ET Review: Nikon Coolpix priced at Rs 54,950

NEW DELHI: Compared to many other high-end compact cameras, the Coolpix A has a more premium feel. It sort of has a retro design with dials on top and front while the aluminum alloy body fits comfortably in the hand. Around the back is a bright 3-inch display that doubles up as a viewfinder. Nikon provides an optional optical viewfinder accessory that fits in on the hot-shoe.

A built in viewfinder would have been nice to have. The lens has a focus ring around it and a fixed focal length of 18.5mm (28mm in 35mm format) — great for most scenarios. The lack of optical zoom might be a letdown for some. You also get a customisable front and rear function (Fn) button that can be configured to access commonly used features.

The 16MP DX format APS-C sensor is the same one from Nikon's D7000 DSLR. Nikon has removed the optical low pass filter for improved sharpness on the Coolpix. Thanks to that, image quality is fantastic — as good as any DSLR.

There is minimal noise visible even at 100% crops. At f2.8 aperture, the depth of field effect is superb and so is the camera performance in low light scenarios. Video recording quality was average — we felt that it lacked sharpness. It doesn't give you a manual focus option while recording. For this price, we expected better.

Even though Nikon is a late entrant in this segment, they have managed to offer an impressive device. However, the steep price is a big issue. For a lower price you can get the Canon EOS M (Rs 34,995) or the Sony NEX 5R (Rs 39,990) — both have large sensors & interchangeable lenses in a compact body. We also recommend checking out the Sony RX100 II (Rs 42,990). It ha a large 20MP sensor with f1.8 aperture, tilt display, WiFi as well as 3.6x optical zoom.