Nikon Coolpix 5600

Manual Control Options
If you’re a manual control freak, this is not your digital camera. The Coolpix 5600 is designed to streamline the digital process for the technologically impaired. It does this by automating pretty much everything. Users can manually select the flash mode, exposure compensation value, and white balance setting. However, there is no manual option for shutter speed, aperture, or even ISO. This may be fine for point-and-shooters, but would drive more tech-savvy users crazy.

Focus
Auto (7.0)
The Nikon Coolpix 5600 uses a through-the-lens contrast detection system, like many other compact digital cameras. This camera automatically focuses on the center of the frame, which is where most point-and-shoot photographers will likely want to focus anyway. The lens can focus from 1 ft to infinity in the normal shooting mode, while the macro shooting can focus on subjects as close as 1.6 inches.

Manual (0.0)
The focus cannot be manually adjusted on the Nikon Coolpix 5600.

Metering (6.0)
The Coolpix 5600 uses Nikon’s all-purpose 256-segment metering system. This is the only metering option on this model, so beware of backlit subjects.

Exposure (7.0)
As with many settings on this digital camera, the Nikon Coolpix 5600 automatically selects the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings. The only manual control the user has over the exposure is the exposure compensation, which is available in the auto mode from +/- 2 EV in 1/3 increments. Photographers can get a live view of the compensation in the shooting menu, although again the view is small.

White Balance (7.0)
The most manual option on the Nikon Coolpix 5600 is the preset white balance option. It is a bit surprising to find manual white balance on a digital camera that doesn’t even let users select the ISO rating. This is a welcome surprise though, especially because the automatic white balance option is so inaccurate. When I took pictures using the auto white balance, they all came out with a reddish hue – and I didn’t shoot all my pictures in low light or under a heat lamp. Unfortunately, most users of the Coolpix 5600 will rely on the auto setting to make their whites look white in a range of lighting. Hopefully, more point-and-shooters will venture to the preset option – it is very easy to use on this model. Once selected within the menu, a small frame appears which users should expose to something truly white. Surrounding the frame are clear directions on which buttons to press and how to calibrate the white balance. Best of all, this option works well – accurately and easily. Along with the manual and automatic white balance settings, the Coolpix 5600 includes preset five options: Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, and Speedlight. When users scroll through these options, there is a live view on the LCD screen. However, the text from the menu hides most of the view, making it somewhat ineffective and self-defeating.

ISO (1.5)
Most compact digital cameras offer manual control over the ISO rating. However, Nikon left this option off of the Coolpix 5600 and went for a purely automatic approach instead. The camera’s ISO can range from 50-200, but users won’t know which rating the camera chose to use. In dark lighting, the word "ISO" shows up on the LCD screen, but this doesn’t really provide actual information to the photographer. Additionally, the 50-200 ISO range is extremely limited and will restrict users to outdoor shots or constant flash usage.

Shutter Speed (0.0)
With its mechanical and charge-coupled electronic shutter, the Coolpix 5600 shoots at speeds of 4-1/3000th of a second. This range should be adequate for the typical point-and-shooter. This range certainly wouldn’t work for photographing galaxies and stars or even the night skyline because the shutter cannot stay open long enough to attain a proper exposure. Photographers also do not have control over the shutter speed; the digital camera automatically chooses an appropriate speed – or it’s supposed to. Many of the action shots I took were blurred. The Nikon 5600 does have a blur warning that appears on the LCD screen, but it doesn’t actively do anything to prevent blurred pictures!

Aperture (0.0)
The Coolpix 5600 has an electronically controlled preset aperture that is limited to just two steps of f/2.9 and f/4.9. When the Nikkor lens is zoomed out, both apertures can be used. However, the camera can only select the f/4.9 setting when zoomed in. This is common for some lower-end point-and-shoot digital cameras. Once again, users do not have control over the aperture setting.