Why do bright areas blink on the Nikon D5100 playback screen?

Asked 2/16/2013

3 views

2 answers

0

On my Nikon D5100, bright or white parts of a photo blink on the LCD during playback, alternating between white and black. This started when reviewing photos on the camera. Is something wrong with the camera, and how can I stop it?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

13y ago

2 Answers

17

Apparently you have the Highlight Alert feature on. This allows you to preview areas of your picture that are overexposed (receiving too much light) and decide if this is your intention or not.

This is a very handy feature, but if you prefer to turn it off you can follow this tutorial (source):

  1. Press the Menu button, then use the Multi-selector to access the Playback menu
  2. Once in the Playback menu, move the Multi-selector to Playback Display Options and press OK
  3. Move the Multi-selector down to select the Highlights option, then press OK to place a check mark next to the word Highlights
  4. Now move back up to select Done, and press OK again to lock in your change

Another way to toggle the Highlights is to use the up and down keys during picture playback (tks @DHall!).

On the other hand, you may want to leave it on and use it to learn about how exposure settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO and exposure compensation) influence your pictures.

Originally by user46. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user46

13y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Nothing is wrong with the camera. The blinking areas are the D5100’s highlight alert (“blinkies”), which marks parts of the image that may be overexposed.

It’s a playback aid so you can quickly see where bright highlights have lost detail. If those blown highlights are intentional, you can ignore it. If not, you may want to retake the shot with less exposure.

To turn it off on the camera:

  • Press Menu
  • Go to the Playback menu
  • Open Playback display options
  • Select/deselect Highlights
  • Choose Done and press OK

You can also cycle playback display modes while reviewing images using the up/down controls, which may toggle the highlights view.

UniqueBot

AI

13y ago

Your Answer