Nikon Coolpix L11 review

The shutter felt responsive with our high-contrast target, lagging only 0.7 seconds. It performed significantly worse with our low-contrast target, lagging 2.2 seconds. Burst mode also performed admirably for a budget camera, taking 14 full-resolution photos in 9.2 seconds for a rate of 1.5 frames per second.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Time to first shot

Shutter lag (typical)

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W35

1.7

1.4

0.4

Samsung S850

2.1

2.1

0.5

Nikon Coolpix L11

2.2

1.8

0.7

Olympus FE-230

2.4

2.5

0.9

Nikon Coolpix L12

2.4

2.5

0.7

Image quality
Besides its decent performance, the L11 offers very good image quality for a budget camera. Its lens produced only minimal distortion, with telephoto shots coming out nearly distortion-free and wide-angle shots manifesting only minor barrel distortion around their edges.

Since the camera lacks manual ISO controls, we couldn't perform our full regimen of noise tests. What we did see, though, impressed us. Whether outside under partly cloudy skies or inside under tungsten and fluorescent lights, the L11's shots stayed almost devoid of noise. While some minor image artefacts crept up around fine details such as small-print text, the majority of the camera's pictures came out clear and crisp.

Conclusion
With relatively quick performance and surprisingly nice photos, the Nikon Coolpix L11 makes a fine choice for anyone looking for a simple, inexpensive camera. Its few manual settings will disappoint more advanced photographers, but as a basic, affordable point-and-shoot it's enjoyable to use.

If manual controls are extremely important to you, consider the Samsung S850. It's more expensive than the budget-priced L11, but it's still one of the most affordable cameras available with manual exposure controls.

Additional editing by Nick Hide