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"Finally, a very nice advanced compact from Nikon" on by sevort
Pros: RAW, GPS, 13.5 MP, excellent ergonomics, improved AF speed and shutter delay, high ISO capability, optical viewfinder, best flash system in the business
Cons: RAW not compatible with Nikon's own Mac software, doesn't come with standalone battery charger, too aggresive default sharpening in JPG, long start-up time for GPS, slow RAW recording, color space is sRGB only, can't turn off noise reduction (NR)
Summary: Finally, Nikon decided that Canon's leadership in the high-end compact segment should be challenged. What took them so long?
Update. I have an opportunity to compare pictures taken of the same objects with P6000 and G10. I was surprised to learn that G10 with its more megapixels is actually much softer and has less contrast than P6000. Before you accuse me in Canon bashing, I always owned only Canon advanced digital compacts starting with G2 and S30, but right now Nikon P6000 is simply a better camera than anything produced by Canon in this segment.
The first thing that will attract you to this camera is build-in GPS that works pretty well. It takes about fifteen minutes to get the first sat fix though. No more carrying extra devices with you just to get your position recorded for geo-tagging.
Some initial reports from users complained about the "white dots" in JPG files at ISO speed higher than 200. I found that this was due to too aggressive default sharpening setting in the JPG options. As soon as you soften sharpening, the white dots disappear. Voila. BTW, pictures taken in ISO 64 by this camera are absolutely stunning.
It has some oddities too. The first one is the lack of Mac support. ***? The world embracing Mac more and more, most advanced photographers (that incidentally are the target audience for this camera) are using mostly Macs, and Nikon drops support for them? Nonsense. Truth be told, latest Adobe's products such as PhotoShop support NRW (Nikon new RAW) files in this camera, so you do have options, but Nikon's own high-end software doesn't support you, Mac users.
Another oddity is the LAN port. I guess, Nikon would rather put in Wi-Fi instead, but figured that GPS and Wi-Fi would drain the battery really fast, so they decided that LAN will do. I guess, Nikon plans to introduce the network of public RJ-45 outlets all around the world. Just kidding.
A few words about RAW recording speed. Some people complain that it takes about 4 sec when using regular speed SD card. It's true, although I found that it's less with SanDisk's Extreme III cards. I don't see this as an issue, because you will most likely use the RAW capability for pictures of static things anyway.
Despite the shortcomings, this is a very impressive camera hands down. Especially, if you already have a Nikon system and can use your SB-600, 800, 900 flash with this little marvel. Before this camera, you should have been considering Canon G9 or the new G10. No longer.
Updated on Oct 23, 2008 -
"One of the best I have ever owned....." on by rcttexas
Pros: #1 pro is the built in GPS. Works GREAT with iPhoto '09 places. The image quality is better than my Olympus SLR. It is a perfect size for traveling. Supports high capacity SD cards! Strong battery!!
Cons: While there is an auto flash setting, you still have to manually open the flash pop-up for it to work. Once closed, the flash will not activate regardless of lighting. GPS is awesome, but it's a little slow to triangulate.
Summary: Bottom line, is that this is one of, if not the, best camera I have ever owned. Lots of features and superior image quality make it my favorite! I was concerned about battery life while using GPS. However, I was pleasantly surprised on my first trip, I had no issues with the battery, while taking over 75 pics a day! If you have iPhoto '09 for Mac, this is a MUST HAVE for places. It will effortlessly map each place a photo was taken. I have printed several images at different quality's with my HP photosmart printer. While the highest (13m) is best, all pictures turned out superb. Even enlargements look pro quality. The flash is a little annoying. I missed a couple great shots by not popping up the flash. I am sure as time goes by i'll get use to that, because I really hope to enjoy this camera for a LONG time!
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"Terrible GPS antenna, good pictures." on by epmcbride
Pros: Easy to use, nice pictures.
Cons: Terrible GPS antenna. Bulky.
Summary: I work on a team where we require the use of a GPS camera. Recently we purchased a variety of cameras to determine which we should buy as standard equipment in our kit bags. We do a lot of expeditionary work around the planet and having integral gps sure makes life easier. The GPS antenna on this camera is just terrible. Nikon is a camera company, not an electronics or GPS company. I'm sure this camera has an excellent lenses. However, we need the GPS functions more than we need excellent photographs. Our photos just have to be good enough. Face it, if you wanted nice pictures you buy a professional grade camera.
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"Average camera. GPS doesn't work." on by glfgeo
Pros: Nikon reliability. Good CD.
Cons: Poor power on/off switch. Slow image capture. GPS antenna lacks sensitivity and so GPS is feature, the main reason you buy this camera, is useless.
Summary: I bought the camera to get a good compact camera with built in GPS so I could automatically tag photos with locations. The camera itself has some poor design features notably the power on/off switch which often has to be pressed multiple times and the very slow image recording. The fatal flaw however is the GPS which simple does not work. In the absence of the GPS there is no reason to buy this camera. I bought the camera from Wall Street Photo through Amazon. Wall Street has not responded to my request for a refund. I have tried contacting Amazon and we'll see what happens.
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"Good photos, computer interface tricky" on by eslotboom
Pros: Full control over nearly all photo options, compact, image quality
Cons: Software for RAW, image download connection, custom battery
Summary: I have had the camera for about 2 months and I am pleased. I like the extensive control over photo settings, especially being able to turn off sharpening. Image quality is good, although so far I can't say it is better than the quality of the Canon Powershot A620 I had previously.
In terms of processing RAW images (.NRW), so far I have not been able to figure out which software to use. Photoshope CS2 does not seem to like it. The Nikon software that comes with the camera takes some effort to understand, but I can't get it to load the NRW files. Eventually I found an Adobe utility that converts the file to DNG format, which allowed me to use available software. So, if NRW is important, make sure you are equipped.
When I connect the camera to my computer, it takes my Windows XP a long time to recognize the camera, and then the transfer software takes some effort to understand. The slow connection could be specific to my computer, but I never had the problem with the Canon A620.
Since it uses a custom battery, you need to buy another battery if you need power backup. In contrast, Canon A620 uses AA batteries.
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