Review of the Nikon Coolpix P4 Digital Camera
Not yet joined the Wi-Fi world? Well, the Nikon Coolpix P4 is just up your street as although it does lack wireless capabilities it is still an good, high performance digital camera with many advanced features. Design |
| This model is very similar to it’s younger brother and we’d say it is more like the footballer of the family whereas the previous P3 is the slighter broader rugby player. The Coolpix P4 is still quite a sturdy and chunky compact with dimensions of 92mm (w) x 61mm (h) x 31mm (d) so you know that you have it in your pocket as it will be sagging down with a weight of 170g. Surprisingly, this model doesn’t have a grip which it could sure do with as it does feel heavy to hold and with it being chunky you really does need something to grip onto. The matt silver finishing will scratch easily and will look quite warn even after a few uses. The front of the camera does look very sophisticated and minimal and the back has everything you need and looks very typical of a Nikon. The D-pad is quite small with the OK button in the centre which gets in the way a bit when navigating around the menu as we pressed it by mistake a lot. The SD memory card slot and battery slot are hidden in a compartment on the bottom and there is a nice thoughtful little slide that holds the battery in place when the compartment door is opened. Annoyingly, the power button is situated next to the shutter release on the far right so when you are starting to use the camera beware not to switch it off. There is lots of unused space on the reverse of the camera so we can’t understand why Nikon have made most of the buttons awkwardly tiny. |
| Features |
| The Nikon Coolpix P4 boasts a huge 8.1 mega pixel resolution so printing those larger prints is no bother and they are crisp and clear even after enlargement or cropping. The colours were amazing and so accurate which is quite a treat. This feature has got to be the seller for this camera as the other features are quite standard and predictable really. The P4 does have 16 shooting modes which as we worked through were quite fun to play with and would be used in many a shooting situation, for example, Portrait and Landscape. Similar to Fuji’s multi-face recognition function, this Nikon sports the Face Priority AF which we used quite a lot and it does exactly what it says on the tin. It will pick out faces in a shot and make sure that they are correctly focused. A really good idea, but Fuji just seem to have nailed it. We particularly liked the 'Search by date' feature in which you can locate images shot by the date. The aperture priority scene mode lets you decide on your aperture and control the depth of the image you are taking and then the camera selects the shutter speed for optimal exposure. |
| Performance |
| Although the features aren’t the best we’ve seen compared to other digital compacts, Nikon have combined a great resolution with a straight forward, easy to use interface. The menu is very easy to navigate and all options are displayed by icons and a description so you know just what they mean. Try to be patient with those tiny buttons though. The LCD is very easy to view under most conditions which is good because there is no viewfinder. We did find that the images looked very clear on the LCD but when displayed on a computer screen they were slightly out of focus and we weren’t impressed with the blur. The best shot selector was useful as it will choose the premium image from a sequence and then you can delete the rest so you can be assured you have the most desirable results. The VR (Vibration Reduction) was quite good as it stabilises shots and completely reduces camera shake. You can also use it for movies to ensure stable filming. The images took using this function were extremely sharp and clear and we thought it to be quite a successful feature. |
| What's In The Box? |
Rechargeable Li-ion battery, Battery Charger, USB Cable, AV Cable, Strap, Picture Project CD. |
| Overall Opinion |
| Nikon's P4 is not a very exciting camera really, there was nothing that jumped out at us to shout about (believe us we really did look). Not enough change from the Coolpix P3, but good resolution. We’re sure you could spend your hard earned cash on a better digital camera. |
| By Hayley Malyon |
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Pros + 8.1 mega pixel resolution + Impressive colours produced + Vibration reduction + Face Priority feature |
Cons - Not very exciting - Tiny awkward buttons and dials - Bit too expensive |
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Picture Quality 9/10
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Battery Life 8/10
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Setup Simplicity 8/10
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Build Quality 6/10
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Ease of Use 8/10
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Overall Rating 
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7/11/2006
at 12:49:32pm
Read Nikon Reviews
| Web Reviews - beta | |||
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Nikon Coolpix P4 Video Guide 3 minute video guide to the Nikon Coolpix P4. This is a well made camera with 8 megapixels and a 3.5x optical zoom lens... read | |||
cameras.co.uk
6/2/2007 6:20:00pm
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