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Nikon CoolPix 880 Advanced features, and "Assisted Creative Photography" in a compact 3.3 megapixel package! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet CoolPix 880 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on CoolPix 880 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Design :(Previous) | (Next): Optics>> Page 4:Viewfinder Review First Posted: 8/26/2000

Viewfinder
The Coolpix 880 boasts both a real-image optical viewfinder and a color LCD monitor for composing images. A central autofocus target and some telephoto crop marks help you align shots within the optical viewfinder, which zooms along with the lens. Two LEDs to the left of the viewfinder eyepiece clue you in to the camera's status, with one LED indicating when the flash is ready and the other notifying you when autofocus is set. Nikon estimates that the optical viewfinder represents about 80 percent frame accuracy. In our own testing, we measured the optical viewfinder accuracy at 85% in telephoto and 82% in telephoto. This is on the lower edge of average among digicams we've tested, and we'd generally like to see the optical viewfinder a bit more accurate, although most digicams come in somewhere around 85%.

Also on the back panel of the camera is the 1.8 inch, low temperature, polysilicon, TFT color LCD monitor. The information display reports a number of camera settings, including the shutter speed and aperture. It also reports the number of available exposures and the quality settings. The display is controlled by the Monitor button, which cancels the information display with the first press, the entire image display with the second press, and then brings back both displays when pressed a third time. LCD hue and brightness can be adjusted through the camera's Setup menu, which is immediately displayed by turning the mode dial to the Setup position. Nikon estimates the LCD monitor as showing about 97 percent frame accuracy,which almost exactly matched our measurements of 98% at telephoto and 97% in wide angle.

In Playback mode, the LCD monitor can display up to nine thumbnail images on the screen, as well as zoom into captured images for an enlarged view. There's also a histogram function that shows the distribution of tones throughout the image and a three page information display that reports the camera settings that the captured image was shot under.

One thing we really liked about the Coolpix 880 was the unusual amount of exposure information that's (optionally) provided on the LCD screen in either playback or Quick Review modes. In either mode, pressing the "info" button (dual-purpose with the landscape/macro/self-timer button) cycles through no less than 5 screens of information covering all aspects of the exposure, including aperture, shutter speed, ISO setting, white balance, active focus zone, and an especially useful and well-implemented histogram/hot spot display. Overall, one of the best information displays we've yet seen in a digicam. Especially useful is the way the histogram display highlights any areas of the image that are blown out, pushed to pure white. (Good exposure control with digicams is all about avoiding losing detail in the strongest highlights. For advanced photographers, the combination of histogram display and "blown highlights" indication is invaluable.)