The sensor covers an ISO range of 100 to 3200 as standard, with the option to shoot in either the Hi1 or Hi2 extended settings of 6400 and 12800. The presence of Nikon’s EXPEED C2 image processing engine adds lots of benefits to the camera’s base level performance, as well as aiding performance at high ISO settings it facilitates a maximum burst speed of 7fps at full resolution, albeit for just 7 frames. Switch to the PASM modes and both the Command dial thumb wheel and multi-selector wheel are used to change the appropriate exposure control; the command dial engages program shift in Program auto (Canon take note – the SX520 HS doesn’t do this) and the shutter speed in Shutter priority and Manual modes. The multi selector wheel is allocated to the aperture in Aperture priority and Manual modes. Here, I’ve compared the COOLPIX P530 with the Canon PowerShot SX520 HS, which shares the same 42x zoom range, 16 Megapixel resolution and a lot of other features besides. I’ve also tested it alongside Sony’s Cyber-shot H400 which has a massive 63.3x zoom in a slightly larger, heavier body. Read on to discover which is the best buy for those looking for a long zoom with an affordable price tag. The COOLPIX P530 starts up fairly swiftly and is ready to take a shot in a little under two seconds. That’s average in the sense that it’s faster than the Sony H400 but slower than the SX520 HS. For shooting in manual and semi-auto modes it has the best control layout of all three models tested. The SX520 HS also has a second dial in addition to the four-way controller, but its position makes it necessary to move your finger off the shutter release. It’s also responsible for both aperture and shutter speed so in manual you have to press the exposure compensation button to toggle between them. The COOLPIX P530 uses both its command dial and the multi-selector wheel to much better effect.

Nikon Coolpix P520 Review | ePHOTOzine Nikon Coolpix P520 Review | ePHOTOzine

Physically, it’s quite a beefy camera, almost matching the size of an entry-level DSLR in many respects. Coming in at 549g, it has some heft to it. However, the size does allow the camera to feature quite a deep and pronounced grip for a comfortable grasp during use. The Nikon Coolpix P520 has a vibration reduction mechanism, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, I took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the lens set to the same focal length and ISO speed. The first shot was taken with vibration reduction turned off, the second with it turned on. As you can see, with vibration reduction turned on, the images are definitely sharper than with vibration reduction turned off. Here is a 100% crop of the images to show the results. Shutter Speed / Focal Length Outputs are under a cover on the body's right side; you get a Mini-HDMI and a Micro-USB/AV port, the latter of which can be used with Nikon's WU-1a Wi-Fi adapter so it can communicate with Android and iOS devices for viewing and transferring photos and videos. There's no accessory shoe for an add-on flash, limiting you to the onboard pop-up one. It doesn't automatically rise when needed, instead remaining off until you push a button on the left side of the camera. It's adequately powerful and there are flash exposure compensation settings available.Audio isn’t recorded with the HS video modes but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that you can use the effects filters. The only limitation on this is that the Soft and Nostalgic sepia effects are only available with the HS720/2x mode. I should also mention that you can’t use the use zoom or Full-time AF with the HS modes. Regardless of that, this is an impressive range of high speed recording modes and one of the COOLPIX P530’s big advantages over the H400 and SX520 HS neither of which offers anything like it. The Nikon COOLPIX P530 is a super-zoom camera with a 42x range extending from a 24mm wide-angle to 1000mm super-telephoto. It has a 16 Megapixel CMOS sensor and offers full PASM exposure control in addition to full auto. As well as a high resolution 921k dot LCD screen it has a 0.2in 201k dot electronic viewfinder. On the rear of the Nikon Coolpix P520 sits one of the most impressive elements of the – the LCD screen. It’s 3.2-inches with a 921k-dot resolution, which means it’s slightly sharper than its peers. It’s also mounted on a side hinge, so it can be pulled away from the camera and rotated around to either face the subject or allow either high or low angle shooting – i.e. over the heads of crowds, or low to the ground. If the LCD isn’t enough there’s also an EVF located just above it, although unfortunately this only features a 201k-dot resolution and as such is a touch underwhelming. The flash has a maximum distance at the wide angle lens setting, with the aperture set to f3, of 8 metres, not at all bad though as it’s quoted with the ISO set to auto it’s not easy to make comparisons. If you make the (most likely correct) assumption that the distance is calculated using the default maximum auto ISO sensitivity of 1600 ISO, that means it delivers a little more power than the PowerShot SX50 HS at max 5.5 metres, but quite a bit less than the Lumix FZ70 / FZ72 with a maximum distance of 13.5 metres. That said, the COOLPIX P520 provides bright, even illumination that’s perfectly adequate for fill-in and reasonably close subjects.

Nikon Coolpix P520 Overview - Digital Photography Review

The Nikon COOLPIX P520 is a super-zoom camera with a 42x stabilised range and an 18.1 Megapixel sensor. Launched in January 2013, it replaces the COOLPIX P510, which remains in the Nikon product line-up. The newer P520 retains the earlier model’s 24-1000mm f3-5.9 zoom lens, but couples it with an updated sensor that adds two Megapixels to the resolution. Both the continuous H and L modes record at full 18 megapixel resolution, with the 60 fps restricted to 2 megapixels and the 120 fps mode limited to VGA size. It’s an excellent choice for those looking for a reasonably powerful superzoom bridge camera. And for users who don’t mind its minor flaws and inconveniences, it remains a strong starting camera. It delivers the necessary shooting options and functionality, along with good photo and video quality. While it’s not a replacement to an entry-level DSLR or mirrorless camera, it’s a good choice for those looking for a more point and shoot experience in a DSLR styled body. The P520 has a nice mix of shooting modes, making it a good choice for both snapshooters and those who want a little more control. There are two Auto modes on this camera. One is Nikon's Scene Auto Selector, located in with the other Scene modes. It adjusts settings appropriately based on six common scene types. If the scene doesn't match any of those, it defaults to a general-use Auto. Then there is an Auto mode, which shuts off all photo settings from the user except for image quality and size.You can apply nine different special effects as you shoot with the Nikon Coolpix P520, with a live preview on the LCD screen showing exactly what the final image will look like. The COOLPIX P520’s combined battery and card compartment is located in the grip and accessed via a door in the base of the camera. It takes the same slim EN-EL5 battery as its predecessor with a power rating of 1100mAh. That delivers enough power to take 200 shots with the COOLPIX P520, down from 240 on the COOLPIX P510 and by any standard a pretty meagre allotment, certainly compared with the PowerShot SX50 HS’s 315 shots or the Panasonic Lumix FZ70 / FZ72’s more generous 400 shot capacity. You don't notice that the camera is actually doing anything different when anti-shake is turned on, just that you can use slower shutter speeds than normal and still take sharp photos. It didn't seem to adversely affect the battery life either, which is around a barely adequate 200 shots, so we'd advise you to turn it on and then forget about it. It's a good idea to turn VR off (via the menu) when the camera is mounted on a tripod, lest the system itself cause blurring by trying to counter camera shake that isn't there.

Nikon Coolpix P520 (English - 244 pages) User manual Nikon Coolpix P520 (English - 244 pages)

With zoom ranges becoming ever longer, stabilization takes on a more and more important role. The COOLPIX P530 employs optical stabilization, shifting the lens elements to compensate for camera movement; Nikon calls it Vibration reduction. There are three settings available from the P530’s menu, Off, Normal and Active. Active mode irons out excessive wobbling, examples of the kinds of conditions it might be useful in, according to the manual, are ‘when shooting from a car or under poor foothold conditions’. There are two different ways of composing images with the Nikon Coolpix P520: you can use either the eye-level electronic viewfinder (EVF) or the rear screen. Unfortunately, there are still no eye proximity sensors that would allow the camera to toggle between the two automatically, and on the P520 there's no button to toggle between the two. Instead you have to close the LCD screen completely to use the EVF, which is at very unintuitive. As the EVF is a bog standard affair with 201,000 dots and average magnification, nothing to write home about, especially in 2013, you probably won't use it very much anyway. The three-inch rear LCD screen is much nicer to look at, thanks to its high resolution of 921,000 dots. Even more importantly, it's now a vari-angle model that can be flipped-out to the side and tilted through 270 degrees, giving you a lot of flexibility in composing your shots, a big improvement on the more limited movement offered by the P510's screen.Electronic viewfinder, 0.5 cm (0.2-in.) approx. 201k-dot equivalent LCD with the diopter adjustment function (-4 to +4 m-1) The COOLPIX P530 is an update to the popular P520 launched just over a year earlier. It’s now the third generation to use the 4.3-180mm f3-5.9 lens although interestingly Nikon has reduced the sensor resolution by 2 Megapixels, down from the 18.1 Megapixels of the P520. The screen is also no longer articulated and the older model’s built-in GPS has been dropped.