Nikon Coolpix 7900 Review

Overall Rating

7MP's gives good resolution, even when zoomed and cropped.
Cool black and chrome design.
Chunky/substantial feel.
Vast array of shooting options.
Easily navigated menus.

Poor low light focus.
Slow shot to shot time, especially in red eye mode.
Some auto focus problems at high zoom.

I bought the Nikon Coolpix 7900 to replace my 2MP Nikon Coolpix, which was in dire need of updating. I decided to stick to Nikon, mainly due to my familiarity with the Coolpix brand. The design of the 7900 is very similar to previous generations, and it appears to be the same size. The styling is fairly traditional, but chunky enough to feel substantial in the hand. The case is black in colour with chromed sections, which gives it a cool appearance.

The controls are a decent size and very well positioned, predominantly on the rear of the unit comprising a D-pad to access extensive menus. There is also a selector wheel on top of the case, which selects shooting/video modes. The whole setup will be familiar territory to anyone who has used a recent generation Coolpix unit. Nonetheless, there are a good couple of hours of reading to do before really understanding the functions. Even then I found sidestepping the various scene modes/lighting options and opting for the auto/default setting achieved good results.

Pictures are natural and bright without being exaggerated, and resolution is also very good. 7MP means you can zoom in on a full size picture, maintaining resolution up to a good level. There is also the option of using the 7900 as a video recorder. This includes sound, and it is of an acceptable quality. The 7900 can also be linked up to your TV for instant playback. Another nice feature is the ability to annotate your pictures.

In good light the auto focus system is very reliable, though in low light it is much more of a hit and miss matter, with the camera struggling to lock in on the target. Even when focused, the results in anything below good light can be disappointing. The 7900 simply cannot focus reliably in low light at any distance or focal length setting. This is not a major problem, since the vast majority of photos I take are done in well lit environments. There are various scene modes which suggest better results in poor light or other environments, but as stated earlier, I found the auto setting worked fine.

In summary, if you're looking for a camera to use in pubs or bars, then the Coolpix 7900 isn't for you. On the other hand, if you're looking for a compact camera that is more than competent in most circumstances, has excellent colour and exposure, and a huge array of scene modes covering virtually every photographic scenario, then the 7900 could be for you.