Offering 12.1 megapixels
in a small package that easily slides into a coat pocket,
the Nikon Coolpix P5100 also offers a combination of
advanced shooting modes and scene modes, integrates the Vibration
Reduction (VR) system that dampens the effect of camera shake
in the lens itself, and provides both a 2.5-inch LCD monitor
and an optical viewfinder.
5
controls:
the Shutter Release,
the Zoom Control,
the On/Off button,
the Mode Dial,
and the Command Dial.
The shutter release is a two-stage system, providing auto
focus and auto exposure when pressed halfway. The zoom control,
the ring around the shutter release, moves the zoom to the
wide end when pushed with the index, and the telephoto end
when pulled towards the right. And, with the P5100 set to
the playback mode, the T side serves to zoom
()
into an image on screen up to 10X, while
pushing the control towards the W side displays
thumbnails ()
of the captured images, first with 4 per screen, then with
9 per screen, and finally with 16 per screen.
In addition, the T
side of the zoom also displays informative screens ()
when selected while a menu is on screen.
The On/Off button serves to turn the camera
On and Off, but the Play button, on the back
of the camera, can also turn on the P5100 (see further).
The Command Dial,
placed in the back corner, is positioned so it can easily
be turned with the thumb. The Command Dial serves to make
adjustments to aperture and shutter speed, and to navigate
the options of the menus.
With the P5100 set to the Playback mode, the Command Dial
can be used to review images in a format called Thumbnail
Wheel Playback (see at right). Moreover, when the
Fn button is used in conjunction with the
Command dial, captured images can be seen in a calendar format
that shows 1 month at a time and the first image captured
on particular dates, or simply listed by date.
The Mode Dial
is slightly raised in comparison to the others. It has 10
positions, 9 of which are for capture:
Program lets the camera select
the aperture and the shutter speed, but allows the photographer
to adjust other settings such as ISO sensitivity, white
balance, metering pattern, auto focus, etc. In addition,
it is possible to select alternative combinations of
aperture and shutter speeds that will result in a similar
exposure (Flexible Program), while
favouring depth of field or speed to capture action
using the Command Dial.
Shutter Priority allows the photographer
to adjust the shutter speed over a range of 1/2000 second
through 8 seconds while the camera adjusts the aperture.
Worth noting, the top end of the shutter speed range is
controlled by the zoom position, and 1/2000 second is
only available when the zoom is at the wide angle end,
while when the zoom is set to the maximum telephoto, the
top shutter speed is 1/1000 second.
Aperture Priority allows the photographer
to choose the aperture while the camera matches it to
a shutter speed. With the zoom lens at the wide angle
end, the apertures start at f2.7 to f7.6 in 10 steps and
at the telephoto end range from f5.3 to f7.3 in 4 steps.
Manual Mode provides control over
both the shutter speed and the aperture — both with
the same constraints as the Shutter and Aperture Priority
modes.
Setup is the access to the Setup
menu which contains the most basic settings for the P5100.
(See the Interface and Software section
of the review for more information about the contents
of the Setup menu.)
Movie mode offers different
frame sizes at 2 different frame rates:
TV movie 640:
captures a 640 x 480 pixels frame size with sound
at 30 frames per second.
TV movie 640: captures a 640 x 480 pixels
frame size with sound at 15 frames per second.
Small Size 320: captures a 320 x 240 pixels
frame size with sound at 15 frames per second.
Smaller Size 160: captures a 160 x 120 pixels
frame size with sound and at 15 frames per second.
Time Lapse Movie: captures up to 1800 images
at a 640 x 480 pixels frame size, which the camera
then assembles into a silent animation at 30 frames
per second, for a maximum of 60 seconds. The interval
between each shot must be specified at the outset.
Sepia Movie 320 captures a sepia
tone movie with a 320 x 240 pixel frame size at 15
frames per second with sound.
B&W Movie 320 captures black
and white movie with a frame size of 320 x 240 pixel
at 15 frames per second with sound.
The maximum file size for all movies is 4 GB
Movies, with the exception of Time Lapse Movies. Focus
can be set to Single AF, which locks it at the
first frame, or Full-Time AF, which allows the
camera to follow a moving subject. Worth noting however,
the sound produced by the Full-Time AF will be recorded
as well. The zoom position is locked at the first frame,
the white balance is set to Auto and the metering is
set to Matrix, neither of which can be changed. A 2X
digital zoom (up to 4X with Time-Lapse movie) is available
and only VR Normal mode is available for Vibration Reduction.
The Scene position of the dial
provides access to the P5100's 15 Scene Modes.
When the Scene position is selected, the camera automatically
returns to the last used Scene mode. However, pressing
the MENU button displays the list of Scene modes, represented
as icons. Nine of these have a black corner, indicating
that these modes offer the possibility of controlling
colour saturation and/or sharpness.
Portrait
Landscape
Sports
Night Portrait
Party/Indoor
Beach/Snow
Sunset
Dusk/Dawn
Night Landscape
Close Up
Museum
Fireworks Show
Back Light
Copy
Panorama Assist
Voice Recording (max.
5hrs)
Hi ISO automatically increases
the sensitivity up to a maximum of 1600 ISO and can
be used in combination with Vibration Reduction or not.
Anti-Shake mode is similar to
the Hi ISO mode in that it increases sensitivity as
well. It adds, however, the BSS (Best Shot Selector)
which captures 10 frames and then picks the sharpest
of the 10 to save.
Auto is the simplest mode of
the camera as the camera handles all settings. This
mode has no menu.
On the top left side, the
Coolpix P5100 is equipped with a flash shoe that is dedicated
to Nikon flash units such as the SB-600 shown at left. Mounting
such a flash on the diminutive P5100 results in a combination
that is surprisingly disproportionate, and which, since the
external flash weighs considerably more than the P5100, demands
that the camera be rested on its back when not in use. The
advantage, however, is that the external flash allows capturing
very well-lit images, and allows for bounce flash
shots which produce images that are evenly lit.
The rest of the controls on the P5100 are organized on the
right and left sides of the 2.5-inch, 230,000
pixel monitor. The right side has only 1 control,
the Multi-Selector, but in addition to serving
as a means to navigate menus and confirm selections made there
with the centre OK button, and reviewing
images when the camera is in Playback mode, its 4 directional
buttons control functions when the camera is in a capture
mode:
Pressing the control at the
top selects the Flash Mode: Auto, Auto with
Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Rear-curtain
Flash (fires the flash immediately before the end
of the exposure time, instead of at the beginning).
Pressing the control
to the left starts the Self-timer, which offers
the choice of a 10-second, or a 3-second delay. Worth
noting, the self-timer must be re-initialized every
time it is used.
Pressing the control at the
bottom allows selecting the Focus Mode:
Auto Focus the default; Infinity for when
the camera has trouble focusing on a distant or limitless
subject such as the sky; Macro, which allows the
camera to focus on a subject that is 4 cm (1.6 in.) from
the front element of the lens when the zoom is set to
the position that changes the on-screen macro icon to
green.
Finally, pressing the control
on the right displays an exposure compensation
scale which has a range of ±2 EV selectable in
1/3 EV increments using the up and down directions of
the control while the OK button confirms
the adjustment.
The other controls are on the
left side of the monitor, a stack of 5 buttons:
Fn
The Function
button is a programmable button. By default, the Fn
button displays the ISO setting. However, it can be
assigned to any one of 10 settings, including ISO: Image
Quality, Image Size, White Balance, AF Area Mode, Continuous,
Distortion Control, Converter, Vibration Reduction,
User Setting (recalls preferred camera settings). Moreover,
the Fn button can be used in combination
with the Command dial in both capture and playback.
(See above.)
Display controls
the information shown on the monitor and turns it On and
Off when the P5100 is set to a capture mode.
In a capture mode, by default
the camera superimposes basic camera settings on the monitor:
the capture mode, the flash mode, the memory in use (internal
or card), the image size and quality settings, the sensitivity
setting, the vibration reduction mode, the remaining number
of images that can be captured using the current memory,
the aperture and shutter speed along with the function
of the Command dial, the image quality and size.
Pressing the
button once removes some of the superimposed settings,
but adds a composition grid. Pressing the button a second
time clears the screen of most superimposed information,
with the exception of the shooting mode and the AF brackets.
Set to the Playback mode, the image is presented with
the capture date and time superimposed, along with the
image's file name, its resolution and quality settings,
and its position within the group of photos in the folder.
Pressing the
button once presents the image as a thumbnail at the
top left of the monitor, the potentially overexposed
areas flashing, with its histogram illustrating the
distribution of brightness throughout the image displayed
below. While on the right side of the screen the shooting
parameters, including the capture mode used, exposure
compensation, shutter speed and aperture, and ISO sensitivity.
Starts the Playback mode.
If it is maintained pressed while the camera is turned
off, the button will turn on the camera directly in the
Playback mode, without extending the lens.
MENU
Calls up the menu that corresponds
to the camera's current mode.
Delete
serves to erase unwanted images, movies or sounds.
Although very compact, the
Coolpix P5100 has a number of external controls. These are
well positioned, and very useable. One control, however, the
Multi-selector, may be a touch too small to use comfortably
by everyone. The left direction, which controls the Self-timer
as well, is particularly tight to the edge of the monitor,
and is not easily accessed reliably.
Aside from this, the grip and thumb rest of the camera provide
a very secure hold, and the inclusion of an optical viewfinder
makes it possible to conserve battery power, and shoot when
the LCD monitor is difficult to see.
Compare Prices for Nikon Coolpix P5100 12.1MP Digital Camera
Ergonomics
)
into an image on screen up to 10X, while
pushing the control towards the W side displays
thumbnails (
)
of the captured images, first with 4 per screen, then with
9 per screen, and finally with 16 per screen.
)
when selected while a menu is on screen.
:
captures a 640 x 480 pixels frame size with sound
at 30 frames per second.
