Flash
The N55 features a built-in pop-up TTL Speedlight that covers the field of view of a 28mm lens and has an ISO 100 guide number of 39 (in feet). It pops up and fires automatically when needed in the point-and-shoot modes except the flash-disabling landscape and action Vari-Programs (you can cancel auto-popup if you wish by pressing the flash-mode button and rotating the Command Dial until the appropriate icon appears on the LCD panel). In the "serious" modes, the viewfinder's flash-recommended signal blinks, and you can activate the flash if you want it by pressing the flash button. There's also a hot-shoe atop the finder that accepts dedicated Nikon Speedlights for more power and added features. With the built-in flash, the N55 provides Matrix Balanced Fill-Flash in all exposure modes but manual (and the flash-disabling landscape and action Vari-Programs): the camera utilizes the five-segment meter to give a good balance between nearby flashlit subject and ambient-lit background. Since manual exposure mode doesn't utilize the five-segment Matrix meter, you get Standard TTL Flash in manual, in which the flashlit subject is correctly exposed, but the background exposure is not considered. In night-portrait, program and aperture-priority AE modes, you can set slow-sync flash, in which the camera utilizes slower shutter speeds (down to 30 seconds in P and A; down to one second in night portrait mode) to bring out detail in dark backgrounds. You can engage red-eye reduction mode in all exposure modes except the two non-flash modes (landscape and action), which activates the red-eye reduction lamp for about a second before the flash fires to "stop down" the subject's eyes and thus minimize red-eye. You can even combine red-eye reduction with slow-sync by calling up the appropriate icon on the LCD panel.
If you want more flash power, you can attach a dedicated Nikon Speedlight to the N55's hot-shoe. However, you lose the TTL flash exposure control when you do this; with the hot-shoe, you get non-TTL Auto Flash, in which the exposure is measured by the flash unit's sensor—a less-accurate but still effective method. You can also use manual flash with shoe-mount units, setting the aperture per the flash unit's guide number or using a flash meter. There's no PC terminal for studio flash—this entry-level camera is not aimed at studio photographers.
Other Features
The N55's vertical-travel focal-plane shutter provides speeds from 30 seconds to 1/2000, settable in 1/2-step increments. There's also a Time setting for longer exposures, in which the shutter opens the first time you press the shutter button, and remains open until you press the button a second time, thus saving you the trouble of keeping the shutter button depressed for long periods (or the cost of a locking cable release).
Film handling is automatic, from threading through advance (continuous at 1.5 fps in action mode; single-frame in the other modes) and "rewind." The N55 features a prewind system, in which the film is wound out of the cassette onto the take-up spool when you load the camera, then wound back into the cassette a frame at a time as you shoot. Thus, your exposed images are safely in the cassette should you accidentally open the camera back in mid-roll. You can rewind in mid-roll by pressing the two rewind buttons (use of two buttons prevents you from inadvertently engaging rewind by accidentally pressing the rewind button). As with the N65, you can make multiple exposures on a single frame by pressing the multiple-exposure button and rotating the Command Dial until the multiple-exposure icon appears on the LCD panel.
The N55's fixed eye-level penta-mirror viewfinder helps keep camera size and weight down, and shows about 89% of the actual image area (with magnification of 0.68-0.60X with a 50mm lens at infinity, depending on diopter setting). A slider to the right of the finder lets you set eyepiece correction from -1.5 to +0.8 diopters. The image area is nicely uncluttered, showing only the three AF areas. Below the image area is the LED display of (left to right) focus status, focus area, shutter speed, aperture, exposure status/exposure compensation value, exposure compensation status, and flash-ready/flash recommended. The LCD panel to the right of the finder shows all applicable information.
Like the N65, the N55 provides full-function operation with all current D- and G-type AF-Nikkor lenses, and can also use many manual-focus Nikkors with manual focus and exposure control only. There are well over 40 AF-Nikkors, from a 14mm f/2.8D superwide-angle and a 16mm f/2.8D full-frame fisheye to a 600mm f/4 supertelephoto, and zooms from 17-35mm to VR 80-400mm (however, the VR's vibration-reduction function can't be used with the N55). The G-type AF-Nikkor lenses are the best choices for the N55 user, with their lower prices and simpler (no aperture rings) operation.
In Use
The N55 is very compact and light, but doesn't feel "cheap" in the hands. Its controls are well-located and operate smoothly, with a quality feel. And this is a very good-looking camera, especially with the matching 28-80mm G-series zoom lens provided for our test (in fact, Nikon offers the camera in a kit that includes this lens). The instruction manual explained everything clearly—and all in English (no having to navigate through instructions in several languages, a pleasant bonus).
Our test camera performed very well. The 3D Matrix meter produced accurate exposures on narrow-latitude slide film, and autofocusing was quick and accurate with most subjects. Continuous AF performance doesn't match that of the higher-end Nikon AF SLRs, but of course wouldn't be expected to at this price point. Dynamic AF, Focus Tracking and Lock-On do produce excellent results with all but the most demanding action subjects.
This is a terrific camera for point-and-shooters who want better pictures and more versatility—it's as simple to use as any point-and-shoot lens-shutter camera, but offers better performance and more features they can grow into as they progress.
