Just Posted! Nikon P50 Review
Just Posted! Nikon P50 Review
Wednesday, 13 February 2008 13:25 GMT
Just Posted! Nikon COOLPIX P50 Concise Review. Nikon is a company with a proud history in photography, including some interesting and innovative digital compact cameras. The Coolpix P50 is one of its more humble offerings: an 8 megapixel compact camera with a zoom starting at a pleasantly wide 28mm equivalent. It even has Nikon's latest 'Expeed' branding applied to it. But does it deserve to wear such a well respected name?.
Nikon Coolpix P50 Concise Review
The Coolpix P50 is Nikon's attempt at a middle-ground camera: it's neither a point-and-shoot-only ultra compact nor a fully-fledged photographers' camera. Instead it's a pocketable digital camera that marries a sensible sensor to a useful lens and keeps the frills (and the cost), to a minimum. This is a camera to take everyday photos with, rather than one for getting particularly serious about photography. But in such a crowded market does the P50 have what it takes to make it onto our recommended list? Let's find out. Let's start by having a look at the headline features.
- 8.1 Megapixels and 3.6x wide-angle zoom
- Face priority mode
- In-Camera Red-Eye Fix
- D-Lighting
- SDHC card compatibility
- Approx. 52 MB of internal memory
The P50 processing incorporates Nikon's Expeed "processing concept." This doesn't mean that it has the same processor as the Nikon D300 or D3 (in fact Nikon says that it doesn't refer to any specific parts or features). Instead, "Expeed" refers to "Nikon's original comprehensive concept of digital image processing... a system that embodies Nikon's intense passion for digital images." Which doesn't appear to mean a lot more than: 'contains Nikon picture cleverness.'
Coolpix P50 Specifications
| Street price | • $170 |
|---|---|
| Body Material | Plastic with rubber grip |
| Sensor | • 1/2.5 " Type CCD |
| Image sizes | • 3264 x 2448 |
| Movie clips | • 640 x 480 @ 30fps |
| File formats | • JPEG Exif 2.2 • DCF • DPOF 1.1 • AVI Motion JPEG with WAVE monaural |
| Lens | • 4.7-17.0mm (28-102mm equiv) |
| Image stabilization | No (Electronic only) |
| Conversion lenses | None |
| Digital zoom | up to 4x |
| Focus | Contrast-detect TTL |
| AF area modes | • Face priority • Auto (9-area automatic selection) • Center • Manually-selected AF area (99 positions) |
| AF assist lamp | Yes |
| Focus distance | Closest 1cm |
| Metering | • 256 segment matrix |
| ISO sensitivity | • Auto (64-1000) |
| Exposure compensation | • +/- 2EV • in 1/3 stop increments |
| Shutter speed | 15-1/2000 sec (With noise reduction for exposures over 1.3 seconds) |
| Aperture | F2.8-5.6 |
| Modes | • Auto • Program • Manual • Movie • Time Lapse • Special Scenes |
| Scene modes | • Portrait |
| White balance | • Auto |
| Self timer | • 2 or 10secs • Custom |
| Continuous shooting | approx 1.3fps until card is full |
| Image parameters | My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B&W, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color) |
| Flash | • Auto |
| Viewfinder | Real-image optical viewfinder |
| LCD monitor | • 2.4-inch P-Si TFT • 115,000 pixels |
| Connectivity | • USB 2.0 Hi-Speed • AV out |
| Print compliance | • PictBridge |
| Storage | • SD / SDHC / MMC card compatible • 58MB internal |
| Power | • AA batteries (Alkaline, Lithium or NiMH) • Optional AC adapter kit |
| Other features | None |
| Weight (No batt) | 160 g (5.6 oz) |
| Dimensions | 94.5 x 66 x 44 mm (3.7 x 2.5 x 1.7 inch) |