Frame counter on the Z8

[John Di Leo]

I tried unsuccessfully to find this answer in the manual.

Is there a way to show in the control panel the number of exposures taken instead of the number of potential exposures remaining?

Thanks in advance

[ShunCheung]

I have never had the need to determine how many frames the camera has captured, and since which point? Nikon can estimate how many frames the camera can capture before the memory card is full, based on the current remaining space on the card. (If there are two cards in the backup mode, it would be the smaller remaining space between the two cards. If it is in the overflow mode, only the card currently in use is taken into consideration.) For the question of how many frames has been captured so far, the question would be when do you start counting? Since you insert the memory card into the camera, since you change batteries, since you switch on the camera the last time? Do existing images on the card, either from this Z8 or from another camera, count?

The battery, i.e. the EN-EL15c (or earlier mode) on the Z8 does keep track of the number of exposures since you last recharge it. Therefore, if you use a freshly recharged battery on a Z8, that is one way to keep track of the number of frames. Check "battery info" in the Set Up menu.

[mike_halliwell]

You could reset (d8 RESET) the frame ID number, ie to DSCN 0000 before a shoot. But it can make filing tricky as you end up with lots of duplicate file numbers, depending on your chosen system.

If your display setting show frame ID, it's there after every shot, although if you delete a frame the latest file number doesn't go down.

 

[John Di Leo]

On my d810 I used a card that could hold "397" raw images, so I could easily do the math to determine how many I shot.

But with larger cards I cannot "do the math" when the display is showing "4.5k."

It is useful to me because of a particular situation, ie Mardi Gras—which was yesterday, and the 10 days or so proceeding.

I have to work the pix in the computer every evening after parades, and that takes time. It would be useful to be able to glance at the control panel display to see how many I've shot—not to limit the shooting, but just to get an idea where I am.  For example, yesterday, as I was shooting I had the feeling that I wasn't shooting as much as I usually do. It wasn't until I got home and uploaded them that I found I shot 278 images. That's about average, but knowing that would have quelled my concern.

It would seem like a simple software fix to change the frames remaining display to show frames taken. Video could possibly screw that number up, but I'll bet Nikon could address that.

Thanks

[ShunCheung]

Again, the problem is what is your definition for number of frames taken? The number of images on that particular card? The number of image captured so far on that day .... If there are two cards in the backup mode, the number of images could be different on the two cards. It is very different from film, where the definition should be number of frame already captured on that roll.

If you don't want to use the battery info, you can remember the first image number for that day, or whenever your starting point is, and do the math based on the last image number.

[bgelfand]

I cannot write about the Z cameras, but on my D750 when I review the images on the rear LCD, the number of the image is shown in the upper right hand corner as n/k, where n is the number of the image I am looking at and k is the number images on the card.

[ShunCheung]

11 hours ago, bgelfand said:

I cannot write about the Z cameras, but on my D750 when I review the images on the rear LCD, the number of the image is shown in the upper right hand corner as n/k, where n is the number of the image I am looking at and k is the number images on the card.

Excellent point. The Z8 has that feature also. However, just like the D750, the Z8 has two memory card slots. If the two cards have different images on them, the camera can display different numbers, depending on which card the display image is coming from. And it is showing the total number of images on that card. The count could be including images from a day ago, a month ago or even 6 months ago, depending on when that card was last formatted.

[glen_h]

20 hours ago, ShunCheung said:

Again, the problem is what is your definition for number of frames taken? The number of images on that particular card? The number of image captured so far on that day .... If there are two cards in the backup mode, the number of images could be different on the two cards. It is very different from film, where the definition should be number of frame already captured on that roll.

 

I think there are some film cameras that show the number left on the roll, though you have to start it at the right number.

(That is, ones that don't automatically reset and count down.)

 

Usually the shot number, that is the part that goes after the letters, is enough for me.

I could probably memorize the starting shot of the day, though maybe a reminder of some kind would help.

On the Nikon DSLRs that I have, I can set the letters that go on the image file.

I have different ones for each camera, so I can tell them apart.  The D200 has TWO.

 

[John Di Leo]

On 2/14/2024 at 7:08 PM, ShunCheung said:

Again, the problem is what is your definition for number of frames taken? The number of images on that particular card? The number of image captured so far on that day .... If there are two cards in the backup mode, the number of images could be different on the two cards. It is very different from film, where the definition should be number of frame already captured on that roll.

If you don't want to use the battery info, you can remember the first image number for that day, or whenever your starting point is, and do the math based on the last image number.

yeah, but that requires mental discipline. :-)

I would think that if I went out with a newly formatted card the "k" number, mentioned by bgelfand, would start at 0, but it does not. It appears to show number of exposures taken by the camera from the beginning of time.

The next Mardi Gras is a year away, and the issue will not arise again until then, and by then I may be mature enough to use Shun's method.

All good points raised though. Thanks.

[bgelfand]

2 hours ago, John Di Leo said:

I would think that if I went out with a newly formatted card the "k" number, mentioned by bgelfand, would start at 0, but it does not. It appears to show number of exposures taken by the camera from the beginning of time.

Not on my D750. I always format my cards in the camera after I upload the images to my computer and back them up. Last night I tested before I posted. I took two shots. They were labeled 2/2 and 1/2; the number starts at 1. I know I have taken many more than 2 images since I have owned the camera. 😉 No, the number cannot start at zero. Zero would mean there are no images on the card which gives a message that the folder is empty when you try to review the images. 

 

12 hours ago, ShunCheung said:

However, just like the D750, the Z8 has two memory card slots. If the two cards have different images on them, the camera can display different numbers, depending on which card the display image is coming from.

If you are using the cards in Backup mode (which is the way I use my cards), the number of images on each card would be the same; the numbers would be the same. If you are using the cards in Overflow, I suspect the numbers would reflect the total number of images taken on the two cards, although I have never tried this. If you are using the cards as RAW in slot 1 and JPEG in slot 2, I suspect the number k would reflect the number of RAW images. If you fill the RAW card and inset a new card in slot 1 and retain the old card for JPEG in slot two. I suspect the numbers would reflect only the RAW image count, but have never tried it. 

[ShunCheung]

7 hours ago, bgelfand said:

If you are using the cards in Backup mode (which is the way I use my cards), the number of images on each card would be the same; the numbers would be the same.

When you think about it, you'll realize that is not always the case. I use the dual cards in the backup mode also, but I don't format the cards together. For example, I may have a 128G card in the first slot and a 512G in the second slot. I upload from the 128G daily and then format it, but I just leave the 512G card in its card slot and will only take it out after a few days. After the first day, the number of images on the cards will differ.

Sometimes I also have a 1TB card in slot 1 for video and a smaller card in slot 2 for photo. Since there is no backup mode for video, the card in slot 1 will have both photo and video, but the card in slot 2 will only have photo. The image counts on the two cards will quickly differ.

Quote

If you are using the cards in Overflow, I suspect the numbers would reflect the total number of images taken on the two cards, although I have never tried this. If you are using the cards as RAW in slot 1 and JPEG in slot 2, I suspect the number k would reflect the number of RAW images. If you fill the RAW card and inset a new card in slot 1 and retain the old card for JPEG in slot two. I suspect the numbers would reflect only the RAW image count, but have never tried it. 

No, that is not how Nikon designs it. In the backup mode, the remaining image count is derived from the card will the smaller remaining space between the two. When that runs out, the camera will stop taking pictures, even though there is plenty of space on the other card.

In the overflow mode, the remaining image count is based on the remaining space on the current memory card. The space available on the other card is not factored in, regardless of how large or small that may be.

[bgelfand]

4 hours ago, ShunCheung said:

No, that is not how Nikon designs it. In the backup mode, the remaining image count is derived from the card will the smaller remaining space between the two. When that runs out, the camera will stop taking pictures, even though there is plenty of space on the other card.

In the overflow mode, the remaining image count is based on the remaining space on the current memory card. The space available on the other card is not factored in, regardless of how large or small that may be.

Agreed, if the Original Poster wanted remaining space. But the Original Poster's question was: 

On 2/12/2024 at 4:58 PM, John Di Leo said:

Is there a way to show in the control panel the number of exposures taken instead of the number of potential exposures remaining?

He specifically asked for exposures taken not exposures remaining. I believe he was trying to estimate the time it would take him to post process the images he was taking and adjust his shooting appropriately to give him time post process after the shoot.

Although I am not specifically answering the question either since my solution requires pressing the REVIEW button and not just glancing at the control panel. I also assume that for two cards, both have been formatted at the same time. Since I always format the cards in the camera, it takes only a few seconds more to format the second card after the first. Of course the D750 does not have the secure format feature that I understand the Z cameras have which very probably takes longer to execute. 

My answer also does not take video into consideration. On the D750, a video is counted as one image. If I have 4 still images on the card, then take a video, and finally another still image, the last still image would have a 6/6 count; the video would be 5/6. Of course videos will take longer to post process than a still image, and my method does not differentiate.