Nikon Coolpix 8700 8MP Digital Camera with 8x Optical Zoom
by Nikon
Our Price: $699.95
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: NikonModel: 25515
Product features:
- 8-megapixel sensor captures 3264 x 2448 images for poster-size plus print enlargements
- 8x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom (for 32x total zoom)
- Movie mode with audio; 5-shot buffer mode; fast start-up time
- Store images on CompactFlash type I/II memory cards; Microdrive compatible; no memory card included
- Powered by rechargeable lithium-ion battery (included); connects via USB 1.1
- Adobe Photoshop CS5 Upgrade [Old Version]
- Serif PhotoPlus X3
- Adobe Photoshop CS4 Upgrade [OLD VERSION]
- Aperture 3
- Pixelmator [Old Version]
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Nikon Coolpix 8700 8MP Digital Camera with 8x Optical Zoom
Customer Review: Solid Performance
Summary: 4 Stars
I have owned my Nikon 8700 for almost two years and have taken over 7000 photos. It is a very good serious amateur's camera and might make a reasonable back-up for a professional phtotographer. The 8 megapixel resolution is enough for moderately sized prints, up to about 11 x 14, assuming no cropping.
The zoom lens is reasonably fast and quite convenient. Autofocus is normally pretty good, but as one approaches close-up shots with long focal length and moderate or low light, it fails quite regularly. One can see it 'hunt' right through the perfect focus and choose something not even close. Otherwise, the optics seem pretty good. The viewfinder is bright, but it is really small. It will indicate whether the subject is in the frame, but it will give only a hint of what the final result will look like. This puts it at a great disadvantage to real "through the lens" slr's.
It will produce very sharp images under moderately favorable conditions. There is only a little barrel distortion and vignetting at short focal lengths, and virtually no chromatic aberration. The jpeg compression, comes in three flavors: basic, normal, and fine. Basic is alright for small snapshot photos and shots of very smooth things, but it produces a lot of jpeg artifacts when trees are cast against the sky or other places where irregular edges contrast with the background. Fine mode has very little of this problem. In-camera sharpening works reasonably well, though even the lowest level will produce banding artifacts in high contrast areas. These will typically be visible only during image editing, though.
Color reproduction is generally quite good, but dark and midtone colors between blue and red - especially those between magenta and red - will often appear to be qualitatively very different in the photo from what they do to the eye. It is something that can be repaired in Photoshop, but anyone without a really solid image-editing program will be tempted to throw the camera against the wall. In other words - if you want this camera, you need to have an image editing program that allows adjustment of curves, and adjustment of hue and saturation for the six primary and secondary colors. My cheap Fujifilm 2800 is much more faithful with these reds.
With eight different modes of operation including landscape, flowers, indoor portrait, fireworks, and panorama, the electronics offer a good variety of modes. I use floral and landscape all the time, and they work quite well. Floral mode offers five zones that you can use for focus and exposure metering, making this a really handy mode for all kinds of close work.
Other modes are not quite as good. I tried nightime landscape last night. It was a full moon - one of those 'bright as day' nights. But the shutter did not stay open long enough to register any sort of an image, except for a ghostly dark gray image of some pure white surfaces. Similarly, the flash manages to make everything look ugly. This may not be a quality unique to this flash, but I would never use the flash except for cases of slight fill when the subject was 6-10 feet away. In its defense, there is a hot shoe and if I were not in the habit of using natural light for everything, I should have mastered this art by now.
Most of the controls are intuitive and easy to use. There is a bank of controls that naturally falls beneath the left hand when one is steadying the camera. These include the jpeg adjustment, self timer, and the flash mode selector. I have ruined many dozens of shots by accidently pressing one of these. Almost every photo-shoot in moderate or low light finds me waiting for the self-timer. And I went a whole shoot doing "basic" mode when I intended "fine."
The body is solid and it is mechanically quite sound. It fits the hands quite comfortably. Fit and finish are very soli. After two years of moderate use, the camera seems none the worse for the wear. Even the decals are in mint condition I have two batteries and a charger, and find that this is just barely enough. I also bought a 1 gigapixel card and would not reecommend anything less.
I have owned three film SLR's and I could never recommend trading to this camera from a film SLR. I have scanned a number of slides and am sure that this camera produces an image, that is is better than one from a 35mm, but one quickly misses the control one is used to shooting manually with an SLR. I bought this camera at the same time as a Pentax 6x7 medium format camera, and I find myself using this for almost everything because it is so much more convenient and portable. And only in the case of images that would be over 20 inches on a side is the advantage of high resolution one that makes the Pentax a better choice. For those serious about fine art landscapes and other photos with much detail, medium format film will still beat this camera or, probably any digital camera for detail. But for less than poster-sized pictures under normal shooting conditions, it is hard to beat this camera.
Description of Nikon Coolpix 8700 8MP Digital Camera with 8x Optical Zoom
MD) CL) AA) Nikon Cool Pix 8700 Digital CameraAmazon.com Product Description Boasting an impressive 8-megapixel resolution and 8x optical zoom lens, the Nikon Coolpix 8700 is a great choice for professional and advanced amateur photographers. Compared with its predecessor--Nikon's Coolpix 5700--the Coolpix 8700 has a faster start-up time, faster data recording, shorter release time lag and a new AF-Assist illuminator for quick AF operation in low light. It also features a movie mode with audio, a lightweight magnesium alloy body, PictBridge compatibility, and much more.
Optics and Resolution
The ultra-high resolution Coolpix 8700 has a 2/3-inch-type CCD that captures up to 3264 x 2448 images for poster-size print enlargements. Other resolution modes include 3264 x 2176, 2592 x 1944, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, and 640 x 480. The 8x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens (f/2.8 - 4.2) offers a focal range of 8.9-71.2mm (equivalent to 35-280mm in 35mm format). It also has a 4x digital zoom. The lens incorporates two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements that minimize chromatic aberration for sharp, clear images. Additionally, the Optical Low-Pass Filter is optimized, which helps the high-definition CCD image sensor get the best optical performance.
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| See detailed views of the 8700's features: Back Top |
Movie Mode
In addition to snapping brilliant still photos, the Coolpix 8700 can also capture video with audio. It offers four movie modes: TV movie (640 x 480 pixels; 30 fps) with audio, Small movie (320 x 240 pixels; 15 fps) with audio, sepia movie (320 x 240 pixels; 5 fps) with audio, and time-lapse movie (640 x 480 pixels; 30 fps).
More Features
The Coolpix 8700 offers Programmed Auto, Shutter-Priority Auto, Aperture-Priority Auto, and Manual, as well as Exposure Compensation for an exceptional degree of exposure control. Nikon's 256-segment Matrix Metering system enables optimal exposures in even the most challenging lighting conditions, while its Matrix Auto White Balance neutralizes color deviations created by ambient light sources. The convenient Best Shot Selector (BSS) function automatically selects the sharpest image from a series of consecutive shots--especially valuable during macro or telephoto shooting.
The 5-shot buffer mode retains the last 5 shots when the shutter button is continually pressed and then released in order to capture unexpected or fleeting moments. The continuous shooting feature captures 2.5 (H) or 1.2 (L) frames per second. Alternatively, you can use the new Multi-shot mode to capture 16 consecutive frames in a single image. It's equipped with a large, vari-angle 1.8-inch LCD monitor for increased visibility--even during bright daylight and a high-resolution EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) that offers greater contrast and clearer images.
Other features include:
- Continuous shooting of up to 5 full-size (3,264 x 2,448-pixel) pictures at 2.5 frames per second (fps)
- 12 Scene Modes: Portrait, Party/Indoor, Night portrait, Beach/Snow, Landscape, Sunset, Night landscape, Fireworks show, Close up, Copy, Back light, and Panorama assist
- RAW mode image recording
- Accessory shoe to accommodate attachment of external Nikon SB-series Speedlights
- Fast shutter speed of 1/4,000 seconds and maximum 10 minute long exposure mode (along with noise reduction mode for long-time exposures)
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| The camera's magnesium alloy body is rugged and lightweight. |
Storage and Transfer
Images and video are stored on CompactFlash memory cards (Type I/II), and the Coolpix 8700 is compatible with MicroDrives (no memory card is included with this package). Files can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB 1.1 connectivity, which means it can be connected to any USB-based Windows 98/Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.
Power and Size
The camera is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (EN-EL1, included, captures approximately 210 images). It can also be powered by the optional MB-E5700 battery pack (6 AA batteries). It measures 4.4 by 4.1 by 3.1 inches and weighs 17 ounces (excluding battery).
What's in the Box
This package includes the Coolpix 8700 digital camera, rechargeable lithium-ion battery (EN-EL1), battery charger (MH-53), lens cap, camera strap, USB and A/V cables, and CD-ROM with Nikon View editing software and drivers. Optional accessories include: Fisheye Converter (FC-E9), Wideangle Converter (WC-E80), Telephoto Converter (TC-E15ED), Step-Down Ring Lens Adapter (UR-E12), Lens Hood (HR-E5700), Lens Hood (HN-CP11), AC Adapter (EH-53), Car Battery Charger (MH-53C), Remote Cord (MC-EU1), and Soft Case (CS-CP11).
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