Many would consider this as the best time to pursue photography as a hobby – as an amateur or a serious hobbyist – all the more so, as newer and more economical cameras offer functions that an SLR would otherwise provide. A whole range of bridge of Prosumer cameras are being introduced into the market, which would help consumers, even the photography-uninitiated (if one could coin such a phrase), into the nitty-gritty of the whole subject. Such cameras offer higher level of controls on settings, especially exposure and white balance settings. A popular member of the bridge brigade is the Nikon Coolpix 5400, which is a 5.1mp and 4x wide angle optical zoom camera, which comes with advanced features.
Design and FunctioningThose who have got tired of tiny compact cameras that look more like mobile phones with too large a screen at the back, all of which are too difficult to grip, would love the Nikon Coolpix 5400. This bridge camera, with its sturdy shape and an easy grip on the right side just like old analogue SLRs have, seems to look down upon the ultra slim, size zero battalion. But then, this camera is not built for those who aren’t too adventurous or ready to take their photos in their own hands – literally. Some of its features do seem to want to rest more and more control at the hands of the user rather than think for him or her. A fully manual exposure control menu lets the user choose from Manual Exposure, Shutter Priority, Exposure Priority and Program mode. The user can also change the ISO settings from 50 to 400. Its 1.5-inch LCD screen can be flipped out and twisted like that of handy camcorder, especially when shooting videos with it. For those who wish to let the camera think for them, there also are a number of scene modes, ranging from Landscape, Beach/Snow, Museum, Fireworks, Sports, Back Light, Dawn/Dusk, Night Portrait and Night Landscape to name a few. For those who like to get as close as possible to their subjects, there is also the Macro Mode, with which the user can click pictures of tiny objects from as close a range as 1cm. This camera is compatible with CompactFlash card, and a 16MB CompactFlash card is provided with the pack.
