Tilt and expose

Acompact camera with excellent image quality and a long focal length, the Nikon CoolPix P7100 is being touted as “an expert compact camera for advanced users who know how to manually adjust various shooting parameters to get the results they desire”.

The P7100 offers an effective pixel count of 10.1-million pixels and is equipped with a large 1/1.7-inch primary colour filter CCD image sensor.

It uses a 7.1× optical zoom Nikkor lens that provides a broad range of focal lengths, starting at the wide-angle 28 mm to telephoto 200 mm in 35mm format.

It comes with vari-angle 921k-dot high-resolution clear colour display that can be tilted to enable more flexible shooting from a broad range of angles.

Nikon classifies the P7100 as an expert compact camera because it provides a lot of control functions that allow those who know what they’re doing to make most of the camera.

Apart from the full automatic mode and Scene mode, P7100 provides Programmed, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority and Manual modes, advanced exposure modes that can be used to make shots more creative. All you do is use the model dial.

P7100 provides several controls for fast changes of shooting modes and shooting parameters. These too can be accessed from the mode dial under the labels U1, U2 and U3.

I really liked the Exposure compensation dial, which allows to fast set the exposure to over or under to correct certain difficult lighting environments, such as backlit scenes. With certain DSLR cameras, exposure compensations have to be accessed through a menu rather than from a separate dial.

P7100 also provides two command dials and one rotary multi selector for faster access to change shooting parameters.

There are two function buttons for fast access to certain settings, such changing the zoom lens focal length.

P7100 has good performance thanks to its EXPEED C2 image processing engine, which features enhanced performance. The engine has fast speed noise reduction processing.

P7100’s auto focus works very fast and its image stabilising technology is very effective. From my roof, I was able to use the 200mm focal length to shoot a fast travelling Airport-Link electric train. The P7100 managed to focus on the speeding train and although it was shot at 7.1x zoom, the picture was sharp.

Nikon says P7100 acquires focus automatically in approximately 0.16 seconds and I concur: certainly, in the past the focus operation was really fast and instant. It has a shooting time lag of approximately 0.22 seconds, so the camera has a very good response speed.

Although the P7100 is for an expert user, beginners will have fun using the Full Auto mode.

My 15-year-old tester managed to use it to capture very colourful and clean shots at her school’s Sports Day. The colours of the student’s sport uniforms were vivid and beautiful.

I took some scenery shots and was impressed at the blue of the sky and the greenery.

I also loved shooting with P7100’s Scene mode. When the mode dial is in Scene mode, you can press the menu command to select whether you want the camera to automatically select the optimum scene that fits the current shooting environment. I found that the camera correctly selected the scene for me, such as selecting Landscape mode when I shot a scenery view. And when I shot against the sun, the camera managed to use the Backlighting scene mode correctly.

Thanks to its bright f2.8 aperture for the 28mm focal length, I could use P7100 to take beautiful portraits.

P7100 also has a fun special effects mode, which provides several effects, among them “Zoom exposure”, “Defocus during exposure” and Selective colour. The Selective colour is fun to use, allowing you to discard all the other colours except the one you select.

The P7100 is equipped with a built-in neutral density (ND) filter that reduces the amount of light that passes through the lens, enabling a three-stop decrease in shutter speed.  This allows you to apply slower shutter speeds when shooting in bright surroundings.

P7100 can also record 720p high-definition video and has a mini HDMI port for connecting to a Plasma or LCD TV.

Nikon CoolPix P7100 has a suggested retail price of Bt17,990.

 

         Key specs

_ Effective pixels: 10.1million

_ Image sensor: 1/1.7-in. type CCD; approximately 10.39 million total pixels

_ Lens: 7.1x optical zoom, f/2.8-5.6 NIKKOR lens 28-200 mm lens in 35mm format 

_ Monitor: 3-inch approx. 921k-dot, wide viewing angle TFT LCD monitor with anti-reflection coating and 5-level brightness adjustment, tiltable approximately 81 degrees downward, 105 degrees upward

_ Storage media: Internal memory (approx. 94 MB), SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card

_ ISO sensitivity: ISO100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 12800

_ Battery: Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL14

_ Dimensions (WxHxD): 116.3 x 76.9 x 48.0 mm

_ Weight: Approx. 395 g (including battery and SD memory card)