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Nikon Coolpix P80 10.1 MP 18.0x Optical Zoom Lens UGC Black Seller Guarantee Accessories

This “Buy It Now” auction is for one fully functional Nikon Coolpix P80 10.1 MP 18.0x Nikkor Optical Zoom Lens Black Digital Camera in very good cosmetic condition and very good functional condition with a 30-day money back seller guarantee and bundle of accessories.

Auction Includes

· Nikon Coolpix P80 Serial Number 30102415

· 8.0 GB Micro SDHC Memory Card

· Adapter for Micro SD Memory Card

· Genuine Nikon Nikon EN-EL5 Battery Pack

· Genuine Nikon Travel Battery Charger MH-61 for use with the Nikon EN-EL5 Battery Pack

· USB Cable

· Genuine Nikon Neck Strap

· Black CaseLogic Adventura Ultra Zoom 100 Digital Camera Case with a front flap with zipper closure that covers one primary pocket, a second pocket on the back of the case with no closure, a hand grip and a neck strap

· Seller Guarantee as shown below

Electronic versions of the User's Manual and other documentation can be downloaded directly from Nikon’s support page.

Prospective buyers are encouraged to take a look at a PDF copy of the User's Manual online to learn more about this Nikon Coolpix P80 digital camera.

· This Nikon Coolpix P80 black digital camera is in good cosmetic condition and very good functional condition.

· Cosmetically the exterior has an average number of signs of wear as shown in various photos.

· Functionally the camera is in very good condition because all features have been tested and the camera is working properly.

· This camera’s 2.7-inch color LCD display is in good condition with an average number of small scratches but with one noticeable scratch near the bottom center as shown in photos 19, 20 & 21.

· This camera has an eye-level electronic viewfinder (EVF) for use in framing your subject or when the LCD display is washed out in bright sunlight. The “window” button to the left of the viewfinder may be used to shift the image between the LCD display and the viewfinder.

· The camera lens has a few noticeable scratches/dings both above and below the lens iris and a few tiny points that are visible under magnification.

· The battery/memory card compartment door fits tightly and closes fully.

· This camera works well as a point and shoot unit.

· The camera is easy to use and a PDF copy of the User's Manual is available online as noted above.

· The photos taken with this camera meet the eBay photo requirements.

· Please see two example photos taken with this camera in photos 22 & 23. These two photos were taken with this camera and edited using the PICASA³ photo editor with cropping and with auto contrast.

· You may download your photos from the camera to your computer using either the 8.0 GB Micro SDHC Memory Card with the enclosed adapter or other appropriate adapter or the USB cable both of which have been tested and are included.

· This camera comes from a smoke-free and pet-free home.

Seller Guarantee

Buy With Confidence.

Top rated eBay seller with over 3950 transactions with 100% positive feedback.

Seller Guarantee: I am sufficiently convinced about this digital camera’s condition and image quality that I provide a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

If you do not believe the signs of wear or other aspects of this camera’s description were accurate, or if you are not completely satisfied, send the camera and accessories back to me.

I will pay the return postage.

As soon as I receive your return package, I will process a full refund, including your original shipping, to your account.

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WHY LITHIUM-ION?

FROM THE APPLE SUPPORT WEB SITE

· Compared with older generations of battery technology, lithium-ion batteries charge faster, last longer, and have a higher power density for more battery life in a lighter package. Rechargeable lithium-ion technology currently provides the best technology for your many devices.

CONDENSED FROM DIGITAL CAMERA MAKER WEBSITES

· The most common theme concerning why lithium-ion batteries are frequently used in digital cameras is that they provide a longer battery life and a more consistent power delivery even in colder situations.

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Nikon Coolpix P80 Basic Features

10-megapixel CCD delivers image resolutions as high as 3,648 x 2,736 pixels

18x optical zoom lens, equivalent to 27-486mm zoom on a 35mm camera

As much as 4x digital zoom

2.7-inch color LCD monitor

Automatic, manual and partial manual exposure control modes

Shutter speeds from 1/4,000 to 8 seconds, depending on exposure mode

Maximum aperture f/2.8-4.5, depending on zoom position, 10-step range

Built-in flash with six modes

Dual function USB / AV jack for connection to a television or computer

Power from custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack, charger included

Images stored in 50 MB internal memory or to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Nikon Coolpix P80 Special Features

Image Sensor Shift Vibration Reduction

Adjustable AF area with 99-point manual selection, 9-point Auto, and Face-Priority options

15 preset Scene modes

Movie mode with sound

Audio recording mode

256-segment Matrix, Center-weighted and Spot metering

User adjustable white balance setting with seven modes, including a manual option

Sport Continuous, Continuous, Best Shot Selector and Multi-16 shooting modes

ISO settings from 64 to 6,400 equivalents

Auto Exposure Bracketing mode

Interval (time-lapse) still and movie modes

Distortion Control setting

User adjustable contrast, saturation and sharpness, plus Optimize Image menu

D-Lighting editing option

Nikon Coolpix P80 Review

from Imaging Resource

by Stephanie Boozer and Shawn Barnett

Review Date: 12/16/08

Overview

The most notable feature on the Nikon Coolpix P80 is its impressive 18x optical zoom lens, which covers a 35mm equivalent range of 27-486mm. That's a lot of zoom for an MSRP of about $399. Billed by Nikon as the "world's most compact super telephoto camera," the Coolpix P80 is indeed fairly small considering its very large lens. It won't fit into a jeans pocket, but should still fit into larger coat pockets and purses pretty well.

In addition to its wow-inspiring zoom, the Coolpix P80 also offers 10 megapixels, a full range of automatic and manual exposure control, and a healthy selection of user adjustment tools; even a Distortion Control option for reducing lens distortion at full wide-angle or telephoto.

A selection of no less than 15 preset Scene modes covers a wide range of unique conditions, and the user has control over important features such as White Balance, Exposure Compensation, Color, ISO, and Metering as well. Standard Nikon offerings such as D-Lighting and Face Priority AF are also included, as well as a new Scene mode, Sports Continuous, for a whopping 13 frames per second rate and a maximum 1/4,000-second shutter speed.

The camera's large and bright 2.7-inch color LCD monitor is great for composing and reviewing images, with accurate framing. With its full range of exposure control available, the Coolpix P80 should be suitable for novices and more advanced users alike.

Nikon Coolpix P80

User Report

by Stephanie Boozer

Though a bit bulkier than the average consumer digital camera, the Nikon Coolpix P80's extra girth comes mainly from its large 18x optical zoom lens, as the camera body itself is actually quite compact. With an impressive zoom range equivalent to a 27-486mm zoom on a 35mm camera, the Coolpix P80's slightly larger size seems worth what you lose in pocketability. And though the camera's interface appears simple and limited, don't mistake its minimal external controls for minimal capabilities.

The Coolpix P80 offers the full range of exposure control, from full automatic, to partial manual, to full manual exposure modes. There are also 15 preset Scene modes to choose from. Users have control over a wide range of ISO settings, as well as AF area (including a 99-point manual selection), white balance, metering, color, contrast, sharpness, saturation, and a handful of other useful shooting tools.

Thus, given its offerings, the Coolpix P80 is actually quite a compact little number, and small enough for Nikon to boast its being the most compact super-telephoto digital camera currently on the market.

The Nikon P80's 18x optical zoom lens offers a very wide maximum wide-angle setting at 27mm, with available Distortion Control to counteract any strong barrel distortion that might occur. An Optical Vibration Reduction setting helps reduce any slight blurring from camera movement when shooting at full telephoto or with the full 4x digital zoom enabled, featuring a sensor-shift design. Post-capture image correction tools such as D-Lighting (to correct dark or backlit images) and Red-Eye Fix help with common exposure problems, and options like Face-Priority AF and Sport Continuous mode ensure you get the best results in portrait and action shots. Unfortunately, there's insufficient compensation for the impressively strong chromatic aberration.

Look and feel. Though the Coolpix P80 definitely is not a contender for an evening bag or front jeans pocket, it is still actually quite compact despite its large 18x optical zoom lens. Measuring 4.3 x 3.1 x 3.1 inches (110 x 79 x 78 millimeters) and weighing about 13.9 ounces (395 grams), the Coolpix P80 is on the heftier side in terms of weight; however, most of that heft comes from the camera's long lens. The Coolpix P80's body style is reminiscent of a digital SLR, though on a much smaller scale, and should still fit well into larger coat pockets, purses, and backpacks. To help you balance out the weight of the lens, the Coolpix P80 features a well-defined handgrip, ensuring you have a firm hold on the camera when shooting one-handed. There's also a nice, rubbery thumbrest on the rear panel that helps keep your thumb securely in place.

The Coolpix P80 actually features only a few external controls, and most of them are within easy reach when shooting one-handed. Only the Monitor button and optical viewfinder diopter adjustment dial are on the far left side of the rear panel, but the remaining, more frequently accessed controls are all clustered on the right side of the rear and top panels.

The Nikon Coolpix P80 features a large, 2.7-inch color LCD monitor, which is bright and clear. It does have quite a shiny surface, which can make framing in bright sunlight a little more difficult due to reflections. Shiny surfaces like this are also easily smudged by fingerprints, and do show small scratches, so you'll want to keep that in mind while traveling.

The Coolpix P80 also features an electronic optical viewfinder, and the Monitor button in the top left corner of the rear panel controls where the viewfinder display appears. Both viewfinders were quite accurate, showing about 102% frame accuracy at wide angle, and about 99% at telephoto. A Display button just above the top right corner of the larger LCD monitor controls the information overlay, and also activates a framing alignment grid. The Setup menu offers a brightness adjustment, to help compensate under very sunny conditions.

The Nikon Coolpix P80's 18x lens covers a range equivalent to a 27-486mm zoom on a 35mm camera. With a maximum wide-angle setting of 27mm and an 18x optical zoom, you get a lot of flexibility with the P80's lens. To combat minor blurring from slight camera movement at full telephoto and digital zoom, Nikon included Optical VR (Vibration Reduction) image stabilization technology, featuring a true sensor-shift design for the best results.

Unfortunately, all that optical technology is wasted on the sensor inside the Nikon P80. The shots above were taken on a fairly overcast day, so exposure isn't at its best, but what's quite telling is just how little fine detail is maintained in the grass. Indeed, where it should be a sharp blade, it's a fuzzy mess in most places. The 4x digital zoom is really quite bad, more resembling a watercolor painting than a photograph. Click on the thumbnails for a closer look.

Interface. Finding your way around the Coolpix P80 shouldn't be a problem for most users, as the camera has only a few external controls and its menu system is straightforward as well. A large Mode dial on top of the Nikon P80 controls the main exposure mode, and the Multi-controller on the rear panel accesses main adjustments for flash, self-timer, exposure compensation, and macro mode, and also navigates the menu screens. There's also a Command dial at the top right of the rear panel, which quickly adjusts shutter speed or aperture, depending on the exposure mode. A Zoom lever circles the Shutter button, and features a substantial protrusion on its front to help adjust the optical and digital zoom. A Playback button on the rear panel takes you directly into Playback mode, and you can easily return to shooting mode by half-pressing the Shutter button.

Remaining exposure tools and settings are accessed through the Menu system, activated by a press of the Menu button on the rear panel. The Coolpix P80's menu system is merely a list of available options, and the up and down arrows of the Multi-controller scroll through the list. Pressing the right arrow on any option pulls up the available settings, and you can back out with the left arrow or by pressing the Menu button again. The Setup menu is not accessible from the other menu screens, however, but only by turning the Mode dial to the Setup position. While the Coolpix P80 may borrow its looks from more advanced digital SLRs, camera operation is just as straightforward as any point-and-shoot. It shouldn't take most users very long to get the gist of things.

Modes. The Nikon Coolpix P80 offers the full range of exposure control, with the Mode dial on top of the camera offering Auto, Program AE, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, Movie, Scene, and Sport Continuous modes, as well as a Setup position. The full Auto mode puts the camera in charge of just about every exposure decision, though the user can alter focus mode and exposure compensation, as well as enable the flash and self-timer. The remaining manual and partial manual modes offer varying levels of exposure control, though all camera functions become available to the user. Depending on the exposure mode, the Coolpix P80's shutter speed ranges from 1/2,000 to 8 seconds. Apertures range from f/2.8 to f/8.0, depending on the zoom position. The Command dial in the top right of the rear panel adjusts the exposure settings, and in Manual mode, the EV Compensation button selects whether the dial controls shutter speed or aperture. In Program AE mode, the Command dial lets you cycle through a range of exposure settings, so you can bias the exposure toward aperture or shutter speed. If you're uncertain about the exposure, the P80's Auto Exposure Bracketing mode captures a series of images at different exposures, and saves them all to the memory card.

The Sports Continuous mode on the Mode dial offers a much faster maximum shutter speed–as high as 1/4,000-second–to freeze fast-moving action. (The slowest speed in this mode is 1/15-second.) Thus, the Coolpix P80 should have no trouble with sporting events, bicycle races, running children, etc. The Scene position of the Mode dial offers 15 preset shooting modes, which include Portrait, Landscape, Night Portrait, Party/Indoor, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Dusk/Dawn, Night Landscape, Close Up, Museum, Fireworks Show, Copy, Backlight, Panorama Assist, and Voice Recording. Each mode optimizes the camera for special shooting situations, adjusting exposure, white balance, flash, and focus mode to get the best results.

In addition to the Coolpix P80's Sports Continuous mode on the Mode dial, the camera also offers standard Continuous Shooting, as well as Best Shot Selector, Multi-shot 16, and Interval Shooting modes. Continuous mode captures as many as nine consecutive images at a maximum of 1.1 frames per second at the normal image quality setting. (In our testing, we measured a frame rate of about 1.18 frames per second for large/fine JPEGs, but only for five images at the higher quality.) BSS mode captures as many as 10 images, then automatically selects and saves the sharpest image -- an excellent idea when trying to photograph kids. Multi-shot 16 snaps 16 thumbnail frames in one press of the Shutter button and arranges them in a single image (2,590 x 1,944 pixels). Interval Shooting mode is similar to time-lapse photography, as the camera can automatically record up to 1,800 frames over a period of preset intervals ranging from 30 seconds to 60 minutes.

The Coolpix P80 also has a wide range of options under its Movie mode. The Movie menu offers a range of resolution settings, as well as options for Time-lapse Movies, Sepia Movie, and Black and White Movie. You can choose from 640 x 480 or 320 x 240-pixel resolutions. The larger resolution setting records at 30 frames per second by default, but you can opt for 15fps as well. All movies are recorded with sound, with the exception of Time-lapse Movie, which records still images at specified intervals, then joins those together into a silent movie. Also under the Movie menu, you can choose Single or Continuous AF modes, or enable Electronic Vibration Reduction.

Special Features

The Coolpix P80 features Nikon's D-Lighting adjustment, which enhances contrast and brightness in dark images. Accessed through the Playback menu as a post-capture editing tool, D-Lighting comes in quite handy when you've snapped a portrait in less than ideal conditions, and forgot to switch over to one of the scene modes or didn't have a tripod around for a longer exposure.

The Coolpix P80 has Face-Priority technology for better results in both focus and exposure when shooting portraits. Automatically enabled in any of the P80's portrait modes, Face-Priority seeks out the face (or faces) in the image and bases focus and exposure on that portion of the frame. You can also choose Face-Priority as an AF Area mode through the camera menu. In this mode, the camera places a yellow border around any detected face or faces, and can detect as many as 12 faces in a frame. If you have multiple faces, focus is based on the one closest to the camera.

Mentioned under the Coolpix P80's Scene offerings, Panorama Assist mode lets you capture a series of images to be joined together post-capture as one panoramic shot. Framing guidelines appear on the LCD display to help you line up each image, and the included software (Panorama Maker) provides the utility for joining the images.

Storage and battery. The Coolpix P80 uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and comes with a charger. A separate AC adaptor is available as an optional accessory, and might be useful for more time consuming tasks like downloading images or utilizing the camera's Playback editing functions or when shooting in Interval Shooting mode. According to CIPA standard testing conducted by Nikon, a fully-charged battery will capture about 250 frames, which is about average for this type of battery. As always, we recommend picking up an additional battery and keeping it freshly-charged and on-hand for longer outings.

For image storage, the camera offers about 50MB of internal memory, but also has an SD card slot. No card comes with the camera, however. The internal memory will hold about 10 full resolution images, or about 252 of the lowest resolution. (Compare this to about 50 full resolution files on a 256MB memory card.) For movies, the internal memory can hold about 45 seconds of the highest resolution setting, though a 256MB card can hold about 3 minutes, 40 seconds. Thus, you definitely have some flexibility to grab images with the camera straight out of the box, but I'd recommend picking up a large capacity SDHC/SD memory card pretty quickly so you don't get caught trying to erase files to make room for new ones on the spot.

Shooting. The Coolpix P80 was an easy camera to get to know. Zoom speed through the optical zoom range was pretty good and fluid, though zooming past full telephoto and into digital zoom was a bit sluggish. Overall timings were fast to just a little slower than average, depending on the task at hand. Shutter lag was very good, but cycle times were just a little slow (2.64 seconds for large/fine JPEGs), though keep in mind that larger file sizes do play a part here. AF performance seemed pretty good as well, though I did get some blurry images when shooting at full telephoto without the Vibration Reduction setting enabled, even in bright daylight while using a dock piling as a tripod. This isn't too surprising, considering the Coolpix P80's maximum 486mm equivalent telephoto setting.

The LCD monitor was fairly bright out in the sunshine. However, as with most LCD monitors with a shiny surface, reflections do make it a little more difficult to see tiny details in the frame, and I found I needed to shield the display with my hand to more accurately see what I had in the frame. For image review, the LCD monitor was bright enough, and I found it to be fairly close to what I saw on my computer screen after downloading images.

Overall, I enjoyed shooting with the Coolpix P80. I appreciated the camera's substantial hand grip, as well as its compact size, which made it easy to tote just about anywhere. I found the control layout easy to navigate, and the LCD menu system equally quick to learn. But a camera is more than its utility.

Image quality

Appraisal. Overall, the Nikon Coolpix P80 does not perform up to the standard of the average $400 long-zoom digital camera. Exposure and color are generally good, but with low detail and sharpening artifacts mixed in with overaggressive noise suppression, even at the lowest ISOs. Color was punchy, and the 18x optical zoom does get you in nice and close, but at the cost of significant chromatic aberration across the frame that blurs detail and surrounds your subjects with a blue and red halo. Barrel distortion at wide-angle was high, but the camera's Distortion Control setting controls it well, overcorrecting just slightly. The Nikon Coolpix P80's printed results tell the majority of the story, though, with chroma noise in the shadows even at ISO 64, and though printed results are decent at 11x14, we've come to expect more from modern digital cameras. Higher ISOs actually look better by comparison, as you expect them to be softened by noise suppression. ISO 400 shots look decent at 8x10, but not as good as we'd like. So while performance is good in terms of speed and usability is decent, the Nikon P80 doesn't quite produce the image quality we like to see.

Nikon Coolpix P80 Conclusion

Nikon Coolpix P80 Pros

18x optical zoom

Compact size for a long zoom

Full range of exposure control modes, plus nice selection of preset Scene modes

Very good overall color and exposure

Large 2.7-inch LCD monitor

Face-Priority AF mode

Vibration Reduction reduces blurring

D-Lighting helps with backlit images

High ISOs to 6,400

Distortion Control handles lens distortion very well

Good Macro mode

Good viewfinder accuracy

Excellent prefocus shutter lag

Nikon Coolpix P80 Cons

All ISO settings trade detail for noise reduction

Strong blurring in the corners from lens at close range

Very soft detail definition

High contrast under harsh lighting in normal auto exposure mode

Chromatic aberration across the frame

Chromatic aberration moderately strong and bright in the corners

High barrel distortion (though Distortion Control corrects most of it)

High pincushion distortion

Auto white balance renders incandescent lighting slightly warm

Mediocre low-light performance

Slow startup

Very slow download speeds

Though a bit larger than most compact consumer digital cameras, the Nikon Coolpix P80 is actually quite compact given its very large 18x optical zoom lens. The slightly larger camera body allows for a good hand grip to balance out the weight of the lens, but the camera remains very portable. The Coolpix P80 performed well in terms of timing and utility, and offers an excellent range of exposure modes and shooting options to accommodate a wide range of user experience levels. But image quality left something to be desired. The Nikon P80's 18x optical zoom lens covers a 35mm equivalent range of 27-486mm, which is good, but the high chromatic aberration across the frame is a difficult compromise to accept. The Nikon Coolpix P80 was enjoyable to use, but its images were a disappointment. If you're not printing larger than 8x10, the Nikon P80 will still work fine up to ISO 400, but there are better long zoom digital cameras on the market.

Nikon Coolpix P80 Review

from PhotographyBLOG

Review Date: June 11th 2008
Author: Mark Goldstein

Overall Rating 4 STARS (out of 5) Recommended

Introduction

The Nikon Coolpix P80 is the first ever "super-zoom" compact camera from Nikon, with its 18x zoom lens providing a massive focal range of 27-485mm. The Nikon P80 can easily cope with everything from wide-angle landscapes and close-up buildings, head and shoulder portraits, sports and even wildlife and bird photography, all from a discrete camera that weighs less than 400g and can fit inside a small bag. The Coolpix P80’s lens features Nikon’s VR (Vibration Reduction) image stabilisation system to help ensure that the majority of photos are sharp and don't suffer from camera-shake. In addition to the impressive optical technology on offer, there's also a 2.7 inch LCD screen and electronic viewfinder for image composition, a complete range of exposure controls with Auto, Program, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority and full Manual mode, and an extensive ISO range of 64-6400. The Nikon P80 is up against some tough competition from the likes of Olympus, Fujifilm and Panasonic, who all released comparable models over a year ago, so can the latecomer gate-crash the party?

Ease of Use

At first glance the Nikon Coolpix P80 looks pretty much like a true digital SLR camera, with a chunky, rubberised handgrip, large lens barrel, pop-up flash and eye-level viewfinder. If you lined it up alongside DSLRs like Nikon's own D60, the Canon Digital EOS 450D and Sony A200, you would be hard pushed to spot the odd camera out, which is exactly what Nikon are aiming for. Indeed, the Olympus E-420 DSLR that we recently reviewed is actually a little bit smaller than the P80! All is revealed only when you look at the back of the P80 when it is turned on and see the LCD screen showing a live preview of the scene (something which many recent DSLR cameras can now do as well), or if you hold it up to your eye and look through the electronic viewfinder. Also the 18x fixed zoom also doesn't have the zoom or focus rings that you'll find on a DSLR lens. In terms of the direct competition, the P80's build quality surpasses the Olympus SP-570 UZ and Panasonic DMC-FZ18, and is on a par with the Fujifilm S8100fd. If we're being picky, there's a little bit of flex in the all-plastic body, but it's certainly a lot better built than the competitive $299 / $399 price-tag might suggest.

The huge 18x zoom lens obviously makes the Nikon Coolpix P80 one of the most versatile compacts in terms of focal range. The 27-486mm focal length should handle most photographic possibilities, with the exception of ultra wide-angle shots. The P80’s lens is impressively fast, with maximum apertures of f/2.8 at 27mm and f/4.5 at 486mm, although don’t expect to achieve DSLR-like blurred backgrounds due to the comparatively small sensor. Nikon’s engineers have also provided a 1cm macro mode, so there really is very little that the P80 can’t cope with. There’s no need to carry round a bagful of heavy lenses as with a DSLR system, and because the lens is fixed, there’s little danger of unwanted dust getting onto the sensor.

Thankfully Nikon have included their VR (Vibration Reduction) image stabilisation system to help prevent camera-shake, an essential feature on a camera like this, although annoyingly there isn't a dedicated button to turn it on and off (you have to turn the Mode Dial to Setup and then scroll through the menu system). In practice I found that the VR system makes a noticeable difference to the sharpness of the images, as shown in the examples on the Image Quality page. You can hear a slight mechanical whirring noise when anti-shake is turned on, but otherwise you don't really notice it, except that that you can use slower shutter speeds than normal and still take sharp photos. Thankfully leaving the anti-shake system on didn't negatively affect the battery-life, with the camera managing around 225 shots using the supplied Lithium-ion rechargeable battery.

There are two different way of composing images with the Nikon Coolpix P80. As with the rest of the super-zoom competition, the P80 has an electronic viewfinder (EVF), with a resolution of 230,000 pixels. As this camera has largely been designed to replicate a DSLR, it means that you will invariably compose your images by holding the camera up to your eye. I found that while the P80's EVF is one of the better examples around, it doesn't keep up with the eye quite as quickly or precisely as an optical viewfinder, and it wasn't as comfortable to use as the Fujifilm S8000fd. On the plus side, you get a lot more visual feedback via the EVF than on most optical viewfinders, it offers 97% scene coverage and dioptre adjustment, and you can also playback your images on it if you so wish! I still much prefer a traditional, good quality optical viewfinder though, and this would be one of the main reasons for opting for a true DSLR instead of the Nikon Coolpix P80. The 2.7 inch LCD monitor on the back of the camera offers the same specification of 230,000 pixels resolution and 97% scene coverage, with five levels of brightness, anti-reflection coating, wide viewing angle on offer. A button next to the electronic viewfinder switches between the EVF and LCD screen.

There aren't too many external controls and buttons (13 in total) on the Coolpix P80, reflecting the fact that this is a camera in the mould of an entry-level DSLR. There's a traditional dial on the top that lets you select the different shooting modes, which is a typical feature of SLR cameras, and it enables you to quickly change between the various modes. The Nikon Coolpix P80 offers a range of advanced modes including shutter-priority, aperture-priority and manual, perfect for the photographer who wants to take full control. The Movie and various Scene modes for beginners are also accessed via this dial, along with the Setup menu. The latter feature is a rather annoying design flaw which spoils the otherwise well-designed menu system. The P80’s menu system uses a very clear icon-based system with 5 options shown onscreen at once, but Nikon have decided to split it in two, with the Menu button accessing the Shooting menu, and the mode dial option opening the Setup menu. I found myself constantly having to turn the mode dial round just to turn Vibration Reduction on and off, for example. It would have made much more sense to combine the Shooting and Setup menus in one, as there really aren't that many options anyway.

The Nikon Coolpix P80 isn’t as versatile as a true DSLR camera in terms of its key specifications, with a limiting maximum shutter speed of 8 seconds and aperture range of f/2.8-8.0. There is a well-positioned control dial on the rear which makes it easy to change the aperture and shutter speed, but there’s no second dial on the hand-grip which would have made operating Manual mode much easier. The general layout of the P80 will appeal to beginners more than experienced photographers with an uncluttered approach that won’t scare anyone off, but no dedicated controls for settings like ISO speed and white balance means having to spend time scrolling through the menu system. The P80 has an SD compatible memory card slot, allowing the use of either SD or SDHC cards, and there's also 52MB of internal memory, which can store 10 images at the highest quality level. If you have never used a digital camera before, or you're upgrading from a more basic model, reading the well-written and easy-to-follow manual before you start is a good idea. Thankfully Nikon have bucked the recent trend of not providing hard-copy manuals by supplying it in printed format.

There are a few interesting features that help the Nikon Coolpix P80 stand-out from the increasingly crowded super-zoom space. Distortion control automatically corrects barrel distortion, useful for all those 27mm shots of close-up architecture with converging verticals, but it does have to be turned on before you take a picture. Face-priority Autofocus can detect up to 12 faces in a scene just so long as they're looking directly at the camera, whilst In-Camera Red-Eye Fix automatically processes the picture to remove red-eye. D-Lighting is a long-standing Nikon technology that brightens the shadow areas of an image, although on the P80 it can only be applied to an image after it has been taken, via the Playback menu. Finally the Optimize image option allows you to tweak the look and feel of your images, with 6 presets and a Custom option on offer. The contrast, saturation and sharpening level of each preset can be individually adjusted too, so you should be able to find a setting that suits you.

The start-up time from turning the Nikon Coolpix P80 on to being ready to take a photo is quick at less than 2 seconds, whilst zooming from the widest focal length to the longest takes around 4 seconds, understandable given the huge focal length on offer. Focusing is quick in good light and the camera achieves focus most of the time indoors or in low-light situations, helped by a powerful focus-assist lamp. The visibility, resolution and refresh rate of both the 2.7 inch LCD screen and the electronic viewfinder (EVF) are good. Using the single shot mode, it takes about 2 seconds to store a JPEG image, but there is a brief LCD blackout between each image during which you can't take another shot. In the Continuous shooting mode the camera takes just 1 frame per second at the highest image quality, limited to 9 frames, which is below average for this class of camera. There is also a Multi-shot 16 mode that takes 16 photos at 1.1 frames per second and arranges them into a single image, plus an Interval timer shooting mode, which is useful for things like astrophotography. Nikon are also heavily pushing their new Sports Continuous Scene Mode, which for shoots at 13fps for up to 30 frames, but it only works only when you set the resolution to 3 megapixels or lower.

Once you have captured a photo, the Nikon Coolpix P80 has quite a good range of options when it comes to playing, reviewing and managing your images. You can instantly scroll through the images that you have taken, view thumbnails (up to 16 onscreen at the same time), zoom in and out up to 10x magnification, apply D-Lighting, set the print order, view a slide show, delete, protect, rotate, hide and copy an image, plus create a smaller version and add a black border. The Display button toggles between various views, including showing detailed settings information about each picture, such as the ISO rating and aperture/shutter speed, and a brightness-based histogram.

In summary the Nikon Coolpix P80 effectively combines the main benefits of the DSLR and compact camera systems, and appeals to both beginners and the more experienced photographer alike.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 10 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 3Mb.

Noise

There are 9 ISO settings available on the Nikon Coolpix P80. Note that the image resolution is reduced to 3 megapixels for ISO 3200 and 6400. There is no discernible noise at the slowest settings of ISO 64 and 100, as you would expect, but at ISO 200 noise is already appearing. By ISO 400 it is very obvious, together with coloured artifacts and blurring of detail. ISO 800 is for emergency use only, whilst ISO 1600 and 2000 are virtually unusable. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting:

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little bit soft at the default sharpening setting, and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening levels using the Optimize Image setting if you don't like the default results.

File Quality

The Nikon Coolpix P80 has 3 different image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

Chromatic Aberrations

The Nikon Coolpix P80 handled chromatic aberrations fairly well during the review. Some purple fringing was present around the edges of objects in high-contrast situations, as shown in the examples below.

Macro

The Nikon Coolpix P80 offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is just 1cm away from the camera. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject in Macro mode (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.

Flash

The flash settings on the Nikon Coolpix P80 are Auto, Auto + Red-Eye reduction, Off, Fill Flash, Slow sync and Rear-curtain sync. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Night Shot

The Nikon Coolpix P80's maximum shutter speed is 8 seconds, which is fairly good news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 8 seconds, aperture of f/4.5 at ISO 100. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.

Anti Shake

The Nikon Coolpix P80 has an anti-shake mechanism, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, I took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with anti shake turned off, the second with it turned on. Here is a 100% crop of the image to show the results. As you can see, with anti shake turned on, the images are much sharper than with anti shake turned off. This feature really does seem to make a difference and could mean capturing a successful, sharp shot or missing the opportunity altogether.

Overall Image Quality

The Nikon Coolpix P80's image quality is above average. The Nikon Coolpix P80's main drawback in terms of image quality is noise, with the relatively slow speed of ISO 200 showing some noise, particularly in shadow areas. The noise gets progressively worse as you go from ISO 200 to ISO 400 and finally the virtually unusable ISO 800, 1600 and 2000 settings. The Nikon Coolpix P80 dealt with chromatic aberrations a little better, with purple fringing effects appearing only in high contrast situations. The 10 megapixel images were a little soft straight out of the camera, but you can change the in-camera sharpening level if you wish. The night photograph was fine, with the maximum shutter speed of 8 seconds allowing you to capture just enough light for most situations. The built-in flash worked well indoors, with a little red-eye and good overall exposure. Macro performance is excellent, allowing you to focus as close as just 1cm away from the subject at the wide-angle lens setting. Anti-shake is an essential feature on a camera like this and one that works well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions or using the telephoto end of the zoom range.

Conclusion

The Coolpix P80 is an excellent first attempt at a super-zoom camera by Nikon, but it's ultimately let down by image quality that is worse than some of its main rivals. Nikon have worked hard to ensure that the P80 is competing on a level playing field, and the P80 looks and feels very similar to the offerings from Olympus, Fujifilm and Panasonic, with a near-identical feature-set. The P80 is impeccably built, even more impressive given its budget price-tag, and the uncluttered design makes it very intuitive to use, albeit at the cost of relying more heavily on the menu system to access certain key features. The 18x lens is obviously the star of the show, and for most photographers the Nikon Coolpix P80 will cover all the bases, with the exception of ultra-wide angle pictures. The lens is fast, effectively image stabilized and doesn't suffer from too much distortion - Nikon have even thoughtfully included an option to reduce any unwanted effects. Performance is less impressive, with a brief but noticeable lock-up between single images and a disappointingly slow continuous shooting speed, although focusing is quick and accurate even at the telephoto end of the zoom. Which brings us to the P80's achilles heel, namely image quality. Noise and colour artifacts are obvious at the slow ISO speed of 200, with anything above ISO 400 almost a complete write-off, which limits the kind of lighting conditions in which you can use the P80. There's also some fairly obvious purple-fringing if you look closely enough, and the maximum shutter speed of 8 seconds is limiting for this class of camera. The 1cm macro mode can't make up for this camera's other deficiencies, and whilst image quality isn't that bad, it isn't great either, and certainly not as good as our current super-zoom of choice, the Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd. All of which means that while the Nikon Coolpix P80 is, as Nikon proudly claim, currently the World's smallest 18x camera, it sadly isn't the best.

PhotographyBLOG
OVERALL RATING
4.0 STARS (OUT OF 5)
RECOMMENDED

ATTRIBUTE RATINGS (OUT OF 5)
Design	4.5
Features	4.5
Ease-of-use	4.5
Image quality	3.5
Value for money	4.5

Nikon Coolpix P80	Specifications

General
Model Number:	P80
Alternate Model Number(s):
Camera Format:	EVF
Currently Manufactured:	No
Retail Price:	$399.95
Street Price:
Date Available:	4/15/2008
Tripod Mount:	Yes
Weight:	13.9 oz (395 g)
Weight:	includes batteries
Size:	4.3 x 3.1 x 3.1 in.
Size:	(110 x 79 x 78 mm)
Waterproof:	No
Waterproof Depth:	n/a
Image Sensor
Sensor Type:	CCD
Sensor Manufacturer:
Effective Megapixels:	10.1
Sensor Format:	1/2.33 inch
Sensor size:	28.198mm² (6.13mm x 4.6mm)
Approximate Pixel Pitch:	1.68 microns
Focal Length Multiplier:	n/a
Aspect Ratio:	4:3, 16:9
Color Filter Type:
Anti Aliasing Filter:
Self-Cleaning:	No
Sensor shift image stabilization:	Yes
On-Sensor Phase Detect:	No
DxO Sensor Score:
DxO Color Depth Score (bits):
DxO Dynamic Range Score (evs):
DxO Maximum Effective ISO Score (iso):
Image Capture
Image Resolution:	3648 x 2736 (10.0 MP, 4:3),
	3648 x 2432 (8.9 MP, 3:2),
	3584 x 2016 (7.2 MP, 16:9),
	3264 x 2448 (8.0 MP, 4:3),
	2736 x 2736 (7.5 MP, 1:1),
	2592 x 1944 (5.0 MP, 4:3),
	2048 x 1536 (3.1 MP, 4:3),
	1600 x 1200 (1.9 MP, 4:3),
	1280 x 960 (1.2 MP, 4:3),
	1024 x 768 (0.8 MP, 4:3),
	640 x 480 (0.3 MP, 4:3)
Image File Format:	JPEG
Continuous-mode frames/second:	1.2
Video Capture
Can take movies:	Yes
Movie Resolution:
Movie File Format:	AVI
Composite Video Out:	Yes
NTSC/PAL Switchable Video:	Yes
Video Usable as Viewfinder:
HD Video Out:
HD Video Connection:
Lens & Optics
Lens Mount:	n/a
Lens:	Zoom-Nikkor lens, 14 elements in 5 groups
Focal Length (35mm equivalent):	27 - 486mm
Focal Length (actual):	4.7 - 84.2mm
Zoom Ratio:	18.00x
Aperture Range:	f/2.8 (wide) / f/4.5 (tele) - ???
Integrated ND Filter:	No
Normal Focus Range:	40 cm to Infinity
Normal Focus Range:	15.7 in to Infinity
Macro Focus Range:	1 cm to Infinity
Macro Focus Range:	0.4 in to Infinity
Filter Thread:	n/a
Thread Type:	n/a
Optical Image Stabilization:	No
Digital Zoom:	Yes
Digital Zoom Values:	Up to 4x
Auto Focus
Auto Focus:	Yes
Auto Focus Type:	9-area Contrast Detect with Face-Priority AF (up to 12 faces in one frame); Multi/Single-area AF
Auto Focus Assist Light?	Yes
Manual Focus:	Yes
Viewfinder
Viewfinder:	EVF / LCD
Viewfinder Type:	EVF type; 0.24", 230K pixel color LCD
Focus Peaking:	No
EVF Resolution:
Viewfinder Magnification (35mm equivalent):
Viewfinder Magnification (nominal/claimed):
Display
Eye-level Viewfinder:	Yes
Rear Display:	Yes
Rear Display Size (inches):	2.7
Rear Display Resolution:	230,000 dots
Touchscreen:	No
Articulating Screen:	No
Tilt Swivel Screen:	No
Selfie Screen:	No
Max Playback Zoom:
Top Deck Display:
Exposure
Maximum ISO (native):
Minimum ISO (native):
ISO Settings:	Auto (64 - 800), 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400; * available at 3MP or smaller; High-Sensitivity mode (64 - 1600); Fixed Range Auto (64-100, 200, 400)
Auto ISO Mode:	Yes
White Balance Settings:	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Flash, White Balance Preset
Shutter Speed Range:	1/2000 - 8 sec
Bulb Mode:	No
Exposure Compensation:	+/- 2.0EV in 0.3EV steps
Metering Modes:	256- segment Matrix, Center-weighted, Spot, Spot AF area (99 areas)
Program Auto Exposure:	Yes
Aperture Priority:	Yes
Shutter Priority:	Yes
Full Manual Exposure:	Yes
Creative Exposure Modes:	Portrait, Night Portrait, Sports, Landscape, Party, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Dusk/Dawn, Night Landscape, Museum, Fireworks Show
Self Timer:	2 or 10 seconds
Time Lapse (intervalometer):
High Resolution Composite:	No
Flash
Built-in Flash:	Yes
Flash Modes:	Auto, Auto with red-eye reduction, Anytime flash, Slow sync, Red-eye reduction, Redeye reduction with slow sync, Flash cancel/ flash off
Flash Guide Number (ISO 100):	n/a
Flash Range Description:	28 ft (8.8m)
Max Flash Sync:
Flash Exposure Compensation:
External Flash Connection:	n/a
Built-In Wireless Flash Control:
Image Storage
Usable Memory Types:	SD / SDHC
UHS Support:
Other Memory:
Dual Card Slots:	No
RAW Capture Support:
Uncompressed Format:
Movie File Format:	AVI
Included Memory:	50.0 MB
Included Memory Type:	Internal
Connectivity
Built-In Wi-Fi:	No
NFC:	No
Bluetooth:	No
Built-In GPS:	No
Microphone Jack:	No
Headphone Jack:	No
External Connections:	USB 2.0 High Speed
PictBridge Compliant:	Yes
DPOF Compliant:	Yes
Remote Control:	No
Remote Control Type:
Connections (extended):
Performance Timing
Cycle time for JPEG shooting in single shot mode (seconds per frame, max resolution):	2.64
Cycle time for RAW shooting in single shot mode (seconds per frame):
Buffer size for RAW shooting in single shot mode (frames):
Cycle time for RAW+JPEG shooting in single shot mode (seconds per shot):
Camera penalizes early shutter press?	No
JPEG shooting speed in burst mode (fps, max resolution):	1.2
Buffer size for JPEG shooting in burst mode (frames, max resolution):	5
RAW shooting speed in burst mode (fps):
Buffer size for RAW shooting in burst mode (frames):
RAW+JPEG shooting speed in burst mode (fps):
Buffer Size for RAW+JPEG shooting in burst mode (frames):
Shutter lag (full AF, wide/mid):	0.55 seconds
Shutter lag (full AF, tele):	0.65 seconds
Shutter lag (full AF, live view - DSLR):
Shutter lag (prefocused, live view - DSLR):
Shutter Lag (manual focus):	0.353 seconds
Shutter lag (full AF, with flash):	0.79 seconds
Shutter Lag (prefocused):	0.005 seconds
Shutter Lag (notes):
Startup Time:	3.6 seconds
Play -> Record Time:	0.8 seconds
Flash cycle time, full power:	5.6 seconds
Power
Battery Life, Stills (CIPA Rating Monitor/Live View):	250 shots
Battery Life, Still (CIPA Rating OVF/EVF):
Battery Life, Video:
Battery Form Factor:	Proprietary EN-EL5
Usable Battery Types:	Lithium-ion rechargeable
Batteries Included:	1 x Proprietary EN-EL5 Lithium-ion rechargeable
Battery Charger Included (dedicated charger or AC/USB adapter):	Yes
Dedicated Battery Charger Included:
Internal Charging Supported:
Software
Included Software:	Nikon Software Suite CD-ROM
OS Compatibility:	Windows Vista (32bit), XP HE/Pro; Mac OS X 10.3.9+
Miscellaneous
Notes & Features:	Sensor-shift Vibration Reduction (VR), In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, D-Lighting, Distortion Correction, and Face Priority AF. A new Sport Continuous Mode allows users to shoot as many as 30 consecutive pictures at four, six, or a quick 13 frames per second at lower resolutions.

Additional Reviews for the Nikon Coolpix P80 digital camera are available online.