Nikon COOLPIX P500 12.1 CMOS Digital Camera with 36x NIKKOR Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and Full HD 1080p Video (Black)
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: NikonModel: P500 Black
Color: Black
Product features:
- 36x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom-NIKKOR ED Glass Lens.
- 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor for high-speed operation and exceptional low-light performance.
- Capture 5 shots in one second at full resolution
- Full HD (1080p) Movie with Stereo sound and HDMI Output
- 5-way VR Image Stabilization System
- AmazonBasics SDHC Class 4 32GB Secure Digital Card
- Dane-Elec 4 GB SDHC Flash Memory Card DA-SD-4096-R
- Dane-Elec 8 GB Class 4 SDHC Flash Memory Card DA-SD-8192-R
- AmazonBasics SDHC Class 10 4 GB Secure Digital Card
- AmazonBasics SDHC Class 4 16GB Secure Digital Card
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Nikon COOLPIX P500 12.1 CMOS Digital Camera with 36x NIKKOR Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and Full HD 1080p Video (Black)
Customer Review: The Next Superzoom Bridge Camera
Summary: 4 Stars
Bridge cameras have always been one of those cameras that give you compact camera quality pictures with their tiny sensors and processing engines but at the same time give you alot of control over their photographic parameters such as exposure time, shuttle speed and aperture size.
With so many competing camera manufacturers we have today, and with bridge cameras normally sitting on their top-of-the-line shelves commanding prices as high as many entry level DSLRs, one thing is becoming more and more obvious for these manufacturers: you either produce a new camera with specifications so outrageous that it kicks last year's top model off its throne or prepare to have your new camera thrown into some discount bin at Costco the second the novelty of the new camera wears off.
Since practically every bridge camera is already maxing out on controls and megapixels, it seems that what is left for them to do is now provide as much optical zoom power as physically possible to blow their competition out of the water.
The 2011's Nikon P500 has reached a staggering 36x optical zoom, with maximum effective focal length of 810mm when the zoom barrel is extended to the maximum. If this figure doesn't sound absurd to you, you might like to know that a basic astronomical telescope's focal length on average starts from around 700mm.
Under the normal guideline for minimum shuttle speed for a given focal length, the minimum shuttle speed for a picture taken at 810mm would have to be at least 1/800 of a second in order for you to obtain a clear, unshaken image.
However, surprisingly, the P500, with the use of two vibration reduction systems (Hybrid VR), one being sensor shift and one electronic by mapping two images into one, is able to counteract lots of handshaking and provide reasonably blur free images even at the maximum zoom of 810mm.
Also, despite what is being said by most reviewers here, the picture quality of its 12.1 MP sensor is actually pretty decent, even when the sensor is pushed to its ISO limits. The picture quality is obviously no DSLR grade with such a small sensor, but I dare say that the image quality of the P500 actually surpasses many bridge cameras released just a few months ago. The colors are punchy and balanced even at higher ISOs, which is quite surprising for a Nikon compact since most of their lower end and older models tend to give me pictures with this ugly yellow cast when I shoot at sensitivities beyond ISO 400.
So without going into too much details, here are some of the worthy highlights of the camera:
1) Dual zoom levers for the 36x optical zoom from a very wide 22.5mm to a telescopic 810mm, one on the side of the zoom barrel and one on top. The side zoom control can be customized to adjust optical zoom power or manual focus.
2) The zoom barrel does not retract when I review my images, unlike my Sony superzooms. It stays at the zoom power I set the camera to at the previous shot. Very good programming by Nikon.
3) Extensive controls as per any bridge cameras, however, there are insufficient direct control buttons for a few essential settings such as white balance and ISO. There are direct buttons for single/burst shots, flash control, EV control, timer control, macro/landscape focus select control. For everything else, you will have to dive into the multi-layered menus to make the necessary changes.
4) Very steady Hybrid VR (vibration reduction) control, this feature may be mistaken by most as preview lags on the LCD when the camera is shooting in high zoom, but I believe the lagging is meant to keep the camera preview from shaking too much at high zoom. My older bridge cameras have high refresh rates but their LCD previews were so jerky at maximum zoom I can barely frame my shots properly without a tripod.
5) Very comprehensive ISO control but unfortunately not as laid out as a proper Nikon DSLR. Auto ISO range is from 160-200, 160-400, 160-800 (Auto ISO) and 160-1600 (Auto high ISO). The maximum ISO setting (3200) cannot be roped into the auto ISO range like a standard Nikon DSLR.
6) One user preset, good for fast retrieval of the complete set of personalized controls when you need it.
7) Mimimum shuttle speed control as per standard Nikon DSLR, but the camera will slow the shuttle speed past the minimum preset speed if maximum ISO has been reached and the camera is not able to obtain sufficient exposure.
8) 4 settings for Active D-Lighting (High, Normal, Low, Off)
9) HD video at 1080i, high speed slow motion video at reduced resolution. QVGA at 240fps, VGA at 120fps and 720 at 60fps.
10) There is fulltime AF, electronic vibration reduction and wind reduction (for mic) for video recording.
11) Useful HDMI out for digital AV connection (output only).
12) Very well built body with good styling, the camera is light in the hand with such a telescopic zoom power, the zoom barrel doesn't extend too much (barely 4 inches out) even at maximum zoom.
13) Last but not least, although the camera does not come with a much needed external battery charger, the USB connector on the camera can receive power from any USB source to charge the camera battery on the fly. This means even if you have no access to a power outlet while you're out backpacking, a portable battery charging pack with USB output for charging your phone can be used to charge the camera as well. Nikon deserves a pat in the back for this great idea.
And here are some of the things about the P500 that I didn't like:
1) Very slow focus especially when there is insufficient light, by this I mean anything less than natural daylight. The camera does not focus well in candlelight. Focusing becomes slower as the focal length gets higher.
2) Very slow zoom as zooming is purely electronic.
3) Limitations on the use of the Hybrid VR system. When the Hybrid VR is turned on, all Auto ISO modes (Auto ISO and High Auto ISO) will be limited up to ISO 200 only. This will result in very slow shuttle speeds in Aperture Priority Mode (A mode) when you're shooting indoors or at night. Moving subjects will appear as a bunch of blurred shadows. Switching to Shuttle Priority (S mode) to force the shuttle speed up will result in underexposed images. You will need to go into the ISO menu to force the ISO up if you want to achieve higher shuttle speeds in A mode and achieve balanced exposure while shooting in S mode. Do watch out for this little quirk if you intend to use Hybrid VR all the time in combination with Auto ISO or High Auto ISO.
4) No practical use for the very limited continuous burst mode. High speed burst at H (fast) setting at max resolution is limited to only 5 shots, and the camera goes into a long, writing phase. The camera will be unusable for around 30 seconds. At L (slow) setting at max resolution, the limit is 17 shots, and the camera goes into an even longer, unresponsive state. This lasts for almost 60 seconds. There's a pre-chached mode that limits the resolution to only 2MP. So, if you're into long action shots, use the HS video mode instead of the burst mode. There is just no point in using a 5-frame or a 17-frame max resolution continuous burst. If you triggered your burst too early, you will miss your shot completely.
5) The limited shuttle speeds may be a deal breaker for some. The fastest shuttle speed is 1/1500 of a second, which is slow considering most bridge can go to at least 1/2000 at wide zoom and 1/4000 at telephoto. Freezing superfast action may be a problem here. The slowest shuttle speed is only 8 seconds. Most bridge cameras, like the Sony HX-1 can open the shuttle for up to 30 seconds. The Nikon P500 can only do as long as 8 seconds at M mode and 2 seconds at S mode.
6) Smaller aperture range than most bridge models. Largest aperture is F3.4 at 22.5mm (F5.7 at 810mm) and smallest at F8.0 (whole zoom range).
7) Obvious barrel distortion at 22.5mm, objects with straight lines look swollen if they are near the sides of the frame.
8) No hot shoe connector for Nikon speedlights (or any other kinds of external flash units). A full featured bridge camera should really have support for an external flash.
9) Articulate LCD is not fully articulate, it swivels up and down but not to the sides. No self-portraits with this monster zoom.
10) Battery is rather weak compared to a real DSLR, a system with so much control tends to blow through the 4.1Wh (3.7V, 1100mAh) battery quickly. You might want to have a second battery handy (Model number EN-EL5).
I suspect the slower than standard auto-focus speed and limited shutter speed range has something to do with the limitations of having such a huge zoom factor. The biggest DSLR zoom barrel only goes as far as 15x (The Tamron 18-270mm, Sony maxed out at 13.8 with its SAL18250, Nikon and Canon both maxed out at 11.1x with their 18-200mm zooms), so that says alot about the amount of engineering Nikon has thrown into the tiny zoom barrel of the P500.
In conclusion, although the Nikon P500 may not be the ultimate bridge camera for everyone, but as a bridge model with such a massive zoom and generally clean and punchy output, the camera does alright in my book. With the exception of the horrifically slow auto-focus, the limited continuous burst and the limited shuttle speed range, the camera shines in almost every department. Just don't expect this camera to capture any clear shots of children running wild in the playground on a gloomy afternoon.
More Nikon COOLPIX P500 12.1 CMOS Digital Camera with 36x NIKKOR Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and Full HD 1080p Video (Black) reviews:
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Description of Nikon COOLPIX P500 12.1 CMOS Digital Camera with 36x NIKKOR Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and Full HD 1080p Video (Black)
Canon's update to the wildly popular full frame EOS 5D is here, and it's better than ever. The EOS 5D Mark II has a stunning 21.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 Image Processor, a vast ISO Range of 100-6400 (expandable to ISO L: 50, H1: 12800 and H2: 25600), plus EOS technologies like Auto Lighting Optimizer and Peripheral Illumination Correction. It supports Live View shooting, Live View HD videos, and more. It can shoot up to 3.9 fps, has 9 AF points plus 6 AF assist points, a new 98% coverage viewfinder, a 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots/VGA) and a rugged build. Full-frame shooters rejoice! FEATURES: 21.1 Megapixel Full-frame CMOS sensor, 14-bit A/D conversion (16,384 colors/each of 3 primary color), wide range ISO setting of 100-6400 (expandable L: 50, H1: 12800 and H2: 25600) - The EOS 5D Mark II features a huge, full-frame sensor. A 21.1-megapixel CMOS sensor delivers images of up to 5616 x 3744 pixels. And since it is full-frame, all lenses will deliver the angle of view they would on a 35mm camera without a conversion factor. This comes in handy especially when shooting with wide-angle lenses. For the flexibility to shoot in even the most dimly lit situations, the EOS 5D Mark II offers Canon's highest ISO sensitivity to date, ranging from 100-6400 (expandable to ISO L: 50, H1: 12800 and H2: 25600). Thanks to improved noise reduction technologies, images shot even at highest sensitivity will be remarkably smooth. Full HD Video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution for up to 4GB per clip with HDMI output for HD viewing of stills and video - The EOS 5D Mark II is the first digital EOS to offer recording of Full HD video in Live View Mode. Capable of shooting clips almost half an hour long at full 1080 resolDigital Cameras
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