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Nikon Coolpix L10 review

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3.0 stars out of 5

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Verdict

Despite its lack of features and low number of megapixels, the Nikon Coolpix L10 works surprisingly well. It responds in performance and -- even though they're small -- the 5-megapixel photos look quite good. If you're not looking to spend a lot or for too many bells and whistles, this could be a great option

Good

  • Decent picture quality
  • Good performance

Bad

  • Very few controls
  • Very slow flash recycle time
  • Relatively low resolution
  • Slow shutter in low light

In this review

You don't need a high-resolution camera to get good-looking pictures. If they're made right, 5-megapixel cameras can produce great photos. If you're on a tight budget, but still want to take some photos, consider the Nikon Coolpix L10.

This little camera has few features, a very slow flash recycle time, and can only produce up to 5-megapixel stills, but its tiny price tag of around £70 and decent picture quality make it a solid budget contender.

Design
As Nikon's lowest-end budget camera, the L10 is hardly built to impress. Its unassuming, blocky plastic body measures just 26mm across and weighs 167g with an SD card and two AA batteries, making it compact enough for most jacket and shirt pockets.


The LCD screen is a small 51mm (2 inches)

The camera sports a relatively low-resolution 5-megapixel sensor, a narrow 37.5-112.5mm equivalent, f/2.8-5.2 3x optical zoom lens, and a downright puny 51mm (2-inch) LCD screen.

Features
Despite its unimpressive hardware, the camera still has the same handy features Nikon includes on all of its Coolpix cameras. Face-Priority AF finds faces in portraits and family photos, adjusting focus accordingly. In-Camera Red-Eye Fix corrects red-eye when processing photos.

D-Lighting senses when subjects are backlit or dark and changes exposure settings to correct those problems after the picture is taken. This typically results in a photo with a narrower dynamic range, but it can also mean the difference between a usable picture and no picture at all.

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