Auto Mode (6.5)
The automatic mode is the simplest mode to find on the dial because it is colored green and the other modes are black. Once engaged, the auto mode still allows menu selections. In fact, it offers more menu options that in any other mode. Also, the Nikon 7900’s auto mode will retain setting adjustments as well, so when the camera is turned off and on again it will recall the ISO 400 setting you had it at last time. Some photographers hate this and others love it. If you’re one to whip out your camera and expect the auto mode to restore its defaults every time, this isn’t your model. However, if you like the digital camera to remember your settings, this could be a good option for you.
Movie Mode (7.5)
The Nikon Coolpix 7900 has extensive size options in its movie mode. This digital camera can record full 640 x 480 resolution at a selectable 30 or 15 frames per second. The smaller sizes both record at a rate of 30 frames per second. 320 x 240 and 160 x 120-pixel sizes are available for easy e-mailing. The auto focus mode and the vibration reduction are the only two options available for selection. The auto focus mode can be set to single or continuous; beware of the loud audible continuous auto focus system. The vibration reduction system is Nikon’s version of image stabilization and is only included on the 7900 model – not its little sister, the 5900. This vibration reduction mode works pretty well for smoothing out small shakes and is handy for when the lens is zoomed out. The optical zoom works before – but not during – video recording. And when users feel the urge to get closer to the subject without moving their feet, 2x digital zoom works during recording (of course, the picture quality suffers). The Nikon Coolpix 7900 turns into a miniature VCR in playback mode with the complete play, stop, fast forward, and rewind options. Users can fast forward normally or frame by frame as well, so watching that game-winning goal go by the goalie’s fingertips can be stretched out for you to savor as long as you like.
Drive / Burst Mode (7.25)
When the default single mode just can’t capture fast enough, there are a few burst mode options to be had. The Coolpix 7900’s Continuous burst mode can take 1.7 frames per second for 29 straight shots, according to Nikon. See the Speed / Timing portion of this review for our test results. There is also a 5-Shot Buffer mode that photographs at a slower 1 fps rate for as long as the shutter release button is pressed and records only the last five pictures taken. The third burst mode option is the Multi-Shot mode that takes 16 consecutive pictures at a rate of 1.7 fps and saves them as a single image file. Each frame in the multi-shot mode is 768 x 576 pixels; the image file ends up at 3072 x 2304 pixels with 16 frames. The burst modes aren’t exceptionally fast; many compact models can now shoot 2 or 3 frames per second. However, the endurance of the Continuous burst mode is impressive.
Playback Mode (6.5)
The playback mode is easily accessible with a dedicated button on the back of the Coolpix 7900. That button doubles as a power button when held down, and doing so for a few seconds can wake up the camera. Pictures can be viewed in the full 2-inch frame or in the multi-up mode that can display nine images on-screen at a time. When images are viewed individually users can zoom up to 10x; this is a handy feature to check the focus. There is an on-camera Delete button that can trash a single picture or all of the pictures at once.
Something important to note: images saved to the Coolpix 7900’s internal memory cannot be displayed alongside images written to the memory card. To view all of the photos, images on the internal memory must be transferred to the memory card or vice versa (you can do this with the Copy option in the menu). This is not the easiest setup and certainly not the most intuitive.
The following options are available in the playback menu: Print Set, Slide Show, Delete, Protect, Transfer Marking, Small Pic, and Copy. The transfer marking option lets the user choose exactly which images to send to the computer. The Small Pic option saves a low-resolution copy of an image at 640 x 480, 320 x 240, or 160 x 120 pixels; this makes e-mailing pictures to the family fast and easy.
Custom Image Presets (8.0)
The Nikon Coolpix 7900 comes with 16 scene modes and framing assists for four of those modes. The most common scene modes are located directly on the mode dial: Portrait, Landscape, Sports, and Night Portrait. When the Menu button is pressed in these modes, a variety of framing assists appear. Users can choose assists like Portrait Right for a subject who will be standing toward the right side of the frame. Once the assist is selected, yellow lines and shapes appear on the LCD so users can line up the subject’s head and shoulders in the assist. Nikon’s face-priority auto focus technology can be found in the Portrait assists. This auto focus mode searches for faces and automatically focuses on them – no matter where they are in the frame. One of the Sports assists includes a “sports composite,” which is just like a multi-shot burst mode. It shoots 8 frames a second for a total of 16 frames. Each frame is 400 x 300 pixels and is stitched into a single 1600 x 1400-pixel image file.
The following scene modes are available in the menu of the Scene selection on the mode dial: Party/Indoor, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Dusk/Dawn, Night Landscape, Close Up, Museum, Fireworks Show, Copy, Back Light, Panorama Assist, and Underwater. The Underwater scene mode is only fully effective when used with the optional underwater housing (taking the 7900 under water without this is not a good idea—trust us, if not your own intuition). The Nikon WP-CP4 waterproof case can go to depths of 130 feet and retails for $250.
