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Digital Camera Reviews and Ratings By manufacturer:
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The Nikon Coolpix P4 is an 8 megapixel digital camera with a 3.5x Optical Zoom lens and 2.5inch LCD display.
It offers quite a bit of manual control (more so than many point and shoots currently on the market) with 17 shooting modes, 9 of which are for advanced users such as aperture priority.
The Nikon Coolpix P4 also features vibration reduction (allowing slower shutter speeds, 11 AF points and continuous shooting at 1.8 shots per second.
The Nikon Coolpix P4 will hit stores in March and should have a retail price of $399.95.
Find the best price on the Nikon Coolpix P4 and get the latest price on the Nikon Coolpix P4
"The COOLPIX P3 and P4 are the perfect camera for consumers who are looking for a customizable photography experience," says Bill Giordano, General Manager of Consumer Product Marketing for Nikon, Inc. "These cameras take many technologies first available in Nikon's SLR line and makes them readily and easily available to consumers looking for a capable, compact digital camera at a very attractive price."
Nikon has added its Vibration Reduction (VR) system, a feature adapted directly from Nikon's world-renowned SLR lenses, to the P Series cameras allowing them to capture rock-steady images at shutter speeds of up to three stops slower that could normally be hand held. VR capability is available at the push of a button in two modes (Normal and Active) in order to compensate for camera movement. VR Normal compensates for minor movements, most often associated with handheld shooting, while VR Active compensates for more pronounced movements, such as the vibration of a moving vehicle. An electronic adaptation of Vibration Reduction also applies to movie shooting, allowing for sharp video in low light conditions and keeping subjects clear during panning while helping to support faster framing on the cameras' incredible, bright 2.5-inch LCD.
COOLPIX P Series digital camera users will enjoy the flexibility of a full array of exposure control settings similar to Nikon's SLR models. Covering a broader area of the frame, the new 11 wide-area AF achieves better results in more diverse compositions -- leaving photographers free to concentrate on the shot while the camera automatically achieves superior, sharp focus almost anywhere in the frame. In addition, there are 17 shooting modes, including nine advanced scene modes that allow photographers to produce pictures better suited to their own personal tastes -- through the use of three effects that vary brightness, color intensity, sharpness, noise reduction and more.
To add even greater control, both cameras offer Aperture-priority Auto mode to let photographers benefit from aperture control in 1/3EV steps. Users can select large apertures for attractive background blurring or stop down to small apertures to extend crisp focus into the distance -- all while the camera automatically selects the most appropriate shutter speed for optimized exposure.
To help photographers capture the action as it happens, both cameras feature continuous shooting at up to 1.8 frames per second, which is complimented by a five shot buffer that allows users to shoot in a continuous burst, with the camera recording the last five images taken. This speed
allows the P Series cameras to be a great companion for SLR shooters looking for a smaller but powerful camera to take anywhere.
An addition to the successful COOLPIX P1 and P2 cameras, the new P3 also comes equipped with the ability to transfer images wirelessly through the camera's built in Wi-Fi feature*. Nikon's wireless solution is fun and convenient and allows consumers to send their pictures wirelessly to a computer. In addition, pictures can be sent wirelessly to any PictBridge-enabled printer**. The Wi-Fi feature to transfer images to a computer is built into the camera and requires no additional accessories.
Unique to COOLPIX digital cameras, and now for the first time available throughout the line-up, is Nikon's Exclusive Feature System, which gives users the power to automatically improve recorded images in-camera. This combination of in-camera features provides a quick, easy and seamless answer to underexposed pictures due to excessive backlight or insufficient flash, blurry or out-of-focus shots and red eyes. The system includes:
-- In-Camera Red-Eye Fix(TM): automatically detects and corrects red eye,
a common condition that occurs in flash photography. You may never see
red eye again.
-- Face-Priority AF***: automatically finds and focuses on a persons face
within the frame, providing sharp focus to produce clear, crisp
portraits wherever the subject is positioned in the frame.
-- D-Lighting: selects and creates a copy of images with excessive
backlight or insufficient flash illumination, adding light and detail
where necessary
-- Blur Warning: alerts the user that a shot has resulted in a blurry
picture allowing for it to be retaken before leaving the scene.
-- Best Shot Selector (BSS): automatically identifies and saves the
sharpest shot from ten sequential shots.
Additionally, the P Series cameras include handy features such as, TV Quality Movie Mode function (recording movies at up to 30 fps with sound limited only by the available memory, Single and Continuous AF, Choice of White Balance and Noise Reduction to ensure better color reproduction in darker lighting conditions.
The COOLPIX P3 and P4 will be available in March 2006 with a MSRP of $449.95 and $399.95, respectively. The Wireless Print Adaptor (PD-10) is currently available and has an MSRP of $49.95. For more information about these models and other COOLPIX cameras, please visit http://www.nikondigital.com/.
* Wireless distance will vary based on conditions.
** Requires optionally available Wireless Printer Adapter PD-10.
*** Face-recognition capability may be limited in some shooting
conditions.
Buy the Nikon Coolpix P4
ePhotozine reviews the Nikon Coolpix P4 and writes - 'The Nikon Coolpix P4 may not be the smallest, lightest or even most stylish compact digital camera available, but it makes up for this with by being packed with features and producing excellent quality images. The VR system is effective, although this can be offset by the limited ISO range of the camera as many newer cameras now have sensitivities up to ISO1600. An aperture-priority mode on a compact is a great feature, it allows greater control over shutter speed and depth-of-field which is fantastic for more demanding photographers whilst the auto and preset scene modes are simple enough for a novice to get to grips with.'
Mark from PhotographyBLOG today notified us of his latest digital camera review of the Nikon Coolpix P4 8 megapixel point and shoot digital camera where he writes - 'The "P" in Nikon Coolpix P4 stands for "Performance", and overall this camera delivers on that promise. This is a fairly compact camera that you can take everywhere, which is well-designed in the sense that it is intuitive to use, rather than good to look at. The 3.5x zoom lens covers a versatile focal length of 36-126mm, and the new Vibration Reduction feature is a very effective addition to the Coolpix range, especially as the fastest ISO speed of 400 is rather noisy. Image quality is very good, with only the night photograph spoiling the overall performance. The action aspect is the weak point of the Nikon Coolpix P4. There is no shutter-priority mode, a slowest shutter speed of only 2 seconds, and a slow continuous shooting speed. For most other situations, however, the P4 is perfect, with the aperture-priority mode and new menu system being particularly well implemented.'
CNET reviews the Nikon Coolpix P4 and writes - 'As far as compact cameras go, the Nikon Coolpix P4's elaborate specifications sheet places it towards the top end of the market. Its massive 8.1 megapixel sensor allows for high resolution shots, while the 3.5x optical zoom and large 2.5-inch screen are icing on the cake. We went in with high hopes for this camera, given that it's the first Nikon compact to include the company's patented anti-vibration technology, which has previously been limited to its SLR range. And for the most part we weren't disappointed, as the P4 offers a multitude of features catering to both novice and adept users.'
DP Interface reviews the Nikon Coolpix P4 and writes - 'The Nikon Coolpix P4 has some 8 megapixels in a CCD behind its 3.5X optically image stabilized lens as well as a 2.5 inch LCD on its back. The Coolpix P4 has good build quality except the plastic piece over the battery/card slots and tripod mount. The camera has a good lens, 8 megapixels and produces very good photos too. With low noise (for 8 megapixels) and low levels of chromatic aberration, the P4 still has no high sensitivity option.'
Megapixel has a review up of the Nikon Coolpix P4 and writes, "As is very often the case the Coolpix P4 produces its best image quality when used outdoors with generous, natural light. ... Under artificial light however, or under low light conditions, the Auto white balance is a touch inconsistent, and the auto focus — particularly when the camera is selecting the focus point — is more hesitant. ... while some indoor shot captured with the P4 occasionally require some adjustments with software for sharpness or colour balance, those shot with good outdoor light, rarely need adjustments. Indeed, the Coolpix P4 produces excellent high definition images that are very well exposed and print out beautifully."
Find the best price on the Nikon Coolpix P4 and get the latest price on the Nikon Coolpix P4
Posted by Darren in our Nikon category on February 21, 2006