Nikon Coolpix 7900

I have been a bit rough with my Nikon Coolpix 7900 camera i.e dropped it once, the outer casing doesn't seem as strong. USB connection having problems with but an excellent customer service with Nikon. I take the camera everywhere and it's really handy to have in your pocket, bag or wherever.

At the time was the best product, really good now if you want a point and shoot camera, does need an additional memory card and reader, but you can use the USB. Overall, it's a great camera a few minors but great pictures from it.

The Nikon Coolpix 7900 has 7.1 Effective Megapixels for stunning prints up to 16 x 20 inches and beyond.

High Quality 3x Optical Zoom-Nikkor 38-114mm ED Glass Lens (35mm equivalent) Pro-quality ED glass optics for incredibly sharp, clear images plus a 4x digital zoom for a total zoom of 12x.

Big, Bright 2.0 inch LCD for easy viewing and playback of pictures.

Nikon's Exclusive Feature System: turns pictures into photographs. Featuring: In-Camera Red-Eye Fix(TM) to remove red-eye in the camera; Face Priority AF to automatically focus on faces for great portraits; and D-Lighting for in-camera repair of dark images.

16 Scene Modes (Portrait, Panorama Assist, Landscape, Underwater, etc.) 4 with Scene Assist to guide you in taking better pictures, automatically.

Long Battery Life allows you to shoot hundreds of images with the included rechargeable battery.

Adjustable GUI (Graphic User Interface) with Help Button: allows you to choose between the traditional menu item view or the new icon view. Press the help (?) button and it will instantly display an explanation for all main menu functions on the LCD

Compact Aluminum Body is small enough to take anywhere.

However...the price is too high.

Compact digital cameras don't come any better than the Nikon Coolpix 7900. The video is as good as a digital video player. You will need a spare battery and at least a 516Mb memory card to take full advantage of it though.

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.