Performance
The generally underwhelming character of the P50 doesn't extend to its
picture quality. The wealth of tweakable options means that you have
enormous control over your images for a compact. With only a minimal
amount of tinkering, we were capturing decent pictures in no time. The
wide-angle 28mm lens shows no signs of distortion, and there's hardly
any trace of purple fringing.
Detail is reasonably crisp, although there is some softening around the edges. The autofocus is quick and capable. There is a tendency to underexpose while indoors, but getting to know the exposure compensation controls quickly takes care of that. It's worth getting to know the white balance options as well, as indoors lighting can occasionally fox the automatic WB selection.
We're impressed with how well the P50 deals with noise. Although pictures taken at ISO 800 have a gritty feel, it isn't the rainbow-coloured pebbledashing we'd expect at this sensitivity level. Normal service is resumed at ISO 1,600, where pictures are basically unsusable unless your standards are very low, and at ISO 3,200, image quality is laughable. As a bonus, the P50 manages to do this well on noise without obtrusive noise reduction smearing the detail.
Conclusion
It's hard to get excited about the Nikon Coolpix P50. It's not
small enough, fast enough or sexy enough, and lacks a decent screen or
image stabilisation. Nonetheless, it does put you firmly in the
picture-taking driving seat and is more than capable of taking some
great photos. If that sounds appealing, the Coolpix P5100 or Canon PowerShot G9
are more expensive, but are much cleverer, faster and sexier. Still, if
you're not bothered about features, the P50 is a capable, if unassuming,
snapper for £150.
Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Nick Hide
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James Rosenzweig 1 January 2008
Good: 28 mm Wide Angle Capability, Great Price, Very Good Image Quality, Optical Viewfinder Option
Bad: A Bit Large...LCD Could Be Better...But the Actual Images Are Very Good!
Comment: I read the review here at CNET and found the reviewer's evaluation to be a very poor reflection on his knowledge, or rather his lack of expertise in photography.
Unexciting. I would like the reviewer to point out ANY other point and shoot that costs so little yet provides a 28 mm to 102mm range. Please show me! He also fails to understand the difference between image stablization that merely raises the ISO and provides more noise as compared to the stabilization in this camera, that while not OIS, uses a gyro to detect movement and then electonically compensates for shake..NOT by raising the ISO but through electronic means. May I suggest he reads the Nikon tech spechs before he writes an evaluation. He fails to see the very good IQ (image quality) in this package that is far more important than a exciting appearance of the unit. See:http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1007&message=25922409
And:http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews_nikon_coolpix_p50.php
Their you'll read reviews from two who care about what a camera can do rather than what it looks like.
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