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Kodak DCS Pro 14n Digital SLR Kodak's latest digital SLR brings full-frame, 13.7 megapixel resolution to market for under 5,000. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet Pro 14n Photo Gallery! Pro 14n Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on Pro 14n Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Operation & User Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Image Storage & Interface>> Page 9:Camera Modes & Menus Review First Posted: 03/23/2003

Camera Modes and Menus

Shooting Mode: Turning the on camera automatically places it into Shooting mode. The Exposure Mode dial lets you select Program AE, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, or Manual exposure modes. (A Flexible Program mode is accessed by turning the Sub-Command dial in Program AE mode. Flexible Program mode lets you choose different combinations of aperture and shutter speed, to control depth of field or motion blur, while still maintaining the convenience of automatic exposure control.) Depending on the exposure mode selected, the user has as much or as little control over exposure as needed.

Image Review Mode: Accessed by selecting an image folder and then an image review mode through the menu, this mode lets you review captured images on the memory card. Images can be erased or displayed with a variety of information screens. When the LCD monitor is disabled, pressing the OK or Nav+ buttons activates the display, along with a short menu. (Pressing the up or down arrow key will cycle through these modes. If the menu isn't displayed, pressing the up or down keys in playback mode recalls it.):

• Single Image: Displays a single image, without any information overlay.
• Histogram: Displays a single image, with a small histogram, and limited exposure information.
• Zoom Image: Allows you to enlarge a portion of a captured image. A "region of interest box" appears, and can be moved throughout the screen with the arrow keys.
• Multiple Image: Displays four thumbnail images on the screen at once.

Basic-Mode Menu:

• Bracketing Order: Determines the order that images are captured in a bracketing sequence, either underexposed, normal exposure, overexposed; or normal exposure, underexposed, overexposed (default setting).
• Gridlines: Turns a framing gridline display on or off in the viewfinder display.

Camera Menu:

• ISO: Sets the camera sensitivity from 80 to 800 ISO equivalents, in one-third-step increments. The actual adjustment range varies with the image resolution, restricted to lower values at maximum resolution. (My prototype eval unit limited ISO to 400 at the full 13.5 megapixel resolution. Production models may or may not have a higher limit.)
• White Balance: Adjusts the color balance. The approximate Kelvin temperature for each setting appears in the digital status display. Options are:
  • Auto: Automatically adjusts white balance depending on the lighting.
  • Daylight: Offers Standard, Warm, and Cool daylight options.
  • Tungsten: Features Standard, Warm, and Cool tungsten options.
  • Fluorescent: Presets for Standard or Cool White fluorescent lighting.
  • Flash: Offers Standard, Warm, Cool, and Studio flash options.
  • Click Balance: This is the manual adjustment, which bases color balance on a gray card held in front of the lens. Options are Image and Saved. Image lets you use the current image as a white balance setting. Saved allows you base the white balance on a previously saved image. You can also delete the Click Balance settings through this option. Selecting Click Balance displays an eyedropper tool over the image, which can be moved to select the area to sample via the arrow keys. (Now that's a handy option! How often have you wished you could just point to an area of the subject and say "that's white"?)
• Folder: Selects the folder that images are saved to, or lets you create a new folder.
• CF Card: Selects whether images are recorded on the CompactFlash memory card as JPEG or RAW files, or both. Also lets you perform a quick format of the CF card, securely erase all the recorded images (write zeros over the data, to permanently remove data from the card), recover deleted images (assuming you haven't done a secure erase operation), or put the card in standby mode to conserve power.
• MM Card: Offers the same options for MMC or SD memory cards as for CF cards. (This offers a variety of interesting options. - You can split your file storage if you'd like, putting the RAW files on a CF card, and the JPEGs on an SD card. Or, if you want to make sure you don't lose any images to a card malfunction, you can save completely redundant copies of your photos (RAW and/or JPEG) to both cards.
• RAW Resolution: Sets the RAW image resolution to 13.5 MP (4,500 x 3,000 pixels), 6.0 MP (3,000 x 2,000 pixels), or 3.4 MP (2,250 x 1,500 pixels).
• JPEG Resolution: Sets the JPEG image resolution to 13.5 MP (4,500 x 3,000 pixels), 6.0 MP (3,000 x 2,000 pixels), 3.4 MP (2,250 x 1,500 pixels), or 0.8 MP (1,125 x 750 pixels). An interesting and potentially handy feature: You can save JPEG and RAW images at entirely different resolutions. Handy if you want to fit a lot of lower-res JPEG files on smaller SD card as an index of sorts, while saving the full-res RAW files to a larger CF card.
• Crop Aspect Ratio: Sets the aspect ratio to 2x3, 4x5, or 2x2, to mimic film sizes.

Review Menu:

• Folder: Selects a folder for image review, either from SD/MMC Card or CF Card. A sub-menu lets you choose which memory card you want to look at. Once a card is selected, the available folders are displayed.
• External Video: Turns external video on or off.
• Overexposure Indicator: Activates the Overexposure Indicator, which "blinks" any overexposed areas of the image. (This function wasn't operational on my prototype unit.)
• Display Contrast: Adjusts the contrast of the color LCD display screen.
• Image Mode Menu: Sets how long the Image Mode menu displays over captured images. Choices are Off, 1, 2, or 3 seconds.

Image Menu:

• JPEG Quality: Sets the JPEG compression to Good, Better, or Best.
• Digital Exposure Correction: Corrects some exposure errors, but isn't a substitute for incorrect shutter speed, aperture, or ISO settings. This setting does not directly apply to RAW image files, but may optionally be applied when the RAW image is processed in the DCS software.
• Look: Applies a tone scale/color rendition adjustment to the selected image. (RAW files are tagged and corrected in the DCS software.) Options are Portrait, which lowers contrast somewhat, and Product, which increases contrast and saturation.
• Noise Reduction: This feature adjusts the amount of image noise reduction applied to longer exposures, or images with higher sensitivity settings. Options are Normal and Strong.
• Sharpening Level: Controls the amount of in-camera sharpening applied to images. Choices are None, Low, Medium, and High.

Setup Menu:

• User Mode: Offers Basic and Advanced modes. Basic provides access to just a handful of digital controls, displayed on a single-screen menu, while Advanced mode permits access to all camera functions.
• Vertical Release: Locks or unlocks the camera's vertical shutter release.
• Folder/File Naming: Specifies how the camera names folders and files. Auto Sequence names files in a continuous sequence, regardless of memory card. Auto Restart resets file naming with each new memory card, and Manual Restart resets file naming on the current card.
• Job Tracker: The DCS host software lets you create job tracker files, which can be used to mark a group of files. For example, you can track all files related to a wedding or special event. The Load option loads a job tracker file from the memory card, and applies that information to the header of the images as they are recorded. Job Tracker files can be saved in the internal memory, or on the CompactFlash or SD/MMC card. Job tracker information stored in the file headers is IPTC-compliant, for interface to automated workflow systems in the newspaper/magazine industry.
• Language: Sets the camera's menu language to English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Chinese, or Portuguese.
• Time/Date: Resets the camera's internal clock and calendar.
• Firmware: Displays the current firmware version, and provides an option for updating firmware.
• Hotkey: Allows you to save up to five hotkeys and functions, or resets hotkeys.
• Battery Save: Sets the length of time that the camera and LCD display will sit inactive before shutting off. Camera battery save times are anywhere from 15 minutes to three hours. Display battery save times range from 30 seconds to 10 minutes. (See my comments below on power consumption though - If you expect to not need the camera for more than a few minutes, you should turn it off entirely. "Battery save" mode only cuts power consumption by about a factor of two over full-power mode.)
  
  
• Default Reset: Restores either the digital settings, camera settings, or both to the factory defaults.
• Video Format: Sets the video signal to PAL or NTSC timing.
• Intervalometer: A time-lapse photography option, letting you capture a series of images at preset intervals. You can set the number of images from one to 9,999, and the interval duration from one second to 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds. There's also a Delay setting, which sets the period of time before the first picture is captured, from one second to 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds.
• Serial Port: Adjusts the settings for the camera's serial port.
  • Serial In: Options are None, GPS, New, Previous, and Status.
  • Serial Out: Choices are None and Image #.
  • Baud Rate: Sets rate from 300 to 115,200.
• GPS: Connects the camera to a GPS unit or checks status.

Custom Menu:

• Soft Press AE-L: Determines whether or not exposure is locked with a half-press of the Shutter button. (Default is not.)
• Single Servo AF: Enables or disables Closest Subject Priority Dynamic AF when the camera is in Single Servo AF mode. (Default is enabled.)
• Continuous Servo AF: Enables or disables Closest Subject Priority Dynamic AF when the camera is in Continuous Servo AF mode. (Default is disabled.)
• AE/AF Lock: Specifies the function of the AE-L/AF-L button. Options are simultaneous lock of exposure and focus (the default), AE Lock only, AF Lock only, AE Lock persists, and AF operation start. (This last basically means that pressing the AE/AF lock button causes the camera to focus, without firing the shutter. The same as a half-press of the shutter button would normally do.)
• Command Dial: Designates the functions of the Main Command and Sub-Command dials in controlling exposure. Options are Main/shutter and Sub/aperture (default), or Main/aperture and Sub/shutter.
• Meter Off Time: Designates how long the auto metering remains active after a half-press of the shutter button. Choices are 4, 8 (default), 16, or 32 seconds.
• Self-Timer Time: Sets the duration of the self-timer delay to 2, 5, 10 (default), or 20 seconds.
• Top LCD Light: Sets whether the status LCDs illuminate whenever you press a control button, or only when the LCD Illuminator button is pressed. (Default is LCD illuminator button only.)
• AF Assist Illuminator: Turns the AF assist lamp on or off. If set to On (default), the lamp automatically lights whenever lighting is too dim for the AF system to work independently.
  
  
• Bracketing Order: Determines the order that images are captured in a bracketing sequence, either underexposed, normal exposure, overexposed; or normal exposure, underexposed, overexposed (default setting).
• Gridlines: Turns a framing gridline display on or off in the viewfinder display. (Default is off.)
• Focus Area Light: Determines whether the active AF area illuminates (glows a dull red) in the viewfinder when AF is activated. Options are Low-light (default), Off, and Always On.
• Focus Area Wraparound: Designates whether the active focus area wraps around in the display as you manually select the autofocus area and move off one side of the display. (See text under the earlier "optics" section for a more complete description.)