Review of the Nikon Coolpix P3

The Nikon Coolpix P3 was newly introduced into the global market, on February 2006. I would say it is a continuation of the Nikon Coolpix P2, although it has some similarity with the P3, but the Nikon Coolpix P3 is a little more sophisticated than the previously manufactured P2 by the Nikon Company. It has some nice features like: 8.1 million effective pixels, 3.5x optical zoom (36-126mm equiv.), 2.5" TFT screen, Two-mode VR (Vibration Reduction) system (lens-shift), Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) capability BSS (Best Shot Selector) identifies and saves the sharpest image automatically from ten sequential shots, Continuous shooting at up to 1.8fps, Aperture priority mode, Face-priority AF.

Design of the Nikon Coolpix P3

The P3 will be strange to users of any Coolpix from the last few years; Nikon has found a basic design and layout it likes and is sticking with it. The camera itself is stylish (much more so the an the P2 it replaces) and well built, with an all-aluminum casing that oozes quality.

Handling of the Nikon Coolpix P3
Despite the lack of any real grip I found the P3 handled very well whether shooting with one hand or both. It's well balanced and has just enough weight to feel stable when shooting at arm's length without causing too much strain. The body isn't as slim or as small as some of its ultra-compact competitors, which I found makes the P3 an easier camera to use.

Key body elements of the Nikon Coolpix p3
Though much of the P3's power is accessed via its myriad menus the important everyday stuff (including image quality, white balance, ISO and so on) is easily accessible via external controls. There's an awful lot of features under the P3's hood, and to be honest I'd be surprised if most users ever get near half of it, but I guess it's nice to know it's all there just in case.

The main mode dial sits in the middle of the top of the camera between the shutter release and the small VR button. There are 9 positions on the dial: auto, program, aperture priority, scene, movie, setup, image quality, ISO, white balance and Wi-Fi. It's nice to see white balance and ISO getting their own controls, but I can't help thinking a button would be nicer.

The screen is fairly large at 2.5 inches, and with 150,000 pixels it's higher resolution than many of its competitors. I found it to suffer more than I 'd like from glare (it's not that bright or contrast), which is a bit of a problem when shooting outdoors in very bright light given the absence of an optical viewfinder. That said the times I couldn't make out anything at all on the screen were few and far between.

The P3 has a slightly longer than average zoom lens (3.5x, 36-126mm equiv.), and covers a useful range (though as ever I'd like to see some of the telephoto sacrificed for a slightly wider short end). Maximum aperture varies from F2.7 at the wide end to a less useful F5.3 at the long end, but this is slightly more forgivable than usual thanks to the optical image stabilization, which gives you a couple of stops advantage when shooting hand-held.

The ubiquitous four-way controller is used to navigate the menu system and provides direct access to flash, macro, self-timer and plus AE-Compensation, and is used to change the aperture in Aperture Priority mode. Above the four-way controller is the menu button, below it is the playback and delete buttons.

Nicely to think that the Kodak Company has done a lot of invention and improvement on their product which brings more popularity to their perfection.