Auto Mode (6.5)
The green camera icon shows where the automatic mode is located on the mode dial. The P1 doesn’t allow any exposure changes in this mode whatsoever, which is fine. This is the automatic mode after all. It throws this Coolpix into a simplified point-and-shoot digital world where hardly any decisions need to be made. The only questions that need answered are what to shoot and when to push the button. If users attempt to push the Menu button, a warning appears: “Warning!! No menu in auto mode. Please use another mode.” The auto mode is very easy to use and should calm the nerves of those technologically phobic consumers (but why would technologically phobic consumers buy a wireless camera?).

Movie Mode (7.5)
The Nikon Coolpix P1 has a good movie mode; it has many of the same features that other high-end compact digital cameras have. There are three sizes, which the camera calls “Movie Options.” 640 x 480, 320 x 240, and 160 x 120 are the sizes available. The VGA resolution movie can shoot at a selectable 15 or 30 frames per second. The other two sizes only shoot at 15 fps.

There are three options in the movie mode menu: Movie Options, Auto Focus Mode, and Electronic Vibration Reduction. Users can choose between single and continuous auto focus, although the slightly audible noise from the focusing in continuous mode gets picked up by the microphone. The vibration reduction is Nikon’s version of image stabilization; this system is digital instead of optical like some models offer. The vibration reduction really didn’t reduce much of the natural vibration of hand-shake. The video I took with the vibration reduction on was only slightly less shaky than the regular video. Users can zoom before and after, but not during recording.

The Nikon P1 has a time lapse movie option that is fairly unique. Users can shoot still pictures at intervals of 30 seconds or 1, 5, 10, 30, or 60 minutes. The camera then strings the still images into a movie file. Sound is not available for this, of course.

The P1 also has two colored movie options that shoot in QVGA resolution. The black and white movies shoot at 15 fps and the sepia movies mimic the jerky look of old-fashioned movies with a slow 5 fps frame rate.

Drive / Burst Mode (7.25)
The Nikon Coolpix P1 has several burst mode options that all shoot at different speeds. The Continuous H mode takes about 2.3 frames per second, which is fairly average for a compact digital camera. This mode takes 5 pictures before stopping to write to the memory card. The Continuous L mode goes a little slower at 2 fps, but lasts for a much longer 39 consecutive shots. There is a multi-shot mode that takes 16 images at a rate slightly slower than 2 fps; the camera then stitches these images into a single image file. This seems a little silly to do when you can have full resolution at a faster pace. Also available is a 5-shot last burst mode that shoots for as long as the shutter release button is held down and records only the last five shots. This mode takes a picture about every second. And if users want to sacrifice resolution for speed, they can with the Ultra HS mode. This burst mode can shoot up to 100 pictures in under three and a half seconds. Yes, you read that right. The catch? They are all at VGA resolution. This is fine for viewing on television screens, but it will make 4 x 6-inch prints that look pixilated and drab. Overall, the burst mode on the P1 is multifaceted and includes lots of options and speeds for the average user.

Playback Mode (6.5)
The playback mode does not have its own position on the mode dial but has a designated button instead. Users can see the pictures individually or in index screens of 4, 9, or 16 images. The pictures can be organized by date or played in slide shows with various intervals (2, 3, 5, or 10 seconds). Shooting information and histograms are displayed with individual pictures. Users can tag photos with transfer markings (for faster transfer of selected photos) or a protection key to keep images from accidental deletion. Voice memos and the Nikon trademark D-Lighting technology can be added in playback mode. When an individual picture is selected, users need only to press the shutter release button down to record up to 20 seconds of audio. The D-Lighting option is found in the playback menu and shows users a preview before saving a brighter copy of the picture (it doesn’t delete the original). Users can scroll through the photos and tag individual ones for deletion or printing. This saves tons of time for users who have lots of photos to delete, but don’t want to delete them all and don’t want to delete them individually either. Movies can be played back in typical VCR fashion with fast forward, rewind, stop, play, and pause options. Editing is not possible, but viewing is simple.

Custom Image Presets (8.0)
The Nikon Coolpix P1 has 16 scene modes – 12 of which have special effects. The scene mode has its own position on the dial, and when selected, users must hit the menu button to access the scene presets. A menu full of icons appears; in the corner of some of the icons is a tiny blue triangle. The triangle signifies the “advanced scene modes” that have the special effects. The advanced modes include Portrait (Face Priority AF), Portrait, Party/Indoor, Night Portrait, Landscape, Night Landscape, Sunset, Dusk/Dawn, Fireworks Show, Backlight, and Close Up. The effects with these modes are generically labeled as “Effect 1” and “Effect 2,” but the Help button eliminates the ambiguity with its explanations. Some effects bring out the subject’s skin tones and some blur the background; they are definitely worth looking into. The normal modes include Panorama Assist, Beach/Snow, Museum, Copy, and Sports. The exposure information is shown in all of the scene modes, but it cannot be changed. Still, it is nice to see what the Nikon P1 is up to. Knowing that the Fireworks Show mode’s shutter speed is 4 seconds long will hopefully prevent users from using it during the day.

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