Nikon Coolpix P610

Nikon’s newest all-in-one ‘bridge’ camera combines D-SLR-like handling with a monster zoom range

Nikon Coolpix P610

£340, $497

www.nikon.com

he P610 looks every inch a D-SLR, but has the built-in, non-interchangeable lens of a compact camera. Whether that’s the best or worst of both worlds is a matter of opinion. The chunky styling means there’s no real saving in size, and only a little weight reduction compared with the D3300 and D5500 with their 18-55mm kit lenses fitted. On the other hand, you don’t need to carry multiple lenses with you, while still having access to a monstrous 60x optical zoom range, equivalent to a whopping 24-1440mm.

Unlike the S9900 and all three Nikon 1 cameras, the P610 has a built-in viewfinder based on an electronic screen that has a reasonably adequate 921,000-pixel resolution.

TWhile the zoom range is enormous, the image sensor is relatively small. Indeed, the 16-megapixel CMOS, 1/2.3-inch format sensors of this camera and the Coolpix S9900 are physically the joint smallest in the group. Both cameras also feature the same EXPEED C2 image processor and fast seven frames-per-second continuous drive rate.

Performance

Another similarity between this camera and the S9900 is that they’re the only ones in the group that can’t shoot in RAW. It’s more of a problem in the P610 because, in our tests, it proved to be more prone to auto white balance errors, often generating a noticeably warm colour cast. Its autofocusing is slower as well, with a tendency to hunt back and forth in less than favourable conditions, and to ‘achieve’ focus at the wrong distance. Again, image noise can be clearly visible even when shooting at fairly low ISOs under dull lighting.