Nikon, along with the other major
manufacturers, has released an 8 megapixel camera: the Coolpix
8700.
Clearly based on the Coolpix
5700 which we reviewed in September 2002, the body of the Coolpix 8700
is effectively identical externally to the 5700 with minor exceptions in
the appearance and labelling of some of the buttons.
Taking the camera in hand, the index comes to rest naturally on the chromed
two-stage shutter release, and its On/Off switch around it.
With the Coolpix 8700, the shooting
modes are selected with the button,
in combination with the Command Dial which is close to the back.
Rotating the Command Dial while pressing the Func button cycles
through:
AUTO
Fully automatic point
and shoot mode.
SCENE MODES
Automatic mode with a choice
of 12 scene modes:
Portrait
Night Landscape
Party/Indoor
Fireworks Show
Night Portrait
Close up
Beach/Snow
Copy
Landscape
Back light
Sunset
Panorama Assist
CUSTOM 1 / 2
Manual Modes that provides control
over all cameras settings
Two more buttons are positioned
directly behind the shutter release:
serves to select the exposure
mode when the Coolpix 8700 is set to one of the two
Custom modes: Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority
or Manual mode.
controls exposure compensation
(± 2EV in 0.3EV increments); or allows recording a
20 second voice memo to an image when the camera is in Playback.
On the left of the upper grip,
the Nikon Coolpix 8700 provides an LCD control panel that indicates
all the most important settings of the camera. The display can
be lit-up at night by pressing the button
which turns on a green back light that stays on for approximately
8 seconds.
The other external controls of the Coolpix 8700 are arranged on the right
side of the back, and on the left side of the lens barrel.
The zoom control is at the upper
back. As is often the case with digital cameras, in playback
the zoom control also provides a means to see index screens of
the images captured ,
or zoom in to an image displayed on the screen .
Below, the Mode Selector serves to chose Recording ,
or playback .
Four other buttons are aligned on the right side of the 1.8 inch screen,
with 2 above and 2 below the Multi Selector which serves to navigate
menus:
Calls up the menu corresponding
to the current mode.
This button starts the Quick
Review mode which makes it possible to review images without
leaving the capture mode. The Quick Review mode is not
like the Playback mode, and does not provide an access
to the Playback menu.
When first started, the Quick Review mode displays the last captured
image as a thumbnail occupying approximately the top left fourth
of the LCD monitor. Pressed a second time, the Quick Review button
shows the image full screen.
In Playback, the button is a shortcut to returning the image full-screen
after it has been magnified with the zoom button. In addition, it
can be used to create a TIFF format copy of a CCD RAW image being
shown on the monitor.
Delete allows erasing
one image at a time in Quick Review, or more than one in
Playback.
controls the overlay shown
on the screen or on the EVF. In the capture mode, the displays
present some camera settings overlaid on the image by default.
Pressing the DISP button once clears the screen,
pressing it twice returns the information overlay.
In play-back, the DISP button can be used to show the shooting
data for an image and the Command Dial can then be used to switch
from one page of overlaid information to the next, including one
display that presents a histogram of the image.
Although the Coolpix 8700 looks like a duplicate of the 5700,
there are some critical differences. One of these is with the
electronic viewfinder (EVF). The Coolpix 8700 is equipped with
a much higher resolution EVF (235,000 pixels) than the Coolpix
5700 (180,000 pixels). The result is that the Coolpix 8700's
viewfinder has as sharp an image as can be had today with an
electronic viewfinder. The viewfinder provides a diopter correction
on the left side of the finder which has a rubber eyecup, while
on the right side a button labelled controls
whether the EVF or the LCD monitor is used.
The viewfinder also supports a
flash shoe, fully compatible with Nikon's SpeedLites: SB800,
SB30, SB28, SB28 DX, SB26, SB25 et SB22. Moreover, a third
party flash unit can be used if it meets the basic requirements
of the camera.
Just as with the EVF, the Coolpix
8700 also offers a higher definition (134,000 pixels) LCD 1.8
inch monitor, bigger than the Coolpix 5700. Hinged on the left
side of the camera's back, the screen can rotated 180° so
that it can be returned facing out on the back of the camera,
or facing in to protect its surface. Controls allow for both
brightness and colour of the monitor's image.
As noted above, the other external
controls of the Coolpix 8700 are a group of 4 buttons on the
left side of the camera, on the lens barrel.
Controls Flash Modes when
pressed by itself: Auto, Forced Off, Auto with Red-eye
Reduction, Forced On, and Slow Synchro.
Used in combination with the Command Dial, the button is used
to select ISO values in the C1 or C2 modes (P/A/S/M).
ISO values cannot be selected with the Auto mode or the Scene programs.
serves to select the image
quality and image size when used in conjunction with
the Command Dial. (See the Characteristics
section of the review fro more information on image size
and resolution).
the button locks the exposure
(AE-L) and the auto focus (AF-L) by default.
However, it can be reconfigured in the menu to lock AE-L
only, AF-L only, or AE-L and AF-L.
the fourth button controls
the focus:
AF
Infinity: set the focus to infinity and prevents
the flash from firing.
Macro: offers a 3 cm (1.2 inch) focus distance
to the subject when the macro icon shown on the monitor
turns yellow.
Self-timer: can be set to have a delay of 10 or
3 seconds.
Manual Focus: displays a small distance with macro
indicated at one end and infinity at the other. The
Coolpix 8700 can also be set to indicate when focus
is achieved by flashing a green dot.
Ergonomically, the Coolpix 8700
is very similar to the Coolpix 5700. Many controls rely on
external buttons or a combination of a button and the Command
Dial that are in some case fairly complex, and not particularly
intuitive. Otherwise, once past the learning curve, the Coolpix
8700 becomes considerably easier to manipulate, and offers
a generally good ergonomic design with one exception, directly
imported from the Coolpix 5700, the placement of the right
side neck-strap post. As had been the case with the 5700, it
tends to dig into the palm when the camera is held.
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Introduction
button,
in combination with the Command Dial which is close to the back.
Rotating the Command Dial while pressing the Func button cycles
through:
button
which turns on a green back light that stays on for approximately
8 seconds.
,
or zoom in to an image displayed on the screen 
.
,
or playback 
.
controls
whether the EVF or the LCD monitor is used.
