I’ve had my old Nikon camera for years and now it is time to get a new one. Although we’ve been contemplating getting a Nikon DSLR, I needed to get an affordable compact first before splurging on a DSLR which will definitely cost much much more than I can afford at this moment.
So, it is goodbye to my old, clunky, bulky Nikon Coolpix5400. It had served me well.
My old Nikon camera
But it is old and getting cranky. So, I guess it is time to put it into retirement and get a brand new model! And I decided on the:
No, I didn’t get the Nikon Coolpix P80. Simply because the P50 is much cheaper. Heheheh…I did say I want a cheaper compact camera, considering I may be spending much, much more on a DSLR in the near future. So a pretty basic compact for now should be good enough. Although it was released last year and not exactly new in the market, it suits my needs perfectly.
Now, let’s look at the specs of this compact which offers more than any basic compact:
- 8.1 megapixel
- Electronic VR
- Up to 4x digital zoom
- ISO 2000 capability
- Macro shooting from as close as 5cm
- Face-priority AF
- Uses SDHC card
- Wide angle of 28 – 102mm
- It has several modes from Auto to Scenes to P (programmed auto) to M (manual settings where aperture and speed can be set)
- uses AA batteries
I especially like its internal basic photo edit function where I can resize the pictures, crop, lighten or even ‘sharpen’ if the picture was blurry due to shaky hands. This means I can edit the pictures on the camera and then download the pictures straigth to my computer. Since it uses the SD card, it is more convenient for me too because my computer has an SD card reader. No need for additional card readers and no need to bring around the troublesome cable.
The top of the Nikon Coolpix P50 where you could change the modes
It has more functions than the basic point and shoot compacts as in I can choose the M mode and play around with the settings such as the aperture and speed. It is a way for me to experiment and learn more about the effects of aperture and speed settings when taking pictures. But when I am too lazy to bother adjusting the settings, the auto mode is really good enough with the perfect settings.
The functions are pretty much easy to get the hang of so you don’t even really need to read through the manual to learn how to use it. That is if you are used to Nikon digital cameras, of course. Since , it’s my second Nikon Coolpix, I get familarised with it pretty quickly.
Take a look at some of the pictures it has taken:
Seaview
A view of George Town
Goldfishes in our little pond
As you can see, the photo quality is pretty good and the colours amazingly accurate and lively.
My verdict: The Nikon Coolpix P50 is a pretty good buy and for a compact camera, it sure do have loads of functions to play around with. I bought it for only RM600 with free mini tripod, camera casing and a 2G SD card.
I once used a Nikon Coolpix 750 and I love its extreme close-up capabilities. This P50 looks my type, except the AA batteries. I hate these when they give out false warning of low-batt, and you have to keep throwing out used batteries and polluting the environs. Then you have to lug around loads of spare batteries. The good part is you can buy them anywhere.
[...] Goodbye to my old Nikon camera and a review of Nikon Coolpix P50 [...]
LC Teh: Why don’t you just get the rechargeable AA batteries? It last longer and you don’t have to keep getting new batteries. So far, if on rechargeable batteries, it can last me about 200 shots including short videos and reviewing of pictures. So, if you have a set of four batteries (it only uses two), it should be able to last you for heavy use. Even when I go on holiday, two rechargeable batteries lasted me about three days. Good enough for my use. And yes, the good part about this is that if I suddenly ran out of power, I get buy the batteries anywhere.
This P50 has quite good macro capabilities too.
Looks too complicated for me. I like the idiot box, just press and shoot. The Kodak Instantmatic is my faourite.