For a long time, the U1, U2 and U3 positions on the mode dial of my Nikon Z6 II were simply three settings I ignored.

I knew roughly what they were for. They allowed me to save different camera configurations and recall them by turning the mode dial.

That sounded useful, but apparently not useful enough for me to actually set them up.

I was accustomed to configuring the camera manually. Changing the aperture, autofocus mode or ISO settings only took a few moments, and I liked knowing exactly what the camera was doing.

Adjusting those settings felt like a normal part of taking photographs.

The problem was not that any individual setting was difficult to change. The problem was how many settings I sometimes needed to change together.

Moving from everyday photography to macro photography involved more than selecting a different aperture. I also wanted manual focus, Focus Peaking, a lower Auto ISO limit and viewfinder magnification assigned to the Fn2 button.

Preparing the camera for flash photography required another collection of changes.

Eventually, it became clear that I was repeatedly rebuilding the same setups.

That was when U1, U2 and U3 finally began to make sense.

What the User Modes Actually Do

The User Modes allow combinations of camera settings to be saved to the U1, U2 and U3 positions on the mode dial.

They are not additional automatic modes, and they do not make photographic decisions for me.

Each position simply recalls a collection of settings that I have chosen and saved myself.

That makes every User Mode a prepared starting point.

I can turn the dial to U2 and have the camera configured for handheld macro photography. If I then want to return to a more general setup, U3 brings back my everyday settings without requiring another visit to the menus.

I can still change the aperture, shutter speed, autofocus mode or any other setting after selecting a User Mode.

The saved configuration does not lock the camera or force me to photograph in a particular way.

It simply gets me closer to where I want to be.

Why I Ignored Them

Habit was probably the main reason.

I already knew how to change the settings I used regularly, so saving them did not seem necessary. Configuring everything manually also gave me a reassuring sense of control.

There was another problem: I did not know what to assign to the three positions.

Should they be based on subjects such as portraits, landscapes and wildlife? Should they represent different lighting conditions? Would I use them often enough to remember which was which?

Three empty User Modes somehow created more questions than answers.

For a while, ignoring them was easier.

What eventually changed was not my understanding of the camera. It was my patience with repeatedly making the same groups of adjustments.

I stopped thinking of U1, U2 and U3 as special shooting modes and began seeing them as three prepared versions of my Nikon Z6 II.

Each one could be configured for a situation I regularly encountered.

That made their purpose much clearer.

Why I Finally Started Using Them

The main reason was speed.

When a situation changed, I wanted to spend less time preparing the camera and more time taking photographs.

This was particularly noticeable with flash and macro photography. Both required settings that were quite different from those I used during an ordinary walk.

I could remember most of the changes, but “most” is not always enough.

It was easy to change the exposure mode and aperture but forget the autofocus configuration. I might enable a feature for macro photography and only discover later that it was still active when I returned to general photography.

The User Modes reduced that friction.

Instead of starting with whichever settings happened to be active, I could begin with a familiar configuration designed for the situation in front of me.

My current setup, as of July 2026, is based on three practical scenarios:

  • U1 for flash photography
  • U2 for handheld macro photography
  • U3 for everyday photography

They are not intended to cover every possible subject.

They are simply the three combinations that currently save me the most time.

U1 – Flash Photography

U1 is my dedicated setup for indoor photography, events and portraits using my Nikon SB-700 Speedlight.

My starting settings are:

  • Exposure mode: Manual
  • Shutter speed: 1/200 second
  • Aperture: f/4
  • ISO: 100
  • Auto ISO: Enabled
  • Maximum ISO: 6400
  • Maximum ISO with flash: 6400
  • White balance: Auto
  • Focus mode: AF-C
  • AF-area mode: Auto-area AF with people detection
  • Vibration Reduction: On
  • Flash compensation: 0 EV
  • Silent photography: Off
  • Image quality: RAW

I normally use Continuous H as the release mode for this setup.

The SB-700 is set to TTL-BL, with flash compensation at 0 EV.

Manual exposure mode gives me a fixed shutter speed and aperture, while Auto ISO can respond to changes in the available light within the limit I have chosen.

The purpose of U1 is not to guarantee a perfect flash exposure without any thought.

Flash photography still depends on the room, the amount of ambient light, the subject and how I position or bounce the Speedlight.

U1 simply gives me a consistent place to begin.

Once the SB-700 is attached, the camera is already set to 1/200 second, f/4 and the autofocus configuration I normally use for people.

That is considerably easier than trying to remember every setting while something is already happening in front of the camera.

U2 – Macro Photography

U2 is configured for flowers, insects, mushrooms and other close-up subjects.

This mode is mainly intended for handheld macro photography.

My settings are:

  • Exposure mode: Manual
  • Shutter speed: 1/200 second
  • Aperture: f/8
  • ISO: 100
  • Auto ISO: Enabled
  • Maximum ISO: 1600
  • Maximum ISO with flash: 1600
  • Focus mode: Manual focus
  • Focus Peaking: On
  • Focus Peaking colour: Red
  • Focus Peaking level: 2
  • White balance: Auto
  • Vibration Reduction: On
  • Flash mode: TTL-BL
  • Silent photography: Off
  • Image quality: RAW
  • Fn2 button: 100% viewfinder magnification, Zoom on/off

I normally use Single Frame as the release mode.

Macro photography is where the User Modes have become particularly useful for me.

The difference between this and my normal configuration is not limited to exposure. Manual focus, Focus Peaking and viewfinder magnification are all part of the workflow.

Focus Peaking gives me a visible indication of the areas that appear to be in focus. I use red highlights at level 2, which makes them easy to see without covering too much of the subject.

The Fn2 button gives me quick access to a 100% magnified view in the viewfinder. This helps when I need to examine a small part of a flower, insect or mushroom more closely before taking the photograph.

I use a shutter speed of 1/200 second and an aperture of f/8 as my starting point.

Auto ISO is enabled but limited to ISO 1600. This gives the camera some freedom to respond to changing light while keeping the ISO range more restricted than in my general-purpose modes.

The important part is how these settings work together.

Turning the dial to U2 does more than select f/8. It prepares the Nikon Z6 II for the way I prefer to approach handheld close-up photography.

U3 – Everyday Photography

U3 is my general-purpose setup.

I use it for walks, travel and situations where I simply want to enjoy taking photographs without spending too much time thinking about the camera configuration.

My settings are:

  • Exposure mode: Aperture Priority
  • Aperture: f/5.6
  • ISO: 100
  • Auto ISO: Enabled
  • Maximum ISO: 6400
  • Minimum shutter speed: Auto
  • Focus mode: AF-C
  • AF-area mode: Auto-area AF with people detection
  • White balance: Auto
  • Vibration Reduction: On
  • Silent photography: Off
  • Image quality: RAW

I normally use Single Frame as the release mode.

Compared with the other two modes, U3 is deliberately uncomplicated.

Aperture Priority lets me choose the aperture while the camera selects an appropriate shutter speed.

I use f/5.6 as my starting point because it gives me a flexible general-purpose configuration without committing the camera to a particularly shallow or deep depth of field.

Auto ISO can rise to ISO 6400, and the minimum shutter speed is set to Auto.

AF-C and Auto-area AF with people detection provide a flexible starting point when people or movement appear in front of the camera.

None of this prevents me from changing the aperture, autofocus area or any other setting.

U3 is not intended to make decisions for me.

It is there so I can pick up the camera and begin with a setup that works for many ordinary situations.

It is the mode for occasions when the photography matters more than preparing the camera.

Settings I Keep Consistent

Some settings remain the same across all three configurations.

They provide a consistent foundation regardless of which User Mode I select:

  • Image quality: RAW
  • Histogram available during playback
  • Highlight warning enabled during playback
  • Image review: Off
  • Release without memory card: Off
  • High ISO Noise Reduction: Low
  • Long Exposure Noise Reduction: Off
  • Silent photography: Off
  • Copyright information stored in the camera
  • File Number Sequence: On

I shoot in RAW because I want the available flexibility when editing the photographs later.

The histogram and highlight warning are available during playback when I want to check an exposure, but automatic image review is disabled.

I prefer deciding when to look at a photograph rather than having every image appear immediately after I take it.

Disabling release without a memory card is a small but useful safeguard. The camera will not appear to take photographs when there is nowhere to save them.

The remaining options are simply part of how I prefer the camera to behave. They do not define a subject or technique, so there is little reason for them to change whenever I turn the mode dial.

One Important Limitation

One limitation I discovered is that not every camera setting belongs to a User Mode.

The release mode remains global.

This means that switching from U1 to U2 does not automatically change a continuous release mode back to Single Frame.

For example, if the camera is still set to Continuous H after using U1, turning the dial to U2 will not restore the Single Frame setting I normally use for macro photography.

I still need to select or check the release mode separately.

Functions such as interval-timer shooting, multiple exposure and focus shift shooting are also excluded from the User Modes.

The User Modes therefore take care of most of my preparation, but they do not remove the need to check the camera before I start photographing.

That is particularly important when moving quickly from one setup to another.

Saving and Updating the Modes

Creating a User Mode is straightforward.

I first configure the camera exactly as I want it. I then open the Setup Menu, select Save user settings, choose U1, U2 or U3 and save the current configuration.

The Nikon Z6 II recalls those settings whenever I turn the mode dial to the corresponding position.

Another detail is easy to overlook: changing something while using a User Mode does not automatically rewrite the saved configuration.

I might select U2 and temporarily change the aperture from f/8 to f/11.

That does not mean U2 has permanently become an f/11 setup.

When I want a change to become part of the stored configuration, I need to use Save user settings again and overwrite the relevant mode.

I see that as an advantage.

It allows me to adapt to an individual photograph without accidentally changing the reliable starting point I created for the next time.

The three configurations are not permanent either.

My photography may change, and the User Modes can change with it. A setup that is useful today may eventually be replaced by something more relevant.

They are shortcuts, not commitments.

Finding Your Own User Modes

There is no universal best configuration for U1, U2 and U3.

A wildlife photographer will probably choose something very different from someone who mainly photographs architecture, family life or quiet landscapes.

The useful question is not which settings other photographers use.

It is which groups of settings you repeatedly change together.

When you notice that you are making the same four or five adjustments whenever you photograph a particular subject, you may already have a good candidate for a User Mode.

There is also no need to configure all three immediately.

One frequently used setup is enough to discover whether the feature suits the way you photograph.

The settings can always be refined later.

My Experience

The main benefit for me is exactly what persuaded me to start using the User Modes: changing between different setups is faster.

U1 prepares the camera for working with my SB-700. U2 gives me the manual-focus tools I want for close-up photography. U3 returns the camera to a straightforward configuration for walks, travel and everyday subjects.

I still need to pay attention.

The release mode has to be checked separately, and not every specialised shooting function is included in a User Mode.

Light and subjects also change, so the recalled settings are not always the final settings I use.

What has improved is the starting point.

I no longer have to rebuild the same collection of options each time I move from one type of photography to another.

One turn of the mode dial takes care of most of the preparation, and I can then concentrate on the adjustments that matter for the photograph in front of me.

For a long time, I assumed that U1, U2 and U3 were features I did not need because I already knew how to configure the camera manually.

I now see them differently.

They do not replace my decisions.

They remember some of them.

That small distinction has made them far more useful than I expected, and they have become a practical part of how I use my Nikon Z6 II today.