The Nikon Coolpix L27 was published in
January 2013 with the L28 and is a compact camera for new users with an RRP for
only $75. It has a 16.1 megapixel sensor and 5x optical zoom lens, with colors
including black, red, white, silver and purple.
Functionality
The Nikon Coolpix L27 features a 16.1
megapixel CCD sensor and a 5x optical zoom lens, which is a 35mm equivalent of
26-130mm. The camera also offers motion blur reduction mode and electronic VR
(vibration reduction) to help you capture pictures as sharp as possible. The
L27 is powered by AA-size batteries.
Nikon
Coolpix L27
The camera’s Easy Auto mode will
automatically adjust camera settings for the identified scene for making the
camera simple to use. There are also 18 scene modes to choose and the Smart Portrait System, including a smile timer, blink proof
alert and red-eye fix.
Videos are recorded in 720p HD.
There
is a mode that reduces motion blur and electronic VR (vibration reduction)
Key features
·
16 megapixel CCD sensor
·
5x optical zoom lens (35mm equiv: 26 - 130mm)
·
Motion blur reduction & electronic vibration
reduction
·
2.7 inch 230 dot LCD screen
·
AA size batteries
·
720p HD video recording
·
ISO 80-1600
·
10cm minimum focusing distance
·
Easy auto mode
·
18 scene modes
·
1.2 fps continuous shooting
·
Available in black, red, white, silver and
purple
2.7
inch 230 dot LCD screen
Handling
The Nikon Coolpix L27 has a stylish looking
plastic body and is quite large on the AA batteries’ side. There is a dotted
area for your right hand thumb on the rear to help holding the camera stronger.
There is a set of buttons are typical
for a compact camera. The top is a power button, zoom rocker and
shutter release. On the back are movie record, scene, playback, menu and delete
buttons as well as a d-pad that allows access to flash, timer, macro mode and
exposure compensation.
The d-pad also allows you to flip through
the menu, with the OK button for helping you to choose accordingly. The system
menu is good and the layout is easy to control - especially in automatic mode,
the only available option is the image size. The 2.7-inch screen has a low 230k
dot resolution, but you would’ve expected that for a budget camera. It has a
brightness adjustment and an anti-reflective coating.
Battery life is rated at 200 shots
according to CIPA test results, but this might be
enough because the camera has some limited features, it would
last in enough time. AA batteries are also easy to find in anywhere. We took
many pictures to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo;
shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We took many pictures and then use the
average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easier to compare
with other cameras.
·
Shutter Response: 0.125 secs
·
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response: 0.75 secs
·
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response: 1.05 secs
·
Self-timer: 2.1 secs
·
Shot-to-shot without Flash: 1.7 secs
·
Shot-to-shot with Flash:
5.0 secs
·
Continuous shooting: 1.3
fps
Continuous shooting records in full 16.1
megapixel resolution, but slows after 5 shots.
Powered
by AA-size batteries.
Performance
Additional sample photos and product shots
are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review,
photos and product ratings.
Sample photos
Portrait
| 1/60 sec | f/5.5 | 17.6 mm | ISO 200
Landscape
| 1/200 sec | f/8.0 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80
Drive
| 1/320 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80
Pet
Portrait | 1/160 sec | f/3.9 | 6.9 mm | ISO 400
Photos have beautiful colors and are well-exposure.
When shooting portraits, skin tones are good, but there is red-eye when
shooting with flash.
Lens
Wide
Angle | 1/160 sec | f/8.0 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80
Full
Optical Zoom | 1/200 sec | f/6.5 | 23.0 mm | ISO 80
Trees
| 1/100 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80
Macro
| 1/50 sec | f/3.4 | 5.3 mm | ISO 80
When shooting wide, the images have a
decent amount of detail in the center, but are very faint in the corners and
edges, with purple fringing appearing in our test shot above. When using zoom,
the details also reduced slightly in the image center, with chromatic
aberration evident as well. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 10cm, but
the detail when shooting macros isn't too good.
The L27 doesn't allow you to set the ISO
speed manually, it is done automatically. Noise is low at ISO80 and 100, with a
little appearing when the ISO speed increases by 200 and 400. At ISO 800 images
are very soft with detail missing. When trying to shoot in dark conditions
using ISO 1600 we discovered the L27 struggled to even focus.
White balance
Under
the incandescent lights
Under
the fluorescent lights
Under the incandescent lights, Auto White Balance (AWB) performs really well, with a color cast
when using the incandescent preset. The result is very similar to that under
fluorescent lights - AWB works well, but there is a color cast when using the
fluorescent preset.
Digital Filters
5
Color options
When shooting in Auto mode, you can select
one of 5 color options, such as the example above.
Value for money
The Nikon Coolpix L27 is one of the
cheapest cameras, which costs only $75. The L28 has more pixels and a larger
screen, which costs about $100. Other entry-level cameras include the Fujifilm
FinePix AX650 at $75, Olympus VG-180 at $97, Canon PowerShot A1300 at
$84 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS50 at $110.
You also need to buy a memory card and
casing or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - check out our complete
guide about camera bag.
Verdict
With a camera for only $75, it's fair to
say that you should not expect excellent quality and the L27 certainly can't
provide that. If you want a cheap camera and want to share your photos on the
web, you probably won't be too disappointed. The camera is easy to use, so it would
be the ideal gift for kids due to its color variety.
Pros
·
The photo looks ok when sharing on Facebook, etc.
·
Good AWB performance
·
Easy to use
·
Available in many colors
·
Excellent value for money
Cons
·
Not great image quality
·
Has a very basic set of features
·
Low battery life
Rating
·
Feature: 1.5/5
·
Handling: 2.5/5
·
Performance: 2.5/5
·
Price: 3.5/5
·
Overall: 2.5/5
Specification
|
Lens
·
Max aperture: f/3.2 - f/6.5
·
35mm equivalent: 26mm - 130mm
·
Optical Zoom: 5x
Image sensor
·
CCD pixels: 16.1Mp (Megapixels)
·
Pixels (W): 4,608
·
Pixels (H): 3,456
·
Sensor type: CCD
·
Sensor size: 1/2.3 inch
·
Aspect ratio: 4:3; 16:9
LCD Screen
·
LCD Screen 3 inches
·
Screen resolution: 230k dot
·
Touch screen: None
Focusing
·
Min focus 10cm
·
Focusing modes Face Detection; Centre
Exposure control
·
Shutter speed shortest: 1/2,000sec
·
Shutter speeds longest:
4sec
·
Exp mode: Scene modes
·
Metering Centre-weighted – Average; Spot
·
ISO sensitivity 80 - 1600
·
White balance Auto; Manual; Outdoors/Daylight;
Cloudy; Incandescent; Fluorescent; Flash
·
Exposure Comp +/-2
Shooting options
·
Continuous shooting: 1.2fps
Video
·
Movie mode Yes
·
Video Resolution: 1,280x720 720p
·
Video FPS 30fps
·
Stereo Sound: None
·
Optical Zoom with Video: None
Other features
·
Image Stabilization: None
Interface
·
HDMI: None
·
USB: USB 2.0
·
Wi-Fi: None
Storage
·
Card type: SD; SDHC; SDXC
·
File type: JPG
Power supply
·
Battery type: 2xAA
·
CIPA Rating: 200
Box contents:
·
Box contents: Camera Strap, LR6/L40 (AA-size)
alkaline batteries (x2), USB Cable UC-E16, ViewNX 2 Installer CD, Reference
Manual CD
Dimensions
·
Weight: 164g
·
Width: 96mm
·
Height: 59.7mm
·
Thickness: 28.8mm
|
