Nikon D100Nikon ups the ante with 6 million pixels, superb color and resolution, at a 'bargain' price!<<Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests :(Previous) | (Next): Camera Modes & Menus>> Page 8:Operation & User InterfaceReview First Posted: 5/31/2002 |
Operation and User Interface
If the D100 is your first approach to a digital SLR, its bounty of buttons and dials could appear daunting. After only a little while working with it though, the control layout becomes quite intuitive. I do have a few gripes about the design of the user interface though, which I'll get to in a bit.
On a positive note, I really like the overall control layout, which places the main shooting controls on top of the camera and the rest on the back panel. The Function / Mode dial lets you adjust important settings such as ISO, image size, and quality, without delving into the menu system. Changing shutter speed, aperture, metering mode, etc. is quick and simple, with changes shown on the small black & white data readout on the top panel of the camera. The LCD menu itself is well-organized and simple to navigate, with four main menu pages. When shooting, the detailed information display in the viewfinder window does a good job of communicating current camera settings. Anyone already familiar with Nikon's SLRs, whether film or digital, will have no trouble operating the D100. For less experienced users, an hour or two spent with the manual and camera together should be enough to get comfortable.
Dave's Praise and Complaints
When I first saw a prototype of the D100 at the 2002 Spring PMA, my immediate reaction to the control layout was rather negative. Now that I've worked with the camera some, I found that the primary concern I had at PMA hasn't been an issue, but another one has loomed even larger.
Of all the cameras I've tested and shot with, I probably like the Nikon D1x's control scheme the best. All it takes to adjust primary camera functions like ISO, white balance, or flash sync is to press a button and rotate a command dial. This is very quick to do, and the camera remains in whatever shooting mode you've selected, always ready to snap the next frame.
By contrast, on the D100, a number of key camera functions are accessed through the same Function Dial that also selects shooting mode. While they are thereby made very accessible, setting them requires a significant interruption to the flow of your shooting. To change AF area mode, image size or quality, white balance or ISO, you have to leave the shooting mode you're in (program, shutter or aperture priority, or manual mode), rotate the Function Dial to select the function you want to adjust, rotate a command dial, and then rotate the Function Dial back to the shooting mode you just left.
My initial reaction to this arrangement was to worry that it would be too easy to miss the mark when returning to the desired shooting mode, inadvertently switching from program to shutter priority, for example. In practice, I didn't find this to be that much of an issue, although I imagine it could become one in the heat of a frenzied shooting session.
What I found far more objectionable though, was that this scheme takes the camera totally away from the "always ready to shoot" design of the other Nikon pro SLRs. If a choice moment occurs while you've got the Function Dial set to "ISO" (for example), forget about capturing it. You can't shoot until you rotate the dial back to one of the shooting mode settings. I'm no doubt an atypical user, given how much I play with camera settings in the course of my testing, but I very frequently found myself wanting to quickly snap a frame but being foiled by the @#! Function Dial. Before I could shoot, I had to rotate the dial back to one of the shooting mode positions.
Don't get me wrong, I like the concept of the Function Dial a great deal, as it makes the camera settings much more accessible to novice users, and saves even experienced users from hunting through the LCD menu system. The problem with its implementation on the D100 is that it can interfere with getting the next shot, a cardinal sin in my book when it comes to user interface design for cameras.
What I'd recommend to Nikon is that they provide a menu option by which you could assign a "default" shooting mode for times when the Function Dial was rotated to one of the settings positions, rather than a shooting mode. Pressing the shutter button would then drop the camera into shooting mode, with the default option selected. (Eg, Program, Aperture Priority, etc.) This would eliminate a major usability defect. Of course, there would remain the question of how the camera should be made to return to the settings mode after you'd hit the shutter button. The camera's operating state would be slightly obscure at this point, in that the Function Dial would still be set to whatever settings position it had been left in, but the camera would be in shooting mode. My suggestion would be to have any movement of the Function Dial at this point restore the normal operation of that control. While it might be confusing to users to have the camera actually in a shooting mode when the Function Dial was indicating otherwise, I think this would be far preferable to the current lack of shooting priority. - And since the user would have to select this behavior via a Custom Function Menu option, it shouldn't be all that confusing.
So how big a deal is this? In practice, probably not very, at least for most people. Most of the functions controlled by the Function Dial are ones that will be set relatively infrequently by most users. As noted above, I tend to spend an inordinate amount of time playing with camera settings because of my role as a reviewer. In a more normal shooting session, I'd have much less occasion to fiddle with the D100's Function Dial. (Although I do often find myself playing with ISO settings in available-light situations, as I often want to take a few high-ISO "insurance" shots to make sure I get a sharp photo, but drop back to lower ISO values to cut noise for the bulk of my shooting.) Bottom line, the Function Dial issue isn't enough to quench my yearning for a D100, nor do I think it will prove so for the majority of potential purchasers. It's definitely an area that could use some improvement though.
Control Enumeration, Command Dials
Here's my usual "walk around the camera," this time starting with the two Command Dials, the Main Command Dial and the Sub Command Dial. Most camera settings are made by pressing and holding the appropriate button while rotating one or the other of these two controls. Functions controlled by these dials are as follows:
Main Command Dial: The Main Command Dial is located on the back of the camera, in the upper right hand corner, right under your right thumb. Used in conjunction with other buttons and the Function Dial, this controls ISO, White Balance, Quality, and AF Area Mode settings. It also enables or disables the auto bracketing mode when used with the BKT button. Used together with the BKT button, it adjusts auto bracketing options. In Shutter Priority and Manual exposure modes, this dial sets the shutter speed, although it can be made to control the shutter speed instead, via a Custom Menu setting.
Sub-Command Dial: The Sub Command Dial is located on the front of the handgrip, just under the shutter button, conveniently placed for your index finger to grip. This dial fine-tunes the white balance across the -3 to +3 range (arbitrary units) when the Function Dial is set to the White Balance. It sets the resolution when the Function Dial is in the Quality position. In Manual and Aperture Priority modes, it sets the aperture value, although it can be made to control aperture instead, via a Custom Menu setting.
Control
Enumeration, Top Panel Controls, Right
The controls on the right side of the top panel are the primary shooting controls,
generally dealing with immediate camera operations. - Refer to the photo at
right to orient yourself for the locations of the individual controls.
Power Switch: Surrounding the Shutter button on the top right of the
camera, this switch turns the camera on and off. (BIG PLUS: Unlike Nikon's models
in the D1 series, the D100 will delay switching off until it has finished writing
any buffered images to the memory card. This avoids the problem of losing any
buffered images if you shut the camera off too soon.) Camera startup is very
rapid, an area in which the D100 wins out over the competing Canon D60.
Shutter Button: In the center of the Power switch, on the top of the
camera, this button sets focus (when in autofocus mode) when halfway pressed
and fires the shutter when fully pressed. Unlike most cameras, you can choose
whether or not the shutter button also locks exposure, via an option on the
Custom Settings menu.
When an image is displayed on the LCD monitor, halfway pressing the Shutter
button dismisses the display and readies the camera for shooting. (A partial
expression of Nikon's "shooting priority" philosophy. Unfortunately,
as noted earlier, if you happen to have the Function Dial turned to a non-shooting
position, pressing the shutter button will dismiss the playback display on the
LCD, but won't fire the shutter.)
Exposure Compensation Button: Directly behind the Shutter button on the
top of the camera, pressing this button while turning the main command dial
sets the Exposure Compensation from –5 to +5 exposure equivalents (EV)
in one-third step increments.
Flash Sync Mode Button: Directly beside the Exposure Compensation button,
holding this button and rotating the Main Command Dial cycles between the five
flash sync modes (Fill, Red-Eye Reduction, Red-Eye Reduction with Slow Sync,
Slow Sync, and Rear Curtain Sync). Pressing and holding this button together
with the Bracket button (far left side of the camera's back panel) for two seconds
resets the main camera settings to their default values.
Illuminate Button: Just to the right of the status display panel on top
of the camera, this button illuminates the panel with a green light. Pressing
and holding this button together with the Flash Compensation button signals
the camera to format the memory card. (The top-panel LCD data readout flashes
"For," but doesn't immediately format the card. Press both buttons
a second time to confirm the format operation.)
Control
Enumeration, Top Panel Controls, Left
The left side of the D100's top panel is dominated by the Function Dial and
the Mode Dial underneath it. - Refer to the shot at right to orient yourself
for the locations of the individual controls.
Function Dial: Covering most of the area to the left of the pentaprism
housing, this dial sets the main exposure mode and also accesses a handful of
camera adjustments. (With the Function Dial in any of its settings positions,
turning the Main Command Dial adjusts that setting.) Per my rant above, this
arrangement is nice for novices, but violates the "shooting priority"
philosophy that Nikon has so correctly adhered to in their previous digital
SLRs. The following settings are available. (Proceeding counterclockwise from
the "P" position.):
Program:
Puts the camera in charge of aperture and shutter speed, though all remaining
camera settings are available. (And you can vary the combination of aperture
and shutter speed the camera has selected, by rotating the Main Command Dial.)
Shutter
Priority: The user controls shutter speed, from 1/4,000 to 30 seconds,
while the camera sets the aperture value.
Aperture
Priority: The opposite of Shutter Priority mode, this mode lets the user
control the aperture, while the camera sets the shutter speed.
Manual:
Gives the user complete control over the exposure (both shutter and aperture
settings), and provides access to the camera's Bulb shutter setting for exposures
longer than 30 seconds.
ISO: Adjusts
the camera's sensitivity setting from 200 to 6,400 (3,200 and 6,400 settings
are shown in the LCD data readout as Hi-1 and Hi-2).
White Balance:
Sets the overall color balance. Preset values include Auto, Incandescent,
Fluorescent, Direct Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, and Shade settings. A PRE (Preset)
mode is the manual adjustment. Turning the Sub-Command Dial in any exposure
mode but Manual varies the white balance from the default for that setting.
This lets you shift the color balance in relatively small increments, a very
handy feature.
Quality:
Controls the image resolution and quality settings. Turning the Main Command
dial sets the compression level (RAW, TIFF, Fine, Normal, and Basic). Turning
the Sub-Command dial adjusts the resolution (Large, Medium, and Small).
AF Area Mode:
Sets the AF area to Single-Area AF or Dynamic-Area AF.
Mode Dial: Directly beneath the Function Dial, this dial sets the camera's drive mode. Options are Single Frame, Continuous Shooting, and Self-Timer.
Mode Dial Lock Release: The Mode Dial is locked to prevent accidental changes in its settings. To unlock it, press the release button just above it and to the left.
Control Enumeration, Rear Panel Controls
Most of the rest of the camera's controls are located on the rear panel. The controls along the top of the back panel generally relate to shooting settings, while those on either side of the LCD monitor are associated with playback and menu navigation. We'll start our tour at the top left. - Refer to the photo below to orient yourself.
Auto Bracketing Button: Positioned in the top left corner of the camera's
back panel and marked "BKT," pressing this button and rotating the
Main Command Dial enables the Auto Bracketing function. Turning the Sub-Command
dial instead of the Main Command Dial changes the bracketing step size. Pressing
and holding this button in conjunction with the Flash Mode button resets the
main camera settings to their default values. (Very handy for quickly getting
back to "neutral" when you have a number of settings active.)
Flash Compensation Button: To the right of the Auto Bracketing button,
pressing this button and rotating the Main Command Dial adjusts the flash intensity
over a range of –3 to +1 EV, in 1/3 EV steps. Pressing and holding down
this button together with the Illuminate button formats the memory card.
Diopter Adjustment Switch: Sitting vertically next to the right side
of the viewfinder eyepiece, this slide control adjusts the optical viewfinder
to accommodate eyeglass wearers. (Range is -2 to +1 diopters.)
Metering Selector Dial: To the right of the viewfinder eyepiece, this
dial surrounds the AE/AF Lock button. Rotating the ring selects between Spot,
Center-Weighted, and 3D Color Matrix metering options.
AE/AF Lock Button: Located in the center of the Metering Selector, this
button locks the exposure and/or focus when pressed. The settings remain locked
as long as you hold the button down, regardless of any action of the shutter
button. Several options for this control can be set via Custom Settings Menu
14. You can program it to lock either focus or exposure separately, or both
together (the default). You can also change its operation so a single press
locks and holds the exposure setting. (No need to keep the button pressed down.)
Finally, you can set the AE/AF lock button so it alone controls the autofocus
system, meaning the autofocus won't actuate when the shutter button is half-pressed,
only when the AE/AF lock button is pressed instead.
Focus Area Selector and Lock / Four-Way Arrow Rocker Pad: Just off the
top right corner of the LCD monitor on the back panel, this rocker button with
its associated locking switch (directly below it) controls the autofocus area
in Record mode. (Unless dynamic-area autofocus is enabled via CSM menu items
20 or 21, in which case the camera automatically selects the AF area corresponding
to the closest subject.) The switch beneath it unlocks the rocker control and
pressing any side of the rocker moves the active AF selection in that direction.
(by choosing one of the five brackets displayed in the viewfinder).
In Playback mode, the rocker pad's up and down arrows scroll through captured
images while the right and left arrow buttons cycle through various information
displays for each image. When you zoom in on an image in playback mode, the
rocker pad lets you scroll around the magnified image.
In any settings menu, the arrow directions on this control are used to navigate
through the LCD menu system.
Delete Button: Just below the locking switch of the Four-Way Arrow pad,
this button deletes individual images in playback mode, with a confirmation
screen to give you the opportunity to change your mind.
Monitor Button: Just off the top left corner of the LCD monitor, this
button displays the most recently captured image, putting the camera into Playback
mode. Once an image is displayed, the arrow keys navigate through the other
images saved on the memory card. This button also dismisses the image display.
Menu Button: Below the Monitor button, this button displays or dismisses
the LCD menu system.
Thumbnail View Button: Just below the Menu button, this button works
together with the Main Command Dial to display either a four or nine-image index
view. The chosen display mode remains selected indefinitely, even if the camera
is turned off. To return to normal viewing, press the Thumbnail View button
again, and rotate the Command Dial in the opposite direction. When a thumbnail
view is activated, you can scroll a cursor through the thumbnail images very
rapidly with the rocker pad. Pressing the Enter button magnifies the image that's
currently selected. Turning the Main Command and Sub-Command dials changes the
level of magnification, while the Sub Command Dial switches you into and out
of the zoomed view, showing the current zoomed display area as a red-bounded
rectangle. See the previous Viewfinder section of this review for a more complete
description of this function.
Protect Button: Next in line below the Thumbnail View button, this button
write-protects individual images, protecting them from accidental deletion.
(Note though, that even "protected" images will be lost when a card
is reformatted.) If an image is already protected, pressing the Protect button
removes protection.
Enter / Magnify Button: Just below the Protect button, this button confirms
menu selections. It also activates the playback magnification, when a captured
image is displayed in the LCD monitor.
Control Enumeration, Front Controls,
There are only three controls on the front of the camera body. They are:
Depth of Field Preview Button: On the right side of the body (as viewed
from the back), just beneath the AF assist light, this button lets you check
the depth of field with the current aperture setting. Pressing the button stops
down the lens, so you can get an idea of the depth of field through the viewfinder.
Focus Mode Selector Dial: On the other side of the camera, next to the
lens, this control selects between Manual, Single Servo, and Continuous Servo
focus modes. Single servo focuses once each time the shutter button is half-pressed.
Continuous Servo focuses continuously as long as the shutter button is held
down. An important difference between the two options is that Continuous Servo
will let you fire the shutter even if the subject isn't in focus. (Release priority.)
By contrast, Single Servo won't release the shutter unless the camera thinks
the subject is in focus. (Focus priority.)
Lens Release Button: Just above the Focus Mode Selector Dial, this button
releases the lens from its mount when pressed.
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