Nikon Coolpix P100

There is a new Nikon model in the market – the Nikon Coolpix P100. It’s really quite extraordinary, you have many shooting options which are built around a high-speed CMOS sensor, and a 26x megazoom lens.
With this camera, you get photo and video shooting on high speeds, and the opportunity to play around with fun modes, plus you can experiment as much as you want. Add to that the fact that you get 1080p HD-quality movie recording. The Nikon Coolpix P100 has easy-to-operate controls; you just need some time to get used to them by reading the manual. The camera itself costs a fair amount, approximately 400 dollars – quite a large sum of money for many people. It weighs about 17 ounces, is of 10 megapixels, and comes with a 3-inch LCD screen.

So how’s the P100 different from the P90? Well, the zoom has been extended to 26x (so you can see really far ahead of you), and while the P90 had 12-megapixel CCD sensor, this particular model has a backside-illuminated 10-megapixel CMOS sensor. This improves the speed of shooting, and the level of noise in low-light photos is considerably reduced. In fact, you also get the option of a few specialty shooting modes. The feel of this P100 camera is rather good; it’s also a compact model. It’s a good grip, and the camera itself has sensor-shift image stabilization, which Nikon refers to as Optical VR. This stabilization minimizes the level of blur, and if you combine this with Nikon’s Best Shot Selector, you stand a much better chance of a sharp shot of a stationary subject.
The Nikon Coolpix P100 also has a rather good electronic viewfinder, and if you want to frame up your shots, then that too is possible with a vari-angle LCD. This pulls out of the body, and can be tilted up or down, but it doesn’t swing out from the body horizontally. The controls of the camera are responsive and also comfortably placed. You’ll find the Mode Dial, power button, and the shutter release with zoom ring on the top. At the left of the EVF, you’ll find the button for moving from information viewing on the EVF or LCD and a  diopter adjustment dial.
On the right of that is a Display button which allows you to change the information you view on the display, there is also a Movie record button which a switch, that allows you to choose what kind of video you would like to shoot – high speed or regular. There is also a horizontal dial which allows you to change aperture settings and shutter speed; you can also zip through images and videos in playback.

The P100 is a decent buy because you get many shooting options – right from full manual and semi-manual options with shutter speeds from 8 seconds to 1/2000 second, and an aperture range of 10 steps of 1/3 exposure value. You also get many scene modes, as well as auto scene recognition and subject-tracking autofocus meant for moving subjects.