Nikon Coolpix P6000 Features
The new Nikon Coolpix P6000′s 28mm wide-angle zoom lens and return of RAW are great features in and of themselves, but Nikon didn’t stop there. Two things that make the P6000 a more photographer-friendly compact digital camera are a user-definable function button and a user definable custom menu. And the P6000 gives you a dedicated button for each of these!
As the flagship compact in Nikon’s lineup, the P6000 has all the standard features you find in compacts today: manual, auto and scene modes; Nikon’s VR Vibration Reduction (optical image stabilization); Face-priority AF, movie recording, voice memos/recording, interval shooting, and in-camera editing tools like D-Lighting.
One standout feature is the P6000′s GPS functionality. Since I am not a GPS gear-geek, I only tested this briefly to see if it generally worked. The interface gives you a good sense of what the camera is doing, how many satellites it can “see” and other GPS info. A GPS device needs to update itself periodically and the Nikon P6000 does this whenever you activate GPS (that can take about 10 minutes) and then every two hours after for up to twelve hours (it shuts off after twelve hours to save power). From my conversations with knowledgeable GPS folks, it seems to me that GPS isn’t going to become a standard compact camera features like face-detection. But who knows, maybe geo-tagging will find some killer-app, web 3.0 usefulness and we’ll all be using it in 2010.
All Nikon Coolpix P6000 Camera Menus >>
Nikon Coolpix P6000 Design
As with camera features, Nikon carried forward the P5100′s greatest strengths: the control layout and ergonomics. I really like the thumb-controlled Command dial on the P6000 as it makes for quick control changes. And the buttons along the left side of the LCD screen lend a DSLR-like feel to menu operations. As I describe in the next section of the review, the interaction with the camera is excellent. If you’re at all familiar with DSLRs, you will immediately feel at home with the P6000′s controls.
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| Nikon Coolpix P6000 LCD, Back Controls & Flash | ||
One minor change is the camera’s flash. The P6000 now features a manual pop-up flash rather than a built-in front panel flash. The flash has manual flash exposure compensation and this operated predictably for me. The LCD is also slightly larger at 2.7 inches, compared to the P5100′s 2.5-inch display. The resolution is the same at 230,000 pixels, and the clarity and colors still looked good to me.
next page – Nikon Coolpix P6000 Camera Experience >>
Why even sell a camera with slow focus, slow write speed, slow lens, bad manual focus, built-in charger (it is always the first to break) and a high price for all this?
I own three Nikon DSLR’s and two film SLR’s but my two P&S are Canon. They mostly get it right. I would like to be an all Nikon family but my only P&S is a 5600 which is terrible. I have a broken 950 in the closet that was the closest thing to a perfect P&S from Nikon.
Hey guys… how about asking us what we want then engineering something to fit our desires?
Someone recently posted these instructions for using radio triggers with the p6000: that might address one concern:
1. In Flash Control option, turn built-in flash to off
2. At Multi selector, turn flash always on.
3. Now yur flash/trigger mounted on the hot shoe will be working…