Digitalism has become the way of life nowadays and almost everything you see around you is digital. Now out of all the stories of those devices which have turned digital from being primitive, the story of the digital cameras is really a fairy tale. Gone are the days when you need to wait for a couple of days before you can have a look at how your pictures look like. Everything is instant now and so are the pictures from your digital camera. Owning a digital camera, hence, is very good. But we will now see that owning a Nikon Digital camera is even better. Nikon is one of those companies that have been producing affordable and at the same time very qualitative digital cameras for quite a while now. Here is a detailed review of one of the latest cameras from Nikon, which happens to be the Nikon Coolpix L22.

Design:

Now this one of those trademark designs that cameras from Nikon are always associated with. Unlike many other cameras, those of Nikon are always curvy and attractive. This is the reason behind the craze for Nikon cameras among the younger multitude. Excluding all the projects caused due to the curvy design, the Nikon Coolpix L22 measures approximately about 97.7 x 60.5 x 28.3 mm, which tells you that it is pretty slim for a digital camera. But these projections have added on a little more weight to the camera and the Coolpix L22 managed to weigh 183 g, a bit heavier than normal. But this is not a big deal since to the present youth, all that matters is style. This particular design of the L22 has also got the better of that of its predecessor, the L21. The display part of the camera has also been revamped and more space is given for it rather than for the buttons.

Clear Colour Display:

The 3 inch TFT LCD that is seen on the Coolpix L22 is kind of different from its counterparts. Nikon has used a more innovative technology even in the displays of its cameras so that pictures and everything else look clearer and crisper than ever. Some of the more sane observations that were made on these digital cameras over the last couple of years is that the pictures look very different on the screen when compared to those which were seen when played on the high definition televisions. This small but important bug has been fixed now by Nikon with the introduction of this new technology. The photos, more importantly, look more lifelike, vivid and they also have very good colour contrast, just to add to the positives. This type of special displays can even reduce the eye strain and hence can help you keep your eyes healthy.

Features:

Since at present there are scores of excellent cameras in the market for you to choose from, each and every camera has to prove its mettle by providing more and more new features. This healthy competition has done a world of good for the customers as the companies try to get the better of their counterparts. Nikon has been on similar lines and the Coolpix L22 has got its own unique features to boast about. Let us have a look at all the features of this very new camera from Nikon.

Projector:

Yes, we are talking about a digital camera and yes, there is a projector inside it. This is the first time ever in the history of digital cameras that there is an incorporation of a projector. There is a visible projector beside the flashlight on the front part of the camera and this is really a very effective feature. It is also a very innovative idea put forth by Nikon. With the help of this amazing feature, you can view your pictures immediately after clicking them. All you need is a clear background such as a wall. Just position the camera in front of the wall and see your pictures on it. The Coolpix L22 camera also plays these pictures as a slideshow so that all the captured pictures can be seen one after the other.  This makes it easy for you to have a better look at your pictures. When there is no computer near you or when you are travelling, this feature truly helps you a lot. Precisely, this is the most attractive feature of all regarding the Nikon Coolpix L22. This has not only resulted in positive criticism all over the world for Nikon, but has also played a very instrumental role in boosting the sales of the Coolpix series cameras.

Touch Screen:

Most of today’s digital cameras are coming with a touch screen option and so is the Coolpix L22. There are a couple of advantages with the touch screen feature. One of them is that it will be easy for you to access all the options with just a mere touch. This will be faster than the conventional use of buttons. But another indirect advantage that pops out when there are no buttons is that the whole are can now be occupied by the screen itself and this means you can have larger display. This is why the display of the Coolpix L22 is increased to 3 inches.  Maybe this touch screen technology can also be considered to be a style icon nowadays since almost all the electronic gadgets are coming with touch screen technology.

VR Image Stabilisation:

Optical Image Stabilisation has become the order of the day when it comes to digital photography. Any digital camera must possess this feature in order to produce crisp images all the time. Now the VR Technologies developed by Nikon has introduced a new kind of image stabilization which has gone a few steps ahead when it comes to image stabilisation. This is known as the VR Image Stabilisation and it produces completely blur free images. Even the minutest of disturbances are sensed and then eliminated by this feature very effectively. Tested under different conditions, this feature works fine almost all the time. The Coolpix L22 digital Camera offers a Lens Shift Mechanism which will subtly shift the lens in case of sudden camera jerks. This also, at the end of the day, gives you steadier and sharper pictures.

Motion Detection:

Whenever there is relative motion between the camera and the subjects, the camera automatically detects motion and hence adjusts the shutter speeds. This enables you capture sharper and crisper pictures and the noise that will be added to such pictures will be removed automatically. This feature works not only when the subjects are in motion, but also when the camera itself is in motion. In the latter case, the optical image stabilization also comes into play and the effects on the pictures due to the camera’s movement will be eliminated.

High Sensitivity:

There are quite a few sensors inside the Nikon Coolpix L22 12 MP Resolution Digital Camera and they all help the camera sense the conditions outside and hence make subtle changes in the shooting options so that you will get the right picture almost every time you click it. Particularly, this sensitivity works really well during low light or twilight conditions or at times when long exposure times are required. It also automatically adjusts the shutter speed depending on the conditions and hence you do not need to spend your valuable time on doing the same yourself. Last but not least, it also senses fast moving objects in real quick time, captures crisp pictures and avoids the dragging or tailing of such objects.

Skin Softener:

Who does not love to look younger? Well, at least in pictures, you can look a lot younger than normal thanks to the Skin Softener feature that is seen on the Nikon Coolpix L22. This amazing new technology softens your skin wherever necessary, as in the case of a pimple or a wrinkle, and makes your skin look softer than it is naturally. This does not effectively decrease the picture quality as doubted by many users, but it actually produces a wow effect which makes your skin glow. This eliminates the extra effort you put in by editing your photos with various picture editing software. Hence, it saves your time as well as it hides your age.

Face Priority AF:

Face Priority AF is just like the face Detection feature that you see on almost all the digital cameras. The Coolpix L22 can detect as many as 12 faces in the frame and then adjusts the mechanism of the camera such that things like focal length of the lens and contrast and exposure of the pictures are adjusted so well that you get fine portraits at the click of a button. Without this feature, the faces and thereby the persons at the centre of the frame are given more priority and those at the corners of the frame are given lesser priority. This is what the face Priority feature avoids by spreading the exposure on the subjects and thereby giving each and every subject the same priority.

Smile Mode:

The Smile Mode automatically closes the shutter when it detects a smile. When this option is set on, you do not need to press the shutter button every time. The camera can also detect multiple smiles and faithfully takes pictures just at the appropriate time. This gives your pictures a very natural look since they are taken at the right times. There are three degrees of smile detection and this degree means the level of priority for a smile.

In-Camera Red Eye Fix:

As new technologies evolve day by day, all the picture editing is being done inside the camera itself. Previously, there used to be no automatic red eye fix mechanisms in the camera itself and the red eye errors had to be eliminated separately using picture editing software. But now, this red eye editing mechanism is incorporated inside the Coolpix L22 itself and the camera is programmed to automatically fix such errors the moment a picture is captured.

Blink Warning and Blink Proof:

Sometimes the pictures are clicked just at the wrong time and you see that the subjects blinked their eyes just at the time the shutter closes. This is really annoying especially if the picture comes great and everything else is so beautiful but the blink of the eye spoils the whole picture. This has been an issue over the years and very recently technology has come forward to solve it. One of those technologies is implemented by Nikon and as a result of it you can see Blink Warnings on the display the moment someone blinks so that you could wait a while. But what if you have already clicked the shutter button by then? Well, no worries. There is another thing called the Blink Proof technology which is also recently developed, like its cousin Blink Warning. This feature, after detecting a blink, delays the shot even after you press the shutter button, so that the shot is taken a little later. This ensures that there are no blinks in the picture and hence makes them perfect.

Scene Auto Selection:

There are quite a few scene modes by default on the Nikon Coolpix L22. Each scene mode has its own qualities and properties and the various settings for each scene mode are different. All these modes are already set by Nikon in the camera and when you need to capture something, the camera automatically detects the scene and then switches into that particular scene mode. These scene modes help you get the best possible pictures for a particular type of environment. This avoids wastage of time because otherwise the users must themselves change the settings. Hence, this is another one of those user friendly features seen on the Coolpix L22.

Subject Tracking:

Many times, when a subject is moving, it is quite difficult shoot very good videos of it. Sometimes the videos are a bit shaky and the other times they are somewhat bizarre. This is primarily because of the fact that the focal length of the camera is fixed once and for all and will shoot the while video with the same focal length unless and until the user changes it or zooms the camera. But the Coolpix L22 3″ Touchscreen Digital Camera has come up with an alternative for this. It is called Subject tracking and this feature tracks or traces the subject inside the frame and positions its focus upon that particular subject. Hence, even if the subject moves inside the frame, the lens follows it faithfully and the focal length will be altered accordingly in order to achieve excellent videos. Even if there are multiple subjects, this feature works fine.

HD Recording:

Standard Definition is a thing of the past. Nowadays, all the cameras, camcorders and televisions are of high definition technology and the standards of video quality are very high. Now, with the Coolpix L22, you can get up to 720p resolution, giving you HD videos all the time. Though there is a superior definition than this, which is 1080p, a 720p HD resolution is a big thing when it comes to a digital camera and it is also the best resolution available till date, regarding the digital cameras. With 12 million effective available pixels in all, it can still give you a great video recording experience. Hence, you can enjoy HD videos all the time.

Performance:

Now as we have seen all the features of the Nikon Coolpix, we have come to a conclusion that more features are provided on it than on most other cameras in the market. But how good is it when it comes to performance? That is the real question. It is the real deciding factor for any electronic gadget. So will the Coolpix L22 come up to our expectations and perform well? Let us analyse it.

Picture and Video Performance:

As always with the cameras from Nikon, the Coolpix L22 is one of the better performers in the market, speaking of video performance. With all those pretty efficient features that it possesses, the Coolpix offers a very good quality of videos in almost all the scenarios and also at almost all the times. A resolution of 720 pixels is still quite good even though there is a superior version available in the market. Pictures from the Coolpix L22 look excellent and quite bright. No complaints at all in this area. Everything is just about very good to make this camera one of the better ones in the market today.

Audio performance:

Now here comes the first and probably the only disappointing thing regarding this otherwise perfect camera. The audio on the Nikon Coolpix L22 is a bit shaky and is not high definition by any means. There are, of course, many other digital cameras that come with high definition audio support and some even have Dolby Digital Surround Sound but unfortunately, the Coolpix L22 does not promise you such high quality sounds. But, even then, most of the digital cameras sail in the very same boat and also have not featured HD audio at all. Hence, it is not that disheartening thing to worry about and you can still get some good sounds when there is less noise. Since nothing in this world is absolutely perfect and there are a few defects in almost all the cameras, it is quite worth thinking twice before rejecting this camera.

Battery:

There are three types of batteries provided by Nikon for the Coolpix L22, namely, alkaline, lithium ion and EN MH2. The difference is in the duration. While the alkaline batteries can give you 240 shots, the lithium ion batteries, which are known for their durability, can give you as many as 660 shots. And the EN MH2 batteries give you approximately 420 shots. While these numbers easily suggest you to choose Lithium ion batteries, it is also advisable that you have a reserve battery just in case it is not enough for you or in case you have to go for a long tour.

Warranty:

Nikon has warranted the Coolpix L22 against parts and labour for a period of one year from the original date of purchase.

Verdict:

All has been discussed and by now you must have understood that the Nikon Coolpix L22 is one of the better digital cameras in the market today. It has got in it all the features that can attract both the younger and the elder multitudes and it is also quite comfortable for the rookies to use it. Leaving out the fact that the audio did not reach the expectations, this is one of those cameras anyone would look out for, especially with the luring and low price tag of it.

Nikon Coolpix L22 Digital Camera – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer Nikon
Model Name Coolpix L22
Dimensions (W x H x D) Approx. 97.7 x 60.5 x 28.3 mm (3.9 x 2.4 x 1.2 in.)
excluding projections
Weight Approx. 183 g (6.5 oz.) with battery and SD memory card
Colours available Black, Silver, Blue, Red
Display 3 inch LCD
Resolution 12 MP
Touch Screen Yes
Built-in Memory 19MB
Memory card formats supported SD memory card
Lens 3.6x zoom NIKKOR; 6.7-24.0mm (35mm [135] format
picture angle: 37-134mm); f/3.1-6.7;
Digital zoom: up to 4x (35mm [135] format picture
angle: Approx. 536mm)
Focus Auto focus, Manual focus
Focal length 30cm (1 ft.) to infinity; Macro close-up mode: 5cm (2 in.) to infinity
Zoom Optical and Digital
Sensitivity Auto (auto gain ISO 80-1600)
Image Sizes 4000 x 3000 (12M), 4000 x 3000 (12M), 3264 x 2448 (8M),
2592 x 1944 (5M), 2048 x 1536 (3M), 1024 x 768 (PC),
640 x 480 (VGA), 3968 x 2232 (16:9)
Self-timer 10sec
Optical Image stabilizer Yes
Shooting modes Available
Playback Face Detection (with Red-eye removal), Crop, Resize,
Image rotate, Slideshow,
Multi-frame playback (with Micro Thumbnail),
Sorting by date,
Blink Warning
Exposure AF
Image File types JPEG
Audio Stereo
White balance Automatic scene recognition, Fluorescent light,
Incandescent light, Custom
Digital Interface USB 2.0 High-speed
Video Output 720p
Batteries alkaline batteries
Battery life on single charge 240 snaps
Warranty One year

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