Record mode display
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Here we have already half-pressed the shutter release, auto focus
has locked (red brackets and green AF dot) and exposure is locked.
This example is using automatic AF area selection (the camera has
chosen the center area), you can also opt for manual AF area selection
(example
here) and use the 4-way controller to select the required area.
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After shooting a review image is displayed along with
the hourglass icon indicating that the image is being written. This
record review is shown for approximately two seconds but can be interrupted
at any time by half-pressing the shutter release. Oddly the 5400 doesn't
allow you to hold or delete the image at this stage, nor does it offer
a histogram display. |
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| For a second look at the last image taken press the
'QUICK' (review) button, this will upon the first press display a
quarter frame size review (overlaid on the live view) and on the second
press switch to a shooting priority play mode (basic Play functions
apart from the menu). It would have been nice to have the option to
disable the quarter size review and be able to switch directly into
play mode with this button. |
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| Example of Shutter Priority (S) mode, the selected shutter
speed is displayed and the aperture is calculated (live update) depending
on the current metered exposure. |
Example of Aperture Priority (A) mode, the selected
aperture is displayed and shutter speed is calculated (live update)
depending on the current metered exposure. |
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| Example of Manual Exposure (M) mode, note that as you
change either shutter speed or aperture an exposure 'difference' bar
is displayed, each dot representing 0.3 EV difference between the
selected exposure and the metered exposure. |
Example of Scene exposure mode, in this case Panorama
Assist which displays a semitransparent edge from the last exposure
which you can use to align images in a panorama and will help to stitch
images later. |
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| Example of movie clip record mode, the number of seconds
remaining in this case being 70 seconds for a 640 x 480 ('TV') clip,
alternatively you can shoot up to 180 seconds for a 320 x 240 clip. |
Press the DISPLAY button in any of the creative modes
to toggle between the normal full information display, a simple display
(see above, just AF area) or LCD monitor off. |
Focus confirmation
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| From the record menu you can choose to enable focus
confirmation at all times, switch it off or use it only for manual
focus. Personally I find focus confirmation (a hard sharpening of
the live view image) useful especially when shooting macros. |
Manual Focus
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| Just like the Coolpix 5700 but unlike the camera it
replaces (the Coolpix 5000) the Coolpix 5400 doesn't display focus
distance on-screen but instead simply represents the current manual
focus position with a bar graph (ignore the '18 / 51' on screen, that
was a capture from an earlier camera). Note how useful Nikon's 'focus
confirmation' sharpening is for the image perfectly in focus shown
on the right. |
Warnings / Indicators
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| If you try to switch modes (for example from Record to Play) before
the current image has been written to the Compact Flash card you will
see this warning message and have to wait until it has completed. |
On other indicator is the Compact Flash activity icon seen in the
top left of this image, while it is shown you should not remove the
card as image data is still being written. |
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