Playback Screens & Menus
Please excuse the quality of these
screen captures. The camera did not come with an AV cable, therefore we
had to photograph the display.The default playback screen includes basic file information along the top of the LCD.
Pressing the display button (upward on the thumb dial) displays camera settings for an image or video - but only for a couple seconds before disappearing. The icons along the top of the screen disappear as well, leaving only the image on screen.
Another press of the display button brings up settings information and an RGBY histogram. Unlike the information overlay (above), this view remains static.
Pressing downward launches a 5x3 thumbnail view.
The 15-thumbnail view is launched by pressing downward on the thumb dial, or multi control (the company refers to it as a "smart dial".)
The 5x3 thumbnail view is the default setting, but you can choose the 28-image view as the default in the playback menu. Pressing the Fn button toggles between the two, as indicated by the icon at the bottom of the screen.
Once you've entered thumbnail view, you press the Fn button to change between the 15-thumbnail view and this 28-image display.
There is no calendar display that you reach using the Fn button in thumbnail view. Rather, in thumbnail view you press the Menu button and go to the Filter menu. There, you change the selection from All (the default) to By Date.
If you have filtered playback already, you can't just hit Menu and re-filter. You must press downward on the multi control to enter index mode first, then hit Menu.
You press the OK button in the middle of the thumb dial to enter zoom mode. Then you turn the thumb dial to magnify the image up to 7.6x. If you want to crop the image as viewed on the display and save as a separate file, you press the OK button.
To edit photos, you press the Fn button in Playback mode. There are four selections.
Playback edit menu:
Color edit menu:
This kind of context-sensitive button function can be cumbersome. Maybe I've been brainwashed by other manufacturers' menu setups, but some of the menu operations failed to feel intuitive (and I had a hard time remembering them). More than a lot of other cameras, I found myself going to the manual to figure out how to access features that I expected to be second-nature to find. Where the manual really let me down was in its failure to note, on multiple occasions, why a particular feature was not available. I was left to figure out on my own why the scene mode or another feature was not compatible with the setting I sought to change.
The saturation edit offers the ability for fine adjustment - giving you 16 levels in either direction to increase or decrease color saturation.
There is also a Portrait edit feature for touching up people photos.
Portrait edit menu:
There is no calendar display that you reach using the Fn button in thumbnail view. Rather, in thumbnail view you press the Menu button and go to the Filter menu. There, you change the selection from All (the default) to By Date.
If you have filtered playback already, you can't just hit Menu and re-filter. You must press downward on the multi control to enter index mode first, then hit Menu.
You press the OK button in the middle of the thumb dial to enter zoom mode. Then you turn the thumb dial to magnify the image up to 7.6x. If you want to crop the image as viewed on the display and save as a separate file, you press the OK button.
To edit photos, you press the Fn button in Playback mode. There are four selections.
Playback edit menu:
- Edit (rotate, resize)
- Color (7 options)
- Portrait (original, face retouch, red-eye fix)
- Smart Filter (12 selections)
Color edit menu:
- Original
- Auto adjustment
- Brightness (+/- 16)
- Contrast (+/- 2)
- Saturation (+/- 16)
- RGB adjustment (red, green, blue)
- Color temperature (+/- 4000k)
- Exposure (+/- 8)
This kind of context-sensitive button function can be cumbersome. Maybe I've been brainwashed by other manufacturers' menu setups, but some of the menu operations failed to feel intuitive (and I had a hard time remembering them). More than a lot of other cameras, I found myself going to the manual to figure out how to access features that I expected to be second-nature to find. Where the manual really let me down was in its failure to note, on multiple occasions, why a particular feature was not available. I was left to figure out on my own why the scene mode or another feature was not compatible with the setting I sought to change.
The saturation edit offers the ability for fine adjustment - giving you 16 levels in either direction to increase or decrease color saturation.
There is also a Portrait edit feature for touching up people photos.
Portrait edit menu:
- Original
- Face retouch (+1 to +3)
- Red-eye fix
Smart Filter is the fourth selection in the edit menu. Unlike the Smart Filter feature in shooting mode - which offers just four selections - in playback mode you can apply one of 12 effects.
Smart Filter edit menu:
- Original
- Vignetting
- Miniature
- Soft Focus
- Sketch
- Fish eye
- Classic
- Retro
- Oil Painting
- Cartoon
- Ink Painting
- Cross Filter
- Zooming Shot
The 3000NX offers a lot of cable-cutting features for easy sharing and integration with a smartphone.
Playback menu:
For quick access to wireless features, the top of the camera has a Mobile button, which brings up the above on-screen menu.
Mobile Connect button menu:
If you are unsure of a feature, you can wait a couple seconds after navigating to it. The well-designed help system will offer a description to help you with your selection. Once you've mastered the features, you can turn off these definitions.
Movie playback is similar to still image playback, though there are only two views. This one is the default.
Pressing upward on the multi control brings up the movie size and date. If you press left/right or scroll through images with the thumb dial, the information window will remain, offering the same info for each video (and extended information for still images).
The camera does not offer a simple way to trim a video while you're watching it, or have paused the footage. You must press the Menu button and select the Trim Movie option. You choose your beginning and end points by pressing the Fn button, and don't have to pause the video to do so.
Playback menu:
- Share (Wi-Fi): MobileLink, Group Share (to multiple smartphones)
- Delete
- Protect: Off, on
- Rotate
- Start slide show
- Slide show options: Play mode (one play, repeat), interval, effect (off, calm, shine, relax, lively, sweet)
- Trim movie
- Edit image
- Auto rotate: On, off
For quick access to wireless features, the top of the camera has a Mobile button, which brings up the above on-screen menu.
Mobile Connect button menu:
- MobileLink: Connect and share files with your smartphone
- Remote viewfinder: Use your smartphone to control your camera
- AutoShare: Send photos instantly after capturing them to your smartphone
If you are unsure of a feature, you can wait a couple seconds after navigating to it. The well-designed help system will offer a description to help you with your selection. Once you've mastered the features, you can turn off these definitions.
Movie playback is similar to still image playback, though there are only two views. This one is the default.
Pressing upward on the multi control brings up the movie size and date. If you press left/right or scroll through images with the thumb dial, the information window will remain, offering the same info for each video (and extended information for still images).
The camera does not offer a simple way to trim a video while you're watching it, or have paused the footage. You must press the Menu button and select the Trim Movie option. You choose your beginning and end points by pressing the Fn button, and don't have to pause the video to do so.
Visitors of Steves can visit the stores below for real-time pricing and availability. You can also find hot, soon to expire online offers on a variety of cameras and accessories at our very own Camera Deals page.
