Nikon DPR Nikon Coolpix A review

serhan

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Nikon Coolpix A comparative review: Digital Photography Review

Silver Award:
The final word
The Coolpix A is a very good camera that, if it stood in isolation, would represent an interesting addition to the camera market. Of course the reality is that it doesn't exist in a vacuum and, while many photographers will be very happy with it, a considerable portion of its thunder is stolen by the Ricoh GR - a camera that achieves the unusual trick of being a touch better in almost every respect while also being significantly cheaper.

We're also not totally convinced about the price/size/performance balance that either of these cameras strikes, given their only moderately-bright F2.8 lenses. In the course of the review process we have increasingly appreciated their pocketability, though.

There are a few things that recommend the Coolpix A over the Ricoh - its JPEGs are arguably nicer than the GR's and both its flash hot shoe and user-interface will be immediately compatible for Nikon DSLR users. Whether this is enough to justify the price premium over a slightly faster, slightly smaller and (to our minds) slightly more capable camera, is another matter.

Conclusion

- Pros
Excellent image quality in both Raw and JPEG
Sharp lens with good consistency up to fairly wide apertures
Large sensor in genuinely small body
Simple and responsive user interface
Good build quality
Good live view magnification allows precise manual focus
Compatible with Nikon Speedlights

- Cons
Significant vignetting in both JPEG and Raw files
Pedestrian focusing limits 'decisive moment' abilities
No ND filter and 1/2000th sec shutter speed limit bright-light flexibility
Extremely limited movie capabilities
No Commander mode for use with remote flashguns
 
Well Ray, it seems you'd make a fine professional camera reviewer. From what they say about the Ricoh, they basically feel the same way you do. And your example shots are arguably a lot more interesting ;)

I think I'd go for the Ricoh any day - but from what I've seen, the Nikon A does have VERY nice jpegs, which has recently become an important criterium to me...
 
Well, thanks, but I think I'd suck at it if I had to do all of that technical analysis. And it's pretty clear they really prefer the Ricoh. I don't. I go back and forth but keep coming back to the Nikon as a more comfortable option for me. Not sure if the difference is worth $300 but I would have trouble saying the Ricoh is better in most ways, which I think they said.

To me, I think the only objective measures by which the Ricoh is better are faster AF in good light and sharper extreme corners wide open, neither of which matter much to me. Subjectively, I prefer the way the Ricoh feels in my hand and the ability to switch between AF and zone/snap focus instantly. But I prefer the Nikon's less cluttered and complex interface, the focus ring, and the way the raw colors arrive in Lightroom - the colors give me a better starting point to begin processing from. I also prefer the way the exposure comp control works on the Nikon and that's easily my most used control. (Although I honestly prefer the way Fuji, Sony (on the RX1) and Olympus do exposure comp to either of these.) And I prefer the Nikon's auto-ISO implementation, where the minimum shutter speed can be set as high as 1/1000 - the Ricoh is limited to 1/250. This auto-ISO difference actually matters to me in use quite a bit for street shooting in good light. On the Ricoh I sometimes trip over the complexity of the possibilities, even when I have it set up pretty simply - that just doesn't happen with the Nikon.

So, I think I'm coming down in a different place than any of the other reviewers / experts I've been reading and conversing with on these two cameras. I'm not sure that makes me a good reviewer or just a somewhat independent one.

-Ray
 
Well, I enjoyed reading your comparison a lot, Ray. And you spent more time talking about operation and difference in user interface than the dpr as well as some tips and tricks, which are overlooked in other reviews. Sorry you have to take some beating from the more fanatic side of the Ricoh crowd. But look the dpr is now taking some beating from the other side too. It is certainly a tough job doing reviews/comparison.
 
Well, I enjoyed reading your comparison a lot, Ray. And you spent more time talking about operation and difference in user interface than the dpr as well as some tips and tricks, which are overlooked in other reviews. Sorry you have to take some beating from the more fanatic side of the Ricoh crowd. But look the dpr is now taking some beating from the other side too. It is certainly a tough job doing reviews/comparison.
Glad you liked it. Whether it was useful to anyone else or not, I got more out of the Ricoh after working through some of the color issues and getting a lot of help/advice from some of the folks over there, and here too. And most of the folks on the Ricoh forum on DPR were ok to me - just a couple that really got on my nerves. Not worth worrying about.

-Ray
 
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