Coolpix A exposure compensation and manual mode, flash warning

Hi all. Is this the right forum for a Coolpix A question? It's vaguely supposed to handle like a dSLR. Let's find out.

 

I picked up a cheap Coolpix A from an auction site so I can contribute to Nikon Wednesdays without always having to cart my dSLR around (I'm using it to encourage me to shoot - I hope I'm not disqualified). My conclusions so far are a little "meh" - it feels clunky and inflexible compared with the RX100 that I normally carry around, and that's an original one; I'm glad I only paid a quarter of the original price. But I'm getting used to it, and the prime lens will probably be good for me. Using the front Fn1 button as AF-On (which is, admittedly, in a dumb place) helps the AF speed problem a little. I may have to resort to a leather case just because it's slightly too large for every generic neoprene case that's not enormous.

 

Just as a sanity check: I don't believe exposure compensation does anything in manual exposure mode - is that correct? That is, it doesn't affect the meter reading (as I believe it does on a dSLR), and it doesn't affect auto ISO (which is annoying, since auto ISO, manual mode and exposure compensation are the way I usually shoot a dSLR). Just checking whether I'm missing something.

 

Also... is there a way to get it to stop flashing things on the screen to indicate that the environment is a bit dark? Even in my reasonably well-lit office, it keeps flashing things on the screen to recommend that I use a flash, which is pretty irritating.

 

I've attempted to RTFM, but apologies if I'm missing these.

I know threads take a while to get perused here, but based on the tumbleweeds drifting by and the sampling of Nikon users on this form, I'm beginning to think the Coolpix A might have been about as hot a seller as I thought it was. :-)

I've just been out after lunch for a quick shoot around with the Coolpix A. By way of further feedback:

 

The menu system is hopelessly confusing. Nikon's menus are anyway, and maybe I'm only familiar with the pro version of the menu, but I really struggle to find anything (and belatedly realised that several things are only accessible via the info button).

 

I have one image in manual with auto-ISO that only got correct exposure once the auto-ISO decided to jump to about 1100 (I was cranking the shutter and aperture to 1/2000s and f/10 in the hope the view - with the shutter held down, which normally previews - would recover the sky). It's a perfectly reasonable shot given that it's at ISO 1100, but I've no idea why it did that. I've decided I'm better off trying aperture priority with auto-ISO and exposure compensation, although it does mean pressing a button to set exposure.

 

The Coolpix A is slightly too large for the small neoprene cases that I value for my RX100, and I've not managed to find a larger case that doesn't massively expand the size of the camera and make it unpocketable. I ended up with a knock-off leather case (which would look more classy if it weren't stamped with "MegaGear") because it's the smallest protection I could find, but it's still a bit chunky and makes me look unnecessarily like a hipster. Suggestions for cheap alternatives welcome.

 

In image review, the "ok" button in the middle of the dial brings up various editing menus; you can't program it to zoom in, as the centre button in the multi-controller on my dSLRs does. Apparently I can't train myself not to press this.

 

The top dial is a little stiff (whereas the one around the direction pad keeps turning as I try to use the direction pad). I'm still trying to train myself to find the aperture control on the back.

 

I'm trying to deal with the slow focus system by using the front Fn1 button as AF-On. It's in an awful place for this, but not as bad as Fn2. I've had several focus misses. I've just switched to the tracking mode to the subject tracking mode to see whether it helps; that requires the OK button (which would have been a more useful AF trigger), and is weirdly decoupled from the actual "please focus now" control.

 

The image quality looks vaguely okay, but I'll know more when I pull the images off the camera.

 

All in all, what a weird mix of ergonomics. I can see why there might have been a limited market at the introduction price. I'm trying to give it more of a fair shot, though.

Looking at the pictures of the camera, I would guess that as in the lower end DSLR's there is no exposure compensation in manual mode. On DSLR's such as the D3200 with a single control wheel, aperture in manual mode is controlled by a combination of wheel and exposure comp. button, so that button's function is pre-empted. Essentially, if you are using M as a way of overriding the camera's meter you can't do it with Auto ISO on.

 

If there are auto ISO parameters available in the menu, you might be able to get Auto ISO to work a little more usefully by changing the minimum shutter speed. On the DSLR's it's set at 1/30, which might be faster than you need. You can also lower the maximum ISO, and when that is reached, the minimum shutter speed will be overridden. However (this being something you can only check yourself, as it varies) on some low end DSLR's the maximum ISO set by Auto ISO cannot be exceeded manually without turning Auto ISO off. On the D3200, for example, the manual values are present, and not grayed out, and can be selected, but those above the maximum will be ignored and you won't know it until you read the EXIF.

 

It looks like an interesting little pocket camera, despite the limitations. But golly, it's expensive!

 

My recollection is that any Nikon, including Nikon accessories, lenses, etc., makes an image legal in the Nikon Wednesday. I hope so, because I occasionally take out my ancient Coolpix 2000, and though I have not entered anything from it for many years, I have in the past.

Edited June 11, 2018 by Matthew Currie

Thanks, Matthew. It's certainly a weird design - there are two dials (actually three, but the one around the lens is just for manual focus, unlike the RX100's where I can assign it to ISO). There's a dial at the top, which in manual mode normally affects shutter speed but when you hold down the EC button (with an aperture picture next to it) affects aperture - but there's also a dial on the multi-selector, which in manual normally affects aperture but when you hold down the EC button affects the shutter speed. So, enough dials to have exposure compensation auto-ISO, but not actually doing it. In aperture priority, the top dial is aperture or exposure compensation (depending on button press) and the multi-selector dial does nothing at all. It feels like they borrowed some existing Nikon firmware (and the lack of custom functions does make it feel like a D3x00 or D5x00) and did a hatchet job on it - but so long as the results are good I'm not going to argue.

 

You can, it's true, change the minimum shutter speed. I think I've given up and am likely to use it in aperture priority instead; I'll check the auto-ISO maximum, thank you!

 

It's certainly an "interesting" camera. For what it's worth, I was just willing to buy one for £250, used, in the expectation that the lens justifies the means (and partly because I discovered that the X100 series don't have a diopter that can be adjusted enough for my weird vision, so I stopped lusting after one); in no world am I going to pay over £800 for a new one. So far it does seem decent, and possibly better than the RX100 used at its wide end (but bigger and without the convenience of a zoom despite fewer pixels). Hopefully it'll train me to do some street shooting, which is a genre I've always avoided through British introversion. I've put it in mono mode (I'm shooting raw + JPEG so I still have colour options) to make me feel more arty. No promises this week, though!

 

And good to know, about Wednesdays. Hopefully I won't get banned. :-)