Is The Nikon CoolPix 3500 The Best Digital Camera Choice For You?
Written: Jan 26 '03 (Updated Feb 12 '03)
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Pros: Compact, neat swiveling lens design, relatively cheap, excellent metering
Cons: No optical viewfinder, no video-out port, red-eye problems
The Bottom Line: The CoolPix 3500 is a stylish, highly portable, and easy to use digital camera that’s designed to provide consumers with a wide range of imaging options.
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| Howard_Creech's Full Review: Nikon COOLPIX 3500 Digital Camera |
The CP 3500 is the three-megapixel version of the innovative little CP 2500 introduced by Nikon last spring. Nikon’s newest digicam retains virtually all of the features that made the CP 2500 popular, including the swiveling 3X optical zoom lens. The CP 3500’s lens not only swivels 230 degrees, it also features an internal focus/zoom design so it doesn’t project from the camera body (like every other digital camera zoom) while focusing or zooming. When not in use the zoom locks into the CP 3500’s body making the little camera very pocketable.
The CP 3500 (like the CP 2500 before it) is a radical design departure from previous Nikon digital cameras. Nikon’s marketing research determined that young consumers wanted a tough, compact, easy to use, “cool” looking “point’n’shoot” digital camera that permitted some creative user input and consistently delivered great images.
The CP 3500’s snazzy slate gray and silver body was designed to introduce Nikon cameras to a whole new generation of camera buyers, shooters who enthusiastically bike, hike, and backpack to remote corners of the earth and practice death (and gravity) defying tricks on skateboards and snowboards. Nikon’s camera design and digital imaging engineers wanted the CP 2500/3500 to be a silver bullet that would compete with Canon’s popular “ digital elph” series. The CP 3500 is a bit bulkier than Canon’s tiniest models, but it’s small enough to drop in a pocket or small purse, plus it looks cool, has an impressive feature set, and produces very good three megapixel images.
Viewfinder/LCD
In an effort to keep size to a minimum and hold down per unit costs the CP 3500 eschews the standard optical viewfinder. Users have to rely solely on the 1.5” color LCD screen for composing images. The CP 3500’s target audience probably won’t miss the optical viewfinder, since snapshooters prefer LCD screens. The LCD screen is bright and accurate, shows almost 100 per cent of the image area, has an anti reflection coating, provides a detailed information display (but no aperture or shutter speed readings), and brightness can be adjusted +/- 2 steps from the normal setting. The CP 3500’s LCD screen is one of best I've used, but like all LCD screens it does fade under bright outdoor lighting and dims noticeably in low light situations. A major shortcoming of the LCD only design is the increased power drain and shortened battery life-----be prepared to buy a back up battery.
Lens
The heart of the CP 3500 is its swiveling f2.7-f4.8/37-111mm (35mm equivalent) 3X Nikkor zoom lens. This unique internal zooming/focusing lens was designed especially for the CP 2500/3500 family of digicams and provides users with an incredible level of flexibility for shooting waist level, overhead, macro/close-up, and self-portrait images.
EXPOSURE
The CP 3500’s exposure options are limited to auto exposure only. This makes it great for snapshots, family pictures, and travel photos. Nikon’s famous matrix metering system divides the image area into 256 segments and evaluates each segment for contrast and brightness to determine accurate exposures in virtually all lighting situations. Although the CP 3500 doesn’t provide a real manual exposure mode, users do have some creative input through the White Balance, Exposure Compensation, and Sharpness settings. White Balance options include a Custom setting (that determines correct color balance by reading a white card held in front of the lens) a very useful and extremely rare feature on digicams marketed to novice users. Exposure Compensation can be biased +/-2 EV in 1/3 EV increments.
FEATURES
Scene Modes
Want to add a little professionalism to your images? Press the Scene button under the LCD and you’ll 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, normal or night portraits, close-up/macro, backlighting, day or night landscapes, bright beach/snow scenes, sunrise/sunset shots, flash-off museum/concert images, high-contrast text or graphics, and long exposures for fireworks, etc.
Manual Options
Switching to manual mode allows users to “get creative” without giving up auto exposure. Users can enable best shot selection (the camera will shoot 10 exposures---no flash--- of the same subject and then save only the sharpest image to the CF card), select from several white balance pre-sets, bias exposure +/- 2EV, or modify image sharpness
Quick time movies
The CP 3500 can shoot short video clips up to 35 seconds in length (no audio) @ 320 x 240 and 15 fps. You can play your mini movies back on the color LCD, but the CP3500 doesn’t have a video out port for direct connection to your TV.
Sharpening
The CP 3500 provides image sharpening options (a sophisticated feature for an entry level digi-cam) users can choose Auto (the default setting---the camera chooses the High, Normal or Low setting depending on the image content and complexity) or manually select high, normal, low, or off.
White Balance
The CP 3500’s 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). Pre-sets for fluorescent, incandescent, sunny, cloudy, and custom white balance allow savvy shooters to tailor exposures to a wide variety of lighting situations.
Auto Focus
The CP 3500’s five-area AF is quick and accurate. It automatically selects the correct AF point based on subject proximity (closest focus priority).
Manual Focus
No manual focus option is provided
Macro Focus
Nikon’s Coolpix digital camera family are well known for their excellent close-up performance and the CP 3500 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.
FLASH
The CP 3500's built in multi mode flash sits right beside the 3X zoom lens so there is some good news and some bad news---the bad news is Red-eye is a constant problem with the Nikon CP 3500 because the tiny vertically placed flash is always on the same exact axis as the swiveling lens. The good news is that the tiny little flash (in fill mode) is perfectly placed for shooting macro/close-up stuff like bugs and flowers. The CP 3500’s built in flash has settings for Auto Flash, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill Flash, and Slow Sync (only in the Night Portrait scene mode). There is no focus aid beam for low light situations.
Controls, Design, & Ergonomics
The CP 3500 is an incredibly interactive digital camera with controls that are logical and intuitive. One of the CP 3500’s most striking features is the sliding mode/power switch on camera’s top deck. It only takes few minutes to realize how much this switch simplifies and centralizes the CP 3500’s controls. 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 saved images without switching from shooting to playback mode. Another 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.
The Coolpix 3500 is clearly a "consumer" camera, and it’s not really intended for enthusiasts, but it is an excellent choice for users who want a stylish, capable, simple camera that consistently produces good photos.
The CP 3500 is small but the camera fits well in the hands and all controls are logically arranged and easily accessed. It is designed to drop in a pocket and take along anywhere.
Connectivity
USB (only) Windows XP, 2000, and ME automatically recognize the CP 3500 as a “plug-in” storage device. Users have the option to use the included software to upload images to personal digital photo albums on NikonNet.
Power
Nikon’s EN EL2 battery does an amazing job for such a tiny power source. On average we got about 90 minutes shooting time with a fully charged battery. A second battery is a recommended accessory. A full charge for the little EN-EL2 battery requires about two hours.
Technical Specifications
Resolution: 3.2 megapixel (2,048 x 1,536)
Viewfinder: 1.5” TFT LCD with brightness adjustment
Lens: f2.7-f4.8/37-111mm (35mm equiv) all-glass Zoom Nikkor (7 elements in 6 groups)
Filter Thread: none
Exposure Modes: Auto, 12 Scene modes, and Movie
Exposure Compensation: yes /-2 EV in 1/3 EV increments
Metering: 256 segment Matrix (evaluative)
Auto Focus: 5 area AF
Shutter Speeds: 2 seconds to 1/3000th of a second
White Balance: auto, custom, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent
Sensitivity: Auto (ISO 100 - 400 equiv.)
Sharpness adjustment: Yes
Flash: Built-in multi mode
Storage Media: CompactFlash (type I)
Connectivity: USB
Power: Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL2
Street Price Range $289.00 to $399.00
Included
16 Mb CF Card, Nikon EN-EL2 Lithium-Ion battery, Nikon MH-60 battery charger, USB cable, Wrist strap, User’s manual, Software CD ROM
The Coolpix 3500 includes Nikon’s new "Let's Get Started" Video CD-ROM. This interactive tutorial will have new users up and shooting images, uploading them to their computer, and sending emails in no time at all.
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
My friend (who sells new and used digital and analog cameras and photo equipment) turned up on a recent Saturday with a new Nikon Coolpix 3500 three megapixel digital camera. Both of us had wanted to test the camera and see how Nikon’s second-generation design (introduced on the CP 2500 almost a year ago) would measure up against the competition.
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. We use a homemade macro stage (a large cardboard box with the front panel cut away) lined with white photographic background paper. We first auto 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 children’s beach toys with the tripod mounted camera under a very simple studio lighting set-up.
It has been bitter cold here in Louisville with about ¾ inch of fresh snow and temperatures in the teens and low twenties. Saturday afternoon was sunny but very cold. We wanted to find some areas where the snow was pristine and we could shoot some winter scenics. We don’t get too much snow here in the river city so whenever the opportunity arises it is a good idea to shoot as soon as possible because snow doesn’t last long.
We headed out for Cherokee Park as soon as we finished with our color tests. Cherokee Park has lots of old growth trees covering the hillsides that slope down to Beargrass Creek. During the Spring, Summer, and Fall Cherokee Park is absolutely gorgeous---but during the winter Kentucky is pretty depressing. Gray skies, leafless trees, and dead grass highlight a landscape that is essentially dull brown and boring from early December until the end of February. We get an occasional snowstorm, but the white stuff doesn’t stick around long, so we even miss out on the drama of fresh snow, most of the time. For a photographer, winter in Louisville makes for slim pickings.
We wanted to stay as close to the scenic loop in Cherokee Park as we possibly could because the cold made it really uncomfortable to be outside for any more than fifteen minutes at a time. Our plan was to drive along Beargrass Creek looking for interesting shots that we could see from the road so that we could leave the car running with heater going full blast while we made short shooting forays along the banks of the creek. We got lucky and found a small dogwood that was covered in scale ice and beautifully backlit. The bright low angle winter sun made the ice look like jewels.
We shot a couple of snowscapes and a couple of snow dusted evergreens and then headed for nearby Seneca Park. I like to shoot my favorite locations in various types of lighting and in all four seasons of the year. This is one of the secrets of successful landscape photographers, choose a handful of interesting nearby locales and then shoot them year-round and under every sort of lighting---you’ll become more and more familiar with the locale and over time your images will get stronger and stronger.
One of my favorite places is a very small waterfall on Beargrass Creek right at the edge of the Seneca Park golf course. I’ve shot the waterfall during all four seasons and in every kind of lighting imaginable. It was so cold out that I was hoping for some interesting ice (Beargrass Creek runs too fast to freeze up completely) formations. We parked just past the bridge and walked down to the creek and spent about fifteen minutes shooting the ice covered rocks, the frigid water tumbling over the tiny falls, and the pristine snow covered banks of the creek. The scene looked like New England or the Upper Mid-west, very wintery.
Here’s a note for those of you considering the CP3500 (or the CP 2500)---if you live where it gets very cold and you want to shoot winter scenes (or you plan to take the camera snowboarding or skiing)---the CP3500 absolutely cannot be used with gloves---you’ll have to expose those tender pinkies in order to use the camera. Battery life is also shortened by very cold weather.
After about fifteen minutes at the little waterfall (in 22 degree weather) we returned to the car and headed for the Mid-City Mall. This is the home of Ehrmann’s, Louisville’s oldest bakery. Step inside and the first thing you’ll notice is the early 20th century Walnut, Stained Glass, and Onyx soda fountain (nothing has changed since the bakery moved here in 1962). My friend is a donut lover (I often tease him that he must have been a cop in an earlier incarnation) so he got a couple “cream filled” and a coffee for him and a coffee for me.
It was easy to sneak a few surreptitious “candids” in the brightly lit bakery, shooting people sitting at the old soda fountain counter. Ehrmann’s lighting is all from overhead fluorescents so we were able to check the cameras white balance presets at the same time.
For our second outing with the CP 3500 we headed for 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-Xer’s, 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.
We both wanted to stop by because, strange as it seems, “Twice Told” is moving from Bardstown Road in the trendy Highlands to a rural setting in Buckner in Oldham County. The tiny coffeehouse is pretty dim inside with a few randomly placed tabless, a straight 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 a couple of the readers.
A Few Concerns
My major complaint with the CP 3500 is the lack of an optical viewfinder, but amateur photographers like LCD screens and aren’t likely to miss the optical viewfinder. The CP 3500’s low light performance is acceptable. If you buy one you’ll need to be prepared to deal with red-eye issues full time.
Barrel distortion is noticeable (but not off-putting) at the wide-angle end of Nikon’s 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 CP 3500’s 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.
Image Quality
The CP 3500’s color is accurate and skin tones are very good (just a tiny bit warm). Like most consumer level digital cameras reds and blues are a little over saturated, but the overall look is quite natural. Outdoors in bright lighting situations the CP 3500’s images are a bit hard edged and contrasty.
Compared with full-sized prosumer three-megapixel cameras. the CP 3500's images are a little soft (fairly standard for compact digital cameras) but resolution is significantly better than even the best two megapixel digicams. Closeups are consistently excellent. Night/Low light results were surprisingly good, noticeably better than those we shot with the CP 2500. Like most digital cameras, the CP 3500’s low light performance is not equal to comparable 35mm cameras.
We completed our evaluation of the Nikon Coolpix 3500 by printing out a selection of images at both 5X7 and 8X10 on an HP 1215 photo printer (with Kodak photo paper). Detail and color were excellent at 5X7, but images printed at 8X10 had flatter color and a little edge softness when inspected closely. Low light shots showed some minor noise but no noticeable chromatic aberration (purple fringing).
Shutter Lag/Timing
Start up times are a bit faster than average because the lens doesn’t have to extend, but cycle and shutter lag times are about average for compact digicams. Auto focus lag appears to be a bit better than most of the CP 3500’s competition.
Do You Really Need a 4 or 5 Megapixel Digital Camera?
Probably not, unless you are a serious amateur photographer. If you’ve been using a 35mm SLR and pro quality zoom or prime (fixed focal length) lenses and shooting slow slide or fine grain B&W film, then you are probably going to need a four or five megapixel digital camera to give you image quality that is comparable to what you are used to. If you’ve been shooting with amateur SLR’s (or “Point’n’Shoots”), consumer level zooms, and color print film, then you probably won’t need anything more than a very good 2 megapixel (or if you occasionally want 8X10 enlargements) a good 3 megapixel “point and shoot” digital camera.
Conclusion
The CP 3500 is the simplest and most intuitive digital camera I have ever used. The nifty swiveling lens design, compact size, auto exposure simplicity, and extensive selection of preset shooting modes make it an excellent choice for travel and snapshot use. If you’ve been waiting for competition, manufacturing efficiency, and engineering experience to provide consumers with a great "go anywhere" digital camera at a reasonable price, then you should consider the CP 3500, it provides the best balance of compact size, neat features, “cool” usability, and cost currently available.
Links
Are you looking for a good photo quality printer to complement your CP 3500 purchase? Check out my review of a bargain priced and very capable photo quality ink-jet printer.
Epson Stylus Photo 785 EPX ink-jet printer
http://www.epinions.com/content_60776812164
For definitive advice on How to Choose a Digital Camera please see my review:
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-2E46-17B174E2-39A418E3-prod1
If you want to compare some other popular three megapixel Digital Cameras with the CP 3500, you may find my reviews informative:
Canon Digital Cameras
Canon Powershot S230
http://www.epinions.com/content_78900203140
Canon Powershot S30
http://www.epinions.com/content_59041746564
Olympus Digital Cameras
Olympus C 730
http://www.epinions.com/content_86851030660
Olympus D 550
http://www.epinions.com/content_85994606212
Fuji Digital Cameras
Fuji Finepix S602
http://www.epinions.com/content_75291266692
Fuji Finepix 3800Z
http://www.epinions.com/content_81234595460
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 329.00
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
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Howard_Creech
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Member: Howard Creech
Location: Louisville, KY
Reviews written: 334
Trusted by: 1276 members
About Me:
Photographer/Writer fascinated by Movies, Music, Books, American Diner Food, History, "Popular Culture", and Travel.
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