Nikon Coolpix P50 review

Nikon Coolpix P50 Review

Reviewed by: Rich Trenholm

Reviewed on: 13 December 2007

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.

This crop from our lab test shot at speed ISO 800 shows noise handled well, with relatively little loss of detail

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