Nikon Coolpix P3 Guide
posted on 20 May 2008 11:12 by technoclip in DigitalCamera
If you are looking for a digital camera that offers an easy way to upload photos and movie clips then take a look at the Nikon Coolpix P3. This camera has WiFi capabilities. This means you are able to transmit images to a computer without the need to connect the camera and computer together with a cable first. Beware that not all computers have this capability so you could find yourself owning a camera than can transmit, but with no computer capable of receiving. Therefore unless you are certain your computer is WiFi enabled make sure you check with your computer manufacturer first.
Aside from its WiFi capabilities the Coolpix P3 has plenty of megapixels and a fractionally longer than standard zoom lens. This is an eight megapixel camera with a 3.5x optical zoom.
One feature the camera has that is not seen often elsewhere is aperture priority. This means that you can control the size of the aperture when you are about to take a photo. This feature helps to give you a degree of control over the way the final photo will look.
The Coolpix P3 has a good solid feel about it and I like the build quality. It weighs 170g without the batteries and memory card and is 31mm wide. This makes it on the large side if you are looking to slip the camera into a pocket. A simple camera case is an accessory worth considering in order to protect it from everyday bumps and bruises.
With the camera in the box you will find a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Nikon suggest the battery should be able to take somewhere in the region of 200 photos in between charges. Whether or not you are able to produce this number of photos will depend to a degree on how you use the camera. Shooting movies, continual use of flash and also regular review of photos you have already taken can have a detrimental impact on battery life.
You will need to buy a memory card to go with the Coolpix P3. Nikon have built in 23mb of memory so a memory card is not supplied as standard. 23mb does not go very far when you are taking eight megapixel shots. The camera is compatible with SD memory cards.
I don't think you should have too many problems getting to know the camera. There is a control dial that sits on the top and gives you access to the various shooting modes such as take a still photo or shoot a movie. It is also used to access features such as the set up menu, white balance and ISO levels. This helps to save time hunting down the various options within the menu system itself. Access to WiFi mode is also made available through the control dial.
After you have taken a photo a couple of useful features become available to you. The first lets you add 20 seconds of commentary to a still photo. For example you can add a short explanation of where you were and what was happening when the photograph was taken. A second feature is called D lighting. This helps to correct exposure levels. This comes into its own if the photo you have taken is too dark and you can use this to lighten the shot.