The Nikon Coolpix P50 is an 8 megapixel camera with a wide angle, 3.6x zoom lens. The camera comes with one or two advanced features such as a manual exposure mode. The Coolpix P50 also carries popular features such as image stabilisation and face detection technology for portraits. It is likely to appeal to someone who is looking for a step up from a typical point and shoot camera without going over the top.
Image Quality Nikon Coolpix P50 test shots
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
This is a pleasing shot, with plenty of contrast in the photo. The Coolpix P50 is able to handle glare from the sun without much of a problem. Focusing is some way above average and the photo is bright and clear.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
I like the colours and brightness of this shot. When it comes to focusing, I would like to have seen the photo a degree or so sharper. It does seem to be that bit harder to get a really sharp image with a wide angle lens when the zoom is not used at all. I can also see some blue and purple fringing towards the outer edges of the photo. It is not to a level to give serious cause for concern, but you may find it creeping into shots and showing in larger prints.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
Focusing picks up with the lens zoomed in to its full capacity. Here you can see the downside of the wide angle lens. Although the lens is slightly longer than the minimum 3x it is still more distant than many cameras manage.
Outdoor Portrait
Despite using the white balance setting of cloudy, this photo has less colour in it than most cameras manage to produce. It is a matter of personal taste as to how strong you like colours. The advantage here is a more natural feel to the shot than I am used to seeing. This Coolpix P50 has produced a sharp photo.
Indoor Portrait without Flash
The lighting was good when I took this shot. Therefore it is disappointing to see such high levels of noise in the shot. It looks like you will need to revert to using flash as soon as the light starts to fall.
Indoor Portrait with Flash
The Coolpix P50 is much better with flash. The photo is bright and plenty of colour has been retained. This shows that the flash is strong enough, but not overpowering.
Colours
I am happy with the colours in most of my test shots. Perhaps here and there I would like to have seen colours a bit stronger.
Macro
My macro test shot produced a shot that is about average. There is some purple showing around the edges of the watch. This problem could crop up if you are planning to take similar, jewelry type photos, but should not trouble you if you are planning to take nature based close up shots.
ISO 400
Picture quality is on its way down at ISO 400. This confirms my finding for my indoor portrait without flash. The Coolpix P50 fails to match other cameras in this area.
ISO 1600
As with many other digital cameras once you reach ISO 1600 picture quality has all but gone. This picture does not compare well with test shots taken with other cameras on the same setting.
Overall
The Coolpix P50 produced a fairly solid set of test photos, especially if you leave the higher ISO tests to one side. Nikon cameras produce bright photos and this is one produced bright photos in my outdoor scenic tests.
Shutter Lag
I was able to take a single photo in 0.46 seconds and five photos in 9.92 seconds. The time taken for a single photo is on the slow side. With the flash on times increased to 1.42 seconds for a single photo and 15.35 seconds for five. In general I would like to have seen quicker times.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Style: The Coolpix P50 is a neat and tidy compact camera. It has a grip on the front to help you hold the camera steady.
Dimensions: 94.5 x 66 x 44 mm
Weight: 160g
Batteries: 2 AA batteries. Nikon estimates a standard set of alkaline batteries will be able to take around 140 shots.
Memory cards: 52mb of storage have been built into the camera. This provides enough for a decent test of the camera and also an emergency back up. I was able to take 40 shots before the memory was full. The Coolpix P50 is compatible with SD and SDHC cards.
Click here to save money on SD cards.
Ease of use rating:Good. Despite one or two extra features the Coolpix P50 is quite easy to use. The menus are well thought out and easy to read.
Points I like:
Large internal memory - bright photos - ease of use - design
Where it could improve:
Lower light - shutter delay
Alternatives
There are not that many cameras with a similar style and set of features to the Coolpix P50. Most that are similar come in the Canon Powershot series. A couple of models in that series worth a good look are: Canon Powershot A560 and the Canon Powershot A650 IS.
Verdict:
On balance I like the Nikon Coolpix P50. It offers fair value for money and is pleasingly easy to use. It may not fit into a pocket, but I like the design and style of the camera.
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
| Nikon Coolpix P50 Summary |
| Description: | 8 megapixels and a 3.6x optical zoom lens |
| Ease of Use: | 8 |
| Features: | 8 |
| Colour: | 8 |
| Macro: | 8 |
| Indoors: | 7 |
| Value for Money: | 8 |
| Style: | 8 |
| Movie Mode: | 8 |
| Image Quality: | 8 |
| Build Quality: | 8 |
| Total: | 79 |
| Verdict: | "This is a fairly solid camera. It takes a decent photo in most situations, although you need flash pretty quickly when the light starts to drop. It scores well for ease of use, despite having one or two extra features, including a manual exposure setting." |
| Review Date: | December 2007 |
| Click for: | Specification Sample Images Features |
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