Nikon Coolpix P60 review

Performance
Exposures are well judged, although there's a tendency to blow out highlights. The option to tweak manual control proved useful in lower light or high contrast situations such as skylines. There was some purple fringing in evidence on high contrast areas, but only really noticeable when zooming in on the computer screen.

In high contrast images like this, the P60 tended to blow out highlights. But detail is good and manual control can rescue such images

The longer zoom did lead to some barrel distortion. This means that at the wide angle, the images appear to curve slightly at the edges. Again, it's not too intrusive unless you're photographing regular patterns like brick walls.

Colour is natural and the camera produces warm portraits. Noise performance is pretty standard: ISO 400 shows noise speckles, but is still fine for smaller prints. As always, it's worth limiting the maximum ISO setting going into low-light conditions so the camera doesn't leap straight to the maximum and ruin a night's pictures.

Conclusion
The Nikon Coolpix P60 is a solid point-and-shoot. It's not the smallest, the fastest or the sexiest camera and if you want a longer zoom compact, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170 is much racier. But if the Mr Average styling is your cup of Horlicks, you won't be disappointed with the P60's workman-like performance.

Edited by Shannon Doubleday