At a glance, the Nikon Coolpix
8800 VR presents an alluring package: a large 8 megapixel image
size, a 10X optical zoom with an image stabilizer, a good selection
of image formats. Indeed, these features, in addition to a complete
assortment of shooting modes that run the gamut from advanced
modes — a necessity for advanced amateurs — to Scene
and the point-and-shoot Auto mode, make the Coolpix well-suited
for a wide variety of potential users with the exception of those
that would object to its weight and size.
The Coolpix 8800 is capable of capturing extremely detailed images, especially
when used in RAW or TIFF (HI) formats, which use no compression, and
thereby completely avoid the potential artefacts that might be caused
by the lossy JPEG process.
Regrettable however, is the fact
that the software included with the camera, Picture Project,
is still not sufficiently developed to support the RAW format
thoroughly, and remains confused and overly complicated.
Of all the improvements the Coolpix
8800 shows over the 8700 the most interesting is the use of an
optical stabilizer (Vibration Reduction). This is the first time
Nikon has employed this technology in one of its digital cameras.
Image stabilizers are valuable with long zooms, especially when
they have a variable aperture like the zoom lens of the Coolpix
8800. Image stabilization allows the camera to be handheld at
relatively slow shutter speeds, and still capture a very sharp
image.
Yet another improvement over the
8700 is the use of a well thought-out Mode Dial, making access
to the camera's multiple shooting modes that much easier.
Aperture: f3.7, shutter speed: 1/7 sec., 100 ISO.
But, while the Coolpix 8800
offers some significant new features, it also disappoints in
other areas. For instance, the zoom's motor produces a noticeable
noise when going from wide to telephoto, and is — at
least on the camera tested here — even noisier reversing
from telephoto to wide. Moreover, the Coolpix 8800 itself is
not particularly fast to operate, neither to focus, nor to
start, especially when compared to some of its direct competitors.
This said, the image quality of
the Coolpix 8800 is still on the high end of the spectrum. Colour
rendition is excellent, even at this time of year, when above
the 49th parallel sunlight becomes cold and harsh, and has, in
our experience, a tendency to underline the least desirable aspects
of any camera's image quality.
But by the same token that harsh and low light also increases contrasts
and quickly reveals that the Coolpix 8800 is very sensitive to high contrasts,
and tends to overexpose highlights.
Indeed, as with many other cameras,
the Coolpix 8800 yields better images if the subject is uniformly
lit.
Aperture: f3.9, shutter speed: 1/8 sec., 100 ISO.
In addition, images also show
that the lens is generally free of chromatic aberration, but
that at the wide angle end the zoom produces noticeable barrel
distortion, while being free of pincushion distortion at its
maximum telephoto setting. Likewise noise is minimal at 50 and
100 ISO, and only becomes noticeable if the Sharpness option
in the menu is set to Auto which somehow emphasizes it. Interestingly,
at 200 and 400 ISO, the camera's images remain quite useable.
As with the Coolpix 8700, one
of the best features of the Coolpix 8800 is its long exposure
capability. The camera offers a maximum exposure time of 10
minutes, accessible either through a preset exposure time,
or by the totally flexible Bulb mode. Moreover, with this camera,
the Bulb mode is useable without any additional expenditure,
as Nikon includes a perfect little infrared remote control
in the package, making it possible to start and stop the shutter
without ever touching the camera.
In conclusion, our impressions
of the Coolpix 8800 are mixed. Clearly, the image quality of
the camera is good, but in our opinion, not as good as what
we've encountered with other Nikon cameras, particularly when
the image contains strong contrasts. Similarly, the Coolpix
8800 is slower and its zoom is noisier than we had expected.
On the other hand, the Coolpix 8800's stabilization system
places it on par with competing products, by allowing it to
capture images at low shutter speeds (as were some of the photos
presented on this page) without camera shake ruining the photo.
Clearly, consumers will have to be the final arbiters as to whether or
not the Coolpix 8800 will be as successful as many of Nikon's cameras
have been.
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