ISO comparison

The Nikon Coolpix P510's photo quality is very good to excellent and significantly better than the model it replaces, the P500. Now, that doesn't mean it's as good as a digital SLR; pixel peepers might be disappointed by what its shots look like at 100 percent. For the P510's price and features, though, most people should be more than happy with its results.

These are 100 percent crops from our test scene. Subjects look sharp with fine detail good enough for large prints up to 11.5x15. Things look slightly softer as noise reduction increases as you go up in sensitivity, but it isn't until you reach ISO 800 that subjects lose significant detail and look a little smeary at smaller sizes on screen or in prints.

ISO 1600 is OK for Web use, but colors look muddy. The highest sensitivities--ISO 3200 and ISO 6400--really aren't usable. That's unfortunate because once this camera's lens is fully extended, they would be helpful.

Take a closer look.