Nikon Coolpix 8800

Reviewed November 2004

Characteristics

• 8M = 3264 x 2448
• 5M = 2592 x 1944
• 3M = 2048 x 1536
• 2M = 1600 x 1200
• 1M = 1280 x 960
• PC = 1024 x 768
• TV = 640 x 480
• 3:2 = 3264 x 2176

• RAW saves the pure output from the CCD (8M image size) and is only available when the camera is set to one of the P/S/A/M modes. Moreover, when the camera is in playback and displaying a RAW format image, pressing the shutter release will save a TIFF version of the image.
• HI saves a TIFF-RGB format image with a file size of 23 MB at the 8M image size and 20 MB at the 3:2 image size.

• EXTRA applies the least JPEG compression, on average a ratio of 1:2, to produce the highest JPEG image quality.
• FINE has a compression ratio of 1:4.
• NORM uses a stronger compression, averaging 1:8
• and BASIC applies the strongest compression, with a ratio that averages around 1:16.

RAW format files (*.NEF extension) require decoding. This can be done with Picture Project 1.0.1 (included with the camera), or Picture Project version 1.1 which camera owners can download from some of Nikon's Web sites once they have registered. Alternatively, the newest version of Nikon Capture — software sold separately — can be used to open, edit and re-save Nikon RAW files.
P/S/A/M modes. Worth noting the AUTO mode has no menu, and the SCENE modes only presents alternative scene modes. Finally, the MOVIE mode offers a menu, but it has only 2 options: Movie Type and Focus Mode (single or continuous).

On the other hand, the menu available in the P/S/A/M modes is quite extensive. It starts out by showing an abridged version of the full menu which is called My Menu, and which presents only 6 menu items in addition to a seventh option, at the bottom of the list, that is used to reveal the entire menu:

• White Balance: Auto, White Balance Preset (to set the white balance according to ambient conditions), Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy and Speedlight (flash), Shade. In addition, for settings other than Auto or Preset, white balance settings can be tweaked in ± 3 increments with the exception of the fluorescent settings which allows selecting the type of bulb: white, neutral, and daylight.
• Metering provides four options: Matrix, Nikon's well-known 256 segment metering system; Spot which meters a small point at the centre of the frame; Centre-weighted, which meters the entire frame but assigns 80% importance to an area occupying 1/4 of the frame at the centre; and Spot AF, which meters the focus point, even if the focus point is elsewhere than at the centre.
• Continuous:
• Single: takes one shot each time the shutter release is pressed.
• Continuous H: captures 5 frames at 2.3 frames per second but turns off the EVF and the monitor during the burst (JPEG only).
• Continuous L: captures up to 11 images (JPEG Fine quality) at 1.2 frames per second.
• Multi-shot 16: captures a burst of sixteen 816 x 612 pixel images in a single 3264 x 2448 pixel frame (JPEG only).
• Ultra HS : captures up to one hundred 640 x 480 (TV) frames at 30 frames per second and stores them in a special directory. (JPEG only, electronic shutter speed up 1/8000 sec.).
• 5-Shot Buffer: captures photos at a rate of 0.7 frames per second while the shutter release is held down. When the shutter button is released, the camera records the last 5 shots.
• Interval Timer Shooting: the Coolpix can be set to capture photos at a specified time interval (30 sec, 1, 5, 10, 30, or 60 minutes) for up to 1.800 frames.
• BSS: Best Shot Selector. Offers three options:
  • Off,
  • On: captures up to 10 shots and selects the sharpest one.
  • Exposure BSS: can be used to pick the best exposure for Highlight, Shadow, or Histogram. The camera captures 5 shots and selects the best one according to the selected option.

• Image Adjustment: to control image contrast. Options are Auto, Normal, More Contrast, Less Contrast.
• Saturation Control: offers control over the colour saturation ±2 values, or an option to capture a black and white image,
• User Setting: allows saving preferred camera settings for the P/S/A/M modes into either one of two memories, and which can be selected by pressing and turning the Command Dial.

• Sharpness has 5 settings: Auto, High, Normal, Low, and Off.
• Lens: is to let the camera know that an optional lens converter is attached. Four options are available: Normal (no adapter), Wide Adapter (WME-80), Telephoto (TC-E17ED), or Fisheye (FC-E9),
• Exposure Options: serves to set two specific options:
  • AE Lock serves to produce a series of photos with the same exposure and white balance. The settings available are:
    • Off.
    • On: locks the shutter speed, aperture, sensitivity and white balance for all subsequent pictures until turned off.
    • Reset: clears exposure settings making it possible to start another series where the first photo's exposure settings will be used for the subsequent images.
  • Bulb/Time:
    • Bulb will release the shutter when the shutter release or the remote control is pressed and will stop the exposure when the shutter release or the remote control is pressed a second time.
    • Time allows selecting an exposure time (30 seconds, 1, 3, 5 or 10 minutes).
• Focus Options presents 3 primary choices:
  • AF Area Mode: controls the way the camera focuses. Three settings are possible:

• Auto: lets the camera select the focus area that contains the closest subject.
• Manual: allows the user to choose the focus point from 9 points in the frame which are overlaid on the viewfinder/monitor and selected using the 4 direction Multi-selector. (this mode is automatically used with 3 Scene modes: Portrait, Night Portrait and Close-up).
• Off: forces the centre focus point to be used exclusively.

• Autofocus Mode: provides for Single AF, or Continuous AF. Note that continuous AF is used when the camera is set to the Close-up Scene mode.
• Focus Confirmation: makes the edges of subjects that are in focus shimmer (as if slightly over-sharpened). Three settings are available Manual Focus (only operates in the manual focus mode); On (applies to all modes); or Off.
• Zoom Options: serves to turn On or Off the digital zoom (4X); or set a Fixed Aperture which controls whether or not the aperture varies with the zoom position. When On the aperture range becomes limited to f5 through to f8 when the camera is set to Aperture Priority or Manual mode.
• VR Mode offers two settings:
  • VR Normal which is the default and best for most situations as the camera detects and factors out panning movements, vertically or horizontally, while compensating for camera shake in the opposite direction.
  • VR Active which does not support panning, making it more efficient when the camera is used to capture photos in an environment where vibration is exaggerated such as a moving car.
• Speedlight Options has three sub-options:
  • Pop Up: decides if the flash pops up automatically (Auto), or manually (Manual), when a flash mode other than Forced off is selected.
  • Flash Exposure Compensation provides a range of ±2EV.
  • Speedlight Control: has 2 settings, Auto lets the camera determine if the pop up flash is used or an externally mounted flash. Internal Off turns off the pop-up flash.
• Auto Bracketing:
  • Auto Exposure Bracketing: to capture 3 to 5 exposures over a exposure compensation range of ±2EV
  • White Balance Bracketing varies the white balance over 3 shots, capturing one normal photo, one photo with a reddish cast, and one photo with a bluish cast.
• Noise Reduction: On or Off. When On noise reduction is applied to images captured at shutter speeds longer than 1/4 sec.
• Reset: returns the Coolpix 8800 to its factory defaults.
• My Menu: allows selecting which options that are displayed on the first menu screen.
• CF Card Format: formats the memory card.

In Playback the menu is presented over 2 screens:

• Delete: to delete selected or all photos.
• Folders has 2 sub-options: Folder Options serves to create, rename or delete folders in which images are stored. Folders serves to select folders to be used for storage or playback.

• Slide Show: to create slide shows with a selectable time interval between each photo (2, 3, 5, or 10 seconds), and decide whether the show should loop.
• Protect: allows selecting images and tagging them so they cannot be erased accidentally. (Note that formatting the card will erase all images including protected ones).

• Hide Image: allows hiding pictures so they can only be seen with the Hide Image option, and not in a slide show.
• Print Set: the Coolpix 8800 VR supports PictBridge, making it possible to connect the camera to a PictBridge compliant printer and print photos directly. In addition the Coolpix 8800VR supports DPOF (Digital Print Order Format), the standard used by all printing services. Images to be printed can be selected, as can the number of prints to make of each, choose whether the date should be imprinted, or even if the aperture and shutter speed for the photo should be printed too.
• Auto Transfer: allows selecting images (Selected Images, All Images, Cancel Transfer) that will be transferred automatically when the camera is connected to a computer running Picture Project (included with the Coolpix 8800VR).
• Move image: to move one or more images from one folder to another on the memory card.
• CF Card Format: to format the memory card.
• Small Pic: to create a copy of an existing image with a size of 640 x 480, or 320 x 240, or 160 x 120 pixels.