built into my Fuji X-T3 an awful lot. In fact, dang near exclusively. I ascribe the use of that to this hold-over f64 tendency I just can't seem (or want) to break.

Quixdraw Loc: x

I guess they are painful, but there are vaccinations.

Bill_de Loc: US

Many people ignore the button on the left side of the camera back, the one with the "?". Pressing that would have told you what to do.

That "?" doesn't answer every question, but if folks would get used to using it they would save themselves a lot of time. No need to read the manual, call camera manufacturer, or create a thread.

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saxman71 Loc: Wenatchee

First off I was going to jump all over his misspelling of "rapid". But I see now he did in fact mean rabid. Even though I have no idea what a "focus shift" feature is (probably because I'm still using a D810), I found this to be an interesting post. He talked to an actual live person and had a positive interaction.

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

No frothing at the mouth, and very little interaction with strangers with COVID and all, but pretty darned cranky about my favorite mode being handicapped.

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

I don't find 'em so painful, Quixie; we take Ole Riley to the vet just about every year.

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

So, Bill, do you have experience with the "?" button solving this particular problem, or are you just suggesting that maybe it would have helped, and I should learn to use it? BTW, the guy at Nikon didn't suggest it.

tcthome Loc: NJ

I might pick up the D850 for the tilt screen & the focus shift feature. Are you talking Focus Shift for focus stacking later on in post? If so, you are saying you have to create a separate folder for each set of photos you want to stack to keep them separated? If so, I would probably just take a photo of my hand inbetween each set, if I understand your question correctly. Glad you worked it out.

tcthome Loc: NJ

Fuji focus stacks them in camera? Or???

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

Yes, for focus stacking later in post. Yes, separate folder for separate stacks; the hand in between each set works OK, but then, if I've got say 10 sets of 90 images each, that's a folder of nearly 90,000 MB, and that can be hard to manage in Bridge. I guess I could then cut and paste into ten folders, just a bit of a bother, especially having gotten used to the luxury of the camera doing it for me.