popsrocks's Full Review: Nikon COOLPIX 4600 Digital Camera
I finally broke into the digital world of cameras and so has my family. Our latest addition, that we all kind of shared depending on who is going where and when is the Nikon Coolpix 4600 Digital Camera. I must admit that it was the basic functions the box stated, the price of $150 including an additional 512 memory card and the fact that they had it in stock. I will be comparing this camera from time to time with two Canon cameras we own the Canon PowerShot A400 and Canon PowerShot A520
All right, let me tell you it really was the Nikon name and the price. I could barely read the specs on the box except for knowing it has...
...Effective 4.0 Pixels
Zoom Nikkor lens 3X
Scene Models 16
The box also told me the wise words Mega-fun, Simply Digital. That's what I like in anything new something that's lots of fun and simple to use.
Opening the Box
It wasn't until I opened the inside cover of the box that I read
All in One Package
Coolpix 4600 Digital Camera
Strap
USB Cable
Video Cable
AA alkaline battery LRC x 2
Picture Project CD-ROM
Quick Starts Guide
COOLPIX 4600 Instruction Manual
Warranty and registration card.
The most import information I received was the fact about the Quick Start Guide.
I am not a patient man when it comes to reading instructions. All I really want is to pick up the camera and start taking pictures. I suppose because of growing up with point and shoot cameras I wasn't looking for many bells and whistles which I might add this camera does offer.
The quick guide came in English and Spanish. I was very happy to see they were two separate forms. I dislike having to paw through literature looking for the language I understand.
My first impression wasn't a good one because I found trying to read white print on a pink background difficult for my "getting senior" eyes. "Hey, Nikon!", I say, "You don't have to try and impress me with silly colours. I just want clear print." Fortunately the instructions moved on to a much more readable black and white format.
The directions came in clear steps the first,
Step One; "Take the camera out of the box" This also lead me to check that all the components were included. I liked the ease of this and the pictures detailing the names of the parts.
The directions went on to simple functions that were well illustrated. I quickly learned
Step Two; Attach the camera strap
Step Three; Insert the battery. It's actually batteries, AA that come with the camera. I have been very satisfied with a battery charger and reusable batteries instead of the "one time life" ones. The chamber opened easily and closed firmly.
Step Four; Turn on the camera. Easy enough
Step Five; Set the camera, was a bit more detailed but gentle in explaining what must be done when first setting up the camera. This is not something you must do often, if ever again. It shows all the digital displays one must set including time zones and dates.
Step Six; Taking Pictures, "Finally!" This was pretty clear description explaining how to read battery levels and how to confirm focus. For a beginner this takes a delicate hand but it does become "second" hand quickly.
This section also gives some very basic "flash" information. Just enough to get started. Much more detail can be found in the 117 page booklet that also comes with the camera. This is also given in English and Spanish and again, two separate books.
Step Seven; View your pictures. This gives information on how to use the multi-selector. I,liked the ease that I could lee the pictures in either reverse order OR in order recorded.
The next section of the instructions takes two full one quarter sections of the two sided foldout Quick Guide. On one quarter is info on how to transfer pictures to your computer via Windows and another one quarter via Macintosh.
Though I found this fairly easy to go through, step by step, it wasn't as easy as I found Canon's Quick guide pertaining to transfers.
The full booklet is all in black and white and I compare them as equal.
The Camera
The camera is much like a toy. That's the feel of it. I happen to own a Canon PowerShot A400, my first digital camera, that was given to me as a gift. It too is small but has a more substantial feel to it. This camera measures only 3 1/4"w x 2 1/4" h x about 1 1/4" deep. This camera does however have a slightly larger monitor than my Canon A400 but substantially smaller that the Canon PowerShot A520 we own that we purchased for $289. Quite a bit more than this one.
I have to say that the design of the buttons on the camera did not measure down to the small profile of the camera. The different functions were the same size or perhaps a bit larger than my original Canon A400. That was good.
In my business I have a different camera in my hands almost every weekend. We use fairly inexpensive cameras for taking digital pictures that are then transfered onto Mouse pads, sports novelties like basketball back boards, t-shirts and such. I'm mentioning the use of multiple cameras because every time I pick up a new one I have to figure how to turn it on. There are many that don't make this clear. The Coolfix has a very distinct on/off button on top.
I also happen to like the feel and placement of the telephoto settings. It's easy for the thumb to gain access to and have a good feel for.
I don't particularly like the placement of the mode dial. My "fat fingers" have trouble turning it.
I have noticed that some digital cameras do not come with viewfinders, you simply use the monitor for shooting the picture. I strongly recommend against that kind of purchase because there are times when the sunlight is so bright that reading the monitor is difficult to do.
This camera's viewfinder shows a wide angle view much wider than my Canon's. It shows the subject matter too far away for my liking.
Features
This camera, as I mentioned earlier does have many bells and whistles that can help the amateur photographer make better images. Framing and Portrait assist modes are available.
I happen to like the easy way I can set landscapes in the Scene Mode for settings like Beach/Snow, Sunset, Dusk/Dawn, Night Landscape, Close Up and more including Fireworks shows. It even has an underwater setting if you have the camera in an underwater case. I simply purchase point and shoot underwater cameras when we go snorkeling.
I do happen to like the feature of cropping a picture and saving it to a separate file. I have found that many pictures I have taken look great when I fill up the frame with the subject matter afterward. Though it's best to do that when taking the image so as to have better quality, it does help this guy's "amateur eye" get a better photo even after the fact.
Though this camera has the capability to record short movie clips, I have never used it.
Final Take
There are even more features that I have never converted into benefits. Many are because of having to study the book a bit more. Hey I'm a lazy ol' timer who was pushed into this new world of digital and I still s l o w l y learning about some of these new fangled inventions.
I have found the shutter lag on all these digital cameras I own painfully slow at times. I like to view, press and shoot. With digitals in this category it seems more like view, press and "Why don't we get together for a couple of brews?" Mmm, actually not a bad idea, but poor for spontaneous picture taking.
I found the actual photo quality just fine for my not so discerning eye. I really see no difference in a finished photo between any of the three cameras. There is a decidedly big difference in how they look through the monitor. My PowerShot A520 is far superior to both the others in that aspect of the cameras performance.
After owning and using this camera for nearly a month we have decided to return it and got another Canon PowerShot A520. We have already purchased the duplicate camera so we are not fighting over digitals with our daughters, but haven't returned this one to our local Radio Shack as of yet. This isn't to say the Nikon wasn't a good camera. The pictures and overall use are just fine. It was a good deal but we just got a bit too comfortable with the Canon's larger monitor and better overall feel even if it was a bit more expensive. This seems to me to be an excellent first digital camera for young people or someone who wants a small camera that fits well in a shirt pocket or pocketbook. I would even suggest it over my Canon PowerShot A400 even if I didn't like the feel of it.
4.0-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for for photo-quality 11 x 15-inch prints 3x optical zoom through a quality Zoom-Nikkor lens (zoom is equival...More at Amazon Marketplace
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