Nikon Coolpix L18 review | |
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We clicked with:
Very simple to use
Cameraphone-beater
Clever zoom review function
Great price
Shots in the dark:
Control? What control
Shutter lag
Eats AA batteries
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With all the fuss about Nikon's DSLRs, the Coolpix compact line sometimes gets overlooked. Which is a shame, because there are some gems in the range. The eight megapixel Nikon Coolpix L18 comes very close to being one of the sparklers.
The Camera:
Let's get the 600lb gorillas in the room out the way first. This camera runs on a pair AA batteries and chomps through them with alacrity. Nikon claims the camera is good for around 180 shots on fresh alkaline batteries; chimp every image and use flash extensively and the figure will drop to the 100 shot mark or worse. Also, the Nikon Coolpix L18 is extremely limited in its user control, but that's the point of the camera; it's a point and shoot design, not intended for those after creative control. Instead, what it offers is a big-screen, no fuss, cheap holiday camera (with a big brand name) for those who would otherwise pack a cameraphone and nothing else. Viewed from the perspective of a photographer, it's sorely lacking; from the viewpoint of an Ibizanaut, pushing the envelope of party technology, it's ideal.
So the good - but not outstanding - 35-105mm equivalent f/2.8-4.7 zoom might appear limiting to the 'real' photographer, but is all the happy snapper needs. The D-Lighting, face detection and redeye correction can make even the most beer-soaked night likely to return a few good images and the prospect of ISO 1600 and digital antishake (in reality, an ISO and shutter speed boost) will help at partytime, too. There's even a Best Shot Selector; effectively an auto bracket, and a 30fps video mode, to capture your best tequila slammers moments. No, it doesn't have waterproofing and isn't crushproof, so when the rest of the rugby team shower you in cheap lager and before bundling you, the camera will suffer. But, it's cheap enough not to matter too much. Certainly cheaper than fixing those two broken ribs.
Behind the scenes, and the host of scene modes, lies a really smart feature called Face Zoom-in. This uses face detection in a unique way; on replay. When playing back images, the Nikon Coolpix L18 will automatically zoom into the portion of the picture with a face in it. Anyone used to zooming their replay and moving from one smiling face to the next image - only to be met by a smiling belt buckle - will appreciate this function. It even has a macro mode, but that's something best left ignored, because it's not very good at all.
Images:
Our usual series of test shots aren't appropriate here, because you can't gain access to the functionality of the camera. But, a series of zoomed shots from the same position shows the action of the digital zoom:
Even at this reduced size, it's clear the Nikon Coolpix L18 has a tendency to lose highlight and shadow detail, but the lens is good, with little chromatic aberration or obvious lens distortion even at the widest setting. Here's an example of D-Lighting working its magic, this time with the flash forced on:
Of course, this image suggests an instant grab picture. That does not happen with the Nikon Coolpix L18. There's a lot of shutter lag and a lot of waiting around; press the shutter, wait over a second and the shutter triggers. Add in the flash and you can make that almost two seconds. It then spends a few seconds writing the picture to the memory or card. You'd be lucky to get two shots inside of five seconds. Pressing one of the correction functions in the field can lock the camera up for the best part of ten seconds, although this is a tougher set of instructions for the camera to process so is at least forgivable.
Conclusion
Not a camera for the enthusiast under any circumstances, the Nikon Coolpix L18 has two big things going for it. It's really cheap and really easy. This can be picked up for £80 or less and there are toasters that are more complicated to use than this camera. Image quality may not be too hot compared to more user-controllable compacts and lags way behind the best compacts and DSLRs of course, but it's also way, way better than the pictures any cameraphone can deliver, and that's what it competes against.
Within those strict confines then, it' a bit of a bargain.
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Sensor
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8 megapixel
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LCD monitor
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3”
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Zoom
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3x Optical Zoom (35-105mm 35mm equiv.)
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Sensitivity
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ISO64-1600
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Picture Modes
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11 modes + VGA movie recording |
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White balance
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Fluorescent, Incandescent, Flash, White Balance Preset,
Auto, Daylight, Cloudy |
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Stabilisation
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ISO and shutter speed boost only
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Continuous shooting
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1.3 frames per second (it says here)
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Storage
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SD/SDHC (c23MB internal memory)
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Battery
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2x AA (Li-ion rechargeable optional)
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Other / Key features
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Face recognition
D-Lighting adjustment suite
Face Zoom-in replay
Red-eye fix
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