Nikon Coolpix L4 4MP with in-camera image-improvement features, housed in lightweight, compact, yet elegantly finished bodies.
It boasts a powerful 3x Zoom-Nikkor lenses with a focal range equivalent to that of a 38-114mm (35mm equivalent), providing the freedom to zoom in for tight personal portraits or out to capture expansive outdoor scenes.
The CCD delivers higher performance within tighter dimensions, greatly adding to the camera’s compact form and portability while offering generous effective megapixel value of 4.0 for the Coolpix L4, ensuring the refined image clarity that users have come to expect from other members of the Coolpix family.
The camera also features a bright, easy-to-view 2.0-inch LCD that’s now even easier to operate with new icons and function selections as well as a new color scheme that is easier on the eye.
Specific design aspects of the Coolpix L4 make it streamlined and comfortable to hold, with a smooth, elegant finish that suggests a much higher level of sophistication. The curved grip contributes both to the camera’s design elegance and its shooting stability.
The strikingly compact dimensions and light camera weight make the L4 ideal for taking anywhere you may go, reinforced by the convenience of AA-size battery compatibility. One of the most widely available battery sizes in the world–in alkaline, lithium, rechargeable, or other forms–AA compatibility allows near-ubiquitous use anywhere in the world.
In common with the entire current Coolpix digital camera range, this latest addition features a number of Nikon-inspired capabilities that give the user the power to automatically improve recorded images in-camera. Available in playback mode, for example, the D-Lighting function selects and creates a copy of images with excessive backlight or insufficient flash illumination, adding light and detail wherever needed while keeping other areas as they were.
Nikon’s Face-priority AF function automatically detects and focuses in on people’s faces, regardless of where they are in the frame, ensuring superb crisp-focus portraits. The In-Camera Red-Eye Fix function analyzes each image, automatically finding and then correcting the accidental red-eye that sometimes occurs in flash photography, for more natural-looking portraits.
A choice of 15 different Scene modes–four with Scene assist–makes the challenge of achieving desired results in a wide range of everyday situations that much simpler. By choosing the Scene mode best suited to the subject at hand, the Coolpix L2, L3 or L4 automatically selects the ideal settings for exactly the picture you had in mind, whether indoor party or outdoor nighttime fireworks display. Scene assist displays useful framing guides in the monitor, helping you compose shots for optimal results.
The Coolpix L4 is also compatible with widely available SD memory cards. The provision of 10 MB of internal memory allows the user to keep shooting when no additional memory is available, as well as easily moving images from one SD card to another.
The Coolpix L4 digital camera also offers movie-shooting capability in three sizes: TV movie size (640) for viewing on TV or computers; convenient Small size (320); and Smaller size (160) for extended recording or Internet usage.
With the Coolpix L4, ease of use and convenience are still priorities, even when the shooting is over. Printing is kept simple, with PictBridge capability enabling connection to a compatible printer without the need of a computer and USB connectivity eases data transfer to computers and other peripherals.
Completing the picture is the complimentary PictureProject accessory software, which greatly simplifies the importing, editing, and organizing of images. It even offers compatibility with a range of plug-ins that allows functions to be extended on demand.
Helpful consumer’s review
I was not enjoying the hunt for a consistently well-reviewed digital camera. It seemed like every camera had an upside, and every camera had a downside.
Fortunately, this camera was well-reviewed and within my price range. I wasn’t expecting much at first, but when I took it out of the box and started tinkering with it, I was pleasantly surprised.
The camera is very user friendly, and I had few “What did I just do and how do I undo it?” moments. The menus are self-explanatory, and easily maneuvered.
One of the best aspects to this camera is that I have never really had a problem getting pictures to turn out. There are multiple white balance settings along with multiple flash settings so that if a picture happens to come out too bright or too dim, a few button pushes and it is easily resolved.
The face-finder feature is a great one, although I have done few portrait photos. Why? The macro setting (for extreme close-ups) proves to be an irresistable one. Ever wanted to take one of those art-gallery-type photos of flowers or bugs? This camera makes it so freaking easy!
There are a few downsides: Ocassionally, the photos come out rather blurry, even when I am doing my best to hold perfectly still. This is especially true when using the macro setting and a pretty good wind is jostling your bush/flower/tree/etc…
Additionally, the flash can take longer to recharge than one would probably desire, and this delay has cost me a few good pictures, but not many…Another flash issue is with the sports mode settings. These settings are great and are for use in well-lit sporting situations. Having said that, in those moments when you need fast, multiple shots that are NOT well-lit, I’m afraid you’re just S.O.L.
