The explosion of Compact System Cameras
over the past few years led many to believe the days of enthusiast compacts
were drawing to a close. If anything, the emergence of such systems has only
reignited interest in high performance, pocket-friendly cameras, with revised
sensors, brighter optics and evolutionary increases in functionality helping to
keep the format alive.
The CoolPix P7700 is one of the most recent
additions to the pool, and its key changes are likely to please and displease
the target market in equal measure. Next to the P7100 it replaces, the camera’s
resolution has jumped from 10.1MP to 12.4MP (with a switch from CCD to CMOS
too), while the 720p video mode seen previously has now been upgraded to the
full HD 1080p standard. The camera also takes a significant leap with its burst
shooting, from a paltry 1.3fps on the P7100 to a far more capable 8fps here.
The 28-200mm lens has also seen its maximum
aperture broadened, from f/2.8-5.6 before to f/2-4 here, although, presumably
in order to make the lens brighter, the camera has lost its viewfinder, leaving
the 3in LCD which now offers greater flexibility through a side pivot as the
only means of composing and reviewing images.
Nikon hasn’t deviated too greatly from the
P7100 feature set for the remainder of the camera’s functionality, with the
same combination of Raw capture and full manual exposure control, as well as a
neutral density filter integrated into the optic, together with options for
controlling lens distortion and noise reduction available through the menu. An
exposure compensation dial is also joined by two customizable Fn buttons, with
three spaces on the mode dial reserved for User Definable settings.
Design
The camera is considerably more lightweight
than its magnesium alloy shell may suggest, with a liberally rubbered grip
topped with a small but freely rotating command dial, and metal dials on the
top plate lending it an air of solidity. The abundance of physical controls
(particularly on the rear) is no doubt preferable to the menu-based system of
selecting functions, and it’s welcome to see the exposure compensation dial
being stiff enough for accidental turning to be minimized. The menu pad,
however, on which the thumb naturally rests when the camera is held, presses
easily enough into the body for it to be accidentally keyed.
Performance
With the viewfinder gone, it comes as some
comfort that the LCD screen is as excellent a performer as it is. Clear, bright
and fluid in its reproduction, its only failing of being marginally more
difficult to view in harsher light is mitigated by its articulation. Its
pleasing performance is helped by a clear and fresh menu system, which does
away with abbreviations and instead concentrates on providing a well-rounded
set of options befitting the enthusiast user.
The average start-up time is bearable, but
the less than average write times are considerably less tolerable. Even with a
relatively fast memory card loaded, the camera can take a good four seconds to
return to being fully operational once a Raw image, or simultaneous combination
of Raw and JPEG, has been captured. While it’s certainly true that the P7100 is
hardly alone in having processing speeds that can’t keep up with processing
images captured at their finest setting, for the Raw-shooting target market
this is likely to be nevertheless disappointing.
The focusing system is perfectly fine for a
contrast-detect system, although it’s noticeably slower than those on recent
Compact System Cameras. What’s perhaps more of an issue is the Auto focusing
pattern’s lack of intuition when asked to find the key element in a scene,
making intervention with one of the other options often necessary.
Colors
could do with a push but sharpness is very good in JPEGs
Image quality
Despite its performance related
complications, the P7700’s image quality is high. The metering system seems
unwilling to stray too far from accuracy, and situations in which many other
cameras would naturally underexposure are no bother, although occasional
overexposure can lower contrast.
The Auto White Balance system is excellent
in natural light, but it is its ability to render scenes lit with artificial
sources without any unsightly color casts that impresses the most. In fact,
it’s a little too good here, as it often chooses to remove some of the natural
character of the light to retain a neutrality, with colors in general leaning
towards natural rather than optimized tones.
Barrel and pincushion distortion exist respectively
at the wide and telephoto ends of the lens, which is barely surprising given
its focal range, although this is very low (and the Distortion Control feature
visibly reduces this). Texture from noise is visible on all sensitivities, but
it’s lower than expected at the higher tiers of the ISO scale, while JPEG
sharpness is appropriate enough to bring out fine details without creating any
artefacts.
The
camera’s ability to retain detail over the sensitivity range is impressive,
with a steady reduction as the sensitivity is raised to ISO 800. ISO 1600
appears to be the point at which details visibly break down, and by ISO 3200
and ISO 6400 this is compromised further still
Verdict
The P7700 is a superb compact, one that’s
only really compromised by slow Raw write times and minor handling issues.
While its image quality cannot match that of larger-sensor Compact System
Cameras, it’s not far behind. Indeed, a slight trade-off with image quality may
be a worthwhile sacrifice when the benefits of a packetable camera with a 7.1x
zoom range are considered.
Details
Price: $737.5
Key specs
·
Sensor: 12.2MP 1/1.7in CMOS type
·
Lens: 28-200mm f/2.4
·
File formats; JPEG, RAW (NRW Format), RAW +
JPEG, MOV
·
ISO: 80-1600 (expandable to ISO 6400
equivalent)
·
Exposure modes: PASM, Auto, 19 scene
·
Movie mode: 1920 x 1080 (30FPS)
·
Screen: 3in TFT LCD, 921K Dots, side
articulation
·
Weight: 392g
·
Dimensions: 118.5 x 72.5 x 50.4mm
Pros – Overall image quality
·
Light yet sturdy
·
Excellent LCD screen
·
Effective Distortion Control feature
Cons – Raw write times which slow down operation
·
Auto AF area not always as intuitive as
required
Features: 19
Performance: 17
Design: 19
Image quality: 18
Value: 17
WDC test score: 90%
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