Finding a compact camera that does all the fancy work of a SLR is a difficult task, indeed.
However, unless you're a keen student of photography, chances are you don't really *get* photography. The allure to purchase a massive DSLR and a bunch of lenses can be very tempting, especially considering how trendy street style blogs are. But with everyone thinking that they're the next Facehunter or Satorialist simply because they've borrowed their boyfriends Canon 5D, it's easy to forget that having a basic understanding of photography as well as having an understanding of how your camera works is what makes good photos.
The good news is, I have found a camera that is useful and easy to use for everything from fashion shows to family holidays to snapping photos of your dinner at posh restaurant: The Nikon Coolpix P7000.
The Coolpix 97000 is, basically, an unintimidating digital camera that does everything that you want it to without all the confusing bells and whistles. While it's not an SLR or a DSLR, it will still impress photographers and people like myself who are used to using a camera like the Cannon 350D.
Perfect for Control Freaks
If you have a basic understanding of photography, but find your standard digi-cams frustrating because of the lack of control you have on the settings but don't want to lug around a DSLR and numerous lenses, this is a fantastic alternative. Nikon designed the P7000 for people who want complete control over their photography, and they make it easy for you to do so as it has a familiar layout of buttons and dials found on other DSLR cameras.
Plus, with a light, compact body, the P7000 easily slips into your handbag without weighing it down and becoming a nuisance like other cameras do. (The camera body plus the battery and memory card only weighs 360g.)
Put to the Test
While I had used the Coolpix P7000 at events like family gatherings and dinners with friends, it wasn't until I brought it with me to London Fashion Week that I finally understand what a, well, cool camera it is.
Usually lugging around my larger Cannon SLR, I was thrilled that the P7000 easily fit in to my handbag and was so light that I actually forgot it was there. But when it finally came down to the shows, the P7000 let its true colors show.
Fashion shows are difficult to shoot when you're not in the photographers pit. The lighting is intensely bright, the models stomp incredibly fast down the catwalk, and if you're not on the right camera settings, the models turn into an orange blur, or a ghostly white figurine. It's a tough, fast-paced battle to adjust your camera to the right settings for each show, depending on where you're sitting, but the Coolpix P7000 made my job easy.
With an easily adjustable shutter speed and a wide sensitivity of ISO (100 - 3200) the P7000 let me quickly and easily adjust the settings in between models.
Plus, if I was at a presentation or exhibition and the lighting was normal, I could put the P7000 on "automatic", and it worked just fabulously (Or, if I wanted to get up close and personal with a particularly gorgeous pair of shoes I could switch it into "macro-focus".)
Another feature the P7000 has which I found really useful was that it has an LCD, wide-viewing-angle display monitor rather than a manual, traditional viewfinder which means you can watch what's going on and see what you're taking a photo of at the same time, rather than having your camera mashed up to your face sot that you can only see what your viewfinder can.
Techy Specs
- 10.1 megapixels
- Optical 7.1x zoom lens
- Storage media: Internal memory approximately 79mb, slot for SD/SDHC/SDXC card
- Filming/Recording: HD movie recording (720p) with stereo sound can be simultaneously recorded using a built-in microphone, while the microphone jack enables the use of an external microphone.
- Both Mac and PC friendly
Is This the Camera For You?
I think this camera is fantastic, but this is strictly because I took the time to learn how it works.
If you want a point and shoot camera and you're not really fussed about photography, you just want to capture images for Facebook, go with something else.
However, if you're a keen photographer and you want control over a camera, without having to shell out thousands of pounds for a DSLR and the many lenses that go with it, the Coolpix P7000 is fantastic. Take the time to read about the different settings and modes, and you'll fall in love.
The Nikon Coolpix P7000 is currently available on Amazon.co.uk for £339.00