Nikon introduced its large sensor enthusiast compact camera earlier this year in the form of the Coolpix A. It's good to see companies recognizing the potential in the large sensor compact market, but does that mean they're doing justice to it? We're loving the specs of the Coolpix A on paper, but as always, it boils down to whether those on-paper specs can match up to the real world expectations, and the Nikon Coolpix A does not disappoint. Read on to find out why.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Low light isn’t the only thing the Nikon Coolpix handles well. The Nikon Coolpix A is a really nice carry around camera. In daytime, the AF is incredibly quick and actually very accurate. While shooting in RAW would be the best way to get the most out of your sensor, even the JPEG files retain an extremely fine level of detail. We shot a few cars from quite a distance and managed to pull up their license plate numbers just fine. If you like to shoot macro, you’re going to absolutely love the Coolpix A. Once the AF switch is turned to the Macro setting, the minimum focusing distance drops to 4 inches, which may not be a whole lot, but combine the f/2.8 aperture with a large 16 megapixel APS-C sensor, you not only get really nice bokeh, but also the ability to get closer to your subject by cropping. The colours from the camera tend to be slightly on the warmer side, something that actually converted many over to the Nikon camp. The contrast is mild at best, but can be made stronger through the picture settings.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
The video performance of this camera is something we almost skipped over. No, not because we got lazy, but because it was near impossible to figure out how to get the video going. There’s no dedicated button to initiate video recording and neither can the setting be found in the menu. It was after a very long time that we had to take to Google to figure out how to get to a particular feature on a camera. Turns out, the only way to initiate video is to change the release mode to “Video.” The way to do this is to assign the “Release Mode” to one of the custom function buttons and then change the shutter mode to Video. Whoever designed this little bit of code for the Nikon Coolpix A is most definitely still stuck in 2004 and Nikon really should bring him/her up to speed. The lack of a dedicated video button is rather disconcerting, but what’s even more disappointing is how hard it is a feature to get to. Regardless, the video mode on the Coolpix A is nothing too spectacular. Once video recording is engaged, you cannot change aperture or shutterspeed, but can adjust the exposure compensation as needed.
In terms of the quality of the footage, it’s very similar to the quality you’d get out of Nikon’s entry level DSLRs. This isn’t surprising seeing how both the DSLRs and the Coolpix A use a DX sensor. The audio could have been better, but given that there’s no port to attach an external mic, it’s all you’ve got.
Conclusion
The advanced point and shoot is finally starting to come of age, with many major players joining the league. The Nikon Coolpix A is the first of its kind from the House of Nikon, but it is still a solid contender. Its lens is somewhat outperformed by the one on the Fujifilm X100s but it is still incredibly good optics. A Vignette can be noticed in certain situations while shooting wide open (at f/2.8). Yet, it gives gorgeous bokeh, is excellent for landscape and even macro work and can be a rather handy walk-around camera. Unfortunately, the slow 4 frames per second burst mode can be quite limiting for shooting action, the one area where the Coolpix A has somewhat of a tough time keeping up with the competition. The Coolpix A has great colours, a good, mellow contrast and given that it can also shoot RAW, the images out of this camera leave a lot of room for editing. If you’re looking for something that’s compact, but can perform just as well as an entry level DSLR, the Nikon Coolpix A could be a good option, especially seeing how it costs just as much. If you’re not a brand loyalist, we’d recommend the Ricoh GR instead, which is slightly cheaper, but offers a much better overall shooting experience.