The Nikon Coolpix L18 is an 8 megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom lens. This is an entry level digital camera.
Why Buy the Nikon Coolpix L18?
The main reason for looking to buy the Coolpix L18 is the fact it is simple and easy to use. Another attraction is the fact you can pick up a camera from a respected brand like Nikon for a relatively low price.
Image Quality Nikon Coolpix L18 test shots
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
This is a very bright picture. It is a sunny scene, but I think the brightness is a little overdone. The Coolpix L18 has struggled to cope with the sun. This has lead to a loss of detail on the boats and problems with the colours too. Some of the blue lines have taken on a greenish tinge.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
This is a better effort. The colours are deeper and the shot is sharper as well. There is some softening of the photo as you move towards the edges, but this should only become an issue with larger prints.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
As you move towards the right in this picture focusing starts to lose its definition. There are also issues where the Coolpix L18 finds it difficult to handle the sunny conditions again, with the green tinge creeping back into the picture in places.
Outdoor 4 (Building)
As I have mentioned with other photos the Coolpix L18 has a tendency to lose sharpness as you move towards the edges of a shot. This test really highlights the problem with a loss of sharpness to the left and right of the building.
Outdoor Portrait
Looking at this shot I get a similar feeling to the first outdoor test shot. The levels of brightness wash out a little too much colour for me.
Indoor Portrait without Flash
This is without doubt my favourite test shot taken with this camera. Without flash the picture has a great natural feel to it. The Coolpix L18 will work well for natural light portrait shots.
Indoor Portrait with Flash
I like this photo too. Here the colours work well and the shot is in sharp focus. The camera has managed to handle the indoor portrait tests better than any other type of test.
Colours
There have been some colour issues during my tests. Some test shot could do with a colour boost while others have had a problem with a green tinge in sunny conditions.
Macro
My macro test shot was very disappointing. Although you shouldn't expect miracles from this type of camera I was very disappointed to produce such an out of focus effort. On top of this the Coolpix L18 can only focus from 15cm away from a subject. This means that my test shot is heavily cropped.
Overall
I'm left feeling a bit disappointed with my test shots. The macro shot is especially disappointing, but I am also concerned by the way the camera handles sunny conditions and the loss of focusing towards the edges of scenic shots.
Shutter Lag
The Coolpix L18 has a problem with shutter lag. Even without flash the times recorded were very slow. These were 1.70 seconds for a single photo and 20.54 seconds for five. With flash times were 1.98 for one photo and 24.63 seconds for five.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Style: The Coolpix L18 has a slightly raised area on the front helping you to grip the camera and hold it steady. I would describe it as a functional digital camera rather than a beautiful model.
Dimensions: 61 x 95 x 29.5mm
Weight: 125g
Batteries: Two AA batteries are required to power the Coolpix L18. Nikon estimate this should be enough for around 180 shots with a standard set of alkaline batteries.
Memory cards:
23mb of storage have been built into the cameras. I was able to take nine photos before the memory was full. It is also compatible with SD and SDHC cards.
Click here to save money on SD cards.
Ease of use rating:Very Good. This is one of the most straightforward digital cameras you are likely to find. This is mainly because the Coolpix L18 does not have an especially wide range of features.
Points I like:
Ease of use - indoor test in natural light
Where it could improve:
Macro mode - shutter lag - overall picture quality
Alternatives
Two cameras I like in a similar price bracket are the Canon Powershot A580 and the Samsung Digimax S760.
Verdict:
If you have read through the review you will realise the Nikon Coolpix L18 is not my favourite camera. In my view there are much better entry level digital cameras around.
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
| Nikon Coolpix L18 Summary |
| Description: | 8 Megapixels and a 3x optical zoom lens |
| Ease of Use: | 10 |
| Features: | 6 |
| Colour: | 7 |
| Macro: | 4 |
| Indoors: | 9 |
| Value for Money: | 7 |
| Style: | 7 |
| Movie Mode: | 8 |
| Image Quality: | 6 |
| Build Quality: | 8 |
| Total: | 72 |
| Verdict: | A great camera when it comes to ease of use, but I have to admit to being disappointed with both the picture quality I managed to produce from this camera and also the shutter lag times. In my opinion there are better digital cameras around for a similar price. |
| Review Date: | May 2008 |
| Click for: | Specification Sample Images Features |
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