Full review posted for Nikon Coolpix L2
By
Shawn Barnett
(Friday, July 28, 2006 - 10:18 EDT)
For an entry-level camera, the Nikon Coolpix L2 has a lot going for it, including a generous 6-megapixel CCD sensor, a sharp 3x Nikkor optical zoom and improved overall ergonomics, making it the slimmest and best looking digital camera I've seen that takes AA batteries.
For the novice shooter, the Nikon L2 has a very robust feature set which along with Nikon's D-Lighting, In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, Face Priority AF and Best Shot Selector, has 15 scene modes including four with Scene Assist. As a basic snapshooter, the Nikon L2 performed well, capturing sharp images with a good dynamic range and punchy color.
The camera is a bit on the slow side, however, lagging behind some of its competitors in shot to shot speed and overall shutter response. The Nikon L2's lens is also slow and noisy when zooming out to the full 3x. While automatic controls were impressive, there's very little manual override on the Nikon Coolpix L2, particularly relating to ISO light sensitivity adjustment.
Anyone who likes killing the flash and cranking up the ISO so they can take pictures in low light will be disappointed with the Nikon L2 which has its default ISO set to 50. In poor lighting when flash is turned off, the camera will auto gain up -- there is no manual adjustment -- to a maximum of ISO 200, which is less than adequate for shooting in most low light situations.
Overall the Nikon Coolpix L2 is a mixed bag, but with enough good qualities that we think it's still a good choice for the price. See the full review for more on the Nikon Coolpix L2.
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