Top of camera controls

The top of the Coolpix 775 is dominated by the large mode dial which is used to select between auto exposure mode, scene modes (ideal camera settings for different types of scene), play mode and movie clip mode. The mode dial is positioned to be accessible to your thumb (from the back) when gripping the camera.

At the front is the shutter release button surrounded by the power switch. I liked the location and feel of the power switch, it's easy to just flip the camera on when it's in your hand.

Mode dial

	Play mode Switches immediately to play mode, displays the last image taken / last image on the Compact Flash card.
	Auto record mode This is the main shooting mode, no special exposure effects are applied, you have full access to all the options in the record menu.
	Party / Indoor Uses slow-sync flash to illuminate the front subject while still exposing the background and normal exposure levels. Uses indoor white balance.
	Backlight Spot metered subject with fill-in flash (automatic) to ensure correct exposure for main subject.
	Portrait Camera selects largest possible aperture to create narrow depth of field and thus 'blur' the background.
	Night Portrait Uses slow-sync flash to illuminate the front subject while still exposing the background and normal exposure levels.
	Landscape Camera selects smallest possible aperture to create largest possible depth of field. Focus locked at Infinity. Contrast is increased. Flash forced off.
	Beach / Snow Captures bright scenes such as beaches or snow without underexposing.
	Sunset Capture sunsets with correct colour balance (locked white balance mode). Flash forced off.
	Movie Clip Record 'silent movies' (775's manual words!) at 320 x 240, 15 fps. Maximum of 15 seconds per clip. Stored as QuickTime movies (.MOV). Flash forced off.

Rear of camera controls

On the back of the camera we find the 4-way controller which is also responsible for zoom as well as five buttons surrounding the LCD monitor.

Buttons (record mode)

	4-way controller Left & Right - zoom towards wide angle or telephoto. Up - switch monitor modes (full information, basic information, LCD off).
TRANSFER	Transfer When connected to a computer running NikonView pressing this button initiates transfer of all images marked with the transfer tag.
	Quick View Switches between different record mode 'quick view' modes: • Quarter size review • Full size review • Cancel review
	Focus mode • Normal • Self-Timer • Landscape • Macro • Macro & Self-Timer
	Flash mode • Auto • Flash cancel • Anti redeye • Flash fill • Flash slow sync
MENU	Menu Enters / Leaves record menu.

Here's something I found annoying - the camera only retains some settings after power-off and resets some on power-up. It remembers: image size / resolution, continuous mode and BSS. It resets: Flash, focus, white balance, exposure compensation and sharpening. The main reasons behind this are almost definetly that the camera is design as a point-and-shoot which should always start in a 'known state' but it would have been nice to have the choice of settings to be stored. Most notably I would like to have seen sharpening and flash mode as memory options.

Buttons (play mode)

	4-way controller Up & Down - browse through images, Left - switch monitor modes (full information, no information). (I've no idea why the controls aren't consistent between record and play modes, Left & Right should be used to browse images, and the Up button is already labeled 'Monitor').
TRANSFER	Transfer Select / De-select image for transfer via NikonView. When connected to a computer running NikonView pressing this button initiates transfer of all images marked with the transfer tag.
	Magnify Switches to a 2x magnified view mode, can be scrolled using the 4-way controller.
	Delete Delete currently displayed image (requires confirmation)
	Switch view modes • Single image • 3 x 3 thumbnails • 2 x 2 thumbnails
MENU	Menu Enters / Leaves a menu.