"Picky Details" for the Nikon Coolpix 3500 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)
Timing
I measure both cycle times and shutter delay times, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the Nikon Coolpix 3500:
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(secs) |
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| Power On -> First shot |
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Nikon startup screen appears and lens appears to position itself internally. About average.
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| Shutdown |
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Lens retracts (internally - why, it's never exposed"). Still, faster than average.
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| Play to Record, first shot |
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Time until first shot is captured. Pretty fast.
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| Record to play |
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Time to display a large/fine file after capture. Pretty fast.
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| Shutter lag, full autofocus |
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First time is at full wide-angle, second is full telephoto. A bit slower than average. (Average is 1.0 to a bit lower.) |
| Shutter lag, prefocus |
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Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button. Faster than average. (Average is about 0.3)
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| Cycle Time, max/min resolution |
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First numbers are for large/fine files, second number is time for small/basic images. Times are averages. The camera displays an auto review of each shot, which cannot be canceled. A bit slower than average, these days. |
| Cycle Time, continuous mode, max/min resolution |
(1.31/1.81 fps) |
First number is for large/fine, second is for small/basic files. Numbers beneath are corresponding frames per second. Fairly fast. |
Overall, the Coolpix 3500 is about an average-speed camera. It has a slightly slow shutter response in autofocus mode, but is a bit faster than average when "prefocused" by half-pressing and holding the shutter button before the shot itself. Shot to shot cycle times are also a little slow by current standards, but not too bad overall.
Power
The Coolpix 3500 uses one Li-ion rechargeable battery for power. Unfortunately, Nikon didn't ship a power adapter with the camera, so I couldn't conduct my normal power drain measurements. I did time the camera running from a freshly-charged battery, and found that it ran a bit over 90 minutes in capture mode with the LCD turned on. Not bad for a compact model, but you should definitely consider purchasing a second battery to pack along in your pocket for longer shooting excursions.
Storage Capacity
The Coolpix 3500 stores its photos on CompactFlash memory cards, and a 16MB card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 64MB card, preferably a 128MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored on the included 16MB card at each size/quality setting.
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Resolution/Quality 16MB Memory Card |
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| 2,048 x 1,536 | Images (Avg size) |
10 1,600KB |
19 813KB |
37 427KB |
| Approx. Compression |
6:1 | 12:1 | 22:1 | |
| 1,600 x 1,200 | Images (Avg size) |
16 985KB |
31 508KB |
59 271KB |
| Approx. Compression |
6:1 | 11:1 | 21:1 | |
| 1,280 x 960 | Images (Avg size) |
640KB |
336KB |
189KB |
| Approx. Compression |
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| 1,024 x 768 | Images (Avg size) |
427KB |
230KB |
131KB |
| Approx. Compression |
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Images (Avg size) |
189KB |
115KB |
74KB |
| Approx. Compression |
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Download Speed
The Coolpix 3500 connects to a host computer via a USB interface. Downloading
files to my 500 MHz PowerMac G4 (OS 9.1), I clocked it at 562 KBytes/second.
This is pretty fast as USB-connected cameras go. (Cameras with slow USB interfaces
run as low as 300 KB/s, cameras with fast ones run as high as 600 KB/s.)
CP3500 Test Images
CP3500 Specifications
CP3500 "Picky Details"
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