Nikon’s Coolpix P7100 at a glance:
- 10.1-million-pixel CCD sensor
- Raw and JPEG capture
- 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 equivalent lens
- 921,600-dot, tilted LCD screen
- Street price around £490
Nikon’s intentions were thinly veiled when it released the Coolpix P7000 last year (see AP 16 October 2010). Its dramatic makeover bore a striking resemblance to Canon’s PowerShot G11, which, at the time, was one in a long series of such cameras that dominated the high-end compact camera market and has since been replaced by the PowerShot G12.
The P7000 was Nikon’s most successful attempt at producing a high-end compact camera, but operational shortcomings meant it had a distinct first-generation feel.
One year on and the next generation has arrived. The P7100 gives much cause for excitement, because hopefully Nikon has addressed the issues raised with the launch of the P7000 to create what could be the best compact camera on the market.
Features
In most areas the Nikon P7000 performed well, so it is hardly a surprise that many aspects remain the same in the P7100. Like its predecessor, and also its direct rival the Canon PowerShot G12, the P7100 has a 10.1-million-pixel, 1/1.7in, CCD sensor. This resolution means that, once again, the video format is limited to 720p, here at 24fps.
Another key area is the wideangle zoom lens. Its 28-200mm lens offers a wider focal range than the 28-140mm of the PowerShot G12. There’s a maximum aperture of f/2.8 at the widest setting, while at 200mm it is f/5.6. In between these, the zoom memory and maximum aperture are 35mm (f/3.2), 50mm (f/3.5), 85mm (f/4), 105mm (f/4.5) and 135mm (f/5).
Compact cameras with a wideangle zoom lens often suffer from lens distortion. In the P7100 there is the option to use in-camera distortion control, which should be helpful. Other in-camera tools include an ND filter, vibration reduction and motion detection.
Images: A wide zoom makes the P7100 a versatile camera, with sharp results in both the wide and telephoto settings
Build and handling
The Coolpix P7100 falls into the category of a high-end compact camera. However, measuring 116x77x48mm and weighing 395g, it is both larger and heavier than some compact system cameras (CSCs).
When compared to the recently launched Pentax Q CSC, the P7100 is virtually 50% larger. Granted, the 28-200mm zoom lens does collapse back into the body – unlike the interchangeable lenses of a CSC – but this is a camera for a comfortable fit in a jacket pocket rather than a trouser pocket.
That said, I rather like the size of the camera. It offers something of substance to hold on to, helped no end by the curved rubberised grip. Photographers will appreciate the dials that cram the body of the P7100. On the top are three dials: the shooting mode dial; quick menu access dial for key shooting settings; and exposure compensation. This is a compact camera that is geared for the knowledgeable photographer. A handy feature is the orange light that remains illuminated so long as the exposure compensation is not set to 0, which is a useful reminder to prevent leaving the controls on the wrong settings.
I like the more obvious changes made to the P7100. Not only are there dials on the top, but there is also one on the rear and now one on the front of the body next to where the tips of the fingers naturally rest. This new control dial is primarily used to make adjustments to aperture settings.
The P7000’s major shortcoming was its very slow file write times, at around 4secs for a NRW raw+JPEG fine file and 2.5secs for a JPEG fine file. Of course, write times depend on the speed of the card, but when using a SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC card I found the write times of the P7100 to be 2secs for a raw+JPEG fine capture and 1.4secs for a JPEG fine. This represents a significant improvement over the P7000. During write time, the P7100 blacks out so there is no option to set up the next frame while the buffer clears, which means a little patience is still required between shots.
A hotshoe port provides compatibility with any of Nikon’s Speedlight flashguns and accessories which, given the limited guide number (GN) of 7m @ ISO 100 output of the built-in flash, will come in handy. Of all Nikon’s flashguns, the compact SB-400 best complements the size of the P7100.
The P7100’s zoom lens offers a widest aperture of f/2.8 at 28mm. At this focal length, significant barrel distortion is present. However, the distortion control found in the menu goes a long way to rectifying this, and should be activated for any images that include straight lines, such as buildings.
Another major update is that the 3in screen can be tilted, which is useful for low and high angles. In short, any discerning photographer will find the P7100 a pleasure to handle.
LCD, viewfinder and video
In terms of resolution, the Coolpix P7100’s 3in, 921,600-dot LCD screen sets the bar at this high-end compact level. I tested the camera in sunny conditions and found the LCD screen to be pleasantly bright, and the option to tilt the screen away from reflections helps further. Another benefit for tilting the screen makes photographing high and low angles in landscape format more versatile.
During this test I mainly used the LCD screen, but for situations where it was not easily viewable there is an optical viewfinder. Although this acts as a guide for framing it offers an 80% field of view, which means the frame edge is not displayed. Furthermore, focus and exposure values are not viewed here. As a result, the LCD screen is much more useful.
With no direct button for video recording, this feature is accessed via the shooting-mode dial. Video files are limited in resolution to 720p, and there is a socket for an external microphone, such as Nikon’s hotshoe-mounted ME-1.
White balance and colour
From my experience, Nikon’s lower-end DSLRs and high-end compact cameras generally offer a vivid colour rendition, and the Coolpix P7100 is no exception. During a bright sunny day blue skies are typically punchy, but the greens in the grass and leaves are way too vivid. For such images in standard colour mode, nudging down the saturation by one setting helps. For portraits, the standard setting is fine.
However, standard is not the only colour mode. For landscapes and the like, neutral (not the landscape mode!) is likely to please photographers, while after a couple of images I avoided vivid altogether.
A custom setting can be created with the user-defined adjustments to saturation, contrast and sharpening. Different colour filters are available in the monochrome colour setting, with the green filter great for portraits and the red ideal for landscapes.
White balance offers a comprehensive range of settings, including two auto (one for warm light), the usual presets, Kelvin adjustment and three user-defined settings. I found little difference between the two auto WB settings, although strong yellows are more neutral in the warm light option.
Image: Creative monochrome in special effects allows control over grain to give a high ISO feel
Dynamic Range
A smaller sensor, such as that found in compact cameras, is typically less capable of recording a wide dynamic range. The P7000 has a dynamic range of 10.8EV at ISO 100, and roughly 6EV at ISO 3200. Given that none of the specification has changed that would affect it this time round, it is reasonable to assume that the P7100 is capable of the same. This is a solid performance for a camera at this level.
Nikon’s Active D-Lighting adds a little extra detail in shadow and extreme highlight areas to boost the dynamic range. When used in its strong setting, images have an HDR (high dynamic range) feel, but typically the auto setting adds a satisfying level of detail without images looking unrealistic.
Autofocus
The Coolpix P7100’s autofocus system is the same as that found in the P7000. It is a contrast-detection AF type, with a 99-point auto mode.
Single-point AF is limited to the centre of the frame. The system is reliable, particularly in good light where it snaps into focus rapidly. In low-contrast light there is a degree of hunting for the point of focus, but that is nothing unusual for a contrast-detection AF system in a camera at this level.
Metering
There are no obvious shortcomings in the metering system. Most users of the Coolpix P7100 are likely to rely on multi-segment evaluative metering, and it is reliable over a number of situations. It has a slight tendency to expose for the darker midtones, which can leave burned-out highlights in bright conditions, but otherwise it works well.
For situations where the evaluative system struggles, exposure compensation is easily accessed and adjusted. I found myself using this control a lot, combined with autoexposure. Unfortunately, the exposure is not adjusted in the preview on the LCD screen, so the user must wait for the 2secs of write time to view whether or not it is correct. In this respect, the P7100 is slow to operate.
Image: Active D-Lighting adds a little extra detail in shadow areas in this scene. The sky has been corrected because it was too cyan in the original raw file
Noise, resolution and sensitivity
Images: There is little sign of vignetting at f/2.8, and the distortion control corrects barrel distortion
With the same size and type of sensor, as well as an identical number of pixels, it isn’t surprising that the Nikon Coolpix P7100 has very similar capabilities to the Canon PowerShot G12, although it comes up slightly short in JPEG files. At ISO 100 in raw format, the P7100 reaches the 24 marker on our charts, but only 20 in JPEG format.
The ISO range is 100-3200, and can be extended to ISO 6400 in ‘Hi’ mode. Luminance noise creeps in at ISO 200, but only really increases from ISO 800. As I had expected, noise is noticeable from ISO 1600, and in the highest ISO setting resolution detail is compromised at the 16 marker. Magenta chroma noise is prominent at ISO 3200 and 6400.
Resolution, Noise & Dynamic Range: These images show 72ppi (100% on a computer screen) sections of images of a resolution chart, captured using the lens set to an equivalent of 105mm. We show the section of the resolution chart where the camera starts to fail to reproduce the lines separately. The higher the number visible in these images, the better the camera’s detail resolution at the specified sensitivity setting.
Verdict
In an age of slimming down, I appreciate a camera such as the Nikon Coolpix P7100, which offers something of substance to hold on to with numerous controls that are directly to hand.
Those who have used the P7000 will appreciate the enhanced handling and speed of the P7100, and the good image quality over the entire focal range. File write times have been cut in half, making the P7100 a worthy successor.
The Canon PowerShot G12 had better watch out.
