Although the Nikon D5600 price is reasonable, it doesn’t skimp on power or performance, offering a great set of features to help you take your photography to the next level. And for novices, the camera offers plenty of easy-to-use, automated modes.
To help you get started using your camera, here’s a handy reference to your camera’s buttons, dials, and exposure modes.
Controls on the Nikon D5600
If you’re not familiar with the Nikon D5600 camera, here’s a quick guide to its buttons, dials, and other external controls. The lens shown here is the 18–55mm AF-P kit lens; other lenses may have different features.
Functions of buttons and controls on the Nikon D5600
It’s great to have a map to the buttons and controls on your camera, but it’s not a lot of help if you can’t remember which button to press when (and why). So, here’s a look at the functions of the most important controls. (Some controls have additional functions during certain operations, but the table lists the ones you’ll use most often.) Note: This information concentrates on features available when you shoot in the P, S, A, and M exposure modes. A few controls also work in other modes.
| This Control | . . . Performs These Functions |
| Mode dial | Sets the exposure mode, which determines how much control you have over picture settings. For the most control, choose P, S, A, or M. |
| LV switch | Rotate the switch to toggle Live View on and off. The viewfinder is unavailable when Live View is enabled. |
| Movie-record button | After putting the camera into Live View mode, press to start and stop recording. |
| Menu button | Opens the camera menus. Menu items that appear dimmed can’t be adjusted in the current exposure mode. |
| Exposure Compensation button | In P, S, and A modes, press while rotating the Command dial to apply Exposure Compensation (adjusts brightness of the next picture you take). A higher value produces a brighter picture. In Manual exposure mode, press while rotating the Command dial to adjust the aperture setting. |
| Info button | During viewfinder shooting, turn the Information screen on and off. When Live View is engaged, change the type and amount of data displayed on the monitor. |
| AE-L/AF-L button | During shooting, locks exposure and autofocus; during playback, locks picture file. Locked files can’t be erased when you use the camera’s Delete functions; they’re erased if you format the memory card. |
| Playback button | Toggles picture playback on and off. |
| i button | During shooting, displays the control strip, which provides quick access to various settings. During playback, displays i-button menu with access to post-capture features such as rating and retouching photos. |
| Multi-Selector/OK button | During shooting, press the outer edges up/down/left/right to navigate menus and select camera settings; press OK to lock in your choice of settings. During playback, press up/down to change the playback display mode; press left/right to scroll through pictures. |
| Zoom In button | During Live View shooting and picture playback, press to magnify the display. During movie playback, press to increase audio volume. |
| Zoom Out Button | Press to reduce on-screen magnification. During playback, press to cycle from full-frame playback to Thumbnails view and then to Calendar view. On any screen that has a question mark in the lower-left corner, press to display an information screen about the current function. |
| Delete button | While reviewing pictures, press to erase currently displayed or selected photos. |
| Flash button | In P, S, A, and M exposure modes, press to use the built-in flash. For exposure modes that offer flash, press while rotating the Command dial to change the Flash mode. Hold down the Flash button and Exp. Comp. button while rotating the Command dial to adjust flash power. |
| FN (Function) button | By default, offers quick access to the ISO setting. It can be programmed to perform other functions through the Custom Setting menu. |
| Release Mode button | Offers fast access to the setting that controls the Release mode (single-frame, continuous capture, self-timer mode, etc.) |
Exposure modes on the Nikon D5600
Your choice of exposure mode determines how much control you have over picture settings, including options that affect exposure, color, and autofocusing features. Set the exposure mode via the Mode dial, shown here. For the most control, switch to P, S, A, or M mode.
| Exposure Mode | Description |
| Auto | Completely automatic photography; the camera analyzes the scene and tries to choose settings that produce the best results. |
| Auto Flash Off | Same as Auto, but with flash disabled. |
| Scene | Offers options for capturing specific types of scenes: portraits, landscapes, sports photos, and so on. Rotate the Command dial to scroll through the available scene types. |
| Effects | Enables you to add special effects to pictures and movies as you shoot them. Rotate the Command dial to access the available effects. (You must enable Live View to adjust the properties of certain effects.) |
| P (Programmed Autoexposure) | The camera selects both the f-stop and shutter speed to ensure proper exposure, but you can choose from multiple combinations of the two settings. |
| S (Shutter-priority Autoexposure) | You set the shutter speed, and the camera selects the f-stop that will produce a good exposure. |
| A (Aperture-priority Autoexposure) | You select the f-stop, and the camera selects the shutter speed that will produce a good exposure. |
| M (Manual Exposure) | You control both the shutter speed and f-stop. |