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Nikon Coolpix P510 compact camera test: the camera is good for travel, especially for photo hunting

In 2008, Nikon launched the Coolpix P80 pseudo-mirror camera with an 18x zoom, and then every year it created a model with more powerful optics: 24x for the P90, 26x for the P100, 36x for the P500. Finally, in February of this year came the P510 with a record 42x zoom lens. There are a lot of successor elements in it. The body is almost the same shape with a fairly large and comfortable protrusion that has a rubber-like coating.

Compact Cameras

About the camera

The same rubber-like material is under your thumb on the rear edge and on the left end. The main controls are located within easy reach of the thumb and forefinger. The flip-down LCD display allows for an arbitrary positioning from ā€œhorizontally upā€ to ā€œhorizontally down. For those who decide to switch from the old model of the Coolpix P family to the new one, perhaps the most useful legacy feature is the same EN-EL5 battery, used for the fourth time.

The new P510 has the same Expeed C2 processor as its predecessors, but Nikon has returned from the matrix shift image stabilization system to its classic VR system based on the shift of the lens in the lens.

The ā€œsoapboxā€ image sensor 1/2.3 inches has changed its type from CCD to BSI-CMOS since the P100. Previously, its resolution was 10 and 12 Mpix., And in the P510, it jumped sharply to 16.8 Mpix. Other noticeable changes include a built-in GPS that captures the coordinates of the shot, making it easy to tie your shots to a virtual map. By the way, the frames can now have four options for aspect ratio: 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1. Iā€™d like to add that the camera has learned how to shoot at full resolution at 3200 and 6400 ISO.

Nikon COOLPIX P510 Black compact camera

Shooting

Despite the huge range of focal lengths that covers all of an amateur photographerā€™s needs, the zoom lens turned out to be of high quality. I tested its built-in optical stabilization system the standard way: I set the maximal focal length, aimed at an object with subtle contrast details and shot a series of ten single frames at different shutter speeds and then counted the number of non-glossy frames among them.

Taking three steps back from the so-called slow shutter speed 1/125 sec made all the shots sharp. The same result was obtained with a four ! stops 1/60th of a second ā€“ just great stabilizer work. At a shutter speed of 1/30 second, which corresponds to a five-step indentation, about every second frame remained sharp ā€“ and then when framing through the viewfinder, when it is more convenient to hold the camera still. Well, thereā€™s a limit to everything.

About the viewfinder. Its resolution is not great ā€“ only 201k. points, but itā€™s quite accurately reproduces color and allows you to evaluate the focus. Especially for photographers with imperfect eyesight I would point out that the diopter adjustment range is unusually wide, from -4 to +4. No matter what kind of viewfinder it is, it seems to me that it is the preferred viewfinder for long zoom shots. And letā€™s not forget about LCD blindness in the bright sun.

A few words about autofocus. The settings offer several modes, including using just the center area and manually selecting one of the 99 focus areas. Comes with a target tracking function, very useful for capturing moving objects. Of course, there is also a face autorecognition mode.

The speed of contrast AF, in full accordance with the theory, depends on the amount of light reaching the sensor. Therefore, the telephoto zoom lens takes quite a long time sometimes 2-3 seconds to focus when its luminosity is reduced, which should be taken into account by those who like to take pictures at extremely long distances.

to be expected, the lens is not as sharp in the wide-angle and extreme telephoto positions as it is in the medium zoom, but at its minimum of 24mm in 35mm equivalent it does not ā€œbendā€ the horizon or ā€œblurā€ in the frame corners. The lens does not seem to be ā€œchromaticā€ in the sharpness zone, although in the absence of chromatic aberrations, adjustments to the firmware may play a major role. What it does have an effect on is the nature of the picture at all ISO settings.

You wonā€™t find any digital noise except at the highest ISO settings , but instead there are artifacts that are quite similar to those of amateur film grains quite large and noticeable . This is much better with a moderate noise reduction setting than blurring the fine details in your shots with too much aggressive noise reduction. Grain often adds sharpness to details, though you donā€™t want to see it in smooth tonal transitions.

The exceptions are clouds, fog and other atmospheric and not so atmospheric phenomena where the ā€œgrainā€ helps capture the volume and shape . With increasing ISO speed from 800 and up the colors fade and the sharpness of details decrease, but the character of the picture is maintained up to ISO 6400. However, quite typically, gradually fuzzy regular color patches manifestation of low-frequency digital noise become noticeable.

Using the standard white balance setting results in quite adequate color reproduction. Moreover, bright and saturated colors are well preserved, and the restrained and ā€œpastel-likeā€ colors are not intensified, for which the device is especially thankful. In not too contrasty a light, all the tones of the images fit easily within the dynamic range DD . Traditionally for Nikon cameras, thereā€™s a menu option to expand the DD with three levels of intensity active D-Lighting .

For high-contrast scenes in the arsenal of the device is equipped with auto enhancing DD HDR , which captures two frames with different exposures and combining them into one frame. Note that this option is not suitable for moving objects: they will be blurred or doubled if they have changed position between the first and second shots.

The camera is capable of shooting Full HD video with sound and the zoom lens does not lock during shooting. However, you have to be careful when using it, because the whirring of the motors when zooming in overlaps with the audio track.

Also keep in mind that optical stabilization does not work when shooting video, and the autofocus system becomes very slow, especially at long focal lengths. However, putting the camera on a tripod and choosing a point for remote shooting in advance, it is possible to shoot quite a high-quality and clear video, for example, with the participation of a timid animal or bird.

Nikon COOLPIX P510 Black compact camera

Conclusions

Nikon Coolpix P510 camera is well suited to the role of a single camera when traveling, especially those who love to hunt and pays a lot of attention to detail, because thanks to the 42x zoom you can ā€œreachā€ the most distant objects.

Small sensor dictates mainly daytime use of the camera, but with a tripod you can decently capture and night scene, to which the automatic, of course, also ready to shoot there are special scene programs . A movable screen will help to shoot from non-standard positions, and GPS-receiver will not let you forget where the scene was shot.

The editorial team would like to thank Nikonā€™s New York office for the camera it made available for testing.

Tests in pictures

Nikon

Lens does not bend horizon or blur in the corners of the image when in extreme wide-angle position. The sharpness of the details is quite good 24 mm, f/4.7, 1/200 s, ISO 100 .

Nikon

The autofocus speed on a sunny day is adequate

for flash photography at long focal lengths

(1000 mm, f/5.9, 1/320 s, ISO 100 .

Nikon

No interesting architectural detail can escape thanks to the powerful zoom

(600 mm, f/4.9, 1/1000 s, ISO 280 .

Nikon COOLPIX P510 Black compact camera

The powerful zoom lens is quite good for photo hunting

(1000 mm, f/5.9, 1/125 sec, ISO 100 .

Nikon

At the standard focal length, you canā€™t fault the detail and geometry of the picture

(60 mm, f/3.7, 1/400 s, ISO 160 .

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John Techno

Greetings, everyone! I am John Techno, and my expedition in the realm of household appliances has been a thrilling adventure spanning over 30 years. What began as a curiosity about the mechanics of these everyday marvels transformed into a fulfilling career journey.

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Comments: 2
  1. Indigo

    What are some standout features of the Nikon Coolpix P510 that make it a great choice for travel and photo hunting? Are there any limitations or drawbacks to consider when using this compact camera?

    Reply
  2. William Foster

    Can anyone who has used the Nikon Coolpix P510 compact camera for travel and photo hunting share their experience? How does it perform in terms of image quality, zoom capabilities, and ease of use? Any specific features that make it stand out?

    Reply
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