Nikon Coolpix P1

[Jessterw]

Looking into buying a new digital camera and Nikon's new Coolpix P1 model has caught my eye. To put things in perspective, I currently own a cheap HP Photosmart model, and I really don't need anything fancy for this camera. Two reviews for the P1 (and P2) are here (more like press releases really):

• http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/27/te...rssnyt&emc=rss
• http://www.dpreview.com/news/0509/05...oolpixp1p2.asp

The P1 is on the upper price range ($550/US) of what I'm wanting to spend, but I've used Nikon's almost exclusively throughout the years (the HP was a gift) and I'd love to have 8 megapixels at my disposal. However, I don't have any real-world experiences with the Coolpix line, so if anyone has comments in that regard or suggestions for another camera that falls into the same price range and specifications, I'd appreciate it. I'm really looking for ease-of-use with this purchase.

[PAugustin]

I think the P2 would be a better choice. 8Mpix is completely useless for a compact camera. Worse having more pix on the same (small) surface add noise to the pictures.

Coolpix cameras are excellent, you won't be disapointed by the pictures, features, build quality and ease of use. Canon cameras are also excellent, bothe brand are really on top !

[Jessterw]

Hadn't thought about the problems having the extra pixels might cause in such a form factor. The purchase won't be for a few months, so I'll have to see what the actual reviews that come out say, in terms of the better value.

[PAugustin]

the problem comes from the sensor size. Compact cameras use reduced size sensors and adding more pixels on those causes more noise on the pictures.
I was confronted to the same choice when I bought my camera, a Nikon Coolpix 4200 (compact 4mpix). There was the 5200 (same with 5Mpix) available for a little more. I looked at many reviews, asked friends and looked at pictures from both cameras. The 5200 pictures had more noise than those from the 4200.

Reflex cameras make a much better use of pixels because they have larger sensors and also better lenses.

We'll see what review says about those new Coolpix, I am also intersted in getting a new one.

[The PIT]

I think the P2 would be a better choice. 8Mpix is completely useless for a compact camera. Worse having more pix on the same (small) surface add noise to the pictures.

Coolpix cameras are excellent, you won't be disapointed by the pictures, features, build quality and ease of use. Canon cameras are also excellent, bothe brand are really on top !

Thats why theres less noise on my Dimage A2 than my old 6m Fuji Fine Pix. It depends on how good the noise reduction algorithms are. Also technology improves as years go by.

As ever look at the reviews and look at the pictures. Reviews aren't fool proof as for my Dimage A2 the view finder got good comments. In fact it's awful and often makes taking a picture guess work. So the camera unless something else breaks is going to be traded in sometime in the next few months.

[az]

There is one small digicam that has low noise at moderately high ISO, the Fuji FinePix F10. I don't know anything else about it, but its noise performance was (and still is) a small sensation.

Depending on what you're planning to use this camera for, low noise at higher ISO and/or image stabilization (caution: many camera makers now advertise their "Anti-Shake DSP" etc. stuff, this is NOT image stabilization and oftentimes only works for video, and poorly. The only real stabilization you can get is optical Stabilizars from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic and Konica-Minolta's Anti-Shake CCD). Camera makers are starting to build these into very very compact cameras now (Like the Dimage X1, which is just 19.5mm thick, despite being a 8 mp cam with 3x zoom and image stabilization. Unfortunately, it's not a very good camera, but it is an amazing feat of miniaturization.). And really, a sharp 3mp picture is a lot better than a shake-blurred 16mp one.