Nikon Coolpix A Pro Reviews

ReviewWhen it comes to the primary job of a digital camera -- creating great images -- the Nikon Coolpix A is a star performer. Few cameras of this physical size offer an image sensor as large as the APS-C sized image sensor of the Coolpix A. This camera uses a high quality fixed lens, and it offers enough manual features to satisfy even a photographer who normally uses a DSLR camera. However because the Coolpix A carries such a high price tag, it's competing directly against those DSLRs, and it comes up short in many other areas against those models, including slugging response times, the lack of a viewfinder, only one focal length, and poor battery life. At this price it's difficult to recommend the Coolpix A to anyone other than those who already own Nikon DSLR cameras and want a small camera with similar operational aspects.

The Nikon A bravely entered a new camera genre that already has a few heavy-hitting contenders. If you are looking at purchasing a large sensor, fixed lens camera there are several options from which to choose: Leica X2 , Sony RX1 (full frame sensor), Fuji X100s, Nikon A, or the Ricoh GR. The Leica X2 will cost you about $2,000. The Sony RX1 is a whopping $2800, but it does have a full frame sensor unlike the others listed here. The Fuji X100s can be found for $1300. The Nikon A sells for $1100 and the Ricoh GR looks like a steal at $800. Of this group, only the Fuji X100s has a built-in viewfinder. The Sony RX1 is the only one in this group to have a full frame sensor. The Leica's pretty darn expensive when compared to the Nikon or Ricoh, but it is a Leica and that classic red badge does not come cheap (unless, of course, you buy it on ebay). Budget minded photographers that don't care about a viewfinder will naturally lean toward the Nikon A or the Ricoh GR. Both cameras created pictures with excellent image quality. The Nikon A was neck-and-neck with the Ricoh GR during our comparative testing. At this point it comes down to the build quality and feel of the camera since the image quality is very, very similar. The Nikon does have a build quality that is more solid and the menu is going to be slightly more appealing to most. On the other hand, there is a $300 savings when purchasing the Ricoh GR. Is $300 worth a slightly less robust built quality? That one's up to you.

Courtesy of its fixed, prime lens, the Nikon Coolpix A is a camera that really makes you think about your photos -- and in the process, how you can make them better. If you're not already a prime shooter, you'll be challenged by it, and you'll likely find yourself growing as a photographer courtesy of that experience. If you can live within its limitations, it's a great photographic tool. With the reservation that it's definitely not the everyman's camera, the Nikon Coolpix A clearly merits a place on our hallowed Dave's Pick list.

The Nikon Coolpix A is another camera we have no problems recommending. It takes darn good pictures with accurate colors and sharp resolution. Besides lackluster video, our biggest hesitation is the price – especially since you can get the similar 28mm prime Ricoh GR with a 16.2-megapixel APS-C sensor that sells for $799. You’re probably saying, “Wait a minute, the RX1 is even more expensive for a fixed-lens solution!” But the RX1 is a full-frame camera that captures amazing photos, with few operational flaws – truly a breakthrough. Cost aside, the Coolpix A has just enough issues that prevented it from earning an Editor’s Choice award, but it was close. The Coolpix A doesn’t beat the RX1 for the title, but it deserves a very respectable second place. With that said, anyone with the cash or the desire to own such a camera will be pleasantly pleased.

A luxurious compact camera with true SLR image quality, but it doesn't quite justify the high price

As a first attempt, Nikon has produced a very powerful premium compact camera that's capable of taking great images, but it's let down by a performance that doesn't match it's price tag. For Nikon users looking for a smaller camera to compliment their DSLR, the Nikon Coolpix A is a camera that can be picked up and used instinctively, but when you consider the price, it's particularly expensive at £999, especially when you consider there are some oversights and there's such stiff competition from other manufacturers in the market.

The COOLPIX A pretty much achieves what Nikon no doubt had in mind for it. It is the World's smallest camera with an APS-C format sensor. The image quality and low light high ISO noise performance are nothing short of outstanding for a camera this size. Job done. But though Nikon hasn't compromised on its vision, users of the COOLPIX A may have to. The 28mm lens is great for landscapes and interiors, but will be less than ideal in many other situations. It's hard to fathom Nikon's thinking here, when it could have opted for a more useable 35mm equivalent without compromising on size or weight and when much of the competition is offering lenses at least a stop brighter. The decision to omit a built-in viewfinder is easier to understand, less so the exorbitantly priced optical accessory. It's these two factors, the lens focal length and the lack of a built-in or affordable viewfinder that potential buyers can most easily solve by looking to other models. In most other respects - LCD screen, continuous shooting, movie modes and general handling - the COOLPIX A performs on a par with the competition. It lacks some of the frills on offer elsewhere, like art filters and panoramic modes, but that may not bother the target enthusiast buyer so much. The question potential buyers will have to answer is this: is the COOLPIX A's outstanding image quality enough on its own to justfify choosing it over competing models which, on the face of it, appear to offer more in terms of handling and features?

The Coolpix A offers DSLR-standard image quality and an excellent 28mm equivalent lens in a well-polished, pocketable camera. Its user interface will be immediately familiar to Nikon shooters and its results are dependably good. It's not the only game in town, though, and while solid in most respects, it's not class-leading in any respect.

The Nikon Coolpix A is an assured entry into the growing premium compact camera market, boasting an attractive combination of a proven APS-C sensor, quality 28mm optic and a small and compact body. Slightly sluggish auto-focus speed, a "slow" f/2.8 lens, the price of the optional viewfinder, no one-touch movie button, and perhaps more crucially for Nikon, the outstanding Fujifilm X100S prevent us from recommending the Coolpix A more highly.

While the Nikon Coolpix A delivers excellent images and is a fine camera, unless you're a real pixel-peeper I'm not sure it's sufficiently better to merit a $400 premium over the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 for a lot of folks. The Fujifilm X100S at least offers a great viewfinder and unique manual-shooting experience that makes it stand out for the not-insubstantial price difference. I'd watch for the price to come down on this one.

The Nikon Coolpix A is a dedicated wide-angle camera with a big image sensor. Image quality can suffer at the edges of the frame, and the autofocus is a bit slow, but if if you want to pack a lot into your shots, it's worth a look.

The Nikon Coolpix A offers a large APS-C sized sensor with a wide-angle Nikon lens, in a compact pocketable body with Digital SLR like controls and options that will be familiar to anyone who's used Nikon Digital SLRs. Therefore the Nikon Coolpix A would make an ideal compact camera for Nikon DSLR users, or alternatively for anyone looking for a premium compact camera with DSLR image quality and low noise. The Coolpix A is an enticing option and capable of producing very sharp images, however with a high price it could put some people off, as a number of alternatives offer high image quality in a compact camera, at a much more wallet friendly price. For those that value image quality and compact size above price, the Nikon Coolpix A offers some of the best image quality available in a pocketable body, although with noticeable issues such as short battery life, difficulty accessing the video mode and slow focusing.

The Nikon Coolpix A is almost there. It's taken us on a full-circle rollercoaster ride: from love at first sight, to loathing the slow and so-so autofocus system, then back to love again when looking at those super-sharp, detailed images. Seriously, they're better-than-DSLR-quality in many situations thanks to that sharp 28mm f/2.8 equivalent lens. But despite such high praise, it's not enough. Well, not quite enough for the £999 asking price any way. We've shot and reshot scenes using the Coolpix A - as it's in the interests of our photographic tendencies - but have found off-focus shots a nuisance, or entirely mis-focused shots to occur from time to time. Manual focus, too, while it has the makings of good things thanks to the manual focus ring around the lens, needs an automatic focus-area zoom option for pinpoint accuracy. It's possible to use the zoom in/out buttons to the side of the camera, but not when focus has been acquired - which is at the point we would wish to use the manual focus override feature.