Nikon’s “flagship” economic digital camera is getting a look-over by many sites, here’s what they have to say…

Think Camera thought the P50 was a very average shooter at best, saying that it doesn’t break much new ground in terms of technology.

If you are looking for a standard snapper and can find the Nikon Coolpix P50 on the cheap, then you might be onto something. But the market is always moving fast, not least from the recent arrival of the new ‘big brother’ Nikon Coolpix P60.

Its images are of a good standard, and would be boosted by the VR and ISO2000 - if those features actually had some serious weight behind them. But they don’t, so what you’re left with is a standard compact that - although benefiting from a 28mm wide lens - doesn’t bring the sort of performance to be expected from Nikon.

Pop Photo gave the camera a 7.5 out of 10 rating, but did like the features.

Nikon’s 8.1-megapixel Coolpix P50 features a f/2.8-5.6, 28mm-102mm lens (35mm camera equivalent) 3.6x zoom lens; a 115,000-pixel, 2.4-inch LCD with a wide 160-degree viewing angle; and an optical viewfinder. The camera offers a manual exposure mode but no priority modes. It also provides numerous automatic shooting modes and a top light-sensitivity setting of ISO 2000. Other notable features include in-camera redeye removal, a Best Shot Selector mode that takes multiple images in a quick series and saves the sharpest one, and Nikon’s D-Lighting feature, which automatically opens up dark shadow areas in playback mode. The camera also includes face-detection technology, and Nikon says its performance has been improved over that of the system used in previous Coolpix models.

Cnet thought that the Coolpix P50 was a great deal for its price (Between $160-$190 are the prices that they’re finding).

Description:The Nikon Coolpix P50 is an 8.1-megapixel, compact camera. Compared to other compact digital cameras on the market, it is relatively inexpensive at around $190.

Pros:Has an 8.1-megapixel resolution, which is higher than some similarly priced digital cameras. Also, this digital camera has a 3.6x optical zoom, which is more powerful than some similarly priced digital cameras. By way of comparison, the typical cost of a product with this high an optical zoom is $270. Weighing only 5.6 ounces without battery and media, this digital camera is rather light relative to its competitors.

Cons:Has a 1.7 in thickness, which is somewhat thicker than some similarly priced digital cameras. Also, this digital camera has only a 2.4 inch viewscreen, which is smaller than some similarly priced digital cameras.

Suitability: Built for travel, since it won’t take up a lot of space. A recommended use, based on key features, is framed photos for the home. The largest recommended print size, estimated from the camera’s resolution, is 12×16 or larger.

Value: In general, this digital camera’s features are in line with its price. However, you would typically pay about 35% more to get a compact camera with comparable resolution.

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