Nikon Coolpix P80 First Thoughts

[Jim Keenan]

While I've shot Nikon SLR film cameras since 1975, my first experimentation with digital was a Sony F717. Eventually a Nikon Coolpix 5400 and then an 8800 joined the compact collection, and despite a somewhat pokey shutter lag time, the 8800 remained my favorite Nikon compact until yesterday. First announced in 2004, the 8800 offered a 35-350mm 10x zoom lens and Vibration Reduction (Nikon's image stabilization system), and in my opinion Nikon hasn't produced a worthy successor since the 8800's fairly rapid demise – until now.

Our Nikon Coolpix P80 review unit arrived June 6 and it didn't take long to nudge the 8800 into second place on my Nikon compact list. Ultrazooms are my favorites in the compact digital field, and the P80's 27-486mm (18x) lens certainly fits the bill in that regard.

Wide-angle

Telephoto

The camera has VR and good shutter lag time. Frankly, the big lens, low lag, and VR alone were probably enough to drop the 8800 to second place, but the P80 isn't competing against a four-year-old Nikon – the fight is with other brands and their current offerings. My brief time with the P80 suggests Nikon has brought a definite contender to the ring.

The camera is compact and light as far as super zooms go – Nikon claims it's the most compact of any ultrazoom with an 18x lens as of March 18, 2008. The plastics used in construction of the body are fairly plain, but the camera seems well built otherwise. The P80 won't fit in a shirt pocket, but a coat pocket or small purse/fannypack is more than enough.

The camera might be lightweight, but the shots it has produced so far are anything but: image color and quality are very good and true across a spectrum of natural light ranging from direct sun to heavy overcast and open shade. Flash color looks good, and the auto WB worked well with fluorescent lighting indoors.

Daylight	Overcast
Flash	Open Shade

Nikon debuted its latest-generation EXPEED processor with the D3 and D300 DSLRs this past November, and EXPEED technology has reportedly found its way into the P80. In just a few shots at the beach, I've noticed the P80 seems to do a better job of not losing highlights in the dark water/white water shots of breaking waves than non-EXPEED Nikon compacts I've reviewed in the past.

The camera also includes Nikon's automatic in-camera red-eye fix and D-Lighting tool, both of which have proven their worth in previous Nikons I've reviewed.

Original

D-Lighting

We'll have a full review on the P80 in a few weeks that will explore the camera's performance envelope more completely, but based on my brief time with it, I'd buy one. And I probably will, since the wife has been suggesting she needs a small camera and thinks the P80 is "cute."

[Andy Stanton]

I'm looking forward to the full review!

[David Rasnake]

Are you still up in the air on an ultrazoom, Andy?

dr

[Andy Stanton]

Still am. I'm wondering about the new ultrazooms on the way from Canon and Panasonic. Perhaps I'll wait for them.

[David Rasnake]

Perhaps I'll wait for them.

You're going to get stuck in that infinite loop of always looking toward the horizon if you're not careful.

dr

[RichardofBellevue]

I sure wish the complete reviews would appear sooner. I'm leaving for Europe in a couple of weeks and am trying to decide between the Canon S5-IS and the Nikon P-80. They are both priced about the same and each seems to have some minor flaws. My wife's Canon A720IS should be a good back, albeit with less zoom capability. Anyone with a quick recommendation who's played with both??

[Andy Stanton]

You're going to get stuck in that infinite loop of always looking toward the horizon if you're not careful.

dr

I know, but I really don't "need" an ultrazoom right now and I'm curious about the new models. I'll be annoyed if a great new model comes out the week after I buy something. I waited a little longer for my A720 and I'm glad I did.

[David Rasnake]

I've played with both (I dashed off a few shots with the P80 before handing it Jim's way), and I really have a good feeling about the P80 all in all. That said, it's hard to find a more solid camera than the S5. Still, in spite of other Coolpix P cameras being, at times, less than expected, the P80 seemed very responsive, images across the range looked good, shutter lag seemed as good as any ultrazoom, and the camera had a very responsive feel all around. While I didn't spend enough time with the P80 to uncover any anomalies if there are any, I was favorably impressed from the get-go (which doesn't happen much, seeing how many cameras come through around here).

J. Keenan can probably weigh in more on this: he shot the S5 review, and is working on the full review of the P80.

dr

[David Rasnake]

I know, but I really don't "need" an ultrazoom right now and I'm curious about the new models. I'll be annoyed if a great new model comes out the week after I buy something. I waited a little longer for my A720 and I'm glad I did.

Fair enough. With the SP-570 making some nice improvements over its predecessor, and the P80 looking like a good choice, I have to think that Canon and Panasonic (who no doubt had some sense of what was coming down the pike from their competition) are feeling pressure to hit with some real winners this year. Both the FZ18 and the S5 are looking pretty long in the tooth by comparison.

dr

[Jim Keenan]

I sure wish the complete reviews would appear sooner. I'm leaving for Europe in a couple of weeks and am trying to decide between the Canon S5-IS and the Nikon P-80. They are both priced about the same and each seems to have some minor flaws. My wife's Canon A720IS should be a good back, albeit with less zoom capability. Anyone with a quick recommendation who's played with both??

Having shot both (but the Nikon not nearly so much so far) I'd take the Nikon. Shutter lag is good on both, image quality and color as well. The Nikon is newer technology, and the lens is both wider and longer. Continuous shooting rates are similar (both in the 1fps range). The Nikon has some lens flaws (barrel distortion and pin cushioning) as did the Canon, but Nikon has a "distortion control" setting I haven't worked with yet to help with that. Nikon also has the automatic in-camera red eye fix and D-Lighting.

It comes down to a newer camera with a longer/wider lens and otherwise similar performance vs. an older model at a similar price, but you won't go wrong either way, in my opinion.

The Canon has fewer pixels on a smaller physically sized sensor, so noise is probably going to be pretty similar between both cameras, and here's where the newer technology in the Nikon can't hurt..........