Nikon Coolpix P100 review and tutorial

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Review Test of Nikon Coolpix P100:

* The P100 appearance a affection 26x zoom lens and a 10.3 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor for accomplished achievement and angel quality.

* Accomplished AF speeds

* Nice angel quality

* Acceptable aerial ISO performance

* Delay activity to video

* In-camera array charge

Nikon Coolpix P100 Abounding Review

Barely a year afterwards introducing the Coolpix P90 superzoom, Nikon is aback with addition “performance series” big-lens model, the Coolpix P100. Where the P90 (which charcoal on Nikon’s website as of this writing) featured a 24x optical zoom spanning the 26-624mm focal ambit (35mm blur equivalent), the P100 goes to 26x and 26-678mm.

The big end of the telephoto can get you abutting to critters and added capacity that adeptness not commonly adhere about to let you get in ambit (or aback altitude don’t acquiesce you to physically approach) with a accepted bunched digital. The cadger was on the added ancillary of a fence and Mr. and Mrs. Mallard were aback for their fourth or fifth anniversary bounce appointment to our backyard pool.

Nikon Coolpix P100

The Nikon Coolpix P100 additionally gets a bead in resolution to 10.3 megapixels (versus 12.1 megapixels in the P90) on a hardly beyond 1/2.3-inch (vs. 1/2.33-inch) sensor. Pixel admirers tempted to address off the P100 for lower resolution charge to adhere in there a bit longer; there’s added to the P100 than a little added lens and a little beneath resolution. The hardly beyond sensor is a fresh behind beam (BSI) CMOS blazon and the P100 is the aboriginal Nikon Coolpix to absorb that device. Very generally, BSI involves agreement the ablaze sensor for anniversary pixel on the aback ancillary of the absolute sensor dent instead of the advanced ancillary forth with added circuitry. Isolating the sensors from the chip reportedly increases sensor adeptness (signal to babble ratios) aback beneath ablaze is broadcast afore extensive the angel sensor. Nikon’s EXPEED processing technology is onboard as well.

Other improvements to the P100 accommodate acceleration resolution on the 3.0-inch LCD adviser to 460,000 dots, a connected cutting amount of up to 10 frames per additional (fps) at abounding resolution – but acutely for alone a allocation of that additional for still images – and 1080p HD video at 30 fps. There is about 43MB of centralized anamnesis and the camera uses SD/SDHC anamnesis media (but is not accordant with MultiMedia Cards). Nikon includes a array and charger, USB and A/V cables, camera strap, lens cap, and CD-ROMcomputer application with anniversary camera.

With the fresh sensor and bargain resolution suggesting bigger babble achievement over its P90 sibling, the P100 is off to a acceptable start, at atomic on paper. Let’s see how things go already the cutting begins.

BUILD AND DESIGN

The Nikon P100 follows the around accepted industry calligraphy for the ultrazoom chic and is configured as a mini DSLR. Nikon P90 owners will be hard-pressed to acquaint the two apart; the P100′s alone alien differences from the beforehand archetypal are a stereo microphone aloft the viewfinder apartment and a cine almanac button on the camera back. It has a blended anatomy with some strategically positioned broken-down actual in the anchor and deride blow areas. Materials, fit, and accomplishment are archetypal for the chic and amount point.

Ergonomics and Controls

The acutely sculpted anchor allocation of the anatomy leaves amplitude from the lens butt for boilerplate admeasurement fingers, but association with big easily may acquisition it snug. The basis feel avalanche artlessly to the bang button and lens zoom control, and spacing/positioning of added controls is absurd to advance careless activations. The all-embracing ascendancy blueprint is simple and straightforward.

Menus and Modes

There are four above airheaded accessed via the card button: shooting, movie, playback and setup. If there aren’t images or video captured on either the camera’s centralized anamnesis or anamnesis media, the playback card is unavailable. The cutting card includes settings for best angel affection issues (size, white balance, ISO sensitivity), forth with camera settings like acknowledgment bracketing, connected or distinct cutting rates, babble reduction, AF breadth and focus modes. The baloney ascendancy and alive D-lighting appearance are additionally amid in the cutting menu, and we’ll altercate those added abyss after in the review.

Like added cameras of this class, cutting modes accept a abundant accent on automated and pre-programmed arena modes. Aperture, shutter, affairs auto and chiral acknowledgment options advantaged by added accomplished users are additionally in the mix. Additionally, the P100 has a few absorbing modes you don’t see often: accountable tracking, action connected and backlit arena HDR.

* Auto: Camera establishes best settings, but user can acclimatize focus mode, acknowledgment compensation, angel affection and size.

* Scene: Camera selects settings for 16 arena modes called by user (including backlit arena HDR, which we’ll altercate at breadth after on). User may accept some ascribe accessible depending on specific scene.

* Arena auto: Camera chooses specific arena from auto, portrait, night portrait, landscape, night landscape, close-up or backlight options.

* Smart portrait: A face apprehension cutting approach that can absorb automated bang absolution by the camera if a smile is detected.

* Accountable tracking: Allows user to baptize a accountable and the camera focus breadth will move and chase the subject.

* User setting: Frequently acclimated settings in P, A, S, or M modes can be adored in approach punch U.

* Affairs auto: Camera sets bang and aperture, user has advanced array of ambience options (image affection and size, blush palette, white balance, ISO sensitivity, distinct or connected cutting rates, autofocus breadth and mode, babble reduction, alive D-lighting, baloney control, beam acknowledgment compensation) and adjustable affairs to baddest altered combinations of breach and bang while application aforementioned exposure.

* Breach priority: User sets aperture, camera sets shutter; advanced array of ambience options available.

* Bang priority: User sets bang speed, camera sets aperture; advanced array of ambience options available.

* Manual: User sets breach and shutter; advanced array of ambience options available.

* Movie: Captures video in HD 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080) at either 14 or 12 megabyte per additional (Mbps) bitrates; HD 720p (1280 x 720) at 9 Mbps; 640 x 480 at 3 Mbps or 320 x 240 at 640 kilobytes per second. Additionally accessible are HS modes that abduction in apathetic motion ante of 240 frames per additional (fps) at 320 x 240 resolution; 120 fps at 640 x 480 and 60 fps at 1280 x 720. A fast motion cine (15 fps at 1920 x 1080) is additionally available.

Display/Viewfinder

The 3.0-inch LCD adviser has been upgraded to a 460,000 dot agreement and is adjustable for bristles levels of brightness. It can be articulate to about 160 degrees of motion forth its accumbent arbor aback positioned abroad the camera body. At times, the adviser was difficult to use in ablaze alfresco altitude for angel abduction or analysis depending on sun area and reflections. But the adeptness to move the adviser helped abbreviate these occasions. Coverage is about 97% for angel abduction and 100% for playback.

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