The Nikon Z6III is an incredible camera with superb image quality, build, and handling — but it can also feel complicated when you first start out. In this guide, I’m going to give you the exact settings I use as someone who shoots across multiple camera systems and has been a Nikon user for over a decade. These settings work brilliantly for general shooting, family photography, travel, and most everyday situations. They also give you a solid base you can tweak depending on what you shoot.
I always try to keep things as simple and logical as possible, with all vital settings available at the touch of a button instead of buried in menus. So if you’ve just bought your Z6III and want to set it up quickly, the settings below will give you a fast, reliable, and intuitive starting point — and help you get the very best out of the image quality and speed this camera offers.
📘 Quick Navigation
Basic Setup (Out of the Box)
Before changing any shooting settings, it’s worth running through a few quick setup steps in the Setup Menu (spanner icon). These make the Z6III behave properly from day one and avoid small issues later on.
• Time zone and date
Set your local timezone and make sure the date format is correct so your metadata stays accurate.
• Auto temperature cut-out
If you shoot video or long bursts in warm climates, set this to High.
Otherwise, leave it on Standard.
• Clean Image Sensor
Set Automatic Cleaning → Clean at Shutdown.
This keeps dust under control without you having to think about it.
• Copyright Information
Add your Artist Name and Copyright Info here.
It embeds your details into every image and is worth doing properly.
• Voice Memo (optional but useful)
If you’re shooting documentary work or want to record quick notes, set Voice Memo → Press and Hold to Record in the Image Playback menu.
It’s a simple but powerful workflow feature.
• USB Power Delivery
Turn this On if you plan to charge or power the camera over USB-C.
Useful for travel or long days out.
• Firmware Version
Check your firmware and update it if needed.
You can update via the Nikon SnapBridge app or by downloading firmware from Nikon’s website and copying it to a memory card.
Photo Shooting Menu
The Shooting Menu is where you set the core behaviour of the Z6III — things like file formats, autofocus behaviour, ISO, and how the camera handles your memory cards. Most of these are “set once and forget,” and they form the baseline I use for all general, family, and travel photography.
Secondary Slot Function
Backup
I always set Slot 2 to Backup so every image is copied to both cards. It’s the safest option and prevents losing images if a card fails.
If you shoot high-speed bursts for wildlife, motorsport, or birds, switch to:
- Overflow if you shoot RAW only
- RAW Primary / JPEG Secondary if you shoot RAW + JPEG
This prevents the buffer from filling too quickly.
Image Area
FX (Full Frame)
Always keep this at full resolution unless you have a very specific reason not to.
Tone Mode
SDR
Leave this on SDR unless you specifically output to HDR displays. Most people don’t need HDR for stills.
Image Quality
- RAW – If you’re happy to process your images (my recommendation)
- JPEG – If you want usable photos straight out of camera
RAW Recording
I use High Efficiency*.
It offers the best balance between image quality and file size, with no visible loss in real-world shooting.
File size reference:
- Lossless Compressed: ~55MB
- High Efficiency*: ~33MB
- High Efficiency: ~22MB
On a 512GB CFexpress Type B card, this gives roughly:
- 2,500 images (Lossless)
- 5,600 images (High Efficiency*)
- 7,700 images (High Efficiency)
ISO Sensitivity Settings
- ISO Sensitivity: 100
- Auto ISO Sensitivity Control: On
- Maximum Sensitivity: 12,800
- Minimum Shutter Speed: 1/200s
These values work brilliantly for everyday shooting, especially people.
ISO 12,800 is very clean on the Z6III, so I’m happy to let the camera go that high.
Minimum shutter speed 1/200s freezes movement in general family, portrait, and travel photography.
If you shoot sports or wildlife, increase this minimum shutter to suit the subject.
White Balance
Auto 1
If you’re shooting RAW (as I do), this doesn’t matter too much — it’s easily adjusted later.
Auto 1 gives a neutral result without over-correcting warm light.
Picture Control
Standard
Doesn’t affect RAW files, but it’s a good baseline for previewing how the finished image might look.
Color Space
- Adobe RGB if you print or want the widest colour information
- sRGB if you mainly publish online (more compatible with screens)
I use Adobe RGB because I print frequently.
Long Exposure Noise Reduction
On
This takes a dark-frame exposure after long exposures, doubling the capture time.
Useful if you shoot night scenes or astro; irrelevant for normal shooting.
High ISO Noise Reduction
Low (JPEG only)
Keeps more detail while still reducing noise.
RAW shooters can ignore this setting.
Metering
Matrix Metering (90% of the time)
Reliable, predictable, and works for almost everything.
Release Mode
- Single Frame for general photography
- Continuous modes for wildlife, sports, and action
Choose based on the subject.
Focus Mode
AF-C (Continuous AF)
I don’t see any reason to use AF-S on the Z6III — AF-C is fast, accurate, and reliable in almost every situation.
The only exception is tripod-based landscape work, where you may want AF-S or manual focus to avoid refocusing every time the shutter is pressed.
AF Area Mode
3D Tracking
After a lot of testing, I’ve found Nikon’s 3D Tracking so reliable that I rarely switch away from it now.
It gives you a precise AF box and exceptional subject tracking.
I simply place the box on my subject and, while holding the shutter half-pressed, recompose freely. I do have a neat little exception programmed via the custom functions settings further down this article though.
Subject Detection
Auto for general use.
Switch as needed:
- People for portraits
- Animals/Birds for wildlife
- Off if shooting landscapes or products
Link VR to Focus Point
On
This stabilises the area around the chosen AF point rather than the centre — very helpful when composing off-centre portraits.
Other Computational Features
This menu also includes tools like Multiple Exposure, Time-Lapse Video, Interval Timer, Pre-Release Capture, and Focus Shift Shooting.
Use these as required — they’re not essential for initial setup.
Custom Settings Menu
The Z6III gives you a huge amount of freedom to assign buttons and make the camera behave exactly how you want it to. My approach is always the same: put the essentials under my fingers, keep everything else out of the way.
These are the custom controls that I’ve found work best for general, family, and travel photography.
A: Autofocus Sub-Menu
A1 — AF-C Priority Selection: Focus + Release
I use Focus + Release because I don’t want the camera firing off a stream of out-of-focus shots, but I also don’t want it refusing to fire just because it hasn’t given full focus confirmation yet. This strikes the perfect balance.
AF-S Priority Selection: Focus
Set to Focus for the most accurate single-shot autofocus.
Focus Tracking with Lock-On: 3 (Default)
Leave this at the default 3. It works very well on the Z6III.
Focus Points Used: All Points
Set to All, giving you the full AF area to work with.
A6 — AF Activation: Shutter/AF-ON or AF-ON Only
If you prefer back-button focus, choose AF-ON Only.
I personally use Shutter/AF-ON because I use the shutter and AF-ON button differently (explained later in the Custom Settings section).
A10 — Focus Point Display
This lets you change how the focus point looks.
I leave mine White, but switch to Red if the environment makes it easier to see.
Built-in AF Assist Illuminator: Off
I never use the AF assist lamp. It’s distracting, and if it’s dark enough to need it, I’m either manually focusing or not taking the shot.
Focus Peaking
Leave at the default settings, with Red as the peaking colour.
Focus Point Selection Speed: Normal
I keep this on Normal — High moves the point far too quickly for my slow reactions!
B: Metering / Exposure Sub-Menu
B3 — Easy Exposure Compensation: On (Auto Reset)
I always turn this on. It allows you to adjust exposure compensation instantly using the rear dial when shooting in Aperture/Shutter Priority, without needing to press the dedicated exposure compensation button.
Setting it to Auto Reset ensures exposure compensation returns to 0 the next time you power on the camera.
It’s a great safeguard against accidentally shooting an entire session over- or under-exposed.
B4 — Matrix Metering Face Detection: On
This allows the camera to bias exposure toward faces in the frame, helping ensure people are correctly exposed.
C: Timers / AE-Lock Sub-Menu
C3 — Power-Off Delay
There are several options here, but the main one I change is Standby Timer → 5 minutes.
This stops the camera going to sleep too quickly, which makes it far more responsive when shooting intermittently.
Sub-Menu f2 – Custom Controls: Shooting
Fn1 — Switch Eyes
I set Fn1 to Switch Eyes, which lets you quickly toggle between left and right eye when shooting portraits. It’s simple and fast.
Fn2 — Focus Mode / AF-Area Mode
I set Fn2 to Focus Mode / AF Area Mode, replicating the Nikon Z8’s dedicated AF button.
This gives you quick access to change your AF settings on the fly.
AF-ON — AF-Area Mode + AF-ON
I assign AF-ON to AF-Area Mode + AF-ON and use it differently from the shutter button.
- The shutter button uses 3D Tracking
- The AF-ON button switches instantly to Wide-Area AF (L)
This lets me immediately use a wider AF area when needed, without having to move the smaller 3D Tracking box into position.
Record Button — Metering Mode
I set the record button to Metering Mode, which gives me quick access to switch between the different metering types — including Highlight-Weighted, which I sometimes prefer in difficult lighting.
Other Buttons
All other function buttons are left at their default settings.
Playback Custom Control
The only other permanent change I make to my Z6III is to ensure that in Custom Controls playback Menu, I have voice recording set to the Fn1 button.
Final Thoughts
These are the settings that give me the most reliable, consistent results from the Nikon Z6III across everyday shooting, travel, family moments, and general photography. They keep the camera fast, simple, and predictable, while still letting you take full advantage of its excellent autofocus and image quality. Once you’ve used these as a baseline, you can fine-tune things to suit your own style and the subjects you shoot most often — but this setup will get you shooting confidently from day one.