Nikon Coolpix p510 review: worthy of being bought or not?

Nikon p510 Review

Recently, I had had the very very wonderful opportunity to be presented with a Nikon Coolpix P510, a DSLR camera and a part of the 'Superzoom' series launched by Nikon. The device is practically intermediate to good in terms of photo quality, but what really marks it as one of the best available options for professional photographers is the high degree of optical zoom.

The device is medium-sized, and pretty heavy

Priced at around ₹19999, the Nikon Coolpix P510 is practically meant for advanced photographers, or those of us amateurs who would like to 'see things closely'. Certainly one of the costliest and best of its series, P510 however has a few minor issues which should be kept in mind before actually giving it a shot.


First of all, let us consider the plus points of this device:


1. DSLR: Many of you, who are into photography, already know about this. For starters however, this might be a little bit confusing. Actually, there are two general types of cameras used in day-to-day sense, point & shoot cameras and DSLRs or Digital Single Lens Reflex. Without going into the details, a DSLR is a much improvement over Point and Shoot cameras. As such, you should always expect a higher price tag. Another major benefit of DSLRs is the degree of optical zoom they offer. It's usually more than a similar Point and Shoot camera. As a DSLR and excluding its central plus point, the 42x superzoom, Nikon P510 is intermdiate in my opinion.



2. 16.1 Megapixels: More the megapixels, clearer and better the shot. While this is really a rough estimate, megapixels DO determine the quality of shot to a great extent. The image quality is pretty crisp, and white balance is automatically adjusted as per the default configuration. This makes P510 an easy-to-use DSLR. But I must say, at this price range, 16.1 MP is not really much. I have a phone that hosts a 12 MP camera, so I can at least hope it to be around 20 MP.

Twilight photography using P510

3. Good low-light photography: This is one major plus point if you want to buy the device. Even without using flash, you can actually get crisp shots even in low-light conditions. The digital viewfinder is pretty decent as well.

Superzoom example, taken from ground

4. 42x superzoom: This is the major advantage of this device over the likes of its kind. None of the other devices I've seen sports this much of optical zooming capability. But in nighttime, too much zooming can actually ruin the shot. However, even in low-light conditions and especially when shooting objects as optical infinity, this degree of zoom comes into play. I was outside Madan Mohan temple, Cooch Behar, and I shot two kites (possibly, 'cause I don't recognize birds well, sorry) sitting at the top of a large tree, and boy! The shot was wonderful!



5. Average to decent night-time photography: I would like to differentiate between low-light photography and night-time photography especially because of the problem of reflected lights. Reflected natural lights, such as that of the Sun, usually makes things a little bit better for indoor, low-light photography when compared to night-time photography. Provided that you've selected the 'Night' mode and proper ISO balance, Coolpix P510 can take nicely detailed shots even in partial darkness lit only by artificial lights. This becomes especially evident in case of landscape or distant photography.

Superzoomed shots are only moderately detailed

6. Good Video recording capability: Zooming during video recording is decent, and I must say there is little to no lag during recording. The firmware inside the device does an excellent job recording video, but be sure to buy at least a 32 GB memory card before doing some real recording tasks. Saved file size is too much. In my case, it was around 900 MB for only 6 minutes of recording (with the default settings).



7. Out-of-the-box location tagging: GPS tagging is fully integrated with the device, and I must say I'm impressed.

A major benefit, the display screen can be partly detached

8. Display Screen: The display screen is superb, with excellent previewing capacity and and minimum to no lag. Another great benefit is that, the screen swings upwards and downwards, making it excellent to hold and view during videography.



9. Robust speed and startup: Yeah, just within seconda after the device starts, you can actually start shooting photos.

10. Small save size: Photos of optimal quality are usually between 3 and 5 MB. So, you can use the already provided 4 GB memory card for adequate photography.



But however, there are certain major issues with this device as well. These are:



1. Steep price: Yeah, this is a serious issue for middle-class customers. It's around ₹20000, so buying it is quite a fortune these days. You can actually get a whole new (albeit low-range) computer for this price.



2. Bad microphone quality: This is a serious problem and has bugged me heavily. While recording videos, sounds aren't nicely recorded. Even with optimal sound calibration enabled, recorded sound is still broken and artificial. My ₹10000's smartphone sports a better mic.



3. Average flash intensity: Yeah, flash intensity is doable with, but certainly for a device of this price it should have been much more.



4. Heavy and bulky: Yeah, this is another issue. Although Nikon has boasted heavily on making it 'not heavy and bulky', its weight is pretty much. Be sure to use the camera bag well. If it falls from your hand even once, a definite repair is a must. But it must be said that the device is easy to hold too. I myself felt tired after shooting photos for an hour, mainly because of its weight.

5. Steep learning curve: There's a vast multitude of different functions and photography techniques you need to be familiar with if you plan to use it wisely. Not that it's not recommended, in fact learning anything creative is good, but remember that it also consumes your time. If you haven't learned the functions well, shots can be really frustrating. So, if you plan to be a casual and occasional photographer just to capture moments of joy, use a Point and Shoot camera instead. They're cheaper, and easier.

See what an incorrect shot (with wrong ISO balance and brightness)
can look like. Be sure to learn before using it.

[NOTE: For those of you who are professional photographers, my review might appear a bit too novice. That's because my primary intention is to familiarize the amateurs with this device, and helping them decide whether to buy it or not. For those of you seeking additional details, please consider going to Barry Smith's much more technical review of this device HERE].



Final Verdict: Overall, considering all factors, I would like to say that Nikon Coolpix 510P is indeed a treasure, but it's pricy and advanced photography skills are needed to fully harness its power. If you still want to buy it and are an amateur enthusiast, I would say that the high optical zoom can be the sole reason to persuade you to do that. But if you would rather want a device to shoot photos of your friend's birthday or just of your family in front of a monument, I would not recommend buying this high-ranged device. This device is seriously not for amateurs.


But if you can financially help it, and are willing to embark on a quest to retrieve the Holy Grail of photography, then this can be the right companion for you. If you've already bought it, be sure to read the manual from front to back, as well as take a free online photography course to fully utilize its abilities.