8. Modes And Menus

No frills, clear, and straightforward: Those three principles are clearly behind the DCS Pro SLR/n. The unit is professional in that it avoids useless gadgets like results programs and other such refinements to concentrate on the basic four: P, A, S and M.

Obviously there's the possibility of choosing metering modes (matrix, center-weighted, or spot), memorizing an exposure or focus at the touch of a button, selecting from among five AF modes, "bracketing" white balance and exposure, and choosing flash modes very easily - everything you'd expect from a camera in this category.

On the digital side, white balance is broken down into six values (auto, manual, and four presets), contrast, saturation, and sharpening can be reduced or accentuated via the usual cursors, and sensitivity - in practice - is in a range between ISO 160 and 800. As we've seen, it's possible to reduce it to ISO 6 to 50 in longer-exposure mode, and also to push it to 1000 to 1600 in RAW. So, the palette of expression is complete; but as we'll see, noise problems spoil the picture somewhat.

As for studio refinements, the presence of a synchronized external flash connector should obviously be noted, along with the hotshoe in addition to the internal flash. The DCS Pro SLR/n is obviously ready for the studio, which is what you would expect since that's the area it's best suited for.