[wparsonsgisnet]

John, Welcome to the Forum.

The D2 will do fully manual, manual aperture, or manual shutter. If you leave either lens control on A, the camera will perform that function for you. If you want everything to be manual, you must move the aperture to the setting you want and then the shutter to the speed you want.

The brightness in the viewing screen always remains the same before you take the picture. The camera is assisting you in viewing. When you review the picture, you should see the results of your settings.

Regards,