Nikon COOLPIX 8700 Digital Camera

Over the last couple of years Nikon has been losing market share to other manufacturers, but that negative sales trend may be due to change. Nikon's R&D folks have introduced two very exciting new digital cameras (the Coolpix 8700 and the D70 digital SLR) that are likely to put Nikon firmly back in the fray.

The Coolpix 8700 is the fourth generation of Nikon's digital "bridge" camera family. These cameras (CP5000, CP5400, and CP5700) were designed to provide photographers most of the benefits of a digital SLR without the need to give up any of the "gee whiz" features and "cutting edge" convenience of prosumer point and shoot digicams. How does the CP8700 fare when it comes to bridging the gap between top tier prosumer digicams and entry level digital SLRs? Read on for a definitive evaluation.

What's New? How does the CP8700 differ from the CP5700?

The CP8700 is an updated version of the CP5700 and it bears a strong family resemblance to its predecessor, but there are significant differences. The CP8700 offers photographers 8 megapixel resolution (the CP5700 is a 5 megapixel digicam), a new larger 1.8" LCD screen (the CP5700 has a 1.5" LCD screen), an improved higher resolution Electronic Viewfinder (EVF), an AF assist illumination beam (for improved low light focusing), and 12 new scene modes. The CP8700 retains the CP5700's fully articulated tilt-swivel LCD, 8X zoom, hot shoe, and GUI/operational layout

NUTS & BOLTS

Viewfinder/LCD

The CP 8700's high resolution Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) consistently delivers images that are crisp, and color accurate. EVF action is smooth and fluid with no discernible hesitation or blur when trying to keep up with moving subjects. The EVF is also quite good in low light (gain is automatically boosted for both the EVF and LCD) The Monitor Select button allows users to easily switch back and forth between the EVF and LCD displays. User can opt to have either the EVF or LCD automatically activated at start up.

The CP 8700's high-res EVF is basically a smaller version of the LCD screen, but it does show 96 per cent of the image frame and provides an info/status readout. I am not a big fan of Electronic Viewfinders, but they are an inescapable compromise for purchasers of digital cameras with long zooms. It is almost impossible (and prohibitively expensive) to construct an accurate real image zooming optical viewfinder that will maintain optical integrity (brightness, sharp resolution, low distortion, parallax correction, etc) beyond approximately 4X. The CP 8700's EVF is substantially above average.

The CP 8700 features a new 1.8" articulated "Vari-angle" LCD that lifts and swivels 270 degrees from the rear of the camera, allowing the LCD to be used as a waist level, over-head finder, and low angle Macro/close-up finder. The LCD screen can also be pointed toward the front, which is great for self-portraits (and for models/subjects in formal portraits). The LCD can be flipped around and nested into the back of the camera (to protect the screen from smudges and scratches) when not in use.

A really nice (and very useful) feature is the ability to adjust not only LCD brightness, but color/hue (via the CP8700's menu) as well. The CP8700's LCD is bright, sharp, fluid, and color accurate. Pressing the CP8700's "DISP" button provides users with several options, including a basic display (AF zones only), an info/status display, a live histogram display (overlaid on the image), and a new rectangular/diagonal alignment grid display. The LCD screen (like the EVF) shows about 96 per cent of the image frame.

Just to the right of the hot shoe is a back-lit top deck LCD status display which shows shutter speed, aperture, battery status, remaining CF card capacity, flash setting, etc.

Lens

The CP8700 uses the same 8X Zoom-Nikkor f2.8-f4.2/35-280mm (35mm equivalent) lens as the CP5700. Nikon is justly famous for optical quality and this all glass zoom with two ED (extra low dispersion glass) elements and Nikon's Super Integrated lens Coatings typifies that tradition. The Lens extends to full telephoto length in about 2 seconds (users can select either high speed AF--useful for following action---or low speed AF---useful in situations where precision focusing is more important than speed). The CP8700's new high-definition CCD sensor incorporates an Optical Low-Pass Filter to optimize optical performance. Images are consistently bright and sharp with excellent highlight/shadow detail and balanced contrast. Minimum focusing distance (in macro mode) is 1.2 inches. The CP8700's 8X Zoom-Nikkor features a seven-blade iris diaphragm allowing users to produce rounder, softer, and subtler highlights in backgrounds (called Bokeh) and finer-grained more precise aperture control. Apertures can be adjusted in 1/3 EV increments over a 10-step range.

The CP8700's zoom operation is very smooth (although a bit louder than expected). Chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is very well controlled (due primarily to the ED lens elements), but barrel distortion at the wide-angle end of the zoom range is a bit higher than average. Pincushion distortion (at the telephoto end of the zoom range) is very well controlled.

Auto Focus

The Coolpix 8700 (like the CP5700) utilizes Nikon's zone-based contrast detection autofocus system. The AF system automatically analyzes the scene in front of the camera and accurately calculates camera to subject distance to determine which AF zone (center, top, bottom, left, right) is closest to the primary subject (closest focus priority) and locks focus on that zone. More creative users can manually select any one of the 5 focus zones (spot AF) for more creative compositions. The EVF/LCD display shows all five zones and highlights the active AF zone in red.

The AF system is fast and accurate in good light. In low light situations the AF focus aid beam is automatically enabled, but the lens hunts a bit for focus with low/flat contrast subjects in dim lighting. Two AF modes are available--Continuous AF (the camera continuously adjusts focus) which is good for action and moving subjects, and Single AF (focus is locked when the shutter button is depressed halfway) which is good for portraits, landscapes, and record shots.

Manual Focus

The CP 8700 has the features and capability to appeal to serious photographers, so I don't understand why Nikon's engineers didn't make the manual focus mode more helpful? The MF mode is usable, but it is cumbersome and fairly slow in operation. The distance scale display shown on the LCD monitor is confusing since it doesn't show actual distances, but it is helpful that the display turns red if the user tries to focus closer than the minimum focusing distance for the set focal length. The CP8700 does provide a nifty focus confirmation option (via the Record menu) and when it is enabled the camera kicks the LCD's apparent sharpness up significantly making the subject appear to "snap" into sharp focus like it would with a Manual Focus SLR.

Macro Focus

The CP8700's minimum focusing distance (in Macro mode) is 1.2" from the zoom's front element. Like the rest of the Coolpix line, the CP 5700 is an excellent macro performer, capable of dramatic bug/butterfly/flower close-ups.

Metering

Accurate light metering has traditionally been one of Nikon's core strengths and the CP8700 is no exception. The newest Coolpix provides users with a very useful range of metering options, including Nikon's trademark 256 segment matrix metering, center-weighted averaging, spot, and spot AF (spot metering based on one of the 5 AF zones----allowing metering and focus to be integrated on the single most important element -- like the eyes in a portrait --- of the composition.

Flash

The Coolpix 8700's multi mode pop-up speedlight provides five modes: Auto, Flash off, Fill Flash, Red-Eye Reduction, and Slow-Sync. The CP8700's top-mounted hot shoe permits the use of more powerful Nikon flash units (SB-80DX, 50 DX, 28DX, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, and 22s), or third-party flash units may be used (manual operation). For some strange reason the CP8700 can't activate the motorized zoom heads or focus-assist beams on Nikon's external speedlights (the CP5700 suffered from this same deficiency), but users can manually zoom flash heads to the desired focal length setting. The CP8700's internal flash must be popped-up in order to use an external flash unit since the built-in flash provides the only usable focus-assist beam and the flash sensor is used to control the output from Nikon external flash units.

Nikon claims the maximum flash coverage distance is about 13.5 feet (at the 35mm zoom setting) which seems fairly accurate. Given the range of the built-in flash and the moderate (35mm) wide angle coverage of the zoom, the CP8700's indoor sweet zone should just about perfectly cover table sized groups of friends and tight family sized clusters, making it a very good bar and party camera.

Image File Format(s)/Storage Media/Connectivity

Uncompressed TIFF, NEF (RAW) TIFF and RAW settings are available only at maximum resolution, and JPEG

Compact Flash type I & II and microdrives (up to 4 gigabytes)

USB 2.0, A/V out, & DC in

Power

The Coolpix 8700 runs on one rechargeable EN-EL1 lithium-ion battery pack or an optional AC adapter, or in a pinch one 6V 2CR5/DL245 lithium battery (or six AA batteries with the Nikon MB-E5700 battery pack/handgrip optional external Power Pack). Power management is somewhat improved over the CP5700, but battery life is the CP8700's Achille's heel. Battery life is acceptable but certainly not on par with other 8 megapixel digicams like the Sony F828 and the Minolta A2.

Nikon claims 100 minutes of extended usage, but my experience was more like 75-85 minutes and an average of about 150-160 exposures (full time LCD use, moderate review frequency, and occasional flash use) with a fully charged EN-EL1 battery -- and that is well below average for cameras in this class. Plan to buy at least one additional battery or better yet the Nikon MB-E5700 battery pack/handgrip for extended shooting sessions.

Nikon used the on hand EN-EL1 battery pack to power the CP5700 and CP8700 in order to hold costs down, which is good for consumers. The problem is that the EN-EL1 battery pack (which was developed for smaller Nikon digicams) just isn't powerful enough to run the CP8700 properly. The included charger needs about two hours to fully charge the EN-EL1 lithium-ion battery pack.

EXPOSURE

The Nikon Coolpix 8700 provides users with a wide range of exposure options. Select the CP8700's Program AE mode and the camera does everything, all the user has to do is frame the subject and push the shutter button. The Flexible Program AE option allows more experienced photographers to choose from several equivalent exposures (a faster shutter speed for action or a smaller lens aperture for mood/detail). For more critical creative control, photographers can choose Aperture Priority (the user selects the f-stop and the camera selects the shutter speed) or Shutter Priority (the user selects the shutter speed and the camera chooses an appropriate f-stop) or full manual (users select both shutter speed and aperture).

The Coolpix 8700 also provides users with 12 preset Scene Modes (Portrait, Party/Indoor, Night portrait, Beach/Snow, Landscape, Sunset, Night landscape, Fireworks, Close up, Copy, Back lighting, and Panorama assist) --select the "scene" appropriate for the intended compositional style or lighting condition and the camera automatically maximizes all settings (focus, flash, contrast, sensitivity and white balance) for the scene type chosen.

The Coolpix 8700 provides Exposure compensation (-2/+2 EV) in 1/3 EV increments in all exposure modes. Auto Bracketing allows users to shoot three (or five) shots of the same subject with slightly different exposure values (determined by the photographer in Manual mode and by the camera in all other modes). Bracketed settings can be varied from -2 to +2 EV (and can be used with the exposure compensation feature) in one-third, one-half, or one EV increments. Bracketing can be biased toward underexposure, overexposure, or based on the meter selected setting.

Movie Mode

The CP8700 can record short video clips (with audio) at 640 x 480 @ 30 fps for up to 35 seconds. The camera also captures time-lapse and Sepia Movie video clips.

White Balance

The CP 8700 provides users with seven white balance options: Auto, White Balance Preset, Fine (Outdoors), Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Shade, and Speedlight (flash balanced). All white balance settings except Preset can be adjusted from -3 to +3 units on an arbitrary scale. There's also a White Balance Bracketing mode, which captures three images at slightly different white balance adjustments (slightly warm—normal—and slightly cool).

Sensitivity

The CP8700 offers users a slightly less versatile range of sensitivity options than its predecessor. Sensitivity can be set to TTL Auto (limited to range from ISO 50 to ISO 200), and user ISO (35mm equivalent) settings of 50, 100, 200, & 400. The CP5700's ISO 800 setting has been dropped (higher resolution CCDs produce exponentially higher image noise than lower resolution CCDs).

Drive Modes

The Coolpix 8700 provides a nice range of rapid-exposure modes for capturing sequences, including Continuous L (low), Continuous H (high), Ultra High Speed Continuous, and a 5 shot buffer mode, and a time lapse (capture intervals from 30 seconds to 60 minutes) mode.

Nikon's exclusive Best Shot Selector captures a series of images of the same subject (in rapid succession) and then selects the sharpest example to be saved to the CF card. This is a really useful feature in a camera with an 8X zoom and no image stabilization. The camera can be handheld for action sequences at maximum zoom extension with at least the possibility of getting a sharp image.

In-Camera Image Adjustment

In camera image adjustment is a very important tool for overcoming minor exposure problems, ensuring tack sharp resolution, managing noise, balancing contrast, and fine-tuning color saturation. The CP8700 features a broad range of In-Camera Image Adjustment options that will permit skilled photographers the flexibility to tweak images in order to precisely reflect their personal creative vision.

The CP8700's Image Adjustment menu allows photographers to increase or decrease contrast and lighten or darken images. This is a neat feature because it permits photographers to adjust mid tone values without blowing-out highlights or blocking up shadow areas.

Nikon's Clear Image Mode generates great email images (1280 x 960 and smaller) optimized for accurate color, low noise, and a wide dynamic range.

Noise-Reduction

The CP 8700's noise reduction system utilizes proven frame subtraction technology. With noise reduction enabled the camera shoots two exposures (one with the shutter closed) and an in-camera program superimposes the dark frame over the normal exposure, compares the two, and then subtracts fixed-pattern image noise. Noise Reduction is automatically enabled on exposures longer than ? of a second.

DESIGN, CONTROLS, CONSTRUCTION, & ERGONOMICS

The CP 8700 is attractive, compact, lightweight, and well balanced. Construction (Magnesium alloy frame) and build quality are very good. The Coolpix 8700's user interface is virtually identical to the CP 5700's, which is to say generally very good, but a bit complex. Operation is quick and mostly intuitive, allowing users to make most exposure adjustments without using the LCD screen. All controls are logically placed and ergonomics are excellent with the exception of the control buttons on the left side of the lens barrel—which can be unintentionally activated. A thorough reading of (and frequent referral) to the user's manual is essential to maximizing the functions and capabilities of the Coolpix 8700.

Technical Specifications

Resolution: 8 megapixels (3,264 x 2,448)
Viewfinders: Electronic viewfinder & Vari-Angle articulating, 1.8" TFT LCD w/adjustable brightness & hue adjustment
Lens Zoom-Nikkor f2.8-4.2/3 5-280mm (35mm equivalent) all glass (with 2 ED elements and Nikon's Super Integrated Coating) zoom with 7-blade iris diaphragm. Construction--14 elements in 10 groups
Autofocus: TTL 5-AF point Multi AF or Spot AF
Manual Focus: yes
Metering: 4-mode TTL (256-segment Matrix, Center-Weighted, Spot, and Spot AF Area)
Flash: Built-in Multi Mode (Auto, off, Fill, Slow Sync, and Red-Eye Reduction) with hot shoe for external Nikon Speedlights (SB-80DX, SB-50DX, SB-28DX, SB-27, SB-26, SB-25, SB-24, SB-23, and SB-22s)
Exposure Modes: Programmed Auto (with Shift), Shutter-Priority, Aperture-Priority and Full Manual
Auto Bracketing: Yes (3-5) +2/-2 EV in 1/3 EV increments
Exposure Compensation: Yes +2/-2 EV in 1/3 EV increments
Shutter Speeds: 8 seconds to 1/4,000th of a second plus Bulb (max 5 minutes)
White Balance: TTL Auto White Balance, Fine, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Speedlight, Custom Preset, and White balance bracketing
In-Camera Image Adjustment: Yes
Noise Reduction: Yes, automatic on long exposures
Sensitivity: Auto 50, 100, 200, and 400 (ISO equivalent)
Image File Formats: TIFF-RGB (uncompressed), JPEG or NEF (RAW)
Image Storage: CompactFlash Type I & II (and MicroDrives)
Connectivity: USB 2.0
Power: 1 Nikon EN-EL1 lithium rechargeable (Battery life Approx. 90 mins.) or 1 2CR5/DL245 lithium

Street Price Range $769.00--$999.00

Included

No CF card is included (the CP5700 shipped with a 32Mb CF card), Lens cap, Neck strap, A/V & USB cables, Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery (EN-EL1), Battery Charger MH-51, Software CD, printed user's manual

Optional

Wideangle Converter (WC-E80), Telephoto Converter (TC-E15ED), 1.5x ED glass teleconverter (TC-E15ED), Fisheye converter (FC-E9), Step Down Ring Lens Adapter (UR-E8), Lens hood (HN-E5700), Battery pack (MB-E5700), AC Adapter (EH-53), Remote Cord (MC-EU1) Nikon (MB-E5700) battery pack/handgrip with 6 x 1.5v (AA) batteries. Optional Nikon (EH-21) AC adapter, and Nikon Capture 3 (for RAW image processing).

In the Field/Handling & Operation

I have an old friend (who sells new and used digital and analog photographic equipment) and he was able to get his hands on a Nikon Coolpix 8700 for us to play with just before the start of the annual Kentucky Derby Festival. The Derby Festival is a three-week slate of events that leads up to the most famous two minutes in sports. The Derby Festival kicks off with Thunder Over Louisville, the largest fireworks show in North America. We had an absolutely gorgeous day for our outing with blue skies and a temperature in the low seventies. The "Thunder" show usually draws from 500,000 to 700,000 people to Louisville's Ohio River waterfront. The festivities begin with an all day air show featuring flyovers by U. S. Military aircraft. We spent most of the afternoon wandering around shooting candids/street shots of the crowd on the Great Lawn at Riverfront Park. The new CP8700 was a real joy to use----compact, lightweight, well designed, and responsive.

The fireworks display is a photographer's dream. Once it gets dark more than 50,000 individual fireworks shells keep the sky above the Ohio River lit up constantly during the non-stop 30-minute show. There's no better place in the country if you want really stunning fireworks shots. The best place to shoot from is across the Ohio River in Indiana, but you'll have to forego the street scenes/crowd shots. It's easy, if you can find a good line of sight from the Knobs (low glacial hills just north of the Ohio River) because the Louisville skyline is beautifully lit and the half mile wide Ohio River reflects both the high-rise buildings along the riverfront and the fireworks (especially if the weather is calm).

My friend has access to the roof of a four-story building near the riverfront so we were able to set up the CP8700 on a compact Slik 444 Sport tripod. We had a pretty good view of the northern sky near the Second Street Bridge. By setting the zoom at the 35mm wide-angle setting we could frame the bridge, a broad chunk of the river just west of the bridge, and a nice portion of the sky above. When the fireworks started it was fairly easy to get good shots because the more than 50,000 individual shells kept the sky lit up almost constantly. The fireworks are set off from two barges anchored in the middle of the Ohio River.

We managed to get several shots of really spectacular multiple bursts. The colors were spectacular with good reflections from the water between the bridges. The sky was clear with no clouds and there was just enough of a breeze to blow away the clouds of smoke (from the fireworks) that shrouds the riverfront area. Overall, the CP8700 performed very well and we had fun filling a 512 MB CF card, but like many Louisville residents I hate the two hour post Thunder traffic jam.

For our second outing with the CP8700 (On a lovely Sunday afternoon) we visited the Springs Station Shopping Center at Dutchman's Lane and Breckenridge Lane. One of Beargrass Creeks many branches runs along the northern edge of the shopping center parking lot and it makes a great place to test cameras because you can park your car, walk down the steep banks of the creek and discover a hidden green world in the middle of the city.

Willow trees line the banks of the creek, effectively blocking out everything except traffic noise. Just behind Home Depot the creek makes a classic "S" shaped curve (which runs almost due west) so when the sun goes down the trees along the creek are backlit and the water reflects the colors of the sunset. The clouds were clumped up just above the horizon so we waited until the sun hit a point below the clouds but above the ground. This silhouetted the willows and ducks against the beautiful colors in the clouds, sky, and water. Springs Station is a favorite sunset spot for my friend and I because the setting is gorgeous and images (film or digital) look like they were shot in some exotic wilderness locale, rather than in the middle of a heavily built up suburban area.

After a wasted trip to Louisville's Extreme Park to try shooting skateboarders in the rain (somewhat anticlimactic) we headed for the Louisville Nature Center (right across from the Louisville Zoo) and since the weather had cleared up nicely spent the afternoon shooting nature subjects in the adjoining Bear grass Creek Nature Reserve. The Bear Grass Creek Nature Reserve is an urban nature reserve that offers hikers, nature lovers, photographers and bird watchers 41 acres of second growth forest and creek bottom that supports a wide variety of plant and animal life.

Jefferson County's Schools use the reserve for environmental field trips for local elementary, middle, and high school students. Ornithology, entomology, botany, wildlife photography, habitat and ecology/environmental studies, searching for animal tracks and signs, and herpetology can be pursued less than ten minutes from the interstate system. Butterflies and moths, raccoons, rabbits, skunks, red foxes, snakes, turtles, amphibians, and reptiles can be found in the preserve. More than 180 species of trees, shrubs and flowering plants, and over 150 species of resident and migratory birds call the preserve home. The preserve is co-managed by The Louisville Nature Center and the Commonwealth of Kentucky and features one-mile of hiking trails.

On the Saturday afternoon that we visited it was almost completely deserted. Shortly after arriving we discovered a small clump of Dutchman's Breeches bursting through the decaying leaf litter on the forest floor along the bank of a small creek. Before the afternoon was over we were able to shoot close-ups of Bluets (which my Dad always called Quaker Ladies) and Virginia Bluebells.

PERFORMANCE

Image Quality

The CP8700's images were consistently excellent, with vibrant color, very good shadow and highlight detail, and skin tones were very good with color nuances sufficiently subtle to clearly distinguish between Hispanic, Caucasian, and Asian complexions with no tonal inaccuracies. White balance is precise even in difficult lighting. Resolution, color, contrast, and apparent sharpness are superb, especially at the ISO 50 and 100 settings. Noise is very well controlled at ISO 50, barely noticeable at ISO 100, and reasonable at ISO 200. ISO 400 shots are much too noisy. Action shots are better than average and Red-eye is impressively well managed.

Excellent 8X10 enlargements are easy, very good 11X14 enlargements are a realistic option, and decent 16X20 custom enlargements are possible (as long as cost is not a concern) overall print quality is on a rough parity scale with ISO 100 color print film. The CP 8700's best images show the "pop" factor of slow speed color slide film or custom prints from color negative film. At eight megapixels, the image quality gap between digital and silver based film images appears to be closing rapidly.


Timing/Shutter Lag

The CP 8700 is faster than average with shutter lag times that are just a bit faster than the CP 5700. With pre-focus, there is virtually no shutter lag. AF times are excellent in good light but noticeably slower in poor light and with low contrast subjects. Cycle (shot to shot) times are very quick until the large buffer is full. Write to card times are pretty fast except for TIFF files (about 20 seconds). Overall, slightly quicker than average for the 8 megapixel class.

A Few Concerns

Close up images show great detail, but corners tend to be a tiny bit soft. The CP8700's built-in flash and lens barrel create a noticeable shadow area that covers the lower half of the frame in tight close ups (easily defeated with an external flash). Noise levels at ISO 400 are unacceptable (even at faster shutter speeds). Noise at ISO 200 is noticeable, but not too objectionable. The CP8700's zoom hunts for focus in low light with low/flat contrast subjects. CP8700 purchasers should factor in the expense of a (minimum) 512MB CF card and a back-up EN-EL1 battery.

Conclusion

Just a year or two back an entry level dSLR cost at least twice as much as a top tier Prosumer digicam, but that's changing. Serious amateur photographers and part time pros can now afford to buy a dSLR. Why buy a Prosumer P&S digicam like the CP8700 when you can now get a Canon Digital Rebel dSLR for about the same price?

SLR cameras are modular by nature, meaning that users can add lenses, battery grips, flash units and numerous other components to create a versatile customized imaging tool. Prosumer P&S digicams provide users with a wide range of easily accessed features, simplified operation/convenience, and compact size/light-weight. While the initial purchase prices may be comparable---over time a dSLR is going to end up being a substantially larger investment for most shooters, making Prosumer digicams like the CP8700 a capable and affordable alternative.

Links

Check out my reviews of a bargain priced and very capable photo quality ink-jet printer.

Epson Stylus Photo 785 EPX ink-jet printer
http://www.epinions.com/content_60776812164

For definitive advice on How to Choose a Digital Camera please see my review:
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-2E46-17B174E2-39A418E3-prod1

For more information about specific Digital Camera models you may find my Digital Camera reviews informative:


Nikon Digital Cameras

Nikon Coolpix 5700
http://www.epinions.com/content_70131814020

Olympus Digital Cameras

Olympus Camedia C5060
http://www.epinions.com/content_125810871940

Sony Digital Cameras

Sony Cybershot DSC F828
http://www.epinions.com/content_124605206148

Minolta Digital Cameras

Minolta Dimage A2
http://www.epinions.com/content_134021746308

Fuji Digital Cameras

Fuji Finepix S7000
http://www.epinions.com/content_120479321732