Focal length, f-number, f-stops — are you set for a little physics on the part of the art called photography?

As much as photography is about capturing the shots with an artist’s eye, it is equally about understanding the science applied in the creation of a photograph.

At a preliminary stage, we hold the camera in the hand and learn to see through the camera’s eye. As we spend more and more time with this awesome machinery (the shot-gun), we tend to learn more about photography like how does the camera work, the essence of drawing with light and the physics of photography.

In the later realm, i.e., the physics of photography, we discover some of the very powerful basics of photography — the focal length,  f-numbers and f-stops. This is what I will demystify in today’s post — the meaning of these mysterious numerals that are almost always found inscribed on the lens barrel of a camera lens.

Let’s take them one by one, starting with the focal length…

What Is The Focal Length?

Theoretically speaking, the focal length of a lens is the distance from the rear element (the glass at the back of the lens) and the point where the light is brought to a focus by the lens, on the camera’s sensor.

The whole idea of having a lens in the camera, you will appreciate, is to project a focused image onto the sensor.

In a true long-focus lens of 200 mm focal length, for instance, this distance will always be 200 mm, necessitating a longer lens barrel. This longer focus has the effect of pulling the subject closer. In other words, magnifying it! But this is dependent on the size of the film or the sensor. An 80mm lens is a short telephoto lens for a camera with an APS-C size sensor, but it is a normal lens for a Hasselblad camera with a larger sensor.

In a normal lens of 50 mm focal length for your full frame DSLR camera, this distance will be found to be 50 mm. Incidentally, this lens is called a normal lens not because other lenses are abnormal, but because the size of the images given by it corresponds to the size of the subject as normally perceived by the naked eye. In other words, the image does not look either reduced or magnified in size (as in the case of telephoto or macro lenses). Many photographers choose to call it the Standard lens.

A telephoto lens, to be exact, is an optically corrected, but physically shorter (i.e., no longer a true long-focus) lens that ensures that the light comes to a focus at the sensor plane. And zoom lens is the one that covers a range of focal lengths for zooming in (getting close) and zooming out (getting away) from the scene.

Over to the next mysterious numeral…

What Is The F-number?

Here’s the secret of the hieroglyphics — the f-numbers engraved on the lens barrel merely indicate the maximum size of the aperture, i.e., the opening allowing the light to squeeze through to get to the sensor after the shutter has been activated.

The maximum aperture is merely a mathematical expression derived from dividing the focal length by the actual, measurable diameter of the front element of the lens.

Try it! Measure the diameter of the front element carefully with a scale. Now divide the focal length of the lens with that number… say, 50 (mm) ÷ 25mm. The answer is 2 and so the f-number or ‘speed’ of the lens is f. 1 : 2 or f 1/2. Voilà! The mystery of the f-number demystified!

Try this — measure the diameter of the front element of the 50 mm f.1.4 normal lens on your fine SLR camera and divide the focal length (50) by it; the answer will always come to be 1.4, which confirms that the diameter of the front element is 50 (focal length) divided by 1.4 = 35.71 mm. This is a f 1 : 1.4 lens – a very fast lens, called fast because it lets in more light and hence allows very short shutter speeds to be used.

A 50mm f.1:1.2 lens is even faster. Actually, the f-number is always expressed (quite correctly) as a ratio, so you will find it inscribed on all but the most basic lenses. The size of the front element usually determines the speed of the lens. That is why the front element of the new Nikon 800mm f 1:5.6 (below) is so massive. This also explains why superfast tele-lenses, mostly used for sports or wildlife photography look like bazookas.

The logic of the f-number — the front lens element relationship is simple — the wider the aperture (here, the front end of the glass where the light enters the camera), the greater is the amount of light reaching the sensor.

It’s no wonder that professionals, who often have to get sharp pictures in poor light, need fast super tele-lenses. These lenses give them as much access to light as possible (and incidentally, enable the fastest shutter-speed possible under the dimly-lit conditions of indoor sports). They usually don’t need much depth of field for a carefully focused news picture in poor light.

If they do need more DOF, they are in trouble. There is no way they can use an aperture of, say, f.8, (giving reasonable DOF, especially with a 500 mm lens and a subject at medium distance), the low shutter-speeds then become obligatory for obtaining a properly exposed image; which will mean the subject, if moving, is going to be badly (probably unrecognizably) blurred. The solution to this issue is presented at the end of this article (hint: a zoom lens with variable f-numbers).

By the virtue of the design compulsions in producing fast lenses, a lot of optical ‘corrections’ are necessary; optical aberrations are unavoidably inherent in designing such lenses. This necessitates many elements inside the lens, busily canceling out each other’s errors. The faster the lens, the bulkier, heavier, and costlier it inevitably is.

In years to come, better, more efficient glasses will be made. Moreover, computer programs and CAD / CAM techniques are constantly improving, so cost and size of lenses are gradually coming down. Yet, an f.1:1.2 lens will always be much more expensive than an F.1:1.8 lens, so if the 1.8 is more than adequate for your needs, it may not be wise to spend more for a 1.2 which will tire you (I mean it, these lenses are heavy), as well as burn a hole in your pocket.

In fact, super-fast lenses are designed in such a way that their best performance (in terms of image quality) comes in at the wider apertures. The whole purpose of buying a fast lens is to use it in poor light or wide open, to get faster shutter speeds, isn’t it? Obviously, the f.1.2, f.2, and f.2.8 aperture settings are going to be used a lot of the time, so the performance at these apertures have to be very good.

This is doubly true because the vast majority of lenses usually perform best when they are used two or three apertures down from maximum aperture. The act of going down the aperture scale, by the way, is called ‘stopping down’. And this brings us to the next question…

What Are F-stops and why do we call them “F-stops”?

The term stops has come to acquire the meaning of one exposure value, or ‘EV’; where each added stop means a factor of two and each subtracted stop means a factor of one-half.

Let us take a simple example to understand the stops. If at 1/125th of a second, you go from f.4 to f.5.6, you have stopped down one stop. This is to say that as the aperture is reduced from f/4 to f/5.6, that is, the aperture is adjusted from lower f-number to the higher f-number in the series sequentially, the exposure value is stopped down by 1EV, thus the term f-stop.

But if you keep the aperture at f.4, and increase the shutter speed to 1/250th of a second, you will again manage to shift the exposure equation one stop!

In other words, adjusting either aperture or shutter speed is expressed informally in terms of stops. Hence, going from f.4 to f.5.6 is equivalent to going from say, 1/125th of a second shutter speed to 1/250th… both of which register the effect that a smaller aperture (more depth of field) or a faster shutter speed (better ability to freeze action, or less visible effects of camera shake) would have on the image.

As this is getting interesting, let’s include one more section here — about variable f-numbers.

Variable F-Numbers

I wonder if you’ve noticed that sometimes the aperture is marked as f.1: 3.5~5.6, say on a 18~300 mm telezoom lens? That little squiggle (~) signifies that the maximum aperture, like the focal length, is variable in actual use, i.e., it varies with the focal length as the zoom lens is zoomed in or out.

It will be a true f.1: 3.5 lens at the shorter focal length (here, 18 mm), but as the zoom is zoomed out, the working aperture will measure out at f.5.6. Intermediate zoom settings will effectively yield intermediate f-numbers.

This is perfectly understandable when we realize that the diameter of the front element remains constant! If the lens remained at f. 3.5 throughout the entire zoom range, it would be very large, heavy and expensive. This is true for all constant aperture zoom lenses.

The two f-numbers mean that the zoom is f/3.5 at the shorter focal length setting, but gradually shifts to f/5.6 as you zoom out to the maximum focal length. To reiterate, this happens because the size of the front element stays constant, as explained earlier.

This also means that as the lens zooms out to 300 mm, the shutter-speed falls by over a stop (all else remaining constant).

If you are setting, say 1/500th of a second from the TTL meter at f/4, the reading will slip to around 1/250th of a second at the 300 mm (f 5.6) zoom setting, provided the intensity of the light and all else remains the same.

Nowadays, computerized flashguns and through the lens flash (TTL flash metering) / TTL auto exposure automatically compensate for the reduced effective aperture, so that we can safely ignore all this; the exposure itself doesn’t suffer!

Remember, each adjacent setting of either aperture or shutter-speed means a difference of one stop, i.e., one notch of aperture or shutter speed. Ditto for ISO sensitivity settings, as visible on the LCD monitor on viewfinder. This is how the exposure triangle works.

And finally, if the minimum aperture (of, say, f.3.5) still does not allow a shutter speed high (fast) enough to stop the action in the low light, you can always increase the ISO setting… the third variable of the exposure equation. In all shooting situations, therefore, the fast lens will always prove more handy than a slow lens.

Author’s Intro: This article is contributed by Subroto Mukerji. Subroto is an amateur photographer of long standing who especially loves to review cameras, lenses, etc. As a passionate hobbyist, he also loves to share his thoughts and insights on various topics related to photography.

I became serious about photography in the late seventies of the last century, well before the dawn of the digital era. A 50 mm f/1.4 ‘standard’ lens was what usually came with the camera, with F 1:1.7 or F 1:1.8 as the cheaper alternatives. After getting my Minolta XE-1 (Ha! Minolta pipped Fujifilm to the post over three decades ago!) and the superfast 58 mm F/1.2 lens that came with it, I went on to acquire, after considerable effort, a 28 mm F/2.8 wide angle and a 100 mm F/2.5 — both original Minolta Rokkor lenses.

While the amazing 58 mm F/1.2 gave me the ability to shoot indoor shots in dim lighting even on Kodachrome 64, the light, small and fast 100 mm tele-lens whetted my appetite for portraiture. Using Kodak Tri-X (400 ASA), I could easily take tight head shots by room lighting, resting my camera on the back of a chair or other steady support.

But I still hankered for greater flexibility when composing my portraits and I soon got lucky with a Hanimex 90~230mm f. 4.5~5.6 zoom lens. It was not very sharp, but in natural light, outside in open shade, I could pull off some great portraits using cine-stock 80 ASA ORWO film rated at 125 ASA, bought in bulk and self-loaded into old 35mm film cans. In fact, the slight softness of the photos was ideal for portraits of ladies and babies!

But I missed the super sharp pictures I always got with the fixed focal length – i.e., ‘prime’ lenses and used the Hanimex only when field compulsions left me with no choice. I finally managed to lay my hands on a Rokkor 200mm F 4.5 telephoto lens, which became my primary (no pun intended) armament for birds and wildlife (till I got a Kalimar 500 mm F 8 mirror lens). All these Rokkor prime lenses were extremely sharp, even wide open. And that is why these prime lenses score over zooms.

Shot With Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 Lens

The Distinguishing Features Of A Prime Lens

1. Prime lenses are relatively small and light: Since they have simpler optical constructions than zooms, primes are lighter and usually smaller and cheaper than zooms.
2. Prime lenses are faster: Thanks to the optical formula of a prime lens, it is usually much faster than a zoom in its category. This also means it is either cheaper or the manufacturer has more leeway to lavish greater optical flourishes on it. The 50 mm F 1.4 Nikkor is well known as one of the sharpest lenses ever made. The latest version, the AFS 50 mm F 1.8G is the best one from the Nikon stables so far, outperforming even the F 1.4 and amazingly, it retails new one for a mere USD 200! No lens ever gave so much quality for so little money.
3. Prime lenses are associated with beautiful bokehs: At the wider apertures (the 50 mm F 1.8 Nikkor gives amazing sharpness from F 2.8 onwards), backgrounds melt away like ice-cream on a hot summer’s day! This enables excellent separation of the subject from the background and makes pictures pop. It is also very handy for food, portrait and product shots, for example, when you need to isolate / highlight a particular feature of a person or an item, throw the rest out of focus.
   

   Shot With AF-S Nikkor 50mm 1.8G Prime Lens

   Bokeh (as the quality of the defocused background is known) is thus a valuable side benefit and a highly prized one at that, which most fast primes confer. Even a fast 24 mm wide angle lens (as you know, wide- angle lenses confer enormous DOF) like the 24 mm F 1.8 Nikkor will de-focus backgrounds if you follow the rules for getting a shallow depth of field.

4. Prime lenses tend to be cheaper: Primes are usually much cheaper to buy than fast zooms. It is only now, in April 2013, that Sigma has released the world’s first F 1.8 zoom (18~35 mm, with F 1.8 aperture being available throughout the zoom range). The 64 million dollar question, however, is how it performs wide open – any modern zoom can give quite decent results at F 5.6, but will that help in low light if you are an inexperienced shooter? Remains to be seen … I’m keeping an open mind till test results come in. A point worth bearing in mind is that this lens weighs about a ton! I’d much rather carry my little 18-55mm kit lens, which is an excellent performer. A trio of 24, 35 and 50 mm lenses would be light and very easy on the shoulder, besides offering great optical quality.

The Downsides Of A Prime Lens

Oh yes, it’s not all milk and roses in fixed-focal-length land. Primes have their downsides, like almost everything else in life… Here we look at the cons – the disadvantages of prime lenses.

• Image stabilization in prime lenses come at a cost: That’s right, buddy, you’re on your own, after being pampered by VC, VR or IS call it what you will. Now you’re at par with old timers like me. VR prime lenses are priced at such a high price that it’s only within the reach of wealthy amateurs, leave behind the common man who can just gaze at these astronomically priced glasses. Example of VR prime lenses — AF-S Nikkor 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR priced at 22374.739 USD; AF-S Nikkor 200mm f/2G ED VR II priced at 7804.781 USD.
• Changing lenses often results in dust on the sensor: Camera sensors are electrically charged and are magnets for dust. If you tend to change the lenses often in dusty locations then your new dslr will soon be undergoing treatment in the service depot. In film cameras, we just blew dust off the mirror with a blower brush. If dust began to leave scratches on the film, we’d open the back and give it a blast of air as well. Not so today; sensor cleaning is serious business, best left to an authorized service outlet.
• Lack of flexibility: Ken Rockwell, whose sanity if not probity is constantly called to question, says he always keeps his 35 mm f. 1.8G lens on his camera. He advocates we should ‘zoom with our feet’ or work the shot (just a paraphrase) if we need to compose a shot. That’s baloney. Not only does perspective change with distance, I can’t imagine myself walking up to a possible subject (of a candid portrait) in a restaurant and poking my lens in his / her face. Or may be for a distant shot like this one:
  

  Shot With Canon EOS EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM Zoom Lens

  On the other hand, I’ve often captured great candids with a pocket zoom under the same circumstances. Primes just might be ideal for walkabout street shooting, but I wouldn’t try it. For architectural shots, maybe, but not for people pictures. I should know; I’ve tried both.

Final Verdict — Are Prime Lenses Any Better Than Fast Zooms

That’s my take on the great ‘zoom vs prime’ lens debate. Every time I put my 50 mm f. 1.8G prime lens on my camera, I recall the day when I happened to be 20 feet away when an amazing event took place. An Adjutant Stork, who was being ‘buzzed’ (harassed by sharp, close fly-bys) by a Snowy White Egret suddenly snapped at it and caught it by the beak in mid-air!

Sadly, for some forgotten reason, I had a 100mm lens on my film camera, whereas I needed at least 200mm for a negative with enough detail to produce a winning print. Outcome: I had to trash all the three shots I got. They just couldn’t take the cropping needed for quality prints.

Zoom Lens Shot With A Zoom Lens

Moreover, modern zooms are improving by leaps and bounds, giving photographers enough incentive to jettison their ‘old-baggage’ mindsets about zooms. So, while primes have all the advantages, for me the flexibility of zooms doesn’t allow prime lenses to score over the other. It’s like this — each for its purpose scores; each for its purpose defeats!

What do you prefer — prime lens or a zoom lens?

Author’s Intro: This article is contributed by Subroto Mukerji. Subroto is an amateur photographer of long standing who especially loves to review cameras, lenses, etc. As a passionate hobbyist, he also loves to share his thoughts and insights on various topics related to photography.

This article lists some of the finest new cameras launched in 2012. Though the selection is obviously colored by our own preferences and predilections, it will be hard to deny that each one is a top performer in its respective category. However, you have all the say in the matter. Feel free to mention your favorite cameras in the comments.

Canon EOS 1DX [Best Professional DSLR]

The Nikon D4 almost made it here, but was beaten by a worthier opponent. This is definitely the very best camera for professionals, no two ways about it. If you’re one of those wealthy amateurs who simply must have the best, you will also hopefully have the back, legs, stamina and motivation to lug this huge camera around; it weighs over 1,500 gms with battery and card. Add a few more kilos for a couple of long, super-fast Canon L lenses like the 300mm and 600mm, and it’s a brave man who will do battle all day armed with this humongous weapon.

To give you a fair picture, Nikon D4 and 1DX are briefly compared below, based on specs furnished by manufacturers.

You want speed, do you? The Canon can hit 12 fps. That’s 700 shots a minute, leaving the legendary sten machine-carbine, with its 500 ~ 550 shots a minute, trailing way behind.

For 12 fps, you have to set everything manually, use shutter speeds over 1,500th sec., and even then you have to shoot wide open with a fast lens. If you want 14 fps, you’ll have to do all this plus lock up the mirror!

You want super-fast, super-accurate auto-focus? The 1DX’s 61 variously configurable AF points include over 41 cross-type sensors, roundly beating the Nikon D4’s paltry 15 cross-type sensors. The 1DX’s AF system is so complex that there are 5 pages in the menu devoted solely to it. Pros can master this complexity, which is why they get shots that you and I can only dream about.

You shoot in bad weather? Then this is the cannon for you. Rain, snow, hail, mud, sleet… nothing daunts this MBT (Main Battle Tank).

You want resolution? You get 18.1 megapixels on a classic 24mm x 36mm frame size. 18.1 megs is more than enough for anything.

Two card slots? You got it; 2 variously configurable Compact Flash slots.

Its super-tough fully magnesium alloy body makes its competitors feel like plastic toys.

Battery life? 1,500 shots or more – admittedly, a bit low, but see the huge power drain of dual DIGIC+5 processors for everything except AF, which has its own DIGIC+4 chip! Three powerful chips in one awesome camera!

Viewfinder is 100% and super-bright! A recent firmware update makes focus points light up in red at half press of the shutter button.

Balance? It’s great hand-holding the 300mm f. 2.8 L, even a teenager can manage that and get a shot. Whole day? Maybe you need to get in shape first, in a gym.

The metering is so advanced and so accurate that it’s likely to please all action photographers, especially those who cover adventure, sporting events, motor racing, birds in flight, distant wildlife in a sun-dappled landscape, even portraits. This is the ONLY camera that’s perfect for paparazzi, who have got to get their shot, and only milliseconds in which to get it.

The 1DX’s amazing low-light capability (native ISO is 100 to 51200) and unbelievable noise-free performance even at ISO 16,000 is hard to grasp for most of us, who hesitate to shoot even at ISO 1600.

The shutter, with its carbon fibre blades, is rated at 400,000 cycles, more than any other in existence. Now you can shoot 1,111 frames daily for 360 days (even pros need five days off a year!), just as you always wanted to!

This is not a machine for the faint-hearted. Neither is a Lamborghini Gallardo or a Ferrari Enzo. All three have lots in common, including the ability to sort out the men from the boys… besides the ability to quell the yen for more toys! If only the ultimate satisfies you, the 1 DX is it!

Burning and dodging are terms used in the process of finishing digital images in Photoshop and similar image processing software.

In the context of film and print processing, where the terms originated, dodging means withholding light from an over-exposed part of an image projected onto on photo paper under an enlarger, and burning means just the opposite, i.e., to add more light to under-exposed areas. Thus, dodging makes part of an image lighter, while burning makes selected areas darker.

It is necessary to mention at the very outset that burning and dodging must not be used indiscriminately. They must be applied judiciously in a subtle manner so as to give little clue to the viewer that such processing has taken place.

For photographers who are at the stage where they see an image in their mind’s eye and then proceed to create it, these two tools invariably find a lot of usage.

That is because the reality of how an image is lit or positioned is usually far from the photographer’s concept of what the finished image should look like. This is where burning and dodging comes into play — to manipulate an image to make it conform to our inner vision.

Perhaps it would be better to demonstrate the before and after stages of a few pictures I shot to illustrate the point.

Let’s start with the first example shot.

This being an indoor shot taken in available light, is quite flat and lacking in contrast.

Moreover, the background is so cluttered and obtrusively bright that it distracts the viewer’s attention.

There is no emotion in the shot, no drama. But there is a potential to add finishing touches to the image to thus make an impression. With right tools and techniques at hand, it doesn’t take much time or effort to transform a flat, boring snapshot into an image worthy of enlargement.

For instance, in this example shot, the cluttered background was burned in gently and in progressive stages. Only some deep, near-impenetrable shadows remain. They may leave viewers guessing but will not distract the viewer’s attention.

As far as the range of the effect is concerned, it is better to tackle the highlights first, followed by mid-tones and finally the shadows. These options are available in Photoshop’s dodge and burn tool specific menu at the top.

Quick Tip: Use low levels of exposure (say, 3% to start off with) when burning or dodging so as to build up an effect gradually over several passes with the burning or dodging tools.

I would also like to mention that I intentionally chose (and shot) for this lesson a white object, so as to present a difficult lighting situation and demonstrate how to tackle it. Natural light streamed in from the left through an open window, colored by its passage through a multi-hued awning. Thus, burning can also be used to burn away irrelevant colored specks that detract from the final result.

Flash was not used; unless it is bounced off a white ceiling or wall, it usually leads to ‘green eye’ in dogs — an unpleasant effect hard to remedy, even in Photoshop. A white sheet draped over a clothed horse added some fill light from the right. Since household pets don’t stay at one place for very long, the entire sequence of B&W and color images was shot in a matter of minutes, using an inexpensive compact camera. A little tweaking of brightness and contrast in Photoshop and the image was ready!

Just to drive the lesson home, I took an extreme shot against the glare of an afternoon sun. The range of tones far exceeded the ability of the digital camera’s sensor to cope with this color shot. Check out the test shot below:

There was quite a bit of chroma noise in the shadows, so dodging was futile at this point. Moreover, the highlights on the fur were clipped… gone forever. What could I do?

Photoshop to the rescue! To bypass the chroma noise problem, I first desaturated the image to convert it into a black and white one.

The next step was to crop the image, to add modelling to the picture. This was followed by judicious dodging of the front portion of the subject to open up the shadows. Special attention was paid to adding catchlights (check out the tips for photographing the catchlights here) to the eyes by careful spot dodging. I also did some slight burning in of the highlights on the crown of the dog’s head, then a little use of the brightness and contrast sliders.

This is the end result and I must confess I’m rather pleased with it: so pleased, in fact, that I’ve printed it 10” x 14”, and it looks good at that magnification.

There is no substitute for practice. So utilize every opportunity to sharpen your dodging and burning skills. I can’t resist adding one more example of a contre-jour (back-lit) shot to demonstrate the effects possible with these indispensable and versatile tools…

The original shot first…

The original jpeg is nice, but it is dull and there are too many sundry details to let the eye settle on the subject.

The solution was to burn in the shadows by creating a  path of light, keeping in mind that light travels in a straight line (but can bounce off reflecting surfaces).

By using the know-how given above, I was able to suppress the visual clutter, dodging and burning wherever needed to completely transform the mood of the picture. Here is the end result, with the 3-D effect being a bonus.

Good luck with your dodging and burning!

It was almost by accident, as it were, that I returned to photography after a gap of almost a quarter of a century. I’d bought a Samsung notebook online, and had been intrigued to discover a little stowaway in the parcel — a freebie in the form of a Samsung pocket digital camera!

I wasn’t too impressed by its appearance. I had last used some pretty solid Nikon SLRs and some of the sharpest lenses in 35mm photography, including the legendary 105mm f2.5 tele-Nikkor and the laser sharp 55mm f3.5 micro-Nikkor.

So after a quick scan of the user’s manual it didn’t need much guessing. I loaded the battery and card (they share the same compartment at the base, next to the USB / tripod socket), set the ISO to its base setting and I was in business. Out there, in the brilliant sunshine, began a journey that was to whisk me off to hitherto unexplored dimensions of imagery, digital being far more responsive a medium than film — a journey that was to transform the way I looked at photography as a creative medium of expression.

Undeterred, I loaded the jpegs onto my hard disk and had a closer look at them. Given the amount of post-shooting ‘darkroom’ manipulation possible, digital imagery relegates film firmly to the background, a statement that may raise howls of protest from its aficionados (and yes, they are still very much around).

I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry: the little Samsung’s jpegs seemed to jump off the monitor. Little did I realize that as I cut my digital teeth on this miniscule marvel I was putting myself in harm’s way, given the fact that the photography bug had never quite exited my system.

It was fascinating, the way images appeared to glow on my PC’s monitor! A touch of tweaking here and there, and voila! I found myself gazing at some of the sharpest, most well exposed images I had ever seen. I was hooked on digital and decided to trade up.

After getting a decent bargain for the Samsung, I headed for the nearest Sony outlet. I’d heard that the Cybershot range of compact cameras were vastly competent.

Front View Of Sony H70

1st May 2011: Ten bucks short of fourteen thousand units of legal tender changed hands and I became the proud owner of a Sony Cybershot DSC-H70, all 16.1 megapixels of it.

Key Specs Of Sony Cybershot DSC H70

It is customary, in equipment reviews, to cover the specifications first, in order to lay the basis for further exploration. I don’t think readers will have too many problems with that, so here we go —with the specs first.

It’s obvious that this is a pretty small camera; what’s NOT so obvious is that it punches far above its weight. The multi-coated 25mm to 250mm (full frame equivalent) zoom is branded as a Sony G lens, which means that Sony is quite proud of its performance — something you can judge for yourself a bit later in this review. While it may not be all that sharp beyond 200mm or so, it otherwise produces killer results, in good light. Incidentally, the 2X digital zoom should be avoided like the plague. It murders quality.

I add the rider in good light because almost all small sensor (1/2.3″ size) compacts today are notorious for two things:

1. Unless one is careful, the highlights can clip, and
2. Chroma noise rears its ugly head in deeply shadowed areas.

The remedy for (1) is to set the exposure compensation at about -1/3 or more, and for (2) is to use flash.

You can’t use an external flash since it doesn’t have a hot shoe (well, you can, if you have an external flash slaved to the Sony’s built-in one), but that built in flash, though a bit short in range, is perfect for those close-up shots (razor sharp, by the way, with stunning contrast thrown in for good measure) or portraits. If you want to use the red eye reduction setting, go ahead, though I’ve never seen red eye in any of my portraits.

It’s got lots of other good things going for it. Apart from P for Program mode, where the camera will give you a (non-flexible) combination of aperture and shutter speed, you can also use M for Manual or i-mode. The former often poses to be a real life-saver in certain situations. While there are only two aperture settings (generated by a built-in neutral density filter) available — f /3.5 and f/ 8, you can use shutter speeds from 30 seconds all the way to 1,600th of a second. There’s also an easy mode for rank beginners.

The best part of it is that the shutter is near-silent (only a very faint click is audible), adding to the Sony’s non-intimidating nature and making it a great tool for candid shooting.

Candid Shot Of A Baby With Sony Cybershot H70

Besides, no one takes the little camera seriously; there are enough people going around clicking their cellphone cameras, which means that the public has become more or less desensitized to having things with lenses pointing their way.

As a result, a tiny point-and-shoot rarely merits even a passing glance, making for some good candid or street shots.

Since most cellphone cameras have a flash, the occasional weak blip of the flash often goes unremarked unless, of course, you’ve turned it off. Surprisingly, the Sony’s flash has several settings, including slow sync, which is great for night shots. If you want to add some detail to the near foreground while allowing the camera to record the background on its own merits this mode is strongly recommended.

A Decent Night Shot With H70

It has a full complement of scene modes, which I never use, unless I wish to get smart and interpret a scene mode to match a particular scene, e.g., ‘Food’ for a close-up shot (there’s no separate macro mode; it goes automatically into macro in P and iAuto). Alternatively, you can always relinquish complete control to the camera by setting Auto and just squeeze the large, round, deliciously soft shutter release button with its distinct half-way point that signifies AE/AF lock, to record the shot.

Believe it or not, it even has tracking focus!

There’s also exposure bracketing, which even the Nikon D3100 and the new D3200 don’t have! You can go into the menu and dial in 3 shots at ±1/3, all the way up to 1 stop exposure variation each.

Note that you have to go into the menu for all the settings via the menu button, barring the settings on the Mode dial on the top deck (and the four way controller on the back). In fact, for a P&S camera, even a rudimentary Mode dial is a luxury.

Deck View (Mode Dial and Other Settings)

I have an ulterior motive for repeatedly using the term ‘P&S’ with reference to this Sony; to set you up for it’s Sunday punch. When you see the low ISO (80 and 100, no more) results, you’ll hit the canvas. The pictures are often so sharp and contrasty, so colorful and vivid, that you won’t believe they were taken with such a small, easily pocketable camera.

Even when I go out shooting with my Nikon DSLRs, the Sony stays on my belt as a back up, for two reasons:

• Firstly, its negligible weight and compact dimensions enable it to hang easily on my belt, looking for all the world like a slightly bulky mobile phone; and
• Secondly, in bright sunlight, at ISO 80, it’s picture quality can give a DSLR a run for its money!

A bold statement indeed and one that I make reluctantly, but I am left with no alternative because, pound for pound and ounce for ounce, in good light, this tiny Sony is a match for even the highly regarded D5100 (which, by the way, is also a 16 MP camera, but its APS-C sized sensor has a lower pixel pitch / physically larger pixels, which makes it far, far superior when it comes to low light shooting, or for enlargements larger than 12″x16″).

Fascinating Features Of Sony H70

If you’ll allow me, I can add one more distinctive feature of the Sony H70.

• Image Stabilization: It has superb image stabilization. I have taken sharp night shots with it at ISO 80, handheld at one full second.
• Panorama Feature: Then there’s the 180° Panorama (a Sony innovation) mode, which works well in both horizontal and portrait orientations. It takes a little practice to get the hang of it, since one has to complete the 180° sweep in perfect sync with the time allocated by the camera, or it’ll be rejected by the camera. Panos can be a very useful feature for vacationers who wish to capture, let’s say, a range of snow-capped peaks.
  

  180° Panorama Shot With H70

• Recording A Movie: It even takes movies, and they don’t look too bad on the LCD either, even in the typical P&S specifications of 1,280 x 720 at 30fps in the popular MPEG-4 format. There are no stereo mikes or sound track, just a monoaural speaker on the top deck and a speaker on the bottom plate. Sony offers us the option of listening to one of four (very faint) music clips (user replaceable through the USB port / your PC’s music store) during replay. Fun…but, hey, I’m a still shooter, so I didn’t go into this feature much further. I may be tagged as conservative, but I firmly believe that movies should be shot with a movie camera.

Drawbacks Of Cybershot H70

Lest I give readers the impression that the H70 is perfect, I hasten to assert that it has its share of drawbacks but then, even the Sony Alpha A99 DSLR has a quite a few!! The perfect camera has yet to see the light of day. I list some of its drawbacks below:

• It is a slow shooter. Shot to shot times are about a second apart.
• It can take consecutive shots at 1.5 frames a second, but the screen blacks out during the sequence, so you have to be content with shooting blind.
• The battery is good for only about 200 shots per charge, which may not suit everyone; a spare battery makes eminent sense.

But given its surprisingly large range of features, including a 2/10 second self timer, histogram, two levels of DRO (dynamic range optimizer) settings besides off, 3 metering modes, 3 focus modes (these are handy, and they work well), i-auto and a wide choice of WB (white balance) including a custom setting, face detection (can be programmed to give priority to either child or adult faces; can be turned off), near-infallible 9-point autofocus system, ‘intelligent’ scene modes, the H70 is definitely worth a close look, especially now that it’s available at well below Rs 10,000, typical of the digital age where equipment depreciates prematurely.

The trick is to locate the item you want — one that you feel will last you a long time and wait till prices are driven down by the gravity of time. It might take 6 months to a year (hence, some patience is indicated), but it will be well worth the wait.

All said and done, I intend clinging to my Sony H70 as long as it continues to churn out one delectable image after another.

At around 3,000 shutter actuations, I think I’ve already got my money’s worth; if it lasts 10,000 shutter actuations or more, you won’t find me complaining. And when it finally develops some age-induced faults that may prove uneconomical to repair, I’ll send it into honorable retirement on my display shelf — a memento of many a happy hours spent in its company.

The Sony H70 is that rare device — pathfinder, progenitor, pace setter, forerunner, call it what you will that sets a trend in motion. Gazing into my crystal ball, I can see a stream of forthcoming Sony cameras that will change the face of photography as we know it. And it is the H70 that undoubtedly helped inspire and herald the birth of the revolutionary Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100, which we hope to review in the near future.

Author’s Intro: This is a guest post by Subroto Mukherjee. Subroto is an amateur photographer and has taken up photography as a passion. Apart from that he loves to read, write and explore more about photography; more from the technical aspect though.

Beats there the heart so calloused by life’s ups and downs, by the monotony of daily existence, that it cannot appreciate a glorious sunset? I ask this rhetorical question to drive home the fact that a magnificent sunset can be uplifting and rejuvenating, if not a surreal or even a spiritual experience.

Way back in 1977, a photograph entitled Leopard at sunset in one of the volumes of the Life Library of Photography had brought me alive to the possibility of sunsets. That amazing picture is permanently embedded in the mysterious memory banks of my brain.

The picture depicts a leopard in a tree, standing menacingly over a gazelle it has just killed and dragged into the lower branches. The limp form of the little gazelle and the hunched figure of the fearsome predator are silhouetted against the gigantic sun — immense red ball of fire — the sun so big that it practically fills the 35mm Kodachrome 64 frame. 2,000 mm or more of magnification, a Nikon F2AS Photomic coupled with superb composition and exposure had produced a masterpiece of wildlife photography.

Cut to 5th September 2012. Something made me drag my eyes away from my monitor. The walls of my room were flooded with orange light. Instantly realizing what was happening, I grabbed a camera and ran upstairs to the terrace. My heartbeat accelerated as I glanced at the scene — a glorious sunset was on the cards!

The sky was ablaze with vibrant colors. Swirling air currents in the upper reaches of Earth’s atmosphere due to the cessation of the monsoons had given rise to a random phenomenon where the air was particularly prismatic in character. Amazing cloud patterns drifted among updraughts of earth-warmed air colliding with cooling layers to produce kaleidoscopic effects. I gazed at the spectacle for a while before I suddenly remembered what I was there for…

I zoomed out to the widest setting — 24 mm — that my lens was capable of and began shooting at the lowest ISO setting, varying the focal length and composition occasionally while relying on the camera’s in-built exposure meter to give me the slight under-exposure I needed to preserve the highlights (a hangover from my Kodachrome days, it works quite well in digital photography as well). Check out more tips on shooting wild sunsets here. I had also taken the precaution of setting the picture control to Vivid and I got more than I’d bargained for!

Even as I shot frame after frame in rapid succession (oh the joys of digital photography!), I was keenly aware that I was unlikely to ever see again such a splendid sunset.

My eyes refused to believe what was happening as I recorded the multiple shades of reds, the churning yellows and authentic golds that somehow managed to survive in that boiling, frothing cauldron of wild, untamed color as the sun sank into its fiery bed beyond the horizon.

This was the nature at her rawest; the nature in her most primitive mood. It reminded me of what I’d read of the fledgling Earth — 4 billion years ago, with seas of liquid magma cooling over the eons to finally transform into a green and watery planet — our beautiful home planet.

Happening to look up, I saw another life form gazing at the heavenly spectacle with rapt attention…

Now the sun was sinking fast, as it always does in the tropics. Those who remember their schoolboy geography will recall that the circumference of the earth at the equator is 40,070 kilometers, and as the day is 24 hours long, the equatorial speed of rotation is 1670 kilometers/hour (1070 miles/hr). This explains why the sun seems to set faster, the closer you are to the equator.

I shot on, knowing quite well that the dynamic range of my camera’s digital sensor would only be able to record a fraction of the DR that my eyes were seeing. The human eye is a highly sophisticated optical device that has evolved over 3 billion years of evolution, so we must excuse camera manufacturers, who’ve been tinkering with their technology for only a few decades.

The mesmerizing sunset kept unfolding its beauty every minute and I enjoyed taking a peek with my camera and capturing the colorful hues and also, photographing the silhouettes.

All the nature seemed to be holding its breath as the sun died in the west. Then it was gone, and only a few glowing embers spoke of its vanished glory.

I kept shooting frame after frame as the sun sank rapidly out of sight below the horizon, leaving the world to darkness and to me.

Author’s Intro: This is a guest post by Subroto Mukherjee. Subroto is an amateur photographer and has taken up photography as a passion. Apart from that he loves to read, write and explore more about photography; more from the technical aspect though.

Down the years, it has often come to me as a surprise that even the experienced photographers have only a vague idea of what the depth of field is? and of the role it plays in creating fine photographs.

But on reflection, I feel most of these people could be broadly classified as either landscape photographers or those who specialize in covering events such as weddings. The significance of this will be revealed as we work our way through this tutorial. For now let’s start with the concept.

What Exactly Is Depth Of Field?

The depth of field (DOF) is the distance behind, as well as the distance in front of your subject, that is acceptably sharp at a given aperture.

In other words, it is the zone of sharpness. This zone is usually about 1/3rd of the way in front of the subject and 2/3rd the distance behind it.

The basic rule is — the smaller the aperture (e.g., f/11, not f/4), the deeper the zone of sharpness, i.e., the area that is acceptably sharp, both in front of and behind the subject. I will expand on this point a bit later on.

Professional photographers, who shoot scenic pictures or college graduation group photographs, know this well. They normally use a wide angle lens and set the aperture in the range of f/11 or f/16.

In most of the pictures shot with a simple pocket digital camera, you may have noticed the cars in the parking lot behind and the distant skyscrapers… all are in focus: a very deep depth of field indeed! This is because compact cameras have very small sensors which entail enormous depth of field  and this is thus one of the reasons why you need to upgrade to a DSLR.

But unlike landscape photography, there could be times when such a universal depth of field (DOF) is not at all desirable. Too many things in focus can confuse the eye! But if you only want a nice picture-postcard shot of Nainital Lake, then go ahead and look for good DOF by using a smallish aperture. However, small apertures come at the cost of slower shutter speeds. So take care of using a tripod or firm support if the shutter speed needed is lower than 1/60th of a second.

On the other hand, if you want to capture a well-composed picture of a  flower in sharp detail with the rest of the scene out of focus, you will need a shallow DOF.

This will ensure that the viewer’s eye is drawn to the main subject (the flower) while other distracting elements are thrown out-of-focus. In fact, the shallow DOF will make your subject pop or stand out against the background, making it a terrific flower photograph. You can preview this effect with a DOF preview button. (You can learn how to make the most of this creative camera control here.)

Talking of a group photograph, an experienced photographer would likely take a group shot using a wide aperture, perhaps f/2.8 or even f/2 and most probably set the shutter-speed to about 1/2000th of a second, or even 1/4000th of a second with ISO 100 in daylight. Voilà! A super-sharp photograph of your gang: the rest is an inconsequential mish-mash.

However, if your group just wants a nostalgic record of your visit to the Eiffel Tower, he’ll probably use f/8 or f/11, so as to get the famous landmark to loom up sharply in the background… because that’s exactly why you all are posing in front of it — a memento of your trip to Paris! While we are at it, you can check out some handy tips for taking great group photographs here.

And when you want to be included in the group picture, use the self-timer (fight off the urge to rest the camera on the bonnet of the car with its engine running).

What Do You Need For Playing With The DOF?

Besides the aperture, there are two other factors that affect depth of field:

1. The focal length of the lens in use, and
2. The distance of the subject from the sensor or film plane.

To increase DOF, then, you can go for one of the following three options:

a) Use a wide-angle lens, say, one of 28mm or 24 mm focal length.
b) Use the smallest possible aperture.
c) Get as far from the subject as possible (but don’t let it disappear from view altogether!).

And to decrease DOF, you can use either of the settings:

a) Long Lens: Use a lens with as long a focal length as is consistent with your aims.
b) Wide Aperture: Use as wide an aperture as possible.
c) Get Closer To Subject: Get as close to the subject as possible.

Somewhere within these tips lies the solution which will help you capture the image effect that you want. Here is the graphical representation of the factors stated above.

The Lens And The DOF

Wide angle lenses, as the name implies, are, by their very nature (as enjoined by the laws of optics) possess a wider angle of view. The deviation from the normal view (as seen by the human eye) is determined by the focal length. In other words, a 24mm or 28mm lens would have a wider angle of view than a 35mm lens. Along with a wider angle, they also have a great depth of field, making them ideally suited for shooting interiors, landscapes, etc., where you need to stretch the distance.

Telephoto lenses, on the other hand, have a narrower angle of view than a normal lens. This goes with a shallower DOF than a normal lens. Along with this property you also get the benefit of compressing the distance. That is why tele-lenses are ideal for portraiture. But too long a focal length means that the faces get compressed too.

And here goes a quick tip about portraits: I have found that 75mm to 150mm is the best focal length for portraits, with 150mm end being the best for tight head shots (on cameras with APS-C size sensors, like the Nikon D5100 or Canon 550D).

Creative Uses Of Depth Of Field

Other uses of DOF can be found in commercial photography say interiors, architecture, food, packaging, wildlife photography, close-up photography and macro photography. Let us examine some of these areas with the help of a few examples.

Product Photography : Depth of field play an extremely important role in photographs shot for advertising and other media. The commercial photographers judiciously use the depth of field to distinguish the product from the clutter and yet present it in totality. Product photographs have made it easier than ever to buy (and visually feel) the products through imagery.

Along with product photographs, packaging also plays a crucial role. In fact, packaging is such an important part of retail marketing operations that large corporates spend millions on it. Then they need to advertise those innovations to the public.

Nature Photography: The two pictures below show scarlet Simul blossoms alongside a stalk of unopened buds.

Example 1: Settings — shutter speed: 1/2000 sec and aperture: f/6.3

Example 2: Settings — shutter speed: 1/640 sec and aperture: f/11

Example 1 has been shot at 1/2000th second, f/6.3, while Example 2 has been shot at 1/640th second, f/11 – both at ISO 200. Notice how the slight shift in focus has, in Example 1, thrown the buds out of focus, whereas in Example 2, it is just the reverse – the flowers are out of focus. Both have been shot at a focal length of 270mm (405mm on a Nikon D3100, due to the 1.5 crop factor).

The Macro Shots: True macro photography means capturing the subject life size (1 : 1 ratio) on film or sensor. That means, if the bug you are shooting is 5mm in length, its image on the sensor has to be 5mm long, if it is to qualify as a true macro shot. This type of photography usually needs special macro lenses.

Nevertheless, some of the newer bridge and superzoom cameras are able to focus as close as 1 centimeter from the front element. However, you have to be a bit careful while taking macro shots because extreme magnification results in extremely shallow DOF.

There is no dearth of examples of how depth of field (DOF) can be and is used by discerning photographers. It is always a good idea to study the DOF requirements before taking a shot. This will help you answer the oft heard question: Which lens should I use? Depth of field is such a vital part of the creative photographer’s toolkit that none of us can afford to ignore it.

So, to recapitulate, the four elements of depth of field are aperture, focal length, distance from camera to subject and the size of the sensor.

Taken together and applied judiciously, these four elements can greatly improve your photography.

This is part II of Nikon Coolpix P7700’s hands-on-review. Refer part I of the review here.

The Back Plate Of The Camera

A glance at the well-populated back plate will show that the P7700 means business.

We‘ve discussed the vertically sliding control that activates the pop-up flash. We’ve also covered the well-knurled dials on the top deck, so we can now turn our attention to the Disp button. Pressing this changes the amount of exposure-related data on the LCD monitor during replay. Each successive press of this button nudges the amount of data available on-screen, going from no data to minimal to comprehensive (which includes a tone-map with a movable cursor to highlight various areas with the same tone, for accurately exposing a particularly perplexing scene in terms of giving priority to the most important tonal areas). This is not something casual shooters may need or appreciate, but for the experienced shooter, it is manna from heaven.

Beyond lies the heavily knurled main command dial that enables changes to the flexible program when shooting, controls shutter speed in S and M modes, and helps scroll through images in replay.

The comfortable, well ramped rubberised thumb rest offers good purchase to the shooting hand, while the AE/AF lock button does just that, being also configurable through the menu for either of the two actions. Below that is the image replay button, denoted by a right arrow, in blue. Then there is the multi-selector dial-cum-ring.

The Back Plate Of The Camera

The multi-selector control has, at the cardinal points of the compass (moving clockwise) options for the self timer, flash, AF Area and focus mode. The knurled rotary multi-selector ring responds smoothly to thumb rotation, to let you access sub-menus or scroll through images, which the main command dial also does. The OK button is, as always, used to lock in a selection.

In manual focus mode, pressing up or down at north or south points moves the focus point back and forth, while turning the knurled ring helps to fine tune it.

Lastly, we have the menu button and the familiar delete button (configurable through the menu for one of two ways of effecting deletes), with its easily recognizable trashcan motif.

The vari-angle TFT LCD screen is a bright, fully articulated, 3″ affair, folding out 90◦ and rotating 180◦ to even face the subject (great for self portraits or group shots with the help of the ML-L3 remote).

There is not the slightest wobble or jerkiness in its deliciously smooth and positive action. 921K dots is more than enough to give a very high resolution: it’s moot whether a higher-res screen (of this size) can actually be appreciated by the unaided human eye. When the screen is folded flat against the body with its back facing outwards, the camera can’t be switched on, thus preventing accidental activation in a bag or pocket. This position also protects the screen from damage.

The plethora of information available on-screen can be judged by looking at the picture above. If you count carefully, you will see about 20 bits of vital information including WB, ISO, virtual horizon, histogram, VR on, movement warning, picture control, macro, P mode, exposure information, battery condition, shots remaining, flash off, matrix metering set, Active D-lighting, NR (noise reduction on), left dial on top plate set to Picture Quality, RAW, full resolution set and exposure compensation on -1. A nightmare for the unskilled snap-shooter, this camera is the enthusiast / professional’s dream come true.

The Bottom Plate

There is little here for the tourist. Firstly, there’s the camera manufacturer’s label mentioning source, model number and other sundry information.

Near the centre is the standard ¼” tripod socket, while on the extreme left is a cavity, covered by a spring-loaded cover, that accommodates the proprietary EN-EL 14 Nikon battery and memory card. This battery / memory card compartment, in turn, is sited within the hand grip.

And with that, we come to the end of our survey of the camera’s beautiful, marbled black, mottled-finish exterior and its external features. It’s now time to peer under the bonnet.

The Bottom Plate

Menu, Options & Settings

Depending on the shooting mode, pressing the menu button throws up a list of options. For instance, in P shooting mode, it offers the following items in the shooting menu:
• Custom picture control.
• Metering.
• Continuous … i.e., drive mode.
• AF Area mode … Subject Tracking and Target Area Mode are unavailable.
• Autofocus mode.
• Flash exp. Compensation.
• Noise reduction filter … i.e., 3 levels of NR as well as off.
• Built-in ND filter.
• Distortion control.
• Active D-Lighting … i.e., Nikon’s proprietary tone management system. Note that when it is enabled, the metering options are greyed out.
• Zoom memory.
• Startup zoom positions… these are configurable in seven focal lengths – 28, 35, 50, 85, 105, 135 and 200 mm, mimicking real-life focal lengths.
• M exposure preview… i.e., the effects of shooting settings are visible on-screen, a very helpful feature indeed.
• Focus coupled metering… not recommended.
• Commander mode… i.e., set it when the pop-up flash is configured to control an off-camera flash such as the Nikon SB-700.

The only other menu option is the setup menu, which displays the following sub-menu options:

• Auto off … i.e., the time the LCD monitor stays on.
• Format card.
• Language.
• TV settings.
o Video mode.
o HDMI.
o HDMI device control.
o HDMI 3D output.
• External mike (level of) sensitivity.
• Customize command dials.
• Command dial rotation.
• Multi selector right press (off or on).
• Delete button options (two options).
• AE/AF lock button (AE lock, AF lock, AE (hold) both AE and AF).
• Fn1 + shutter button (configure).
• Fn1 + command dial (configure).
• Fn1 + selector dial (configure).
• Fn1 guide display.
• Fn2 button.
• Customize My Menu.
• Reset file numbering.
• GPS options.
• Eye-Fi upload.
• MF distance indicator units.
• Reverse indicators -0+… i.e., select which way to turn the dials.
• Flash control.
• Reset all.
• Firmware version.

The Final Verdict

Designing a camera involves a whole set of compromises. A larger sensor means higher quality images and superior low light capability. But it also means that the lens becomes much bulkier and can be slow at the long end. If the lens is shrunk, the zoom range also shrinks. Weight, IQ, size, zoom range, low light capability, operating speed are all parts of this fluid equation.

The P7700 impressed me with its lens based VR, its superb optical quality and its vast array of controls that gives the users maximum control over the shooting experience, enriching it beyond almost every digital camera I have yet owned.

If shot-to-shot times weren’t all that hot, if a buffer full of RAW images took several seconds to clear, if tracking focus at higher speeds meant that the LCD blacked out, if there was a one-second lag between pressing the shutter button (there is no dedicated movie button) and start of recording, all I have to say is that I don’t normally shoot sports, anticipate the action when I do and press the button accordingly, and though life is short, it isn’t that short that I can’t spare a few seconds for this noble instrument to recover from a long burst. I’m not that hard a taskmaster.

A major consideration that weighed with me while selecting the P7700 was that it uses the same EN-EL 14 battery as my D5100 and D3100 DSLRs. Other common accessories are the Nikon speedlights, the GP-1 GPS unit, the ML-L3 and MC-DC2 remote control units. Coupled with the sterling qualities of the P7700 on paper (and confirmed in the field – it is a superb picture taking device, one that puts the F back in Fun), I am very glad I opted for it.

In time, as technology advances (and as Nikon parsimoniously adds features from higher models, e.g., the faster Expeed C3 processor and, perhaps, an EVF ?), the P7700 will evolve further. Indeed, after seeing the reaction of buyers to the trailblazing Sony RX100 and its superior image / low light capability, not only Nikon but other manufacturers must already be planning their next move. I won’t be surprised if there is soon a glut of compact cameras with 2/3” or even 1” type sensors. But till then, I intend making the most of the wonderful P7700.

There is no denying the fact that given its size, it ought to have had at least a 2/3” sensor and a faster, more sophisticated processor. Even if the lens had then shrunk to a 28-140 mm zoom, why, that’s what the Canon PowerShot G15 has right now! Backed by more efficient software, a 2X digital zoom would still give 280 mm at the long end, which is quite enough for most users.

But within the compromises that Nikon had to deal with, I feel the P7700 is an excellent outcome and I have no hesitation in recommending it strongly, especially because of the value it offers at a very modest price.

Canon and Nikon, the two major photo equipment manufacturers from Japan, have long been engaged in a titanic slugfest. Sometimes one gains the upper hand, sometimes the other. But in the cash rich US market, which is a prime target for camera manufacturers, it is Canon that enjoys the lead in terms of overall sales. This is in no small measure due to its vastly popular range of SureShot and PowerShot compact cameras.

Nikon, however, has made heavy weather of it in the same segment. This is hardly surprising given its mindset, which has traditionally been focused on SLR cameras ever since the venerable Nikon F hit the market in 1959. Nikon’s compact camera offerings, while not exactly paragons of excellence, managed to satisfy those who felt the Nikon reputation for excellence rubbed off on them if they were seen flaunting a colorful little camera that happened to bear the legendary Nikon name and which was capable of taking fairly good pictures.

But fairly good is hardly the encomium that describes Nikon’s professional quality equipment. However, try as it might, Nikon simply couldn’t rustle up the enthusiasm, expertise or élan to clash with Canon’s compacts. It was a source of acute embarrassment for the boys at Yurakucho 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo that their world famous camera and lens making company couldn’t do a repeat act when it came to pocket cameras…

2011 must have been a good year at Nikon Corporation. The D7000, Nikon’s flagship DX model, had received rave reviews and there was a huge backlog of orders, and not just because of the floods that had crippled the Thailand plant where the D7K was manufactured. The D3100 was outselling everything in sight, and sales of the D5100 had gone through the roof. It was almost as if Nikon had it all pretty much wrapped up.

Thomas Jefferson had said “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”. And Nikon had learned its lesson — corporate complacency was a definite doom. In retrospect, their designers, visualizers, engineers and corporate honchos must have made 60-day weeks a habit. The proof of the pudding was in the eating.

2012 was The Year of The Nikon, if I may so say. No pigs, dragons or other wild life or livestock for me, begging your pardon. The D3200 with its 24 MP sensor was followed by the fabulous D800 and the D800E, both fitted with a new 36 MP sensor and advanced C3 processor. The magnificent Nikon D4 had already sealed the victory when the low-end FX model, the D600 was launched. Compact, lightweight, with a 24.2 MP sensor, the D600 was a big hit. Nikon had covered all its bases well. High pixel counts but no sign of noise. In fact, high ISO performance in low light was mind boggling. The self-styled experts dived for cover as Nikon bent the laws of physics with the aid of newer, better mathematical algorithms that rolled back all the earlier theories pertaining to luminous and chroma noise at high ISOs.

True, Canon’s new 5D Mk III was a great camera, but the low light performance of its 22MP sensor was no match for the D800’s. Check out this news article over at CNET.

Nikon went a step further in the D800E, removing the anti-aliasing filter to give it the image quality hitherto never seen before in a full-frame camera. Canon took such a battering that the referee had to stop the fight, declaring a technical knock-out. Canon, nose bleeding profusely, was carried away on a stretcher.

But, coming back to compacts…

By the looks of things, Nikon seems to lay great store by age-old maxims like “Try, try, try again!”, “Third time lucky!” and “Imitation in the best form of flattery”. Somewhat lost in compact camera territory, Nikon set out to produce a copy of Canon’s then bestselling PowerShot G11. All they succeeded in doing was producing a copy-cat version called the Coolpix P7000 that resembled G11 closely in everything but performance. When they launched the slightly upgraded P7100 in 2012, Canon’s new G12 promptly slew it.

In retrospect, the Nikon designers must have decided to follow Britannia India’s advice to “Eat Healthy, Think Better”. The tasks before them were to reduce the bulk, rationalize the features; add those that would enhance hands-on control, upgrade the sensor / processor, give it a faster lens that retained the class leading zoom range (7.1 X, 28-200mm), add a fully articulated LCD monitor, make it rugged enough to withstand rough use — the list was obviously a long one.

August 2012 saw the new flagship Coolpix P7700 sail out from under Canon’s shadow. It streamlined the camera’s appearance by dropping the viewfinder which, in any case, was almost useless given the impressive 28-200mm zoom range. The 3″ (brightness adjustable in 5 steps) fully articulating 921K LCD more than made up for the loss. Despite the dated (2010) EXPEED C2 processor (we’ll go into this disappointing feature later), the new BSI (Back side illuminated) 1.7″ 12.2MP CMOS sensor was now able to do full justice to the faster new (f/2 to f/4 as opposed to the f/2.8~5.6 of the D7100) fixed zoom lens (filter size 40.5mm). The one-stop jump in speed puts the P7700 more less at par with its rivals.

Canon’s new G15, while also opting for a 1.7″ 12.2 MP sensor, retained the optical viewfinder but opted for a fixed screen while eliminating the articulating LCD screen that had won Canon G series such a large fan following. Moreover, image to image, it fell just a tad behind the new Coolpix P7700. Fans rejected the G15 en masse, going back to the time-tested G12. It was a small triumph for the Coolpix team.

The P7700 is not in the usual sense of the term — a ‘compact’ camera. At 118.5 X 72.5 X 50.4 mm and with a light but nevertheless metal (magnesium alloy) frame, it’s too big and heavy for a shirt pocket. It’s more suited for a jacket pocket or the small Lowepro–type bag that comes free with the camera (in India). Many would say it is compact only in the sense that it’s much smaller than a DSLR. At 393 gms, it isn’t all that light, either. But for someone like me with fairly large hands, and for whom the P510 superzoom, weighing 555gms, seems tiny and light as a feather, the P7700 is small and light indeed.

Nikon Coolpix P7700

Over the past year, I had often considered buying the P7100, but a little voice in my head asked me to wait. Now the voice was silent. Once again, I found myself at a Nikon dealer (it was getting to be a habit, I told myself ruefully). It was the 12th of November 2012. Once again, 22K slid smoothly into the man’s cash drawer. The Coolpix P7700 was my Diwali gift to myself.

This time, I didn’t walk out shooting. I was field-testing another camera in Shahjahanabad, Delhi’s Old Quarter, also known as the ‘Walled City’, so the P7700 had to take a back seat.

The 6th of January 2013 proved to be a very chilly day, but I had an important meeting in Connaught Place. What a great opportunity to put the newcomer through its paces! A cold wave was sweeping across north India and hordes of people in search of inexpensive woolens thronged the open air Palika Bazar market.

The conditions were ideal for shooting — a late afternoon sun cast golden light filtered through trees, over a scene frantic with activity. The fast lens allowed me to use medium-high shutter speeds at base ISO (80). I had switched to silent mode (accessible through the set-up menu) by turning off the synthetic shutter sound and all beeps and stealthily shot a few frames (all jpegs by the way; though the P7700 has a RAW option as well). No one heard me or noticed me.

I shot some colorful shop windows, using the articulating LCD to good effect, shooting over people’s heads or catching the action from ankle height.

It was 4 PM when I reluctantly stowed the P7700 in a jacket pocket and walked into the meeting place …

I was very pleased with the camera’s performance so far. A quick tour of the camera’s features may reveal why…

The Top Deck Of Coolpix P7700

The P7700’s top deck fairly shouts that it is an enthusiast’s camera. It seems to have a dial or button for everything. Apart from the beautifully click-stopped mode dial, there is a knurled dial offering ±3 — yes, you heard right — plus-minus three stops of exposure control. Very few cameras offer more than two stops compensation leeway. Even the much pricier (in India) Fujifilm X10 / X20 offer only ±2 stops compensation!

Nikon Coolpix P7700’s Top Deck

Anxious to preserve highlights, I set the dial at a full -1 stop negative exposure. I could always pull up the shadows later, in post processing, even in jpegs. At base ISO (80), the chances of noise creeping into shadow areas were negligible. An orange LED acts as the null point for the ±control, glowing orange whenever compensation is dialed in — an excellent feature. I tell you, this is a very well thought out instrument, full of clever little touches to sugar the deal.

The mode dial is a good example of the P7700’s eye for detail. There is the usual P mode (flexible program; shutter speed / aperture combinations changed by turning the main command dial near the thumb rest), A for aperture priority (you select the aperture with the sub-command dial in front), S for shutter priority (you set the shutter speed by turning the main command dial and the camera automatically selects the aperture), Full Auto (you just point and shoot), Scene (20 canned presets, including Scene Auto Selector, portrait, landscape, night portrait, pet portrait, etc.), Effects (including creative monochrome, cross process, defocus during exposure, zoom exposure, soft, sepia, painting and high/low key), Movie and Custom Movie (the latter offering optional aperture / shutter speed/WB settings for use in movie mode, with full optical zoom), and three user configurable groups of U-for-User settings covering all the usual shooting parameters. That was awesome! Even the much vaunted D7000 SLR offers only two. This was equivalent to carrying around four cameras in one because, with one twist of the dial, I could access a completely different set of shooting parameters that totally changed the camera’s operating priorities.

Just above the exposure compensation dial is the Fn2 button which offers artificial horizon, histogram and grid lines in the LCD. You can (and I did) select all three at one go! The fourth option is a 3-stop neutral density filter, which I then set at Fn2. I might need it in case I was shooting in such bright light that even with base ISO, I’d need a shutter speed higher than the maximum offered by the camera, which is 1/4000th second, for shooting wide open, i.e., at full aperture – f2, f4, or anything in between. Note that the Sony RX 100 doesn’t have a neutral density filter, though the Fujifilm X10 / X20 both have it.

Moving to the left of the top plate, past the shutter button and zoom toggle, we find the hot shoe (fitted with the plastic BS-1 hot shoe protector) beyond which is the click-stopped ‘Quick Menu’ dial offering swift access to image compression/size, ISO, WB (white balance), auto bracketing (shutter speed, aperture or WB), My Menu (which can be set to offer a selection of frequently used menu items), and ‘picture contro’’, i.e., image quality settings such as Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Monochrome, etc. I love this dial and use it frequently.

Above it, submerged flush with the top plate, is the pop-up flash, which rises when a small tab (demarcated by lightning bolt and Pac-Man symbols) just below it, on the back of the camera, is pushed up.

A note on the flash capability of the P7700: The pop up flash can be programmed within the menu to act as a flash commander for a single off-camera Nikon Speedlight, synching at up to 1/2000th sec due to the then active electronic shutter! Awesome! Only the top-of-the-DX-line Nikon D7000 DSLR can do this! Flash output can be compensated within the shooting menu (Nikon SB-400 flash only). Nikon obviously feels the P7700 can be used for more than just recording baby’s first step!! Judging by the great results I could get up to ISO 1600, I would agree wholeheartedly.

The Front Of Nikon Coolpix P7700

The P7700 sure is one handsome specimen! Only available in all-black, the P7700 evokes the classic rangefinder look. On the left is the large, stickily rubberized, soft hand-grip which will pamper your shooting hand throughout the day.

Atop it, canted at an ergonomically correct angle, sits the sub-command dial that is used to change the apertures in both manual as well as aperture priority mode. That’s about all it does, though.

Front View Of The Camera

Above the big f2 ~ f4 zoom with its hypnotic green-orange multi-coating is the autofocus illuminator, while above it (just below the hot shoe) are two tiny holes: the stereo microphones. To the right of the lens is a near invisible dot that receives the IR (infrared) pulse from the optional ML-L3 IR remote control.

Low down on the left, below the lens, is the Fn1 button, which can be programmed from within the menu. Acting in concert with the shutter button, main command dial or the multi-control wheel on the back, it offers a whole raft of options.

Now is the ideal time to bring it up — the P7700, in case you weren’t counting, offers six control wheels — the three dials on the top deck, the two command dials and the multi-selector’s ring! Anyone who wants more customizable controls must be nuts!

The right side of the camera (still looking at it from the front) hosts two tough plastic covers which conceal the MIC (optional external microphone ME-1) and GPS (optional GP-1) ports. A small monaural speaker is located between the GPS flap and the hinge of the LCD monitor.

Looking At The Right Side From Front

The left side of the camera has a plastic covering for the AV and HDMI ports. This also accepts the MC-DC2 wired remote control.

Lower down, at the base, is a hinged cover made of tough plastic that hides the receptacle for the optional AC Adapter EH-5b. In my book, any camera offering AC adapter facility is built tough enough to easily withstand the pressure of a day-long shooting session.

Continued in Part II of the review.

This is Part II of the article titled “Is It Worth Buying Nikon D5100 Now That D5200 Is Here?”. Refer Part I of the article here.

Effects: In line with its pre-determined role (as a so-called ‘entry level’ dslr that also has highly advanced features tucked in the menu) of capturing a high percentage of the dslr buying populace on the planet, the D5100 has a typically point-and-shoot fun feature marked ‘Effects’ on the mode dial. These effects are usable both before as well as after shooting (available in Image Review > Retouch feature in the menu).

I have used some of these, including selective color, color sketch, high and low key, silhouette, even fish-eye and miniature effect (the latter imparts a sort of perspective control focus selectivity to an image), but I rarely use them unless I’m in the mood for experimentation. There is even an HDR (High Dynamic Range) feature in the camera that takes two shots and combines them to produce a JPEG with a wide range of tones. It works quite well, actually.

I also liked combining color sketch effects with further in-camera conversion to monochrome line drawing, though. I used both versions for some post processing of portraits and, in conjunction with a little retouching in Photoshop to remove facial excesses caused by the effect and finally ended up with some interesting results.

The D5100 has a lot of serious features that allow you to take complete charge of the camera, as possible in Full Manual mode, or in partial control, as in the ‘P’, ‘S’ and ‘A’ settings. Not being a purist, I don’t believe in posturing and insisting on shooting on Manual all the time. I aim to take good pictures that suit my taste or reflect my vision and if the D5100’s automatic and semi-automatic modes let me do that, why should I complain?

The D5100 rarely lets me down, because I am beginning to understand how to use the various features. In fact, it occasionally surprises me with its immense possibilities. I don’t think that, even after a year with the camera, I know all its features intimately, such is the depth of the features this camera offers.

Metering & Focus In D5100

Metering and focus are two things that are of immense importance as far as IQ (image quality) goes. Why?

You can choose to leave the camera on ‘Auto Area’ or AF-A mode, in which case the camera decides where you want the focus point to be. A comprehensive in-camera database of 30,000 images shot under a variety of conditions means that the camera’s algorithms possess an almost prescient knowledge of your intentions. I use this setting very often, especially when all else fails, and it has yet to let me down.

AF-C goes one better; it enables continuous focus. So if the subject is moving, the camera will track it automatically across the frame. This is particularly great for movies. And for portraits!

An option worth looking at is the ‘Single Point focus’ setting. The D5100 has 11 focus points, visible as red dots that light up when the shutter button is depressed half way. Of these 11, only the central point is a cross-type sensor, i.e., it is able to read depth as well as lateral placement of an image. No issues; in the field, all the red dots work about equally well. If you are in the mood to be choosy, the four arrows on the multi-controller on the back may be used to select the red dot in case you wish to place it at the focus point of your choice.

A word of caution here: Some people focus and then recompose the view in the viewfinder. They forget that if the plane of focus changes while doing so, the focus will shift to another point of the image and your main area (such as the eye in a portrait) will be slightly out of focus. If I feel the point of focus set by me will shift when I recompose, I prefer to use the nearest red dot to use as the focusing aid. A half press of the shutter button will tell me if it’s where I want the focus point to be. It’s quite simple, really.

I repeat, please be vigilant, there are pitfalls involved in focusing with DSLRs. I’ll repeat the whole thing because it’s so crucial to the quality of your images.

Say you are shooting a portrait; you position the central red dot (the one with the lone cross-type sensor) directly on the subject’s nearest eye and squeeze the shutter release. Will you always get a sharp image? Not necessarily! That’s because the red dot you’re relying on as last positioned by you may be miles off course simply because the plane of focus shifted as you recomposed.

Two more minor niggles in the D5100. It is very easy to accidentally nudge the arrows on the multi-controller while taking the camera out of the bag or carrying case. This has the effect of shifting the focusing point to a sensor other than the one you set last. It’s something worth bearing in mind that there is no way to lock a sensor in place. By the way, I usually keep my 18-105mmG f.3.5~5.6 AF-S zoom-Nikkor more or less permanently mounted on my D5100. More about this lens in a later review.

My advice is to set the camera on AF-C, i.e., continuous autofocus. This ensures that, after I’ve focused, even the slightest subject or camera movement does not cause defocus, since any slight focus shift is immediately rectified by the camera! It took me a long time to figure this one out.

Finally, there are the canned exposure modes, which Nikon refers to as ‘Scene’ mode (on the mode dial). Select the Auto Scene mode and the camera will decide (after consulting the database) the settings appropriate for the scene. It works quite well, too!

There are also a whole lot of other scenes, from pet portrait, food, night portrait, night landscape, beach / snow, and sunsets/sunrises. These are perfect for beginners or those who want to take an ‘insurance’ shot with Scene mode, to cover their earlier attempt(s) with the PASM modes. The D5100 tries very hard to ensure that you get your picture!

Functions And Buttons

The D5100 has a very minimalist design for such a powerful instrument. The hinged (beautiful, 921K dot), articulating display takes up a lot of room, which seems to have given the Nikon designers an excuse to avoid too many function-specific buttons.

In fact, to my dismay, there are no buttons for selecting ISO, WB (white balance) or drive mode/release mode (the D3100 and the D5200 both have a lever/button respectively, to adjust the drive mode in a jiffy). No, the lever below the mode dial – unlike the one on the D3100 – does not have anything to do with drive/release mode; it initiates and cancels live view. Talk about confusing! One is required to dive into the menu for making the drive / release (single, continuous, self timer, quiet) settings.

The lone Fn button, sitting below the flash pop-up button on the left of the camera, enables you to select one out of several functions. Most people prefer to set it to enable selection of the ISO – one presses it while turning the command dial with the thumb till the ISO of choice is reached.

By the way, twirling the command dial while pressing the flash button offers various flash setting options and if the +/- exposure button is also pressed (apart from the flash button) one can even adjust the flash compensation. This really neat feature allows one to adjust the output of not only the built-in flash but even a (compatible) external flash like the Nikon SB 700, mounted on the hot shoe.

The few buttons on the back will be familiar to all users of digital cameras. There are two or three buttons, however, that I’d like to single out for comment.

The first one is the Info button on the top plate. Not to be confused with the i button on the back (which offers a short-cut to the select screen menu, for fast re-setting of options) the rather useless INFO button’s sole purpose is to switch the LCD either on or off. Since the i button also does this on first press (on being pressed a second time, it makes the shooting menu go ‘live’, for editing), this button could well have been assigned to setting the ISO. Pity! Did the Nikon designers run out of coffee just then?

The second button I’ll comment on is not one but two! See the green dots next to the Menu and i buttons? Press and hold these two buttons simultaneously for a couple of seconds and voila! — all the settings you’ve so painfully made, menu after sub-menu, are returned to their factory (default) settings! Only for emergency use, viz., if you’ve really gone and messed up your settings irretrievably/ in-comprehensively. I’d advise you to give this two-button arrangement a wide berth.

The AE/AF Lock button can be configured to lock exposure, focus or both via the menu. I rarely bother with it, being quite used to focusing with a half press of the shutter button and relying on the meter to fine tune the exposure with the +/- exposure compensation button and twirling the command dial with the thumb.

The less said about the multi-control dial at the back the better. I’m referring to the one with the four arrows at the cardinal points of the compass. It’s bad enough that it doesn’t enable access to focus settings, ISO or WB; it’s a plain insult that it doesn’t even have a control wheel for fine tuning various options or scrolling through sub-menus (or scrolling through images by rotating the [non-existent] knurled ring, as found on the Coolpix P510 and P7700).

Apart from the OK button at its center (which is used to confirm/lock in settings made in the menu) the only other useful feature is the four arrows, used for scrolling through menu or sub-menu items, or sifting through images in playback mode (initiated by the button with the “->” next to the rubberized thumb pad).

The magnifying and help/negative magnification buttons and the obvious trashcan button (the second press permanently deletes images in the playback mode) round up our review of the buttons; a drought area in this otherwise wonderful imaging instrument.

The Final Verdict

Light (540 gms with battery and card); APS-C (Nikon calls it DX) sensor 23.6mmx 15.6 mm, 16.2 MP resolution (as against the near identical sized but 24.1 MP sensor of the D5100; pixel size 4.79µ as against the D5200’s 3.92µ pixels; a 921K, brightness adjustable, swivelling LCD; GPS compatible (optional GP-1 unit); inexpensive wireless remote (ML-L3); mono built-in mike, but an optional ME-1 stereo microphone is mountable in the hot shoe, plugging into the relevant port under the flap on the left side of the body; accepts all of Nikon’s fabulous speedlights including the SB 400, SB 600, SB 700, SB 900, SB 910 – all giving multi-flash capability using an optional flash controller and thus able to wirelessly sync into Nikon’s amazing Creative Lighting System (CLS) giving infallible iTTL capability; Nikon’s proprietary Active D-Lighting tone management system; ability to use (one way or the other) almost all Nikkor lenses and an unknown number of lenses from independent manufacturers; standard ¼” screw threaded, steel tripod receptacle on the base; Full 1080 autofocus HDMI video @30 fps, video out to HDTV; EN-EL14 battery (shared with the D3100, P7100 and P7700; not weatherproof but adequately rugged body made of tough polycarbonate composite (also a ‘plastic’, but not exactly the stuff your bathroom mugs are made of !); SD, SDHC, SDXC and Wi-Fi card compatible; alas! only one card compartment; insane 102,000 night vision ISO speed in Effects; many special effects possible in movie mode; two-image HDR jpegs done in-camera; multiple exposures possible; in-camera Nikon Electronic Image (.NEF) – raw image processing… the list goes on and on. Yet, the D5100 could have been even more, at little extra cost.

Such a capable machine, so well balanced, responsive and cooperative once you get the hang of it, such amazing image quality… yet so many opportunities missed, thus falling slightly short of true greatness. But hardly surprising, really; it fits the schizophrenic character of the D5100 — a camera with an induced identity crisis.

It’s incomprehensible, this inscrutable willingness of the Nikon design team to let a potentially great camera like the D5100 fall between two stools, to dumb down a powerful camera and hobble it into submission, to force it to accept its role as a mere upper entry level beast and thereby not pose a challenge to the model above it in the pecking order — the D7000 (with which it shares its famous 16.2 MP sensor and EXPEED C2 processor).

It goes without saying that this undeniably attractive, powerful, sweet handling, fast shooting instrument (once suitably configured) is deprived of its rightful place in the sun, in favor of the D7000 which, by default (as the beneficiary of Nikon’s full and not-so-impartial attention) is the top-of-the-line model. I suspect it’s all done on purpose, to achieve what the marketing boys call product differentiation. But this is going a mite too far…even with all the suggested tweaks, there is enough to differentiate the two. They needn’t have hung, drawn and quartered the D5100.

All said and done, image for image, the D5100 is a camera hard to beat. I do not think ‘moving up’ to the D5200 from the D5100 is a wise move: the D5100 is strong medicine indeed and is likely to remain so far into the foreseeable future. Selling at a price point slightly below the D3200 today, the D5100 is the must bargain of the decade. Snap it up while stocks last.

Flashback: It was 2011. I had been away from Nikonland for over twenty-three years! Circumstances had compelled me to part company with my beloved Nikon FE, with its exquisite MD-12 motor drive.

In a fit of masochism not entirely unknown to camera enthusiasts, along with the camera body and drive motor, I also disposed of my lenses — an act of folly I was to bitterly regret later. So off went my trusty 50mm f.1.4, the legendary 105mm f.2.5, the indispensable 80-200 f.4.5 zoom-Nikkor and the razor sharp 55mm f.3.5 micro-Nikkor.

Fast forward to November 2011. I stood outside a Nikon retail outlet with Rs 40,000 in my pocket. It was time to return to Nikonmania, and the wad of currency notes was my visa. I took a deep breath and strode in …

Exhaustive reading had forewarned me that the old regime was gone; a whole new digital world had replaced it. Gone for the most part were the tank-like metal bodies, the near-indestructible lenses, the infallible weather-proofing, the sheer delight of manual shooting (though the FE did have an excellent ‘Auto’ function) and viewfinder focusing aids that made pinpoint focusing a cakewalk. I wasn’t expecting much from the new fangled technology, the plastic bodies, the relatively flimsy plastic-bodied lenses, some of which even had – horror of horrors – plastic mounts!

But a Nikon I’d set out to buy and a Nikon DSLR I had bought out of loyalty to a brand that had served me well in the past was a slightly different experience. Never mind that a small voice at the back of my head kept telling me it wasn’t going to be the same experience as the FE and that I’d better be prepared to cut the D5100 a little slack.

The small voice was right. It was a different experience. The plastic camera body may have been predominant, but it didn’t feel at all flimsy and the images coming up on my screen and, later, on my monitor, blew me out of my socks. I tried to control my mounting excitement as I put the Nikon D5100 through its paces. Harsh sunlight, low light, subdued room lighting (remember, I only had the ‘humble’ 18-55mm f.3.5~5.6 kit lens…but more on that later), mixed lighting — the D5100 took it all in its stride. I was intrigued: it was time for a closer look …

Nikon D5100 — Body & Design

Pick it up and the camera seems to mould itself to your hands. Anyone who’s into handguns knows the feeling of completeness when holding the pistol of one’s choice. Fingers seem to curl around the butt just right, the index finger seems to find the trigger the way an F-16 slides onto the carrier deck in heaving seas.

In short, it fits like a glove. My first “WOW” moment came when I first held a Walther PPK 7.62mm. It didn’t come again till the FE with its solid MD-12 motor drive came into my hands. Would the D5100 be a repeat act?

The short answer is: not quite.

The D5100 is one seriously small camera, not much bigger than its baby brother, Nikon D3100 (which we shall cover in a later article).

True, it fit well enough to suggest that the designers had taken a clay mould of my hand before designing the grip, but it was so small that my pinky found itself curling around under the base. That wasn’t all bad, because it offered some support from underneath.

My index finger came to rest naturally on the shiny shutter button, with enough leeway to access the on-off switch, the (red) movie recording button, the info button or the +/- exposure compensation button without having to stretch. There was a ridge on the grip that gave a snug fit to the fingers, and the thumb came to rest on a rubberized, tilted ramp that increased the feeling of stability. At 4 frames per second, the drive beat my MD-12 motor drive by half a frame a second. And 16.2 megapixels is no laughing matter when it comes from Nikon, I reminded myself. The flip — our 921K LCD screen was a delight.


Before I talk any more about the body and controls, let us first take a visual tour of the camera:

The Top Deck Of D5100: Looking down at the camera, one sees nothing on the left of the LCD, but towards the right there is a mode dial, co-axial to which is a live view lever. The mode dial has markings / detents for Manual (M), Shutter Priority (S), Aperture Priority (A) and Program (P). The last three are all variants of ‘auto’ mode. There are other modes, too, which we’ll discuss later.

Let’s see how all these different modes work, in practice:

Manual (M): In the Manual mode, rotating the knurled command dial changes the shutter speed. Turning it while holding down the +/- exposure control button enables one to change the aperture. A horizontal metering bar appears at the bottom of the LCD screen or viewfinder. The center pip is the null point, with under – or over-exposure represented by more pips to left or right.

An exposure meter is an instrument that reduces all that it sees to the tones / values of an 18% grey card reading. Go solely by it without using your own estimates of the correct light values of a scene as determined by you, and you can find that you metered wrongly. Go by your hunch / estimate of the exposure and adjust the meter suitably, in manual. A little experience, or a few test exposures, will help you get the exposure you want.

One of the BIG advantages of metering manually is that if you are keen to photograph only one scene in lighting of fixed intensity, once you’ve got the exposure right, you don’t need to adjust it again.

But if light levels are fluctuating, it’s usually best to take the automatic route (remembering to dial in the degree of exposure compensation that yields the kind of exposure values you prefer, i.e., bright or slightly darker. The D5100 lets you do all this in less time than it takes to describe.

The matrix meter on the D5100, in true Nikon fashion, generally gives very accurate exposures and is not easily fooled. The other options, to be used when warranted, are the usual suspects of center-weighted and spot metering. I always categorize a scene I’m about to shoot in terms of general, condensed and highly concentrated. That is, whether my main subject is the scene as a whole, a central portion thereof, or just a tiny fraction of it, say about 2 or 3%. This makes it easy for me to set the metering pattern when I want my exposures to be spot-on.

Shutter Priority (S): This setting allows you to fix the shutter speed, leaving it to the camera to adjust the aperture. This setting is usually the best for action shots or low light, where a certain minimum shutter speed is advisable. The camera will perform within the minimum / maximum limits set by you. Check out more about beautiful effects induced by shutter speed here.

Aperture Priority (A): This setting allows you to set the aperture, with the camera adjusting the shutter speed seamlessly. This is best for landscape, interior or portrait photographers, who normally need control over depth-of-field for every shot. Learn more about aperture settings here.

The third parameter of exposure – the ISO speed – is discussed elsewhere. Taken together, shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings determine the overall exposure. Refer this article for the pillars of exposure. If this concept is not clear, a little experimentation with the D5100 using different settings will reveal the best combinations depending on various situations / your personal requirements / preferences.

Which ISO Setting To Use: This is a vital question and beyond the scope of this piece. Future articles will explore all the three settings and their ramifications individually and in greater detail. Suffice it to say that if you have the luxury of sufficient light and a slow or stationary subject, choose the lowest possible ISO, for maximum image quality.

If the light is poor, there is significant subject movement or you have a slow lens, it’s better to bump up the ISO. The D5100 can give amazing results even at ISO 2000 or beyond. Many people even set it to Auto ISO and forget that part of the equation, the 16.2 MP sensor on the D5100 (which it shares with the prosumer model, the D7000) is that good.

Program (P): In this mode, the camera offers a certain combination of shutter speed and aperture. Nikon calls it “flexible program”, meaning that, unlike the Auto mode, you can change this combination depending on your intentions. Increasing the aperture (wider lens opening) will give a narrower depth of field; increasing the shutter speed will let you freeze movement. Turning the command dial in either direction gives you different combinations of settings, all of which result in correct exposure. I’ve italicized ‘correct exposure’ because the aperture or shutter speed may not be appropriate for the depth of field (or lack of it) or control over subject movement which you actually want.

Auto (A): After the ‘P’ setting, we come to the Auto setting. This can bamboozle you into handing over complete control to the camera, especially if Auto ISO has been set in the menu. Not for nothing does Nikon classify the D5100 as an entry level camera. But don’t let that nomenclature upset you: it is just a marketing decision to widen the target audience. The Auto feature can give excellent results for ordinary, everyday subjects that do not need any special attention being paid to either depth of field or shutter speed, or when you have to shoot fast and hope for the best. However, I would always prefer to use the P mode, because I can adjust the shutter speed / aperture combination in the instant it takes to twirl the command dial with my thumb.

To be continued in Part II of this review. [Check out Part II of this review here.] ]]> https://www.apnphotographyschool.com/equipment/is-it-worth-buying-nikon-d5100-now-that-d5200-is-here-part-i/feed/ 0