Nikon
uses a "folder" look for the menus of the Coolpix 950. The dark
blue letters on a light blue background make the menus nearly impossible
to decipher in sunlight. We felt white text on a black background would
have been more advisable.
Two levels of menus are available for both the record and playback functions.
One level allows immediate changes; the other, a set up menu, permits
"deeper" changes. While some of the options are selected by
pressing the shutter button (thereby opening up a further sub-menu), others
can be manipulated by rotating the command dial to quickly change the
current setting. Once the user gets accustomed to it, this is an efficient
system. The only drawback here is that this system is not used universally.
When it is available as an option, a half-circle icon is shown at the
bottom of the screen, representing the command dial.
Software
The
Nikon Coolpix 950 is sold with NikonView 2, an
organizing and transfer utility that integrates into the
operating system. In Windows Explorer, the icon for the
program appears as one of the computer system's drives.
Cliking on the icon provides access to either the camera,
the hard disk, or the CompactFlash card (when it's in
a reader). The program is simple and efficient.
Since
the each image's shooting data is stored with the image
itself, the image's Properties
detail the camera's settings at the time the shot was
taken.
The information includes the compression level (if any),
the metering mode, the flash mode, the focal length
used, the shutter speed, and the aperture.
At the risk of repeating ourselves, this is valuable
information for anyone wanting to understand how the
camera captures an image, and learn the most effective
camera settings in any given situation. Considering
the "digital" nature of these cameras, this
information should always be available to users.
Along with NikonView2, Nikon also provides the limited
edition of Adobe's PhotoShop 5, a truly excellent image
editing application.
Cliking on the icon provides access to either the camera,
the hard disk, or the CompactFlash card (when it's in
a reader). The program is simple and efficient.
