Updated 26 May, 2012, 4:18 pm IST

REVIEWS / POINT AND SHOOT

Nikon Coolpix L100

18 Sep, 2009, 3:00 pm IST | by Nikhil Singh | Point and Shoot

Looks can be deceptive - the age old cliche applies to the seemingly powerful Nikon Coolpix L100 too.

Measuring just 110 x 72 x 78 mm, this hot looking superzoom is smaller than most superzooms, and weighs less too (360 grams). The body's made of tough black plastic and boasts of a really good rubber handgrip and textured thumb grip, that are ergonomically placed making it a pleasure to wield. A steel finish plastic plate around the power and shutter buttons adds to the aesthetics.

The button placement's like any other superzoom - shutter and power buttons placed on top, while the preview, menu, delete and camera mode buttons are on the back of the camera, along with the navigation D-pad. Overall, the camera's sturdy, it looks powerful, and is ergonomically designed - so all physical aspects are perfect.

The sensor supports pictures of up to 10.1 megapixels, and even though the body's petite, it houses a 15x optical zoom lens. Even at full zoom - thanks to great mechanical image stabilization - the camera's usable without a tripod. Image quality was pretty good, auto-white balance was spot on (although a tad bit towards the warm sides in indoor shots) and color reproduction was vivid.

Where the camera falters is with manual functionality. Even most compact cameras have more manual features than the L100 - apart from the fact that you cannot play with shutter and aperture settings (which is forgivable), the camera doesn't even let you set ISO settings manually! There's only an auto ISO 80-3200 mode, and a high ISO scene mode that again, doesn't give you any control.

Macro performance was great though, and so was low light performance. Macro shots were averagely detailed, but the fact that you can take shots from as close as an inch is fantastic.

Shutter lag was minimal, but the camera's 7 shot burst mode took long pauses between shots at full resolution.

With such limited manual functionality and nothing out of the ordinary, the Nikon Coolpix L100 is nothing more than a point-and-shoot camera with a big zoom lens. If that's what you want, you'll be pleased with this camera since its performance in almost all areas was good. The auto-scene recognition mode will be right up your alley. If you're looking for a little more control though (which I assume most superzoom buyers would like), look elsewhere. The camera's priced at Rs. 17,000, which cannot be justified in any way.

Tags: Nikon , Coolpix , L100 , 10 Megapixel

Would you buy it?

Nikon had launched a range of cameras, earlier this year and after a short wait, the brand recently announced ...

Nikon chooses NAVTEQ maps for their COOLPIX AW series

Nikon mirrorless camera details surface

Epson L100 Printer

Nikon CoolPix P500 Digital Camera

Canon Hints at Mirrorless Cameras by 2012

Olympus PEN E-PL1 - Good Performance From an Average Looker

MORE VIDEOS

08 Oct, 2010, 08:02 pm IST

Canon 550D vs Nikon D3100

06 Aug, 2010, 06:30 am IST

My Nikon Pro photography Equipment

29 Oct, 2011, 08:38 pm IST

Nikon V1 Hands-on Review

05 Nov, 2010, 06:36 am IST

Nikon D7000 vs Canon 7D - which one is b ...

How We Test

What do the ratings mean?

Ratings are simple - higher the score, the better the product. A brief listing of the features and what they mean are given below.

1 - 3

The product is bad in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against purchasing this product.

4 - 6

An average product that isn't the best you can buy, but isn't the worst either.

7 - 8

Product with this rating is highly recommended because it's priced sensibly, has a good set of features and performs well.

9 - 10

Exceptionally excellent product with features and performance unlike any we've seen in the past. A must-have for everyone!

What is the Average User Rating?

We at Tech2 take product reviewing very seriously and every product is tested with the utmost care and level of objectivity. The end user who buys a particular product and uses it over an extended period of time has his own take on a product and there might be nuances that he or she can shed light on. The Average User Rating is present to help readers get the complete picture of how good or bad a product is. The Average User Rating is calculated by averaging the ratings by the thousands of readers visiting Tech2.com every single day. To record your own rating of a product, simply click on the user rating bar. If you disagree with our ratings or our community's product rating, please don't hesitate from voicing your opinion in the comments section below the review.

Leaked Images, Availability, Pricing,
Specs, Pre-order