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Nikon Coolpix 5400 A solid update to Nikon's upper-midrange Coolpix. 5 megapixels, 4x zoom, tons of features! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet C5400 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on C5400 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Operation & User Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Image Storage & Interface>> Page 9:Camera Modes & Menus Review First Posted: 07/12/2003

Camera Modes and Menus

Auto Exposure: Puts the camera in charge of the exposure, with only limited options available to the user (such as image size and quality, flash mode, zoom, etc.).

Program AE Mode: The camera still controls aperture and shutter speed, but the user now can adjust any of the available exposure settings. Turning the Command wheel in this mode accesses Flexible Program AE mode, which lets you select from a range of equivalent exposure settings, biasing the exposure toward larger or smaller apertures, higher or lower shutter speeds.

Shutter Priority Mode: This mode lets you select the shutter speed, while the camera chooses the best corresponding aperture setting. All other exposure options are available.

Aperture Priority Mode: The opposite of Shutter Priority mode, this mode lets you adjust the camera's aperture setting while the camera selects the shutter speed.

Manual Mode: This mode offers total user control over the exposure, and increases the shutter speed range to include a bulb/time-exposure setting for exposure times as long as 10 minutes.

Scene: This mode offers a total of 16 preset "scenes" for shooting under common, but sometimes challenging, exposure conditions. Available scenes are Portrait, Party/Indoor, Night Portrait, Beach/Snow, Landscape, Sunset, Night Landscape, Museum, Fireworks Show, Close Up, Copy, Back Light, Sports, Panorama Assist, and Dusk/Dawn.

Movie Mode: Records moving images with sound, for as long as the memory card has available space.

Setup Mode: Automatically displays a settings menu (detailed further on), for making adjustments to main camera settings.

Playback Mode: Allows you to view and manage captured images on the memory card. Images can be resized, erased, set up for printing, or enlarged for better viewing. You can also record a short sound clip to accompany an image as a voice caption.

My Menu: When you enter the menu system in one of the programmed-exposure record modes (P, S, A, or M on the mode dial), the first menu you see is titled "My Menu." This is a fully programmable shortcut menu, the options on which you can select from among any that the camera offers in its full record-mode menu system. This can be quite handy, for keeping frequently-used menu options close at hand. I occasionally found it annoying though, as there were times when I really wanted to just go directly to the main menu system, but instead was forced to always pass through My Menu first. I admit though, that my usage of a camera during the testing process is quite different from that of the average user, so it may be that "normal" people will see this as an unalloyed benefit.

Record Menu: Pressing the Menu button in Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, or Manual exposure modes initially brings up the My Menu display shown above. Selecting the "Show All Menus" option takes you to a much more involved menu system. The screenshot at right shows the three main screens of this menu system, while the individual screens below show the available options in detail.

White Balance: Sets the overall color balance of the image. An Auto setting is available, as well as Preset (manual), Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Speedlight, and Shade settings.
Metering: Sets the metering mode to 256-Segment Matrix, Center Weighted, Spot, or AF Spot modes.
Continuous: Sets the drive mode to Continuous L, Continuous H, Ultra High Speed Continuous, Multi-Shot 16, or 5-Shot Buffer.
Best Shot Selector: Turns the Best Shot Selector function on or off.
Image Adjustment: Controls image contrast, with options for Auto, Normal, More Contrast, or Less Contrast.
Saturation Control: Adjusts the color saturation from -2 to +2 in arbitrary units, with a Black and White (monochrome) setting as well.
User Setting: Recalls one of two preset user settings. (A way to quickly change all the camera settings at once.)
Image Quality / Size: Sets the image resolution to 5M (2,592 x 1,944 pixels), 2M (1,600 x 1,200 pixels), 1M (1,280 x 960 pixels), PC (1,024 x 768 pixels), TV (640 x 480 pixels) or 3:2 (2,592 x 1,728 pixels). Quality choices include Hi (TIFF), and Fine, Normal, and Basic JPEG compression levels.
Sensitivity: Controls the camera's light sensitivity (ISO) setting. Options are Auto, or 50, 100, 200, or 400 ISO equivalents.
Image Sharpening: Adjusts the in-camera sharpening to Auto, High, Normal, Low, or Off.
Lens: Configures the camera to work with various Nikon accessory lenses. Adapter options include Wide Adapter, Telephoto, Fisheye, and Slide Copy Adapter.
Exposure Options: Accesses the following options: AE Lock: Turns AE Lock on or off, without having to press the AE Lock button. You can also reset the exposure. Bulb/Time: Enables Bulb Mode, or lets you set the exposure time for Timed Release exposures. Available times are 30 seconds, and 1, 3, 5, or 10 minutes.
Focus Options: Selects the following focus options: AF Area Mode: Controls the multi-area autofocus option. In Manual mode, you can choose which of the five AF areas to base focus on. The Auto setting makes all five areas active, with the camera choosing the one closest to the subject for the overall focus.When this option is turned off, focus is set using only the central AF area. Auto-focus Mode: Selects either Single or Continuous autofocus mode. Focus Confirmation: Activates the Focus Confirmation feature, which makes it easier to judge focus based on the LCD monitor's display. Choices are Manual Focus, On, or Off.
Zoom Options: Turns the digital zoom option on or off, sets or clears the Fixed Aperture mode.
Speedlight Options: Offers the following flash features: Flash Exposure Compensation: Adjusts the overall flash intensity from -2 to +2 EV units. Speedlight Control: Controls whether the internal and external flash units work independently or together. Choices are Auto, Int. & Ext. Active, and Internal Off. Repeating Flash: Turns the Repeating Flash function on or off.
Auto Bracketing: Activates the Auto Exposure Bracketing feature (choices for a series of three or five images with a maximum exposure variable of +/-1.0 EV. Also enables the White Balance bracketing option.
Noise Reduction: Turns Noise Reduction On or off.
Reset: Resets the Record menu settings to their defaults.
My Menu: Selects which menu items appear in the abbreviated menu screen, choosing from among all normal record-mode menu options.
CF Card Format: Formats the CompactFlash card, erasing all files (even protected ones).

 

Movie Menu:

• Resolution: Sets the resolution to TV Movie (640 x 480) or Small Movie (320 x 240).
  
• Time Lapse Movie: Sets the interval time between frames for a time-lapse movie to 30 seconds, or to 1, 5, 10, 30, or 60 minutes. Also lets you turn AE Lock on or off. If on, exposure is locked with the first image captured.
  

Scene Menu:
The menu in scene mode lets you select between fifteen different "scene" types, each corresponding to a typical shooting condition. Each scene mode sets up the camera for shooting that type of subject, including adjusting shutter speed, lens aperture, ISO, exposure compensation, white balance, focus settings and more. The options available in scene mode include Portrait, part/indoor, night portrait, beach/snow, landscape, sunset, night landscape, museum, fireworks show, close up, copy, back light, panorama assist, sports, and dusk/dawn.

Playback Menu:
The playback menu choices aren't nearly as "deep" as those in record mode, so I'll just show a single animated screenshot here to display the two screens options, and describe their functions below:

• Delete: Deletes selected images from an index display, or all images from the memory card.
• Folders: Lets you select which image folder to view images in. (Assuming of course, that there's more than one folder on the card.)
• Slide Show: Enables an automatic slide show of all images on the memory card (except for hidden files), with frame interval options of 2, 3, 5, or 10 seconds.
• Protect: Displays a thumbnail index of images in the currently-selected folder, from which you can select images for write-protection.
• Hide Image: Hides (or restores) selected images from review, using the thumbnail index display.
• Print Set: Lets you select individual images via the Print Selection option and mark them for printing. You can also set the number of copies to be printed. Another option lets you delete the print settings.
• Auto Transfer: Specifies whether the Nikon View software will automatically transfer files from the camera once connected.
• Move Image: Moves image files from one folder to another.
• CF Card Format: Formats the CompactFlash card, erasing all files (even protected ones).
• Small Pic: Creates a smaller resolution copy of the displayed image.

Setup Menu:
This menu automatically appears whenever you enter the Setup mode.

• Language: Sets the menu language to German, English, French, Japanese, or Spanish.
• Date: Sets the camera's internal calendar and clock.
• Folders: Lets you pick which folder you'd like to save images to, as well as create new folders, and delete existing ones.
• Monitor Options: Displays the following:
  • Release Speed: Sets the Release Speed to Normal or Quick Response.
  • Display Mode: Designates the LCD monitor display mode. Choices are Monitor On, Review Only, Preview Only, and Monitor Off.
  • Brightness: Adjusts the overall brightness of the LCD display.
  • Hue: Controls the hue of the LCD monitor, letting you add more red or blue to the display image.
• Sequential Numbers: Turns sequential file numbering on or off, or resets file numbering for a new card.
• Shutter Sound: Turns the camera's shutter sound on or off.
• Auto Off: Sets the length of the period of inactivity before the camera shuts itself off. Times are 30 seconds, or 1, 5, or 30 minutes.
• CF Card Format: Formats the CompactFlash card, erasing all files (even protected ones).
• Function Controls: Sets the functions for the Function and AE /AF Lock buttons. Function button options are User setting, White balance, Quality/Size, Sensitivity, or Continuous. AE/AF Lock options are AE and AF lock, AE lock only, and AF lock only.
• Shot Confirmation: Turns the shot confirmation screen on or off. Shot confirmation lets you delete a file before saving it to the memory card.
• Info Text: Turns the Info Text option on or off.
• USB: Sets the USB mode to PTP or Mass Storage.
• Video Mode: Sets the timing of the camera's video output signal to match either NTSC or PAL formats.
• Reset All: Resets all camera settings to their defaults.
• Date Imprint: Enables or disables the date imprint function, which writes the date over each captured image.
• Firmware Version: Displays the camera's current firmware version.