The Nikon Coolpix 2500 Predicting the Future of Digital Camera Evolution
Written: May 26 '02 (Updated Nov 10 '02)
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Pros: Compact, neat new swiveling lens design, cheap, excellent metering
Cons: No optical viewfinder, no video-out port, red-eye problems
The Bottom Line: The new Coolpix 2500 is the first model in Nikon’s exciting new family of 21st century digital cameras
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| Howard_Creech's Full Review: Nikon COOLPIX 2500 Digital Camera |
When Nikon introduced the groundbreaking five megapixel Coolpix 5000 late last year many consumers feared that one of the companys signature digi-cam features was being abandoned. The unique tilt-swivel zoom lens that distinguishes the top models in Nikons Coolpix family is a major element of the most innovative camera design to surface during the digital camera revolution. Consumers dont need to worry, the new Nikon Coolpix 2500 sports a re-designed and updated version of the tilt-swivel design that made the CP900, CP950, CP990, and CP995 industry leaders in camera design, versatility, and performance. The new fifth generation CP2500 takes the idea one step further and offers the tilt-swivel lens on an entry-level Coolpix for the first time.
The CP2500 is a 2 megapixel digital camera with a 3X optical zoom lens that not only swivels 180 degrees (for easy self-portraits) but also features an internal focus/zoom design. The lens doesnt extend outward from the camera body (like every other digital camera zoom) while focusing or zooming. In addition the lens (which swivels inside the CP2500s body sort of like the air conditioning louvers on your cars dashboard) locks into the body presenting a flat profile and protecting the CP2500s lens/ flash module when theyre not in use. If you forget and turn the CP2500 on with the lens locked a nifty little cartoon style dialog balloon (like something out of Kevin Smiths Chasing Amy) pops up on the LCD to remind you to flip it down. If Silent Bob has a digital camera, its a solid bet hes packing a Nikon CP2500.
The sleek and stylish little CP2500 is clearly targeted at the trendy young gen Y market niche and marks a radical design departure from the look of previous Nikon cameras. Nikons demographic research obviously indicated that Gen Yers wanted a tough, easy to use, and cool digital camera. A compact imaging device that operated like a pointnShoot camera, but still allowed some creative user input and consistently delivered great images across a broad spectrum of lighting situations. How close did Nikons engineers come to meeting the needs of this demanding group of consumers? Read on, and decide for yourself.
The new CP2500 really is different, the flashy little blue and silver body looks more like a cell phone than a conventional digital camera (hey, this aint your Daddys Nikon) and while it shares some features and technology with Nikons CP775, the new camera is designed to be the digi-cam of choice for the extreme sports set. These are young people who enthusiastically bike and backpack to remote corners of the earth, attack sheer rock faces with nothing but sweat and determination, and practice death (and gravity) defying athletic tricks with skateboards.
The tough little go anywhere CP2500 is not meant to compete with Nikons high-res consumer digital cameras, or the companys solid mid level entries like the CP775 & CP885. This futuristic little gadget was designed to introduce Nikon cameras to a whole new generation of photographers. The marketing folks at Nikon saw the writing on the wall when Canons wildly popular digital elph series (S10, S100, S110, S300, S200, S330) emerged as the digital camera of choice for the growing Gen Y and Gen X market niche.
Nikons top camera design and digital imaging engineers were assigned the task of coming up with a serious elph killer. The tiny CP2500 (weight with batteries and CF card is less than eight ounces) is a truly pocketable (4.5 by 2.3 by 1.2 inches) Nikon, the first of an exciting new breed. The CP2500 is a bit bulkier than the tiny little digital elph models, but its still small enough to drop in a pocket or small purse and take it along where ever you go. The CP2500 combines pointnshoot simplicity and ease of use with groundbreaking design, advanced features, superb ergonomics, and a very reasonable price for young consumers who want something more than the stodgy practical looking models their parents are buying.
Having used both (several digital elph models and the CP2500) I can attest to the fact that Nikon is on the right track here, the tiny stainless steel Canons are not bulletproof. The little blue and silver CP2500 is aimed squarely at the heart of the newly introduced Canon Powershot S200 and S330, and while there is no clear winner (right now) in the battle for king of digital cool, the CP2500 competes very well in an arena that Canons little digital Elphs owned outright before the CP2500s introduction.
FEATURES
Lens
The Coolpix 2500 sports a brand new f2.7-f4.8/37-111mm (35mm equivalent) 3X Nikkor zoom lens with internal zooming/focusing. The focus range is from one foot to infinity and the minimum close-up (macro) focus distance is 1.6 inches. Quality-wise the futuristic little zoom is comparable to other compact 2 megapixel digital cameras such as Canon's Digital Elph line and the Sony DSC-P5. The CP2500's swiveling lens provides users with an incredible level of flexibility for shooting waist level, overhead, macro/close-up, and self-portrait images.
LCD
The CP2500s 1.5-inch LCD is very bright and the screen images are clear and sharp. Three buttons along the bottom of the screen allow users to quickly cycle through the intuitive and easy to use command menu, choose flash modes, scene modes, or the auto-everything default settings. The setup menu permits users to adjust LCD brightness מ/ 2 levels above or below the normal setting. The LCDs anti reflection coating helps keep the screen visible even under bright light (especially when used with the optional HL2500 hood). A four-way compass button to the right of the LCD helps users quickly and painlessly navigate through the on-screen menus
Auto mode
Set the CP2500 to its automatic point and shoot (default) mode and all you have to do is point the camera at your subject and press the shutter button.
Scene Modes
Want to add a little professionalism to your images? Press the Scene button under the LCD and youll be able to select from a dozen preset modes each with the exposure/flash/shutter settings optimized to handle a specific exposure situation. Choose from indoor shots, normal or night portraits, close-up/macro, backlighting, day or night landscapes, bright beach or snow scenes, sunrise/sunset shots, flash-off museum/concert images, high-contrast printed pages or drawings, and long exposures for fireworks, etc.
Manual Options
Switching to manual mode allows the user to select from several white balance pre-sets, enable best shot selection (the camera will shoot 10---no flash----shots of the same subject and then save only the sharpest image to the CF card) exposure compensation ( 2/-2 EV) and image sharpening. Overall, the CP2500 provides minimal manual input into exposure decisions
Metering
The CP2500 utilizes Nikons famous 256-element Matrix Metering and ADIP (advanced digital image processing) to ensure that images are consistently well exposed.
Quick time movies
If youve always dreamed of becoming the next Cecil B. DeMille, the CP2500 is going to come up pretty short. However, if you just want to shoot low res 15fps mini-flicks then Nikons new digi-cam will allow you to create 15 second QuickTime video clips @ 320X240 resolution (without sound). You wont be able to review the video clips (or create digital slide shows) on your TV because the CP2500 doesnt have a video out port.
Flash
The CP2500's built in multi mode flash sits right beside the 3X zoom lens and because of that there is some good news and some bad news---the bad news is Red-eye is a serious problem with the Nikon CP2500 because the tiny vertically placed flash is right beside of the swiveling lens. Since the lens and flash are on the same precise axis, red-eye is going to be a constant problem in low light portraits. Red-eye can be easily fixed in photoshop (and other post exposure image management/manipulation programs) but when you couple the CP2500s red-eye proclivity and its mediocre low light performance youll come to the conclusion that this is not the camera for shooting bar/party/indoor candids. The good news is that the tiny little flash (in fill mode) is perfectly placed for shooting macro/close-up stuff like full frame bugs, flowers, and e-bay items.
Connectivity
USB (only) connection to your computer. Windows XP, 2000, and ME automatically recognize the CP2500 as a plug-in storage device, enabling users to drag/drop images from the camera to PC in Windows Explorer. The Nikon View 5 software can perform transfers with the push of a button, or users have the option to upload images to NikonNet.
MAXIMIZING YOUR IMAGING OPTIONS
Controls
After the swiveling lens, the CP2550s most winning feature is the sliding mode / power switch on top of the camera. Combined with the shutter button, the sliding mode/power switch makes controlling the CP2500 as easy as pie. Initially I thought I wouldnt like using the slider but it only takes few minutes use to realize how well the switch is designed and placed. The CP2500 is an incredibly interactive digital camera; everything is designed and placed to make it easy and intuitive to operate.
The wide-angle/telephoto rocker switch on the rear panel makes zooming in or out a snap and the "quick view" button allows users to view either a quarter or full-screen stored image without switching from shooting to playback mode. A neat feature is the "small pic" button, which can be used to create a duplicate of any saved image @ 320X240 resolution (perfect for email) without deleting or modifying the original.
Sharpening
The CP2500 provides lots of image sharpening options (a sophisticated feature for an entry level digi-cam) users can choose Auto (the default setting in which the camera chooses to automatically select High, Normal or Low settings depending on the image content) or manually select high, normal, low, or off.
White Balance
The CCP2500s automatic white balance does a very good job in most lighting situations. The camera has some problems with high contrast scenes (bright areas and heavy shade in the same image). Color balance is neutral and very accurate with no observed deviation. Manual pre-sets for fluorescent, incandescent, sunny, and cloudy will allow savvy users to tailor exposures to a wide variety of tricky lighting situations.
Macro Focus
Nikons Coolpix digital camera family have always been well known for their excellent close-up performance and the CP2500 continues this family tradition. Minimum Focusing distance in macro mode is 1.6 inches, more than close enough for full frame bugs, flowers, and e-bay items.
Technical Specifications
Resolution: 2.11megapixel (1600X1200)
Lens: f2.7-f4.8/37-111mm (35mm equiv) Zoom Nikkor 7 elements in 6 groups. Filter Thread: none
Viewfinder: 1.5 TFT LCD with brightness adjustment (no optical viewfinder)
Exposure Compensation: yes 2/-2 EV in 1/3 EV steps
Storage Media: CompactFlash (type I)
Exposure Modes: Auto, Scene, and Movie
Metering: 256 segment Matrix (evaluative)
White Balance: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent
Shutter Speeds: 2 seconds to 1/3000th of a second
Flash: Built-in multi mode
Auto Focus: 5 area AF with AF Illumination lamp
Connectivity: USB
Sensitivity: Auto (ISO 100 - 400 equiv.)
Power: One Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL2 (supplied)
MSRP-$380.00 Street Price Range: $300.00---$210.00
Included
16 Mb CF Card
Nikon EN-EL2 Lithium-Ion battery
Nikon MH-60 battery charger & power cable
USB cable
Wrist strap
Users manual
NikonView 5 & NikonView manual (PDF)
Arcsoft PhotoImpression
Arcsoft VideoImpression
Arcsoft Panorama Maker
Optional
Battery EN-EL2 (recommended)
AC Adapter Kit EH-60
Additional CF Cards (minimum 64 Mb recommended)
LCD Hood HL-2500 (recommended)
Soft Case CS-2500
In the Field/Handling & Operation
I first asked my friend (who sells new and used digital and analog photographic equipment) in early April if he could get us a Nikon Coolpix 2500 to play with. When he finally managed to shake one loose (the camera has been available since late March) we agreed to spend about a week checking out the CP2500 with a wide variety of subjects and under a wide variety of lighting conditions.
Our first test was a check for color accuracy. Over the past year and a half the two of us have developed a color test that works very well and allows us to compare results with cameras we have tested in the past. We use a homemade macro stage (a large cardboard box with the front panel cut away) lined with white photographic background paper. We first white balance the camera using the white background paper and then shoot a selection of brightly colored (red, blue, green, yellow, and other colors) plastic childrens toys with the tripod mounted camera under a very simple studio lighting set-up.
After the color tests were finished we took the CP2500 to Cave Hill Cemetery at 701 Baxter Avenue. Cave Hill is Louisvilles oldest cemetery (chartered 1848) and one of the countrys best remaining examples of 19th century landscape architecture. The cemetery is also Louisvilles only arboretum (with more than 500 species of trees and shrubs). Soldiers from every war fought in Americas long history rest here. The Civil War section of the cemetery is the only place in the United States where Union and Confederate soldiers lie at rest together.
George Rogers Clark (Louisvilles founder and a Revolutionary War hero), Colonel Harland Sanders, The white suited Southern Gentleman behind the Kentucky Fried Chicken empire, and 120,000 other departed souls are buried here. Cave Hill is truly a city of the dead with hundreds of weathered nineteenth century grave markers, several spring fed lakes (with hundreds of geese, ducks, and swans) and wildflowers growing almost everywhere. The cemetery is at its most beautiful in the spring and fall (it is open daily from 8:00 am to 4:45 pm and admission is free). We shot some images of the old grave markers (under heavy tree cover) to check out the ability of the CP2500 to balance exposure in scenes with a wide contrast variance (deep shade and bright front lighting in the same scene) the CP2500s matrix metering did a pretty good job of balancing exposures, but brightly lit areas were sometimes over-exposed and deeply shaded areas often lacked detail.
From Cave Hill we drove to nearby Cherokee Park, designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (who also designed Central Park in NYC). Cherokee Park is usually filled with joggers, walkers, rollerbladers, frisbee-fanatics, and every variety of dog known to man; from dead-out mutt to afghan hound. The parks scenic loop runs along parts of Beargrass Creek and in the spring local wildflower photographers shoot Dutchmans Breeches, Trillium, Bloodroot, Wild Iris, and dozens of other wildflowers in the parks forested areas.
Weve had a lot of rain this spring so Beargrass Creek was running very high and full as we parked the car and went looking for wildflowers to test the CP2500s macro capabilities. We found lots of gorgeous wildflowers under the canopy of huge old hardwood trees along the creek. Nikons Coolpix family of digital cameras is justly famous for their superb macro capabilities, and CP2500 did not disappoint, the tiny digi-cam produces consistently excellent and well-exposed images in close up mode.
The following weekend we decided to return to Louisvilles new Extreme Sports Park to see how the CP2500 would do shooting action. We had tested Canons Powershot S300 out at the park a few weeks earlier and the crowds of Gen Y (and younger Gen X) skateboarders, bikers, and bladers had loved the look of the tiny stainless steel Canon. Nikon is obviously targeting this precise marketing niche with the CP2500 so we wanted to see how the kids liked the little silver and blue CP2500.
Louisvilles new Extreme Sports Park on the Ohio River near Slugger field is a 40,000 square foot 24/7 Skate Park that is already developing a reputation as one of the finest extreme sports venues in the country. Features include a twenty-four foot full pipe, an eleven-foot bowl, and a six-foot quarter pipe. The Park is a photographers dream with stunning visual opportunities (the colorfully clad boarders and bladers stand out beautifully against the snow-white concrete) as they catch some air in gravity defying leaps.
The little Nikons cool factor attracted a lot of attention, many of the boarders came over to talk and check out the tiny little camera. Nikon, are you listening? Your target audience really likes the look and feel of the new CP2500. Woodpushers (an affectionate, but slightly derogatory term used by bikers and in-line skaters to describe skateboarders) are difficult to shoot with any camera. Really good skateboarders can move at incredible speeds and seem to have absolutely no fear and be only marginally affected by gravity.
The CP2500 was a bit too slow (shutter lag) for optimal timing in shots where we tried to freeze the boarders in mid air. If you learn to anticipate how the action is going to unfold and sort of pre-shoot (trip the shutter a moment before the action hits its peak) you can get some really spectacular action shots.
From the Riverfront we headed for the Highlands neighborhood and a favorite spot for checking out how well digital cameras handle indoor portraits and low light shots. The Twice Told Coffee House at 1604 Bardstown Rd is a funky retro-hip local hangout that attracts Goths, disaffected Gen-Xers, droopy pants Gen Y kids, aging hippies, and even a few misplaced beatniks. Twice Told offers an only in Louisville combination of avant-garde live music, off-the-wall beat/jazz poetry, and coffee, tea, fruit drinks, salads, and vegetarian grub. The tiny coffeehouse is dark and murky inside with a few small randomly placed tables, skinny bookshelves, a right out of the sixties bar/counter, and a couple of secluded reading nooks. We shot some interesting candid shots of a few of our local characters and a couple of environmental portrait type shots of two of the readers. Red-eye is a serious problem with the Nikon CP2500 because the tiny vertically placed flash is right beside of the swiveling lens. Since the lens and flash are on the same precise axis, red-eye is going to be a constant problem in low light portraits. Red-eye can be easily fixed in photoshop (and other post exposure image management/manipulation programs) but when you couple the CP2500s red-eye proclivity and its mediocre low light performance youll come to the conclusion that this is not the camera for shooting bar/party candids.
Nikons new EN EL2 (100 - 240 V) battery does an amazing job for such a tiny power source. On average we got about 90 minutes' shooting time (with continuous LCD use) A low battery icon appears on the LCD when battery time is getting short (users have about 15 minutes after the icon appears). A second battery is a recommended accessory. A full charge for the little EN-EL2 requires about two hours.
We completed our evaluation of the Nikon Coolpix 2500 by printing out a selection of 5X7 and 8X10 images on an HP 1215 photo printer (on photo grade paper). Detail and color were excellent as long as we stayed at 5X7. Images printed at 8X10showed flatter color and a little edge softness when closely inspected with a Mamiya 4X loupe (designed for checking out medium format prints) Low light (the camera automatically shifts to ISO 400) shots from the Twice Told Coffeehouse showed some noise and noticeable pixelation. Contrary to what you may have heard, ALL two megapixel digital cameras max out for quality prints at the 5X7 size.
We adjourned our meeting and reconvened at the Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen just past the intersection of Bardstown and Taylorsville Roads. This award winning sweet shop has a large selection of "home made" ice cream and dozens of varieties of pie and cake. Making a decision can be almost overwhelming after a hard day of camera testing. We ordered a couple of cappuccinos and Shaker Sugar Pie (for me) and Raspberry Crème Pie (for my friend) and discussed our conclusions.
A Few Concerns
The CP2500 does not have an optical viewfinder, but amateur photographers like LCD screens and arent enamoured of optical viewfinders, and since the CP2500 is clearly targeted at amateurs this omission shouldnt be much of a problem. The CP2500s low light performance is mediocre at best. If you buy a CP2500 be prepared to deal with red-eye issues. Barrel distortion is noticeable (but not off-putting) at the wide-angle end of Nikons nifty little swiveling 3X zoom, pincushion distortion at the telephoto end of the zoom spectrum is very well controlled and virtually invisible. Shutter lag will affect the CP2500s ability to capture rapidly unfolding action. Other very minor concerns are the polycarbonate tripod mount, no lens thread (for add-on lenses and filters) and no manual setting of ISO values.
Conclusion
The CP2500 is a superb new entry in the ever-evolving selection of digital camera models. Is it a good digital camera deal? Photographers who have reasonable expectations and keep the CP2500s limitations in mind will feel they have made a great choice. The CP2500 is the simplest and most intuitive digital camera I have ever used. The hip little blue and silver digi-cam is solidly interactive, well engineered, feature rich, and easy to use. Compared with its competition, the CP2500 does consistently yeoman work, two megapixel digital cameras just dont get much better than this.
The CP2500 produces very good two megapixel images (up to 5X7) with better than average contrast and color reproduction, a neutral well saturated color balance, very good resolution, and no noticeable chromatic aberration (purple fringing). Start up times are a bit faster because the lens doesnt have to extend, but cycle and shutter lag times are a bit slower than average. Auto focus lag appears to be a bit better than most of the CP2500s competition. Overall, start-up/cycle/shutter lag times are about average for a two megapixel digital camera.
The new Coolpix 2500 distills everything Nikon has learned during the past five years of virtual light speed digital camera evolution, experience, and development into the first of a new generation of digital imaging devices. If the CP2500 is truly indicative of the direction and evolution of digital camera design and marketing, then consumers can look forward to more features, better performance, great ergonomics, right out of the box usability, and much lower prices. This is good news for anyone who is considering buying a digital camera.
If youve waited for competition, manufacturing efficiency, and engineering experience to provide consumers with a great "go anywhere" digital camera at a reasonable price, then you are going to want to give the little CP2500 a serious test drive. With a suggested MSRP of $379.95 (street price $275-$300) the nifty little CP2500 is going to find its way into the hands of lots of digital photographers. Buy the new CP2500 and the camera is ready to go right out of the box (the only thing youll need to buy is a larger CF card). If youve been waiting for the just right combination of engineering, features, cool factor, and price then your wait may be over; the CP2500 provides the best balance of features, cool factor, usability, and price currently available. Check it out, you wont be disappointed.
Are you considering spreading your imaging wings and setting up a home digital darkroom? Check out my reviews of a pair of bargain priced and very capable photo quality ink-jet printers.
Epson Stylus Photo 785 EPX ink-jet printer
http://www.epinions.com/content_60776812164
Epson Stylus Photo 780 ink-jet Printer
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For definitive advice on How to Choose a Digital Camera please see my review:
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-2E46-17B174E2-39A418E3-prod1
For information about specific Digital Camera models you make find my Digital Camera reviews informative:
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Just cutnpaste the URL into your browsers address window.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 300.00 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
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Epinions.com ID: Howard_Creech
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Member: Howard Creech
Location: Louisville, KY
Reviews written: 334
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About Me: Photographer/Writer fascinated by Movies, Music, Books, American Diner Food, History, "Popular Culture", and Travel.
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