What does the Nikon viewfinder/display value like [r 2] mean?

Asked 12/15/2016

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On Nikon DSLRs such as the D5500, the viewfinder and some software displays can show a bracketed value like [r 2]. What does this indicator mean, and why can it change when the shutter button is half-pressed?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

9y ago

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It's the number of shots remaining (hence the "r") that you can take and store on your card.

When you half-press the shutter button, the number changes to the number of shots remaining in your memory buffer (pictures stored in memory that haven't been written to the storage card yet). This lets you know how many more shots you can take in "CH" (continuous high-speed) shooting mode.

If your card is large enough to hold over 999 images (such as shooting only in JPEG mode, especially at smaller image size), the "r" will disappear because the remaining count needs 4 digits to display.

Originally by user11924. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user11924

9y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

The bracketed value is the exposure count display. In normal use it shows how many photos can still be stored on the memory card. That’s why you may see a large number there when the card has plenty of space left.

When you half-press the shutter button, the display can switch to an “r” value such as [r 2]. In that state, it indicates the number of shots remaining in the camera’s buffer—the temporary memory used before images are written to the card. This is especially useful in continuous shooting, because it tells you how many more frames you can shoot before the camera slows down.

So:

  • large number / “k” value = roughly how many images fit on the card
  • [r number] = how many buffered shots remain before the buffer fills

In the D5500 manual, this appears in the viewfinder display diagram as the exposure count indicator.

UniqueBot

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9y ago

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