Nikon COOLPIX P100

[GBW]

After taking a walk today down to Henry's and another place, I think the whole digital SLR idea just got put to rest. All I need is a camera with great zoom and the Nikon COOLPIX P100 looks like it would do just what she needs. Your thoughts on this camera or others in that price range? Thanks.

Geoff

[GBW]

Now her main concern is shutter speed so she doesn't miss the moment. Zoom has become second.

[MJL]

Hey Geoff

 

Here's a review on the P100

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q110superzoomgroup/page7.asp

 

Here's how the P100 stacks up against similar cameras

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q110superzoomgroup/page19.asp

 

I spent 3yrs in the world of bridge superzoom cameras. I owned 2 Panasonic FZ18 superzooms as my last cameras before getting a DSLR of my own and can say they are great all round cameras. I've also test drove Canon and Fuji's superzoom version for a couple weeks. With that said, while they look similar, super zooms are NOT DSLR cameras. For the most part they are designed with a much smaller sensor and as such aren't that great in low light conditions (night, dawn, dusk, indoors) - Image quality isn't all that different from your average P&S camera (Technically speaking, they are still a P&S camera). They don't offer you the ability to switch lenses (some are able to work with a teleconverter of some sort though for additional telephoto range). If you're a pixel peeper, you'll notice the noise (graininess) a lot more than even a basic DSLR.

 

They do however offer similar manual controls as seen on DSLR cameras. On top of that, depending on the camera, you get more features not otherwise seen (if any) on high end DSLR cameras (Face recognition, a slough of scene modes, etc).

 

Do you know exactly what your wife wants to do with the camera beyond just taking pictures?

 

Mike

[GBW]

Thanks Mike. She's not even looking at the L110 for the price. All she want's is to make sure that she "doesn't miss the moment" for b-days and Christmas pic's. I like the idea of hold down the button and get 20+ pic's in the few seconds so this way she can pic what she likes best.

[MJL]

Thanks Mike. She's not even looking at the L110 for the price. All she want's is to make sure that she "doesn't miss the moment" for b-days and Christmas pic's. I like the idea of hold down the button and get 20+ pic's in the few seconds so this way she can pic what she likes best.

 

Oh...Burst mode (AKA continuous mode)...Generally 2.5-3 frames per second is standard with most mid to high end P&S cameras. Indoor continuous shooting will be problematic though. On most models, you can’t operate the continuous shooting with the flash (so indoor shots will essentially be super dark and blurry). Problem is the camera won’t be able to take the next shot till the flash recharges/recycles.

 

But with that said, for outdoors pictures, continuous mode is what I use quite often during my fishing trips to get action pics

 

Like this of my buddy Norm during a carp tournament:

 

 

 

 

[GBW]

Oh...Burst mode (AKA continuous mode)...Generally 2.5-3 frames per second is standard with most mid to high end P&S cameras. Indoor continuous shooting will be problematic though. On most models, you can’t operate the continuous shooting with the flash (so indoor shots will essentially be super dark and blurry). Problem is the camera won’t be able to take the next shot till the flash recharges/recycles.

I didn't mean "she's NOT even looking" I meant NOW she's even looking at the L110.

Let's say I'm in a room with some natural light and it has 6 pot lights all on high, would the pic's still turn out so-so? For some reason she's got her mind made up on a Fuji finepix S1800 Thanks for the help here Mike and others.

Geoff

[MJL]

I didn't mean "she's NOT even looking" I meant NOW she's even looking at the L110.

Let's say I'm in a room with some natural light and it has 6 pot lights all on high, would the pic's still turn out so-so? For some reason she's got her mind made up on a Fuji finepix S1800 Thanks for the help here Mike and others.

Geoff

 

Hard to say...I guess it would vary from camera to camera. With my Panasonic FZ18, I haven’t been able to take any continuous action shots indoors worth keeping (of moving subjects that is and without a tripod). I ended up buying a new DSLR along with a new external flash unit to cope with indoor action shots at relatively high speeds (might not be 6fps but it sounds pretty close).

 

What you can possibly look into is a P&S camera with a hotshoe for an external flash. The combo will be pricey though and the cost may not justify what you get VS a basic DSLR.

 

Easiest solution would be to forget about the continuous burst mode and saturate the memory card with as many pics as you can under normal mode. You might only get 1 fps or less but the results would definitely be better than trying to take a bunch of photos with poor image quality.

[GBW]

That is along the line I was thinking that would make her happy. She does like the look and feel for the L110 too so I guess I better go play with one tomorrow.

[GBW]

I got her an L110 today for $182.99 + taxes and she's happy! I tinkered with it and it's much better then the P&S we had/have and I'm no photo-guy so all is well, I think.