Top of camera controls

The top of the Coolpix 885 is the mode dial which is used to select between auto exposure mode, scene modes (ideal exposure 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. 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, there is no menu. Image size and quality are set according to the SETUP menu. Flash is set to Auto redeye reduction (although can be changed), ISO is set to Auto, Exposure compensation can be set, Focus modes can be selected.
	Scene exposure Use on of the 12 'canned' exposure modes: Portrait, Party/Indoor, Night Portrait, Beach/Snow, Landscape, Sunset, Night Landscape, Museum, Fireworks Show, Close Up, Copy, Backlight. These are covered in more detail below.
CSM	Custom Mode This mode is identical to the Programmed Auto (P) mode we've seen before, the primary difference being that it can be switched between (P) Programmed Auto and (M) Manual. In this mode you have full access to all camera controls such as ISO, Metering, Continuous etc.
	Movie Clip Record 320 x 240 movie clips in QuickTime (.MOV) format. Clips are recorded at 15 frames per second, no audio for a maximum length of 40 seconds.
SETUP	Setup Menu Enters the cameras main setup menu used for controlling camera settings such as power save time, folder names, default image size / quality, card format etc. (detailed later)

Scene exposure modes

The following default settings are made in SCENE mode:

• White balance is set to AUTO or a pre-programmed preset
• ISO is either fixed or set to AUTO and cannot be set
• Exposure compensation can be made (exposure compensation button + 4-way controller)
• Flash mode can be changed (depends on scene mode, see table below)
• Exposure mode is P (programmed auto exposure)
• Focus mode can be changed (depends on scene mode, see table below)
• Settings such as sharpening, image adjustment and bracketing cannot be altered
• Some scene modes use an image adjustment (S-curve) to enhance the image

Scene Mode	Focus modes	Flash modes	ISO	Notes
Portrait	5 focus-area selection • Normal • Self Timer	• Any	100	Slowest sync speed 1/60 sec, short depth of field (locked to large aperture, small F number)
Party/Indoor	• Normal • Self Timer	• Slow Sync with Anti-Redeye	AUTO	Slow sync flash freezes foreground and leaves background looking natural, slowest sync speed 1/8 sec
Night Portrait	• Normal • Self Timer	• Slow Sync with Anti-Redeye	AUTO	Similar to party mode, slowest shutter speed 2 seconds
Beach/Snow	• Any	• Any	100	Slowest shutter speed 1/60 sec
Landscape	• Infinity lock	• Flash Cancel	AUTO	Slowest shutter speed 1 second
Sunset	• Normal • Self Timer • Infinity lock	• Flash Cancel	AUTO	Slowest shutter speed 1 second
Night Landscape	• Infinity lock	• Flash Cancel	AUTO	Slowest shutter speed 2 seconds NR for exposure slower than 1/4 sec
Museum	• Any	• Flash Cancel	AUTO	Slowest shutter speed 1 second
Fireworks Show	• Infinity lock	• Flash Cancel	100	Large depth of field (locked to small aperture, large F number), slowest shutter speed 4 seconds NR for exposure slower than 1/4 sec
Close up	5 focus-area selection • Macro • Macro & Self Timer	• Flash Cancel	AUTO	Slowest shutter speed 1 second, increased saturation look to image
Copy	• Any	• Any	AUTO	Black & White high contrast image filter, slowest shutter speed 1 second
Back Light	• Normal • Self Timer	• Flash Fill	100	Camera seems to spot meter, slowest sync speed 1/60 sec