Nikon Coolpix P7700

Pros: + It looks great, it is comfortable to use
+ Full manual exposure plus Program
+ RAW (NRW) support
+ ISO range is 80-1600
+ 3-inch Vari-Angle LCD display

Cons: - There's no viewfinder
- ISO above 800 not that good

Summary: Nikon have been trying to master their top of the range 'P' series camera to compete with Canon's G-Series cameras for a while now and they were getting there with the last effort (the P7100 which I own).

Their most recent model is this P7700. I have to say that I really like the look of this model and much prefer it to the 7100 to which it replaces. It looks more modern. The old 7100 looked a bit dated to me, so I'm glad Nikon have re-designed the look, it needed it.

Performance wise, it's not vastly different from its 7100 predecessor, but there are some key improvements. The best one for me is the lens. It finally gets a faster lens at f2 at wide-angle and f4 zoomed in which is quite impressive (albeit not as good as the new G15 offering from Canon). However! It still has its 7.1x zoom (which is a 28-200mm equivalent to an SLR) which is really good.

The next is the new CMOS back-illuminated 12MP sensor which works really well and although the sensor is small in size, because the lens is so good, it works really well and copes with noise impeccably all the way up to 800 ISO and is not that bad at higher ISO levels.

It now also has a vari-angle monitor which is so much better than the one on the last model and finally matches the competition (which has used these for years!). The best thing about such a screen is that you can protect the screen from scratches if you have to put your camera in your pocket without a case. It also allows you to use the camera at so many more useful angles to get some really different shots.

It now gets full HD movie recording which produces some really nice movies in good light outside (even inside too because of the faster lens). As with most cameras like this though, you can hear the lens motor when you zoom in and out (and it's loud!). Although you can use an external mic which is good. You can even attach a GPS unit to add location data to images.

The dials are also more `tactile'. The mode dial for example has much less resistance to it and is easier to turn than on the previous 7100. Other dials like the exposure compensation dial are still a bit harder to turn so you don't turn them by mistake which shows really nice attention to detail.

Ergonomically it is really comfortable to use and the dials are in good positions and easy to use. It is fast to focus and only struggles a bit when the light gets a bit too low. It only takes about a second from power on to be able to shoot. This model also has a lens cap which is different from the last model which had an integrated automatic lens protector. Nikon has probably presumed that users of this camera will no doubt be used to SLR's, so have provided a lens cap and also to remove something else that may go wrong as part of the process. There's no viewfinder though which may be an issue for some users. Personally, I've never used them on such small cameras, but for some people, this will be an annoying omission.

Best of all though is the quality of the pictures! For such a small sensor, it really produces some good pictures which is the whole point. The new f2 lens works well in low light and the VR on the lens allows some quite impressive results inside in `low light' situations at low shutter speeds where you would normally need a tripod. Outside, pictures look good. It may not be up to SLR standards, but as a compact replacement for your SLR, it really has the ability to produce some good shots. I'm impressed by some of the shots I've taken.

With its full manual controls, it behaves like an SLR. You can shoot how you want, but you can make it fully automatic if you wish.

This is the Nikon compact I have been waiting for. It looks great, it is comfortable to use, and it can cope with nearly every situation you throw at it and produces some really good results for such a compact design.

Note: for best price of the Nikon P7700, I suggest you have to check at: Digitalcamerasuggest.blogspot.com/p/nikon-coolpix-p7700.html

Well done Nikon, you have clearly listened to customer feedback and have created a fantastic new product that will no doubt fall into many an enthusiast's camera bag.