Nikon P80 Performance

Slow to fast timings for a consumer digital camera, depending on the task.

Slow startup, but about average shutdown and buffer clearing times.

Mode switching times are better than average.

Shutter response is on the faster side of average for long zoom digital cameras at both wide angle and telephoto, at 0.55s and 0.65s respectively, and prefocusing the camera by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure results in an impressive lag time of only 0.005 second. Great results here.

Shot-to-shot cycle times are a little slow, at about 2.64 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, but the camera does capture frames continuously at this rate. (That is, given a fast enough memory card, it doesn't have to pause every few frames to wait for the card to catch up.) Also a consideration here is the camera's 3,648 x 2,736-pixel maximum resolution, which is a lot of data to handle. The Nikon P80's continuous speeds are also on the slower side at maximum resolution (1.18 fps), and the camera can only snap about 5 frames before slowing. However, at the lowest resolution, things pick up to about 1.53 fps, and the camera captured over 20 frames at this rate. The flash takes 5.6 seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, which is good, considering how powerful it is.

Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, download speeds are actually quite slow, and you might feel the need for a speedier card reader.

Bottom line, the Nikon Coolpix P80 is reasonably responsive for a long zoom, though its cycle times are just a bit sluggish. Download speeds are also a drag, and many users may opt for a card reader to speed things up a bit. The camera's continuous modes aren't a match for extremely fast action, but may be sufficient to get good pictures of moving children. Overall, the P80 is responsive enough for average conditions.

Battery
Average battery life for a lithium-ion design.

The Nikon Coolpix P80 uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and ships with a charger. Although battery life is average, we recommend you pick up a spare battery and keep it freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on a fully-charged rechargeable battery), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Nikon Coolpix P80 accepts SDHC/SD memory cards, and includes about 50MB of internal memory.

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SDHC or SD memory card at least a 1GB card, preferably a 4GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings and video. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)