General Help

Help on photography, Nikonians, Nikon & third-parties

At Nikonians we have many resources to help you out, no matter if you have issues with using your Nikon equipment, problems with third-party hardware or any questions about some software, the community itself or with your membership.

Make sure you sign up with Nikonians to get access to several areas that are not available to visitors. Signing up is free at the basic level which gives you access to many of our forums. At the Silver level you get access to all of our premium articles plus more (starting at $3.90 USD).

We are advertising free and operate solemnly thanks to all the members that are donating their time to volunteer in various capacities and members who participate in our fundraising and pay memberships. Have a question about your membership? See the membership FAQs. Want to volunteer and help other photographers? Contact us.

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Did Nikonians help you?

Please do share that you did with your colleagues, friends and family and make sure they learn about this friendly community of Nikon shooters as well. And, if you are not on a paid membership yet, please do upgrade. By doing that, you ensure we can continue helping you and others -- Big thanks!

"This is a treasure. The information at Nikonians is great,
and I am glad and honored to be part of this group." -- Marcelo Mec, Texas, USA

How to get help about Nikon gear & third-party photography equipment

You probably want to start out with the forums and ask a question relating to your problem.

Short tips on how to find information on your Nikon gear here at Nikonians.
In this short video example we are looking for more info on the Nikon Z7 and its battery.

Click the button "Post new message" in any forum to get help on any camera issue,
equipment problem or photography question you might have.

The forums is like having a "living photography manual" at your fingertips. 24/7.
There is always someone with excellent skills being online at Nikonians.

How to post a question on a camera problem or similar

Remember, no question is too dumb to be asked! Ask a Nikon specific or a photography-related question and get help from seasoned professionals and ambitious amateur photographers.

1. You reach the forums via the "Forums" link in the top menu. Select the forum related to your question. You can also search the forums through the built-in search via the search box in the top right area, which is context sensitive, taken the area you are in into consideration.

Example: If you are interested to understand "Why your Nikon D780 is not turning off its monitor/display even if it is configured to do so", you can go to the Nikon D780/D750/D700 forum in the MASTER YOUR NIKON CAMERA section and ask that question.

Use the button "Post new message" in the top right area of the forum and a message form shows. Use that form to post your question.

Make the subject line short and to the point, e.g. "Monitor does not turn off" instead of "My D780 back display is not going dark even after 55 minutes". The latter would probably be refused by the system for being too long anyway, but you probably get the drift. Short and to the point is easier to read and gets more answers than long stories. This is often true when it comes to solving problems.

2. You can use the in-depth resources/articles section at Nikonians, which can be browsed by a specific area, e.g. "How-to's", "Camera reviews" or by "Show all topics" where you can list all articles tagged with a specific keyword, e.g. containing the tag D850.

Or, use the search facility, located at the top to search e.g. for all articles containing the word "D850".

Short video (screencast) on how to post a question in the forums.
Remember: Never be afraid of asking questions.
We are a friendly bunch and all have had a lot of questions ourselves, and still do.

Need general help on Nikon

We have many resources available on Nikon, such as our compatibility charts. If you are not sure where to find what, ask in the About Nikonians forum.

Need help on a specific Nikon camera

Forums: Consult the MASTER YOUR NIKON CAMERA forum area aka "conference" and select the forum best matching your gear.
Resources: Nikon camera articles are found under Camera Reviews

"Long Live Nikonians !!!! Never saw a more friendlier, decent and a civilized
site than Nikonians." -- Dr. Dinil Abeygunawardane, Sri Lanka

Need more info on a specific Nikon (Nikkor) lens

Forums: The area for this is the MASTER YOUR LENSES forum area which contains forums for both Nikkor and non-nikon, third-party lenses such as these from Tamron, Sigma, Zeiss and Tokina.
Resources: Nikkor articles and guides are under the articles in Lens Reviews

Need info on post-processing, photography workflow, Adobe

Forums: MASTER YOUR TOOLS forum section is your friend for this. Here you can find the Post-processing and workflow forum which holds information and discussions on all the software & workflow aspects of image production.

You will find specific subforums on software such as those solutions and products provided by Adobe, Apple, Phase One, Photomatix & other HDR software. Software from Nikon, Nik and Nikonians as well as those from PhotoMechanic, Paint Shop Pro and other editing software. Fotostation, iMatch and other database / catalogue software is being discussed there as well as RAW converters and specialist programs like Corel AfterShot pro (formerla Bibble), DXO software and SilverFast by Lasersoft.

Resources: Articles on processing and workflow are available as well.

You may also want to see the Help/Important Adobe Resources page containing important links to various places on the web for more help and support on Adobe products and services.

How to compose a photograph

See our articles on photography & composition

How do to image stacking or scout for great locations?

Try our photo guides on many topics from image blending, scouting for good photo locations, how to create your home studio or how to shoot stars.

Taking photographs or videos of specific subjects

Forums: MASTER YOUR VISION forum area contains sections for all kinds of photography and that is a good start to post your question.

Get advice & help: You can also post for critique in the Premium Advice and Critique forum to get actionable help and feedback on your work (available to members on Gold level and higher).

How to get actionable, constructive critique on your photographs

You need specific advice on a photograph you took with direct ideas on what to improve, and how to achieve that?

If you upload your image to the Nikonians galleries, you can opt for receiving feedback on your work.
See this short screen capture/video for info how to do that.

1. Make sure you are logged in and that you are on Gold level or higher

2. Upload the photograph for which you need help to your gallery

3. Below your image, click the button "Please critique..." and optionally provide additional information about it. Submit your request.

4. Your image has now automatically been posted in the Premium Advice and Critique forum and you will be informed via email when a member has posted a reply to it.

Rocky Mountain National Park, 2014. Nikon D3X, Nikkor AF-S 12-24/2.8 by bgs

Not on Gold yet?

By upgrading, you are not only getting several benefits, such as advice & critique on your work and your own portfolio, but you also can upload of NEFs in the forums, you have your own nikonians.org email address, large image space for sharing/collaboration plus much more.

"Hello, I was referred here by Nikon tech support.
It was so cool I signed up Silver." -- Dennis Driscoll, California, USA

Need more info on Nikonians photo contests

See the Nikonians photography contests page for more information about our many contests and photo assignments. The contests and assignments are open to all Nikon photographers on Silver membership or higher.

Need help with uploading images to my gallery

We have a page with info on how to upload photographs to your Nikonians gallery.

Need help with my portfolio at Nikonians

Please consult the help page on how to manage my Nikonians portfolio

How to share and collaborate on images with clients

Please consult the help page on how to do photo sharing and client proofing

Need help with my membership

If you have a specific issue or question regarding your membership, do not hesitate to contact us. We also have a FAQ section on our memberships.

Need more info about the community

See the About Nikonians forum where we post updates on things pertaining to our community and where you can ask questions regarding it.

Using our community & finding your ways - see our articles to help you find your way around in the community

Our Wiki pages: Here you'll find the Frequently Asked Questions section which you may want to consult including the Galleries Guide to help you use Your Nikonians Gallery.