Nikon Coolpix P90 12.1MP Digital Camera with 24x Wide Angle Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3 inch Tilt LCD
by Nikon
Our Price: $599.00
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $180.00 (click here)
Category: Digital Camera
See more product details
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: NikonFormat: CD
Platform: Windows
Model: P90
Color: Matte Black
Product features:
- 12.1-megapixel resolution for photo-quality prints up to 16 x 20 inches
- 24x optical wide-angle (35mm equivalent focal length: 26-624mm) Zoom-Nikkor ED glass lens
- 3.0-inch Vari-Angle LCD and Electronic Viewfinder
- Nikon's Smart Portrait System; Red-eye Fix, Face Priority AE and more
- Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)
- Nikon's Smart Portrait System , Red-eye Fix, Face Priority AE and more
- Nikon UC-E6 Replacement USB Cable for Coolpix 2100, 2200, 3100, 3200, 4200, 5200, 8400 & 8800 Digital Cameras
- Nikon EN-EL5 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery for Coolpix P3, P4. P5000, S10, 3700, 4200, 5200, 5900 & 7900 Digital Cameras (Retail Packaging)
- Adobe Photoshop CS5 Upgrade [Old Version]
- Serif PhotoPlus X3
- Adobe Photoshop CS4 Upgrade [OLD VERSION]
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Nikon Coolpix P90 12.1MP Digital Camera with 24x Wide Angle Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3 inch Tilt LCD
Customer Review: The Manual Is My Friend
Summary: 5 Stars
Nikon's P90 Hybrid Point And Shoot
My turn to weigh in on this camera! First, I was pretty surprised at the mixed reviews, most of which I read after ordering my P90. Even the negative posts didn't scare me though, as I have owned a Coolpix 5700, another "hybrid PNS", for about six years and have had nothing but great luck with it. (Many thousands of photos later, I still love it.) And, hats off to Nikon ... five years into my 5700, it came up lame and Nikon USA fixed it and had it back to me in a week at no charge.
To be fair, I AM a user's guide reader, which is one thing everyone should be doing with a tool that offers so many features. Once you've been through a few manuals, it gets easier to understand. Trust me; your manual is your friend.
The accusation that the P90 takes terrible pictures is absolutely absurd. Incompetent photographers take terrible pictures. The camera is perfectly capable of taking excellent quality pictures that will be satisfying to all but true professionals. There are reasons that those National Geographic shots are so impressive ... starting with the fact that few of those photographers are using a three hundred dollar point and shoot for the brunt of their work, and ending with the fact that those people behind the lens are far more trained in photography than the average person, or me for that matter. (And remember, we see the best of their work.)
Getting on with the P90, I am perfectly smitten. The monster LCD screen is just terrific, but it still has a conventional viewfinder with a diopter adjustment. You can switch between the two in an instant with one button. It's a wonderful camera that has so much control at the fingertips, and can be adjusted so quickly, there really isn't any reason, aside from user error, that great results can't be achieved. White balance, exposure compensation, metering, ISO and shooting mode setting are all of general note here, and they are all quick and easy to get to via the menus or the mode dial. And then, a reality check is in order.
White balance used to be corrected with filters on conventional cameras, but now it is done digitally. When you scroll to the white balance menu on the P90 and make a change, feedback is visually immediate on the screen if applicable. For instance, setting it to incandescent will get rid of the orange hue of indoor lights. You should adjust for white balance depending on your shooting situation and think of it each time you shoot.
Exposure compensation is available on the multi-selector with just one push of the button. As you then adjust the exposure by click, again, you see the change on the screen. Although you can also use an auto bracketing feature, I really like this feature when I see the first shot on screen and want to decrease or increase exposure fast and easy.
Four types of metering are available. I happen to like the spot meter for most shooting. One trick (useful with all digital cameras that offer spot metering) is to meter various things in the shot. You will see the exposure change before your eyes. Metering something dark will lighten the shot or, the reverse, metering something light will darken the shot. For instance, I have two black dogs with white paws and briskets. If I meter their faces directly the shots are always overexposed. I often meter the white brisket by pushing the shutter release button half down and then recompose the shot to take the picture. You can do this in all kinds of shooting situations, provided your subject remains in focus.
As in film photography, the most useful ISO speeds are probably 64 through 400. Expect shots at 800 and 1600 to be digitally noisy, just as they would be grainy in film. Again, the P90 allows for almost instant changing of ISO settings, something you couldn't do with film.
As for shooting modes, all the standard modes (aperture and shutter priority as well as program auto) are available on the mode dial, including full manual, and lots of other bells and whistles. A good many people will treat the P90 like a pocket camera and just go full auto, which is fine. That will yield many good results. However, for those who are more inclined to an artistic eye or more control, the camera is feature rich enough to offer almost limitless possibilities. And, that is the reason to digest the manual fully. Remember, it's digital, so you can delete failed shots (and just imagine the waste and money if it was film and prints).
Listen, there are a hundred other added values on the various menus. Voice recording, time lapse movies, continuous shooting at 15 frames per second ... blah, blah, blah. I won't even go there. Suffice it to say that it's a lot of value for fewer than three hundred bucks.
Now, let's address the reality check. Much of the hype about the 24X zoom is just that, hype. Few shots can be terrific at full length on a zoom of this quality, so don't count on using it for bald eagles a quarter mile away, let alone off tripod. As stated above, don't hope for magazine quality shots at ISO 1600, it just can't happen. The built-in flash is standard fare. Straight-on flash can be flat and unflattering in portraiture on any camera. It's also easy to wash out a shot ... so expect to bracket if the shot is important to you.
Some have stated that the camera feels cheap because it is so light weight. I actually love that it is light and easy on the neck. Personally, I don't think it looks or feels "cheap" at all.
Finally, I do have a few minor complaints. I cannot for the life of me understand why Nikon won't thread these cameras for filters. Sure, most filtering is digital these days, but I would kill sometimes for a polarizing filter and would very much have liked to keep a UV filter on the camera for lens protection, just as I always did on my old conventional cameras. Further, I hate rechargeable batteries. I so wish that they would have gone with AA or AAA batteries which you can always find anywhere.
Having stated that, I am giving the P90 five stars, because it's been an amazing, wonderful camera for me, and it's taking some killer good pictures, especially since I took the time to understand its potential. Repeat after me ... "the manual is my friend".
More Nikon Coolpix P90 12.1MP Digital Camera with 24x Wide Angle Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3 inch Tilt LCD reviews:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Description of Nikon Coolpix P90 12.1MP Digital Camera with 24x Wide Angle Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3 inch Tilt LCD
Experience even closer encounters with Nikon?s Coolpix P90, with 12.1 effective megapixels and an incredible 24x optical Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens for stunning prints as large as 16x20 inches. The camera's bright, 3.0-inch high-resolution vari-angle LCD and Electronic Viewfinder make it easy to compose and share your pictures. And Nikon?s new 4 Way VR Image Stabilization makes incredible pictures incredibly easy. Nikon?s New Smart Portrait System, which automatically detects your subjects face, takes a picture when they smile and warns you if they blinked.Digital Cameras
Digital Cameras & Photo Categories
Similar Digital Cameras & Photo Products
Deluxe DB ROTH Accessory STARTER KIT For The Nikon Coolpix P90, P80, P5000, P5100, P6000, 7900, 5900, 4200, 5200, 3700, S10, P3, P4 Digital CamerasDB ROTH; Digital Camera
Best price: $15.99
Nikon Coolpix P100 10 MP Digital Camera with 26x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3-Inch LCD (Black)Nikon; Digital Camera
Best price: $394.99
Price in other shops:
Nikon EN-EL5 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery for Coolpix P3, P4. P5000, S10, 3700, 4200, 5200, 5900 & 7900 Digital Cameras (Retail Packaging)Nikon; Release date: 2009-11-30; Digital Camera
Best price: $28.94
Price in other shops:
.. 4GB DB ROTH Deluxe Accessory kitFor The Nikon Coolpix P90 Digital CameraGENERAL BRAND; Digital Camera
Best price: $59.99
Premium EN-EL5 Lithium-Ion Replacement Battery (2 Packs) for Nikon CoolPix P90Case; Digital Camera
Best price: $0.01
USB Cable/ Cord For Nikon CoolPix P90 L19 L20 S220 S9 S4eForCity; CE
Best price: $0.01
Transcend 8 GB Class 6 SDHC Flash Memory Card TS8GSDHC6TRANSCEND; CE
Best price: $6.23
Price in other shops:
Nikon Coolpix P Series Fabric Case for Nikon P90 and P100Nikon; Digital Camera
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops:
Nikon En-el5 Accessory Bundle - Premium Replacement Lithium-ion Battery + Digital Camera & Camcorder Battery Charger with Car Adapter for Nikon CoolPix P90 P100CellularFactory; Digital Camera
Best price: $4.05
Case Logic DCB-304 High/ Fixed Zoom Camera Case (Black)Case Logic; Digital Camera
Best price: $11.69
Price in other shops: