Nikon COOLPIX L14 review

It might be flawed, but the L14 still has something to offer

Compact cameras appear to be coming out in two distinct flavours at the moment. The first is the high-end option, offering every new piece of technology going, with full manual control, high zoom ranges and a price that rivals entry-level DSLRs. The second is the entry-level cam for those who want no-fuss shooting, with no manual control, but good results. The Nikon COOLPIX L14 is most definitely in the latter category.

Even when you first pick it up, you can tell it’s a basic camera because of the lightweight, plastic casing, available in dark blue or silver, though we think the dark one looks less cheap.

While it feels like a kid’s toy, we actually became rather fond of this little snapper. That plastic casing might not be the most robust option, but you can barely feel it in the hand. And the chunky controls are a lot easier to push than the tiny options on some more expensive models.

It is incredibly easy to get started with the L14, which is why it would be perfect for beginners. Hit the On/Off button on the top of the camera and it is ready for action in about two seconds. Exposure modes are changed with another button on the top of the casing, and pressing this gives you access to Easy Auto, Movie, Scene, One-Touch Portrait and Auto. There are no advanced manual controls and even some of the more common expected controls are nowhere to be seen. For example, you don’t get any control over the ISO, whatever mode you’re in, so the camera will pick a value between 64 and 1000 dependent on the scene. Which is fair enough, until you’re indoors, don’t want to use a flash and want to ramp up the ISO. But that’s what the scene modes are there for. There are 15 of them to pick from, and they cover almost every situation, so if you want to point and shoot, then you should be able to pick a mode to suit your needs. The biggest flaw in the exposure modes is the fact that there really isn’t that much difference between using Easy Auto and Auto modes, the latter adding the option to change the white balance and colour. Surely these could just be left on default if you didn’t want to use them? Curiously, in a camera that lacks so much manual control, there is the option to set a manual white balance preset, something that is sorely missing from many compacts. The One-Touch Portrait mode basically combines the effects of a portrait scene mode, with Face-priority AF and the red-eye reduction flash mode, and having it as an options cements this model as a family camera.

In operation, you can’t really go wrong. Everything is easy to find, thanks to the extremely intuitive menu system, with extra explanation of functions if needed by pressing the zoom lever. It is a little slow, especially the shutter lag, which can be a pain if you’re trying to capture consecutive shots. While it might be tempting to stick it in Auto and leave it, we would really recommend that you select the right scene modes each time. We tried to capture a parade, but most of our shots were blurred to a more or lesser degree, and switching into Sports made a huge difference.

When you get the mode right, images aren’t bad, though certainly not fantastic. They suffer from a fair amount of chromatic aberration around the edges of subjects, especially trees against a light sky. Noise is also a problem in certain conditions, especially in Party mode. At 7.1 megapixels there is enough resolution to make up for the 3x optical zoom, but the sharpness and clarity just isn’t there. It’s a shame, because this camera was really starting to grow on us. Macro mode is disappointing to, letting you focus to only 10cm, which just isn’t close enough. But there are positives, too. Being able to create panoramics in-camera is great, the white balance presets can make a huge difference to your images, and the colour options (Vivid, Black and white, Sepia and Cyanotype) can be used for great creative effect. You can also choose to shoot widescreen if your computer monitor or TV screen are that way inclined.

The LCD is a bit hit and miss. We like the fact that you can have a grid on-screen or turn all info off, so it’s perfect for composition, but it’s pretty low-res in playback and you can’t really see how sharp and well-exposed your images actually are.

One huge positive for the L14 is all its power-saving functions to eek every last bit of juice out of your batteries. You can set it to go into Sleep mode after a few seconds of non-use, which means that the LCD turns off and you just need to tap the shutter release to get it on again. A small LED around the power button flashes so you know it is in Sleep and not turned off. You can also have the camera power down automatically after a certain time, which is great if you’re the forgetful type.

All in all, there are plenty of flaws here, but it is a camera with an RRP of just £130 that is lightweight, ultra-simple to use and offers just what you need to point and shoot and nothing more.