Nikon Camera Coolpix S6900 Reference Manual

							41
Shooting Features
The camera can detect your moving hand and automatically capture images. 
This function is useful when taking self-portrait pictures or shooting from a 
short distance.
1Open the monitor and face it 
forward in the same direction as 
the camera lens (A2).
•U  is displayed in the monitor.  U is not 
displayed when using a shooting mode that cannot be used with the 
gesture control function.
• When you take pictures from a short distance, use the camera stand ( A3) 
and place the camera on a stable surface.
2Tap  U.
•When you tap  I on the confirmation 
dialog,  n (palm detection) is displayed in 
the monitor.
3Hold up your hand and align it 
with  n in the center of the frame.
•When the camera detects your palm,  n 
changes to  o, and p  (to take a still image) 
and  q (to record a movie) are displayed in 
the monitor.
4Move your hand to align  o with 
p  or q .
•The shutter is released after a countdown 
(about three seconds).
• Press the  b (movie-record) button on the 
camera body to end the recording.
See “Extracting and Saving the Desired 
Portion of a Recorded Movie” ( A85) for 
information on how to remove unwanted parts of movies.
• When shooting ends, the screen shown in step 3 is displayed again.
Using the Self-timer with the Gesture 
Control Function
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Shooting Features
BNotes About the Gesture Control Function
•The camera may not detect your palm or hand movement in some shooting 
conditions.
• When moving your hand, keep your palm vertical and facing the camera, and 
maintain the same hand shape.
• The gesture control function cannot be  used in the following shooting modes:
-Scene modes (except  Portrait, Night portrait , Party/indoor , and 
Backlighting  scene modes)
-Special effects mode
• The functions listed below are restricted when the gesture control function is in use.
• When the monitor is returned to the op en rearward-facing position against the 
back of the camera, the restricted function s are reset to their original settings (if 
you did not change the settings while using the gesture control function).
Restricted functionDescription
Self-timer ( A45), Color options 
( A 100), AF area mode ( A101), 
Quick effects ( A104), Smile timer 
( A 106), AF assist ( A133), Digital 
zoom ( A133) These functions cannot be used.
Vividness ( A37) The setting is fixed at the standard value 
(default setting) if the 
Vividness setting 
for an amount of the effect is set to the 
minimum before you start using the 
gesture control function.
White balance ( A94) The setting is fixed at Auto
 if Incandes.  
or  Fluorescent  is set before you start 
using the gesture control function.
Continuous ( A96) The setting is fixed at Single
 if 
Continuous H , Continuous L , Pre-
shooting cache , or BSS  is set before you 
start using the gesture control function.
Monitor settings ( A128) Photo info is fixed at Show info .
Auto off ( A134) The setting is fixed at 5 min
 if 30 s or 1 
min  is set before you start using the 
gesture control function. 
						

							43
Shooting Features
You can select a flash mode to match the shooting conditions.
1Tap the flash mode icon.
2Tap an icon to select a flash mode.
•To return to the shooting screen without 
changing the setting, tap  S.
CThe Flash Indicator
The status of the flash can be confirmed by pressing 
the shutter-release button halfway.
•On: The flash fires when you press the 
shutter-release button all the way down.
• Flashing: The flash is charging. The camera cannot 
shoot images.
• Off: The flash does not fire when a picture is taken.
Flash Mode
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Flash mode
AutoAutoOffOffAuto with red-
e ye reductionAuto with red-
e ye reduction
Slow syncSlow syncFill flashFill flash
F 3 . 3F3.31/2501/250
Flash indicator 
						

							44
Shooting Features
Available Flash Modes
CThe Flash Mode Setting
•The setting may not be available with some shooting modes ( A48).
• The setting applied in  A (auto) mode is saved in the camera’s memory even after 
the camera is turned off.
CRed-eye Reduction
If the camera detects red eye while saving an image, the affected area is processed to 
reduce red-eye before the image is saved.
Note the following when shooting:
• More time than usual is required to save images.
• Red-eye reduction may not produce the desired results in some situations.
• In rare cases, red-eye reduction may be applied unnecessarily to other areas of the 
image. In these cases, select another flash mode and take the picture again.
UAuto
The flash fires when necessary, such as in dim lighting. 
VAuto with red-eye reduction
Reduce “red-eye” in portraits caused by the flash.
WOff
The flash does not fire.
• We recommend using a tripod to stabilize the camera when shooting 
in dark surroundings.
XFill flash
The flash fires whenever a picture is taken. Use to “fill-in” (illuminate) 
shadows and backlit subjects.
YSlow sync
Suited to evening and night portraits that include background scenery. 
The flash fires when necessary to illuminate the main subject; slow 
shutter speeds are used to capture background at night or under dim 
lighting. 
						

							45
Shooting Features
The camera is equipped with a self-timer that releases the shutter 10 seconds 
or 2 seconds after you press the shutter-release button.
Set Photo VR  (A 131) to  Off in the setup menu when using a tripod to 
stabilize the camera during shooting.
1Tap the self-timer icon.
2Tap  10 s or 2 s .
•10 s (10 seconds): Use on important 
occasions, such as weddings.
• 2 s (2 seconds): Use to prevent camera 
shake.
• To return to the shooting screen without 
changing the setting, tap  S.
3Frame the picture and press the shutter-release button 
halfway.
•Focus and exposure are set.
4Press the shutter-release 
button the rest of the way 
down.
•Countdown starts. The self-timer 
lamp flashes and then glows 
steadily about one second before 
the shutter is released.
• When the shutter is released, the 
self-timer is set to Off .
• To stop the countdown, press 
the shutter-release button again.
Self-timer
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Self-timer
1 0  s10 s2  s2 sOffOff
1010
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							46
Shooting Features
Use macro mode when taking close-up pictures.
1Tap the macro mode icon.
2Tap On.
•To return to the shooting screen without 
changing the setting, tap  S.
3Move the zoom control to set the 
zoom ratio to a position where G  
and the zoom indicator are 
displayed in green.
• When the zoom ratio is set to a po sition where the zoom indicator is 
displayed in green, the camera can focus on subjects as close as 
approximately 10 cm (4 in.) from the lens. 
When the zoom is at the position where  G is displayed, the camera can 
focus on subjects as close as approximately 2 cm (0.8 in.) from the lens.
BNotes About Using the Flash
The flash may be unable to light the entire subject at distances of less than 50 cm (1 
ft 8 in.).
CThe Macro Mode Setting
• The setting may not be available with some shooting modes ( A48).
• If the setting is applied in  A (auto) mode, it will remain saved in the camera’s 
memory even after the camera is turned off.
Macro Mode (Taking Close-up Pictures)
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Macro m ode
OnOnOffOff 
						

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Shooting Features
You can adjust overall image brightness.
1Tap the exposure compensation 
icon.
2Tap or drag the slider to change a 
compensation value, and tap I.
•To brighten the image, set a positive (+) 
value.
• To darken the image, set a negative (–) 
value.
• The compensation value is applied, even 
without tapping  I.
CExposure Compensation Value
•The setting may not be available with some shooting modes ( A48).
• If the setting is applied in  A (auto) mode, it will remain saved in the camera’s 
memory even after the camera is turned off.
Exposure Compensation (Adjusting 
Brightness)
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E xposure com pensation 
						

							48
Shooting Features
Default settings for each shooting mode are listed below.
Default Settings (Flash, Self-timer, Etc.)
Flash
( A 43)Self-timer
(A 45)Macro
( A 46)Exposure 
compensation (A 47)
d  (scene auto 
selector) U
1Off
Off20.0
Scene b  (portrait) VOff
Off
30.0
c  (landscape)
W3OffOff30.0
d (sports) W3Off3Off30.0
e  (night portrait)
V4OffOff30.0
f  (party/indoor)
V5OffOff30.0
Z  (beach) UOff
Off30.0
z  (snow) UOff
Off30.0
h (sunset) W3OffOff30.0
i  (dusk/dawn)
W3OffOff30.0
j  (night 
landscape) W
3Off
Off30.0
k  (close-up) WOff
On
30.0
u  (food)
W3OffOn30.0
l  (museum)
W3Off Off 0.0
m  (fireworks show)
W3Off3Off30.03
n (black and white 
copy) W
Off Off 0.0
A  (draw) ––––
o  (backlighting)
X/W
6Off
Off30.0
p (easy panorama) W3Off3Off30.0 
						

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Shooting Features
1The camera automatically selects the flash mode appropriate for the scene it has 
selected. W (off) can be selected manually.
2Cannot be changed. The camera enters macro mode when  i is selected.3Cannot be changed.4Cannot be changed. The flash mode setting is fixed at fill flash with red-eye 
reduction.
5Slow sync with red-eye reduction flash mode may be used.6Flash is fixed at  X (fill flash) when  HDR is set to  Off, and is fixed at  W (off) when 
HDR  is set to  On.
7Cannot be used when  Blink proof is set to On or when  Smile timer  is set to On 
(continuous)  or On (BSS) .
8Can be set when  Smile timer is set to Off.
O
 (pet portrait)
W
3Off3Off 0.0
R  (special effects) WOff Off 0.0
F  (smart portrait) U
7Off8Off30.0
s  (glamour mode) UOff Off30.0
A  (auto) UOff Off 0.0
Flash
( A 43)Self-timer
(A 45)Macro
( A 46)Exposure 
compensation
(A 47) 
						

							50
Shooting Features
The focus area varies depending on the shooting mode.
Using Face Detection
In the following shooting modes, the camera 
uses face detection to automatically focus on 
human faces. 
•e /n  Portrait , h /o  Night 
portrait , or p Backlighting  in d  (scene 
auto selector) mode ( A24)
• Portrait  or Night portrait  scene mode 
( A 25)
• Smart portrait mode ( A36)
• Glamour mode ( A37)
• When  AF area mode ( A101) in  A (auto) mode ( A39) is set to Face 
priority .
If the camera detects more than one face, a double border is displayed around 
the face that the camera focuses on, and single borders are displayed around 
the other faces.
If the shutter button is pressed halfway when no faces are detected:
• In d  (scene auto selector) mode, the focus area changes depending on the 
scene.
• In Portrait  and Night portrait  scene modes, smart portrait mode, or 
glamour mode, the camera focuses in the center of the frame.
• In A (auto) mode, the camera selects the focus area containing the subject 
closest to the camera.
BNotes About Face Detection
• The camera’s ability to detect faces depends on a variety of factors, including the 
direction in which the faces are looking. 
• The camera cannot detect faces in the following situations:
- When faces are partially hidden by sunglasses or otherwise obstructed
- When faces take up too much or too little of the frame
Focusing
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