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Contents
Overview
First Steps
Putting Batteries in Your Camera
Inserting and Removing Memory Cards
Choosing a Language for the Menus
Setting the Time and Date
Taking Your First Photograph
Using the Buttons (A-REC, M-REC)
Flash Settings
Focus Settings
DIGITAL CAMERA
Using the Self-Timer
Image Quality and Size
Sensitivity
Exposure Mode
COOLPIX 950
Using the Buttons (PLAY)
Reference Manual
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The Camera Menus Connections The A-REC Menu Connecting to a Television or VCR Using Folders (A-REC, M-REC) Viewing Photos on a Computer LCD Brightness Caring for Your Camera Sound Settings Cleaning Auto Off Storage Formatting Memory Cards Accessories The M-REC Menu What’s in the Box Digital Zoom (DIGITAL TELE) Optional Accessories Black-and-White Photography Lens Converter Settings (LENS) Troubleshooting Making a Panorama—Tips (AE-LOCK) General Problems User Settings Error Messages Restoring Def
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Troubleshooting Overview outlines steps to take when things go wrong Thank you for buying a COOLPIX 950. This Reference Manual Please read all instructions carefully to get the most from your explains how to use and care for your COOLPIX 950. It is intended camera. as a supplement to the Fast Track Guide and Pocket Guide, to which you can refer for guidance on topics not covered here. This manual is composed of the following chapters: First Steps lists the steps involved in setting up your ca
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First Steps Putting Batteries in Your Camera This chapter guides you through the steps you will take after 1 Turn the camera off removing the camera from the box, from inserting the batteries to Turn the mode dial to OFF (if the camera making your first photographs and playing them back. Before you is on a tripod, detach the tripod before will be able to use your camera, you will need to complete the inserting batteries). following steps: 2 Open the battery cover 1 • attach the camera strap (se
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Inserting and Removing Memory Cards Choosing a Language for the Menus 1 Turn the camera off The cameras menus and messages can be displayed in English, Turn the mode dial to OFF. German, French, or Japanese. To select a language for the display, follow these steps: 2 Open the card slot Turn the camera upside down (if the 1 Turn the mode dial to PLAY. camera is on a tripod, detach it from the 2 Press the MENU button to display the tripod first), then open the card slot cover. PLAY B A CK playbac
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DATE 5 Rotate the command dial to select the YM D Setting the Time and Date AUTO item you wish to change, then edit the 1 9 9 9 . 0 3 . 2 0 item using the zoom-in button (T/s ) to When you turn on your camera for the first time, you will need to 2 3 : 0 5 increase its value or the zoom-out button set the time and date as follows: ADJ. ZOOM SW (W/t ) to decrease its value. After edit- SET SHUTTER 1 Turn the mode dial to PLAY. ing, rotate the command dial to move to the
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Step 2—Turn the mode dial to A-REC Taking Your First Photograph To enter automatic recording mode, turn the This section outlines the basic steps involved in taking a photograph selector dial to A-REC. After a short pause in A-REC mode. while the camera initializes, a beep will sound and current settings will be displayed in the Step 1—Remove the lens cap LCD monitor and the control panel. Remove the lens cap as shown below. P 1/125 F4.0 Lift latch and remove cap Sleep mode The LCD monitor turn
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Step 3—Check the number of exposures remaining Step 4—Adjust camera settings The control panel and LCD monitor show the number of expo- In automatic mode, the user can adjust flash, focus, exposure sures remaining at the current image quality setting. compensation, and image quality and size. The default settings, which produce the best results in most circumstances, are auto- matic flash, autofocus, no exposure compensation, an image quality of “normal,” and an image size of “full” (1,600 · 1,
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When lighting is poor, the flash lamp next to the viewfinder will Step 6—Half-press the shutter-release button glow red. If the flash is off, set the flash to “Auto” for a photo in which objects within the range of the flash are fully exposed. If the red flash lamp blinks, the flash is charging, and you will need to take your finger off the shutter-release button and wait a few seconds before taking a photograph. Step 7—Take a photograph To take a photograph, press the shutter-release button a
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Step 8—Check the results Step 9—Turn the camera off After a photograph has been taken, the When you have finished using the camera, be sure to turn the autofocus lamp will blink and an hourglass mode dial to OFF. icon ( ) will be displayed in the LCD monitor while the photograph is recorded. Before the photograph is transferred to the memory t t card, it will be displayed briefly in the LCD monitor. To avoid wasting batteries, check that the camera is off before putting it away. If the photo wa
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Using the Buttons (A-REC, M-REC) This chapter details some of the camera settings that can be accessed without using the camera menus: flash, focus, image quality, image size, sensitivity, and exposure mode. Exposure compensation is covered in the Fast Track Guide. Flash Settings The following flash settings are available: Setting How it works When to use it Auto Camera fires flash whenever lighting is poor. Best for general use. Use where flash is prohibited or to capture natural Flash Cancel
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When the mode dial is set to A-REC or M-REC, the current flash Flash status is indicated by the red flash lamp next to the viewfinder. setting can be changed using the button next to the Flash lamp glows red: The camera is ready to fire the flash control panel. The setting changes each time the button is pressed, when the shutter-release button is cycling through the different flash modes in the following order: fully pressed. Flash lamp blinks: The flash is charging. Wait until the lamp glow
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Focus Settings With the mode dial set to A-REC, a choice of three autofocus modes is available. In addition, M-REC mode offers a selection of manual focus settings. Autofocus settings The following autofocus settings are available in M-REC and A-REC modes: Setting How it works When to use it Autofocus Camera automatically adjusts focus according to dis- Use when subject is 30cm (1ft) or more from lens. NO ICON tance to subject. Use for photographing distant scenes in daylight (a Infinity Focus
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Focus distance is displayed in the LCD monitor, while the control Manual focus panel shows the focus distance together with a flashing icon. In M-REC mode, focus distance can be se- A short focus distance can be used to focus the camera on objects lected manually from a list of preset distances at the specified distance while blurring background details. Choose ranging from 0.1m (4in.) to infinity. To set a setting of Inf for a focus distance of infinity. Unlike the autofocus focus distance
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Using the Self-Timer The COOLPIX 950 is equipped with an automatic timer with two settings: three seconds, useful when making group photographs, and ten seconds, ideal for self-portraits. To use the self-timer, follow these steps: 1 For self-portraits, mount the camera on a tripod (recom- mended) or rest it on a flat, stable surface. 2 Press the button until the icon appears in the control panel or LCD monitor. 3 Compose the photograph. 4 Fully depress the shutter-release button to activate t
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Image Quality Image Quality and Size At settings of BASIC, NORMAL, and FINE, the camera uses JPEG The image quality/image size setting determines how many photo- compression to reduce the amount of memory required to store graphs can be stored on a single memory card. The following photographs. JPEG compression results in a slight loss in image combinations of image quality and size are available: quality, which grows more noticeable at higher compression ratios. The difference in quality is i
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Photographs taken at an image quality setting of HI are stored in Sensitivity uncompressed TIFF format and show no loss in quality. An 8MB memory card is however sufficient to store only one such photo- In A-REC mode, automatic gain control is used to produce graph at a time. To take photographs at an image quality of HI, turn sensitivity roughly equivalent to ISO 80 film. In M-REC mode, you the mode dial to M-REC, then hold down the button and can choose a fixed value for sensitivity equiva
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Exposure Mode When the mode dial is set to M-REC, you can choose an exposure mode from the following options: Setting How it works When to use it Program Camera automatically sets shutter speed and aper- Best for general use. ture to produce the best exposure. A wide aperture (low f-number) can be used to blur You choose the aperture (f-number) using the com- Aperture Priority details of the background. A small aperture (high f- mand dial. Shutter speed is set automatically by the number) brin
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Aperture Priority Shutter Priority An exposure mode of Aperture Priority allows you to choose an When the exposure mode is Shutter Priority, shutter speed can be 1 aperture setting from three pre-determined f-values. To choose chosen from settings ranging from / sec. to 8sec. To set the 500 a value for aperture: shutter speed: 1 Set the exposure mode to Aperture Pri- 1 Set the exposure mode to Shutter Prior- ority. ity. 2 Turn the command dial to choose an 2 Turn the command dial to choose a a
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1 Turn the mode dial to PLAY. The most Using the Buttons (PLAY) recently recorded image will be displayed This chapter describes the following playback functions: in the LCD monitor. • viewing photographs 2 View the other photos in memory one at a time, or select the • deleting unwanted photographs individually photo you want to view from a menu of preview images. These functions can be accessed using the zoom (t W/Ts ) • To view photos one at a time: buttons, the command dial, and the three bu
