Nikon Coolpix 7900 Review

The Nikon Coolpix 7900 is a stylish digital camera. It has seven megapixels and a three times optical zoom lens. This is enough megapixels for top quality prints to A4 size and larger. Tucked away inside the Coolpix 7900 are all the features a casual photographer needs to take good holiday photos, pictures at social gatherings and shots for the family album.

This model is part of a range of cameras that have a better design and build quality than a typical, standard digital cameras. Obviously you have to be prepared to pay a bit more for this extra quality.

Overall the image quality produced by the Coolpix 7900 was very good indeed. Out of the set of tests shots there was just one photo that was disappointing.

Starting with the outdoor shots this camera managed to produce more detail in dark areas than just about any camera I have reviewed so far. The lighter areas are also reproduced well. This means that you should be able to take a wide variety of outdoor shots with this camera and be very impressed by the results. Colours came out well and there is plenty of depth to them. This is underlined by the specific colour test where reds in particular came out very well.

The outdoor portrait works well with good skin tones.

Indoors the results were mixed. The test shot taken of bottles produced a well lit, sharply focused image. This is an excellent result as this photo is taken in more or less complete darkness. The indoor portrait was very disappointing though. This picture is out of focus and there are also some strange colours around the mouth. On top of this there are areas of red/pink that are somewhat overcooked.

Finishing on a high note, the macro shot comes out very well. It is a bright, sharp image and bodes well for any type of close up photography.

Shutter lag is the time it takes to take each picture. A constant criticism of digital cameras is the delay in between clicking the shutter button, the picture being taken and also the camera being ready to take the next picture. From a pure shutter lag view the Coolpix 7900 took a picture and recorded it in 0.38 seconds. This is a relatively new test, so I feel a degree of caution is called for, but I have to say early indications are that this is an average time.

In terms of recycling times I was able to take five pictures in the space of 9.58 seconds. That works out at a rate of 1.92 seconds per picture. I am not claiming that this is the most scientific tests, but it should give you an indication of the recycling speed of the camera. This is a fairly fast time. My test is carried out indoors under standard conditions and it is possible that you would see better results outside.

When you first use the Coolpix 7900 you can use the fully automatic mode. In this mode all you need to do is line up the shot and press the shutter button. The camera does the rest in terms of judging the exposure levels. A step up from automatic mode are scene modes. These are still very easy to use. This involves selecting the most suitable scene available to match the type of shot you are taking. This helps the camera to take the best possible photo. The scene modes available are portrait, landscape, sports, night portrait, party/indoor, beach/snow, sunset, dusk/dawn, night landscape, close up, museum, fireworks, copy (text), backlight, panorama and underwater. This is a very comprehensive list.

The three times optical zoom lens is the equivalent to a 38-114mm focal length in 35mm format. This is supported by a four times digital zoom feature. For close up work there is a macro mode that can focus from four centimeters away from the subject.

For composing photos, reviewing images and accessing the menu system there is a 2" LCD screen. There is also a viewfinder available if you prefer to use one.

You can shoot TV quality movies. These are shot at a resolution of 640x480 and at a speed of 30 frames per second. Lower resolutions and frame speeds are available to conserve space on the memory card or to produce movies suitable for sending by email. Movies are only limited in times by the capacity of the memory card.

There are a number of other useful features. These include image adjustment, image sharpening, saturation control, exposure bracketing, white balance settings and bracketing and noise reduction. There is also a self timer that you can set to three or ten seconds when you would like to appear in the shot. Another advanced feature is the best shot selector. The burst or continuous shooting mode can capture shots at a rate of 1.7 frames per second.

Shutter speeds vary between 4 and 1/2000 seconds and apertures between f/2.8 and f/8.2. You can choose from four types of metering matrix, center weighted, spot and spot AF area. There are four colour options in addition to standard colour. These are black and white, sepia, vivid colour and cyanotype. Sensitivity can be set to auto, 50, 100, 200 or 400. There is no fully manual exposure mode.

Nikon supplies all the necessary cables and software to connect the Coolpix 7900 to a computer, printer and television set.

A waterproof case is also available to be bought separately.

You should not have too much trouble finding your way around the Coolpix 7900. There is a control dial that sits on top of the camera. You use this to select the shooting mode, for example automatic, movie or a specific scene. Buttons controlling flash, macro, self timer, reviewing images and zoom are all on the back of the camera.

From time to time you will need to access the menu system. I found the menu system easy to follow and you can soon pinpoint the option you are looking for.

You can pick up a Nikon Coolpix 7900 for around £245. This compares to around £235 for a Sony DSC P200, £275 for a Canon IXUS 7900 and £265 for a Casio EXILIM Z750.

The Coolpix 7900 is a very stylish digital camera. It has a high standard of build quality, with an aluminium body. The majority of similar digital cameras are a standard rectangular shape, but this one has a handy grip on the front to help keep it as still as possible when you are taking a picture.

With dimensions of 88 x 60 x 36.5mm it is just a bit too large to slip into a pocket without you noticing it is there. Weighing 150g you should still be able to carry it around with you without a problem.

Power is supplied by a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery. Nikon supplies both a battery and charger with the Coolpix 7900. Lithium Ion batteries do help to keep running costs under control, but it is expensive to buy spares, so it is best to make sure your battery is fully charged before you set off to take any important pictures. Recharging this type of battery is straightforward. All you need is to take the battery out of the camera, push it into the charger and plug the charger into a wall socket.

There are 13.5MB of memory built into the camera. A memory card is NOT supplied with the camera. To be honest such a low level of built in memory is rather mean for seven megapixel camera. I was able to take five shots on high quality setting and ten on normal setting before the internal memory became full. Therefore you will need to include a high capacity card in your budget. The camera is compatible with SD cards. Click here to save money on SD Cards.

Value for money
Good picture quality
Design and build quality
Feature set

Indoor portrait

I like the Nikon Coolpix 7900. It feels good when you pick it up and it has a touch of class too. This is backed up by a good picture quality. In terms of price it is a fair bit cheaper than its most similar rivals the Canon IXUS 700 and the Casio EXILIM EX Z750. This could well tip the decision to buy in favour of the Coolpix 7900.

Nikon Coolpix 7900 Front View

Nikon Coolpix 7900 Back View

Nikon Coolpix 7900 Top View

Sample Menus

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Nikon Coolpix 7900