Overview
The Nikon Coolpix P3 is an eight megapixel digital camera. It has a 3.5x optical zoom lens and also offers image stabilisation. Possibly its biggest attraction is that it is WiFi enabled. This means that as long as your computer is also WiFi enabled you can transmit images from the Coolpix P3 to your computer without the need for a cable.
In terms of features this is a fairly straightforward digital camera. It is therefore likely to appeal to anyone who is look for a camera that is uncomplicated and likes the convenience that WiFi can bring.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
8
3.5x
2.5 inches
92 x 61 x 31mm
170g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
4cm
No
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD/MMC
Image Quality
I would describe the photos I took with the Coolpix P3 as above average without being outstanding. In fact it is not easy to write up the images as there is little that really leaps out as you as either a major plus point or as a major disappointment.
On the whole focusing with the Coolpix P3 is good. The levels of sharpness are also maintained up to the edges of each photo. The only photo where there was a focusing problem to report is with the second outdoor photo. This is when the zoom is not being used at all and the subject of the photo is some distance away. This is a fairly common problem that I see with digital cameras. By contrast when the zoom lens is fully extended the level of focusing is very good. It is some way above the majority of other digital cameras. This can be seen by looking at the third outdoor shot
Most of the time I felt darker areas of photos were handled well. There is a dark area in the second outdoor photo where the camera does struggle though. There is also a loss of detail in some of the brighter areas of the test photos. This point is demonstrated in the first test photo by looking at the white wooden slats under the roof of the building.
One of the strong points of the camera is the colours it produces. This can be seen in all the test shots including the dedicated test for colours. In my opinion the colours have a natural feel to them.
Both of the portrait shots work well. The outdoor portrait is perhaps a little brighter than I would like to see, but the Coolpix P3 manages to capture lots of detail. This is especially noticeable when looking at the fabric of the shirt. The indoor portrait is certainly one of the better ones I have taken. There is no evidence of red eye. The shot is also sharply focused and well lit.
The other indoor shot of some beer bottles also works well. Again focusing is sharp, especially when the difficult conditions are taken into account. Lighting levels are also good.
For those interested in close up photography the macro shot is good. There is plenty of detail in the shot and the image is clear.
My final test is for higher ISO settings. Here the Coolpix P3 tends to struggle. At ISO 400 the picture is a lot darker than I am used to seeing. There is also a loss or quality in the shot.
Shutter Lag and Recycling Times
I was able to take a single shot in 1.62 seconds and five shots in 12.63 seconds. The time taken for a single shot is extremely slow and very disappointing.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Features
The 3.5x optical zoom lens has a focal length equivalent to 36 - 126mm in 35mm format. The maximum aperture is f/2.7 when the zoom lens is not in use. There is also a 4x digital zoom feature. For close up shots the Coolpix P3 is able to focus from 4cm away from the subject.
For lining up shots there is a 2.5" LCD screen. The screen consists of 150,000 pixels. There is no viewfinder.
There are a number of scene modes to help you take the best possible shot. Whenever you use a scene mode the camera will choose what it believes to be the optimum settings for the shot. The scene modes available are (Portrait [Face AF], Portrait, Night Portrait, Landscape, Night landscape, Sunset, Dusk/Dawn, Fireworks show, Close up, Party/Indoor, Panorama assist, Beach/Snow, Back light, Museum, Copy and Sports.
For when you would like to appear in a photo there is a self timer. It has two different delay times you can choose from. These are three and ten seconds.
The built in flash unit has a maximum range of 4m. This falls to around 2m when the zoom lens is in use. The flash modes available are Auto, Auto with Red-eye Reduction (In-Camera Red-Eye Fix), FlashCancel, Anytime Flash and Slow Sync.
For focusing you can select from three modes (auto, manual and centre). If you choose auto focus you can further select single AF or continuous AF.
Another useful feature is the 3:2 aspect ratio. This is ideal for 6 x 4 prints as the photo does not need to be trimmed to fit onto the paper.
Among the more advanced features are best shot selector and a variety of continuous shooting modes. When you use best shot selector you can take a number of photos and the camera will decide which one it believes has the best exposure levels. It will then keep this one and discard all the others. The continuous shooting modes allow you to shoot until the memory card is full, shoot high speed images at a maximum resolution of 640 x 480, shoot continuously but only save the last five shots and take 16 mini images that the camera builds into a single image in grid formation.
TV quality movies can be recorded. You can zoom in and out while recording is in progress and sound can be captured as well. The maximum resolution is 640 x 480 and the top recording speed is 30 frames per second. Time lapse movies can be recorded as well. The delay between each shot can be set at various intervals from thirty seconds to one hour.
Other features include ISO sensitivity (auto, 50, 100, 200 and 400), bracketing and white balance bracketing, exposure compensation (+/- 2 in 1/3 steps), metering (matrix, centre weighted, spot and spot AF area) and white balance (auto, white balance preset, sunlight, incandescent, fluorescent, cloudy, shade and flash). You can also fine tune saturation, sharpness and contrast.
After a photo has been taken you can make a smaller copy and also add up to 20 seconds of voice memo to it. If you feel a picture is too dark there is also a feature called D lighting that will brighten the picture for you.
Nikon supplies all the necessary cables and software to connect the Coolpix P3 to a television set, computer and PictBridge compatible printer.
Ease of Use
The Coolpix P3 should not provide too many problems when it comes to ease of use. One very good plus point is the fact that help text is available to explain the different menu options. The menu system itself is quite easy to find your way around and you have the option of using a text or icon based menu. All the normal control buttons can be found on the top and sides of the camera.
Cost
You can pick up a Nikon Coolpix P3 for around £245. This compares to around £200 for a Casio Exilim EX-Z850, £200 for a Olympus MJU 810 and £185 for a Pentax Optio A10.
It is difficult to price compare the Coolpix P3. Eight megapixel consumer level digital cameras are few and far between. Throw in the WiFi and this is very much a camera on its own. It appears to offer reasonable value for money.
Style
I like the feel of the Coolpix P3. It has quite a solid look to it and it feels good in the hand. In terms of looks it is a fairly typical silver rectangle. It does have some slight rounding to the body to give it a more interesting look.
It weighs 170g and has dimensions of 92 x 61 x 31mm.
Batteries and Memory Cards
A rechargeable battery (EN-EL5) is used to provide the power. Nikon estimates you can take around 200 shots before the battery needs to be recharged. Both a battery and charger are supplied with the camera as standard.
Nikon have built 23mb of memory into the Coolpix P3. I was able to take 14 shots before the memory was full. Therefore before you can gain full use of the camera you will need to pick up a high capacity memory card. The camera is compatible with SD cards.
Click here to save money on SD cards..
Points I like:
WiFi
Colours
No red eye in test shot
Where it is not so hot:
Shutter lag
Summary
The Nikon Coolpix P3 is a good, solid offering. It takes a decent picture and in terms of megapixels has a plenty of power for making large prints. WiFi can come in useful, but it is not necessarily a feature that everyone will want to take advantage of.
Nikon Coolpix P3 Front View
Nikon Coolpix P3 Back View
Nikon Coolpix P3 Top View
Sample Menus
Top Rated Cameras in this Category
Related Pages
Nikon Coolpix P3 Review Nikon Coolpix P3 Specification Nikon Coolpix P3 Sample Images
Review Date
August 2006
