Nikon Coolpix L110

Photo answers review

Photo answers rating

The Coolpix L110 from Nikon combines a 12.1Mp sensor with a 15x optical zoom that ranges from 28mm at the wide end through to 420mm in 35mm film terms. On first view it’s clearly not a pocket-sized compact, but a somewhat chunkier model that would suit photographers who like the feel of a slightly larger camera body. In an average sized hand it feels surprisingly small though, especially when you compare it to other Nikon Coolpix models in the range like the P90, which incorporates a larger 24x zoom lens, and the recently announced P100, which boasts an even bigger 26x zoom. The smaller size of the L110 is good news though if you want to travel light and even when a battery and SD card are slotted in, it still manages to weigh less than half a kilogram at 406g.

The L110’s 15x optical zoom lens extends from the front of the body and even at full telephoto it doesn’t protrude very far. The zoom button is perfectly located on top of the rubberised handgrip and can be operated very easily and quickly with the index finger. It took just three seconds to zoom from the widest point to full telephoto on our test model, which was impressive. There’s also a small thumb rest on the back of the camera alongside the red movie record button, which is invaluable when you’re operating the compact with one hand and gives you the extra support you need.

The remaining buttons are very simply laid-out; the large On/Off button appears on the top-plate to the right of the manually operated flash and alongside the 3in screen at the rear there’s a D-Pad, which is surrounded by four buttons that operate Playback, Erase, Easy auto mode and the Menu. The menu itself is clearly broken down into three categories: Easy auto mode, Movie and Setup, where most of the camera settings are found. To keep your images as sharp as possible, vibration reduction is featured. Unfortunately there’s no quick menu system on the L110 so you have to head into the menu to control most things, but the 10-second self-timer, flash, exposure compensation and macro mode can be operated from the D-Pad.

The ISO range on the L110 is extensive and stretches from 80-6400 but it’s worth noting that there is a resolution drop to 3Mp at ISO3200 and 6400. Testing the camera through its ISO range revealed noticeable Noise and softness at ISO 800 so for the optimum results you won’t really want to push too far past ISO 400. Switching on the Vibration Reduction to prevent camera shake revealed a very subtle whirr in operation.

Our favourite feature on the L110 has to be the 3in screen. It’s not only large in size, it’s sharp and offered an excellent level of contrast. The main limitation with the compact is that it uses four AA batteries. Over time this could make it quite costly to run, especially if you don’t have a rechargeable set of batteries. The materials that have been used do give it a slightly plasticky feel, but this is only a minor point on what feels like a well-put together compact. £199 it is quite a lot of money to pay, however. Compare this price to a budget D-SLR with a cashback offer and for £150 more you could pick an alternative with a lot more features. A D-SLR would be a better buy for a keen enthusiast, but if that isn’t right for you then this small bridge compact makes a valid choice.