If you but to certain compromises prepared so you have to give either to the extensive configuration options, even on a superzoom. Digital Bridge Cameras beat this "bridge" between SLR and digital camera. The aforementioned trade-offs that you have to take this as good as ever, are a less brilliant picture quality, no interchangeable lenses, and not infrequently the extensive configuration options.
However, this does not affect the "Nikon Coolpix P510" which not only visually, but also in the handling of compact Digital SLR recalls.
Whether she does her job satisfactorily, I have tested.
To my experiences:
I myself had never owned a digital SLR, for the reasons mentioned above: High cost of the camera, especially the lens.
Besides this I have a Nikon compact super zoom camera: The Sony DSC-H10.
To my mind the former price segment (250-300) a very good image quality with sufficient manual settings.
The following features are new to me at the Nikon P510:
1. GPS
2. HDR, panoramic and 3D function
Here once the technical highlights:
- 16 Megapixel
- 42-fold zoom
- 24mm focal length
- 7.5 cm (3 ") LCD monitor with 921,000 dots, anti-reflection coating and tiltable to ca.82 ° downwards and 90 ° upwards
- JPEG 3D images: MPO; Voice Recording (Voice Memo): WAV; Movies: MOV (Video: H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC, Audio: AAC stereo)
- HD video recording: 1920 x 1080 / ca. 30 frames / s
- Stereo Microphone
- ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1,600, 3,200, Hi1 (ISO 6400), H2 (12800)
- Video playback via mini HDMI port: 480p, 720p and 1080i
****************** Review: Nikon P510 - Firmware version 1.0 ***********************
Ergonomics, Handling:
The P510 is excellent in hand. Your somewhat higher weight of about half a kilo simplifies sighting of objects and thus support the avoidance of shaky footage or trembling hands. Light cameras, however, are more difficult to keep quiet in his hands. You can thus tackle well. The space provided and grippy rubberized bulge is ideal for medium-sized hands. For large hands, they could be a bit too small but then.
The electronic viewfinder is rather small, but still can be used makes sense. An essay, which is used to make the optical viewfinder for the laying of the eye a little more comfortable, there is not. However, a diopter adjustment (-4 to +4 diopter) is available.
Links to the lens is a zoom lever, which can be alternatively programmed with different functions. For example: Fast Back zoom, fast Vorzoomen and manual focus.
The main zoom lever sits on the trip and is very easy to operate. Likewise, the dial of the various modes (Auto, Program AE, Manual, Effects, ...), the Wählrat for the menu settings, and the other buttons and wheel. Of which there are plenty. But they are all, without exception, well.
The monitor is activated by pressing a button (ie without sensor) and it can be tilted. You can tilt up or down him so. Aligning the side is not possible.
4 stars for it.
****
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Processing / material:
The material processing makes a solid impression. There were no high-quality materials used. Everything is made of matt, slightly soft plastic, which is not very resistant to scratches. The Wählrat for the program modes stuck. Also, the zoom lever and the battery cover.
3 stars, because not very remarkable.
***
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Battery:
Recharging the battery is done in camera, where you hang the mini-USB cable either to a PC or via the supplied mains plug adapter to the power outlet. If the battery is half empty, so it takes about 1.5-2 hours until it again becomes full. A normal value. Nikon specifies a value of 4.5 hours to charge the battery completely. How long does the battery last through depends on depends on which functions are used (GPS enabled? Often the internal image processing used? If the monitor or optical viewfinder used?). These are Nikon following: Photos about 240 shots; Movies about 1 h 10 min (HD 1080p).
Replacement batteries (EN-EL5) there are from 5 (commercially available) to 30 (original from Nikon). A charger is also available from cheap 7 (commercially available).
Overall, though, I had the feeling that the battery has a good endurance.
4 stars because there's nothing to complain about!
****
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Image Quality:
In Program AE mode, the P510 knipst detail strong, konstrastreiche and sharp images. However, the sharpness decreases towards the image border from minimal. The minimum focal length of 24mm is exemplary and you get a lot of "space" on's image. Of course, but then the 24mm also take care of distortion at the sides. People look a little wider. A Spatial depth is created, however there. Image noise is pleasantly low. Even in low light with minimal picture noise can be discerned, although not make themselves as distinctive "color noise" noticeable. A noise suppression, which can be adjusted in three steps, ensures that hold block noise limits. However, I recommend to choose the lowest level since the images could act quite artificial and lose detail. Especially in low light and higher ISO, you should rather then taking the noise into account.
The image stabilizer does a very good job. In low-light environments, it is possible even without high ISO to make clean images without this leading to superpositions or distortions. Assuming your hands are reasonably quiet. Even in the full telephoto setting the image stabilizer demonstrates its full strength. For moving objects, it may cause minimal blurring or ghosting.
Flash shots also show little noise and little color distortion. The flash level is adjustable in several stages.
The wide variety of effects and manual controls, I'd love to imagine. But then this review would take up a whole page of its own. That is why I ask times the most interesting two extras:
Selective color: The image is black / white. Turn the wheel but you will select the color you want to feature on this Black received / White, while the other colors are hidden.
3D: Man takes a picture. On the monitor, you can now see the image slightly transparent. Now I explain the Nikon that I should continue back a bit to the right. So I see the shot image and the new transparent image that I want to record. The photo is then triggered by itself. However, do not look at the monitor and not even in the optical viewfinder as a 3D image to it. This works only on a 3D TV.
HDR: The camera takes two images. A low ISO value, a higher. Or even one with flash and one without. These two images are superimposed so to speak. This allows very beautiful and interesting photos are created in low-light environments. However, it should again be intensified in this type of recording either the noise reduction, or a subsequent post-processing performed by the camera-internal-Fotobearbeitunsfunktion.
But there are also less good news:
For example, the colors look tired pretty cool and some not right, but this is the automatic white balance to debt. Therefore, I recommend the automatic white balance to "2" (hot) position. Because if it is outdoors less sunny, so reinforced the P510 this Tristheit in her paintings by a cool blue tint and pale colors. In the telephoto end, the Nikon (as expected) loses more image detail and sharpness and the contours of the object in the background look a little washed out. Despite all the enthusiasm of this huge push, because even if the criticism sounds bad, the offered price of this camera, the superzoom is very good. The two-time digital zoom, which is optionally activated, then serves more minimal support. More digital zoom would degrade the image quality.
The noise figure is very low to ISO400. Those who wish can also adjust the light sensitivity up to ISO 12800. Absolutely do you enable extremely strong noise sent used as a stylistic device type. But really presentable pictures result from this is usually not.
Also worthy of criticism is the macro mode. Not because the images seem unclean. No, quite the contrary. They are crisp and very detailed. However, the magnification factor is quite low. From my Sony DSC-H10 I have been accustomed to very good macro shots. However, they did not have the minimum focal length of 24mm, but 38mm. One can the lens of the Nikon P510 up to less than one centimeter back from the object and unfortunately you get into being no stunning magnification. Because of course helps the zoom back nothing, because the object anyway almost touches the lens. One of the disadvantages that with an SLR has not just because you have at least the possibility to replace the telephoto lens to a macro.
And I'm not done yet. The focus has some weaknesses and may be adjusted poorly to the targeted object from me, since it can be of smaller details bring calm. The result is that these small, insignificant details are then brought into focus, while the main object remains blurred. This often happens at telephoto end: An example would be taking pictures of a bird sitting on a branch. Around him and before him is thin branches, leaves, etc .. I visors the bird from a distance, the demands about 30-40% of the zoom, so I have often newly operate the automatic focus, so he this Object finally adjusts the focus. But - there is of course adjust the focus manually option. The push button on the lens can be set to this function. Unfortunately, absolutely nothing happens if you press them.
Update 20:05:12:
After I get some tips on the manual focus (comments) how this works, I have to take back the criticism.
4 stars, despite fewer defects. But ultimately inspired the big picture.
****
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Video quality:
Surprisingly good qualities offers the full HD video mode. The detail strength can indeed imagine not necessarily 1080p, but the shots got better than with my JVC GZ-E10SEU that serves about 200 specially only for video shooting. The colors appear natural. The white balance is - as with most other digital cameras, a bit slow. The zoom is possible during recording, and much quieter than the one of the JVC camcorder. The sharpness increases with rapid movements over and over again from something. What is the automatic focus, which works a bit slow. The sound quality is acceptable. She seems quite thin, is reproduced in stereo and can wind noise not hide unfortunately. Annoying thing is that the Nikon store their videos in MOV format. Neither my LCD TV, yet my Sony Blu-ray player can also read this format.
The video quality is, in my view perfectly fine but of course does not come close to the qualities of a mid-range camcorder.
4 stars for it - review: Focus, file format (MOV) and lack WindCut.
****
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Monitor and optical viewfinder:
The 3 inch monitor is bright enough. Outdoors in sunny weather you still recognize his motive enough. However, the resolution of the monitor is not excellent. Slight blurriness and few details are the result. To Scene Recognition but perfectly adequate, since the monitor also has a practical size.
Similarly, and in fact even worse is the case with the electronic viewfinder. Colors appear faded, the resolution is severely limited. Jagged edges on the contours of the subject are clearly visible. But still sufficient to be object to target and see if the focus is functioning properly.
To a clear assessment of his pictures are good but both, monitor and viewfinder, not a lot and are not very helpful.
3 stars for average.
***
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** ** Special equipment
GPS:
I could not do much with the GPS function first. She records the spatial data on when shooting, you can then upload to PC via software.
But my expectations were such that the spatial data is entered into the file information, which is then file "Properties" then this data can also read.
Unfortunately, this was not like that. The GPS also works only outdoors. The function GPS clock-syncing, did not work. A message that this was not possible was displayed.
Eye-Fi:
In the article text from Nikon is about this feature:
"Wireless transmission:.. Compatible with Eye-Fi X2 memory card (or newer models) Transfer your digital photos (in JPEG format) directly to your phone or your computer Make then connect to the Internet and use my Picturetown, Nikon's service for storing and sharing Using pictures. "
Readers who are interested in, I am sorry to disappoint you, because I did not test this feature. Not only because I do not have Eye-Fi X2 card and this also did not intend to buy, but because me also this wireless transmission of data is useless. I take the memory card and insert it into the SD slot of the PC. So which is easier and safer for me. It may be that this feature can be very handy quite, but I'm not too comfortable for to do it by hand, but probably more to configure this wireless tangle :-)
Internal image editing:
Although it is not a Photoshop Elements, but the most necessary operations can make itself. Selective color, contrast adjustment, effects, noise reduction, facelift (result not not very convincing) etc ... Everything executable by a very simple operation and virtually self-explanatory.
Since I do not want to evaluate the special features, I speak still of a praise to the internal image editing software. GPS and Eye-Fi could also have saved confidently.
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CONCLUSION:
The Nikon P510 is not free of errors. But it also has a lot of advantages and special features. A replacement or an alternative to an SLR, it is not. But they can be considered as a kind of pre-school. For their setting possibilities are enormous. Equally convincing image quality, even if you have to make small concessions here and there. To chalk is that it stores only photos in JPG and not in RAW. Your powerful zoom combined thrilled with the reliable image stabilization. Likewise, it is well in the hand and looks beautiful.
Pro:
+ Decent image quality
+ Good quality video with stereo sound
+ 42fach Zoom
+ 24mm focal length
+ Handling and ergonomics
+ Comprehensive configuration options and special features
+ Internal image editing function
+ GPS (geodata) and Eye-Fi (wireless data transmission) are supported
+ 3D pictures possible
Cons:
- Autofocus telephoto shooting is not always reliable
- Auto white balance tends to pale shades on weather conditions (therefore to "warm" set)
- Comparatively not very convincing macro shots (some low magnification)
