Nikon COOLPIX L19 review

Fun and affordable – a budget addition to the COOLPIX range

It’s incredible to think that it is possible to buy a decent compact for less than £100, but Nikon, like all the main camera manufacturers, have a dedicated range of budget-conscious compacts that prove otherwise. The latest in the low-end COOLPIX L-range is the L19, which weighs in at £99.99, but is a lot cheaper online. Its specs sheet reads like a high-end model of a couple of years ago: 8 megapixels, a smart portrait system, automatic scene selection, blur reduction, movie mode and more.

Looks-wise, this isn’t the most slimline of models that you can get, but it feels robust and heavy in the hand. It could definitely take a knock or two, making it a great option if you want a camera for the kids. It comes in a choice of ‘fashion’ colours too, pitching itself to a younger market. Despite its more average proportions, the buttons are still small. In testing, our thumb (not abnormally large) covers the entire zoom lever, which isn’t the easiest in use. The buttons also need a firm push, especially the power and menu buttons, which is great for not accidentally turning it on in a bag, but not so great when you’re trying to be quick off the mark. The only buttons that we do like are the playback and exposure selection options above the LUD. These are long, responsive and easy to hit in use. The exposure selection button brings up an on-screen menu to choose from movie mode, scene modes, Easy Auto, standard Auto and Smile mode.

Navigation is simple. Apart from the exposure selection menu mentioned, there’s a Menu button that opens up the usual suspects (depending on your exposure choice; Easy Auto lets you change the image resolution only) like white balance and colour options, as well as the Set-up. There are a couple of slightly unusual options that stand out here. For example, Motion Detection can be set to Auto or Off, compensating for camera or subject movement. Blink Warning (part of the Smart Portrait System alongside the Smile mode) tells you if someone had their eyes closed in a shot and can be turned on and off.

There are plenty of automatic options built in that can aid your shooting. For example, the Scene Auto Selector (in Easy Auto), a popular technology for basic compacts, which choose a scene for you. However, in use it’s not that fast. You need to let the camera analyse the scene and select the right mode (you’ll know when it’s ready as the icon will change), by which time your perfectly composed shot might have moved on. We stuck to the standard Auto mode or the scene options instead. Best Shot Selector, which chooses the sharpest of up to ten sequential shots, fairs better, and the D-Lighting technology does help when there is backlight.

It’s an easy camera to pick up and just start shooting with, perfect for on the move or at social events. We took it to a festival and got some great shots but without having to worry about it breaking when pushed. Image quality is the biggest surprise here. For the price, you might, like we did, assume that it’s not going to be much cop, however the results are really quite good. Some chromatic aberration does creep in, but you really have to study a shot to find it and for day-to-day purposes, it’s unnoticeable. Shots are crisp from macros through to wide landscapes and colours are well rendered. It struggles quite a lot in low light, even with a high ISO of 1600, which is disappointing, but it makes up for it in almost every other area.

Overall, despite initial reservations, this is a nice little compact. It’s cheap, does the job, is durable and would be great as a second camera or a family compact. There are better compacts out there, but for the price, and from a well-known brand with a good reputation for innovative technologies, it’s more than adequate.