CAMERA

Nikon Coolpix L27 Compact Camera Review

9/20/2013 3:20:12 AM

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

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)

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

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.

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

Portrait | 1/60 sec | f/5.5 | 17.6 mm | ISO 200

Landscape | 1/200 sec | f/8.0 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80

Landscape | 1/200 sec | f/8.0 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80

Drive | 1/320 sec | f/3.2 | 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

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

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

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

Trees | 1/100 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80

Macro | 1/50 sec | f/3.4 | 5.3 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 incandescent lights

Under the fluorescent 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 Colour options

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

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