Nikon Coolpix L830
MSRP $29,995.00
“As long as we’re aware of its limitations, the Nikon Coolpix L830 should satisfy its customers – users looking for a super zoom camera on a budget.”
Avg
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34x super zoom (22.5-765 mm)
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16 megapixels
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Quality photos/video with enough light
Against
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Small 1/2.3 inch camera
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A few manual tweaks
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No Wi-Fi
It’s not all gloom and doom in the camera world. Super zooms – those with 20x optical zooms or greater, also called ultra zooms or bridge cameras – fare quite well against smartphones with their vastly inferior digital zooms. In reality, there is no comparison, photographically speaking. Nikon has given us a new “super” super zoom – the Coolpix L830 ($300) – with incredible specs of 34x, which translates to 22.5-765mm! It’s not the longest zoom you’ll find in such a camera, but it’s there.
Features and design
Forget putting this in your back pocket. Like all super zooms, the L830 is bulky. In this case, it measures 4.4 x 3 x 3.6, which means it’s just over a pound (18 ounces). Despite this, we didn’t have much trouble wearing it and it fit quite well in our coat pockets. Our review unit was all black with a nicely textured grip, but red and plum case color options are available.
The key feature on the front is clearly the 34x Nikkor lens with a decent maximum aperture of f/3-5.9. At 22.5mm it’s great for landscapes, and then you can zoom in on the top of the Empire State Building or birds in the trees, whatever your heart desires.
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
The upper deck has two things we really wanted to see – stereo microphones. We recently kicked out Canon and Nikon because they offered new cameras with Full HD video recording, but with mono sound tracks. The L830 not only records 1080/30p movies, but also has the necessary two-channel audio capability. Connect this camera via HDMI to an HDTV and you will enjoy a much more realistic experience. The videos have some other issues, which we’ll get into shortly.
Along with the microphones, you’ll find a powerful pop-up flash, a speaker, a power button, and a shutter button flanked by a zoom switch. For added stability, there’s also a wide/tele zoom lever on the left side of the lens. The grip is quite deep and our fingers fit well, but as we always stress, try this one on at a camera store to see if it fits comfortably in your hands. Since this is basically a point-and-forget camera, there’s no mode dial and few manual adjustments – no PASM options and you can’t adjust aperture/shutter speed. This might bother many, but casual eavesdroppers probably won’t care at all. For advanced shooters, there are always Panasonic FZ200, Fujifilm S9400W, Sony RX10 and many others.
Despite the tiny chip, the L830 proved itself more times than not.
The back has a 3-inch tilting LCD monitor that has a good 921K dot rating. It worked well most of the time, but there are some issues with reflection in bright sunlight. The default setting is 3 out of 6 so make sure you know how to adjust it in the Setup menu when you’re out in the field. It won’t take long to scroll through the entire menu system to see what’s what. The system is very linear and understandable.
Note: many super zooms have electronic viewfinders (EVFs) which are useful when holding the camera at extreme telephoto positions. The L830 is a sub-$300 camera so you can’t expect the sun, moon and stars. However, the tilting monitor is a real plus because you can frame your subjects in more interesting perspectives.
There’s also a nicely textured thumb rest on the back, a movie button with a red dot, as well as four buttons surrounding a four-way button with a central OK button. There is a button with a green dot to change the several modes available, and those for playback, menu and delete. Internal buttons offer access to flash mode, exposure compensation, macro and self-timer.
On the right is the DC-in, and the small compartment on the left has USB and HDMI ports. The lower part has a compartment for four AA batteries and an SD card. The L830 does not offer Wi-Fi, but accepts optional Eye-Fi cards for network connections.
What’s in the box
You get the camera, strap, lens cap with cable and USB cable. Nikon also supplies four alkaline batteries so you can get started right away without waiting for the battery to charge. Buying a set of lithium AAs makes sense because you’ll be able to do 1180 shots versus 390 for basic alkalines; you can also use rechargeable AA batteries, which give you fewer shots than lithium but more than standard alkaline. Since AAs are available everywhere, you’ll never encounter the “Oh my god, I’m out of battery” scenario. The box also contains a Quick Start Guide. To save some money, Nikon doesn’t include a software CD, but its ViewNX2 program is available for download.
Warranty
Nikon includes a one-year limited warranty as well as optional two-year extended service coverage. More information can be found here.
Performance and use
Coolpix L830 is definitely the best when it comes to sensor size. It uses a 1/2.3-inch 16-megapixel camera, which is far smaller than the enthusiast 1/1.7-inch super zoom cameras – both smaller than those found in Micro Four Thirds and APS-C interchangeable lens cameras chips. Again, you get what you pay for. By comparison, the highly rated Sony RX10 with a 1-inch sensor is $1,000 more expensive!
We set the camera to the maximum resolution for photos (4606 x 3456) and movies (1080/30p). Instead of this reviewer’s usual locales in the Southwest, we took the camera to the New York area, which offers tremendous 765mm telephoto capabilities (see samples). In addition to New York buildings and street sculptures, we got a camera look at the Jersey Shore, a historic airplane display, and a wedding with lots of people-capturing opportunities. The weather was overcast and rainy, with some sunshine – in other words, we threw a lot at the L830. We will say that the camera did a good job with decent light, but not great. Asking a tiny chip to deal with suboptimal light is like asking politicians to solve the federal budget crisis over a cup of coffee – it’s not happening. Yet despite this inherent shortcoming, the L830 has delivered more times than not. Footage was sharp with good, realistic colors. Flash shots of people were among the highlights, as facial recognition did a great job at weddings and other social gatherings.
In addition to Full HD video recording, it has something we want – stereo microphones.
The 34x zoom is fantastic. You can switch from wide-angle to extreme telephoto very quickly. Realize that you can lose sight of your subject if you barely move the camera when you’re at 765mm. A good routine is important to keeping the L830 – or any super zoom – steady. A monopod or tripod would be ideal, but a solid wall will do. We used one while shooting the Empire State Building with wide/tele shots. (If there’s no wall nearby, hold your breath and keep your elbows close to your body when you gently press the shutter button.) The real plus is the Hybrid VR system, which is a combination of lens shift and electronic vibration reduction. Nikon offers an improved 68x digital zoom, but we try to avoid this whenever possible to reduce digital noise. And to be perfectly honest, the lens isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but you can’t expect glass-top sharpness with a 34x zoom.
As mentioned earlier, the L830 is basically a point-and-shoot. Press the Green Auto button and four options will pop up: Auto, Smart Portrait, Special Effects (11 options), Scene (18 choices) and Simple Auto. In Auto you can adjust ISO, white balance, resolution, color options and AF area mode, but that’s about it. Again, if you really want to tweak camera settings, the L830 might not be for you, but we really didn’t feel deprived during our travels.
Movies shot by the L830 are uneven. The camera takes a few seconds to properly adjust the exposure, and there are problems with focusing in low light. Again, that’s asking a lot from a tiny chip. The upside is that there is no sound from the lens mechanism while zooming, and you record stereo sound. Like the photos, if you get enough sun, you’ll be in decent shape.
The L830 has an ISO range of 125-3200, a fraction of the 12800/25600 of many 2014 models. But given the size of the sensor, we were glad Nikon didn’t try to push it. Color was accurate and digital noise was kept in check at ISO 400, with fairly good results at 800. From that point, noise became much more visible with strong color shifts at ISO 1600 and above. Again, nothing you wouldn’t expect from under $300, with small chips.
Conclusion
The Nikon Coolpix L830 has the attitude of a more advanced camera, but in reality it’s a good point and shoot super zoom lens – good for casual photographers who want something more than a basic compact or smartphone, but unimpressive for anyone who’s used something more powerful. But, at $300, that’s the point – it’s not trying to be something that’s just going to get in the way of its tiny sensor. If you’re just looking to point-and-shoot with a wide focal range for your next vacation, the L830 will do the job. Just understand that it has its limitations. Go in with your eyes wide open, look for a good deal and you will be pleasantly surprised.
Tall
- 34x super zoom (22.5-765 mm)
- 16 megapixels
- Quality photos/video with enough light
Falls
- Small 1/2.3 inch camera
- A few manual tweaks
- No Wi-Fi
Editor’s recommendations
Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn