Nikon Coolpix 7900

Professional photographers are increasingly turning their attention toward compact cameras to use as instruments for making test shots, offering an affordable alternative to a need that was previously dominated by Polaroid. Nikon seems to be fully aware of this fact and creating the Coolpix 7900 as a camera that is effective as both a vacation snapshot type camera, and a powerful studio tool as well.

The Coolpix 7900 follows the basic body design that most digital compacts subscribe to these days - small and square with a rounded molding on the right hand side to make for more comfortable and stable holding. The hand grip is decent though certainly nothing to brag about, and is about the best you can expect from a camera of this size. Portability is of course the idea here which this camera certainly excels at. It should slip nicely into the side pocket of just about any gear bag.

Where the Coolpix 7900 really shines is the surprising amount of control hidden behind the internal menus, which makes it a very effective tool for in studio and location test shots. Focus, white balance, and metering are all available in fully manual modes, and images produced by the digital chip are not overly processed or saturated. Most compact digitals are designed to provide an image that looks punchy and crisp straight out of the camera but the Coolpix works with a different edict in mind; provide the most accurate view of the scene as humanly possible. In other words, the camera gives the user a nice neutral view of the scene which can then influence decisions over light, exposure, etc.

Auto-focus performance is typically spot on save for a little hunting in low light situations. Start up time was also a bit of a surprise as the Coolpix 7900 powers itself on and is ready to shoot in a very short amount of time. Combine this with good ISO performance all the way up to 400 and you have a nice little camera that isn't going to fall apart with heavy usage and won't break your budget.

The point and shoot field on the digital market is incredibly saturated and finding a model that suits your needs can be hit or miss at best. Fortunately Nikon has released a solid contender into the market that should meet the basic demands of most professional photographers who use a point and shoot and a quick image making device.