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Expert Recommendation
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Overview
The Nikon Coolpix P60 is the affordable best in class compact digital camera for travel. It’s a versatile camera with an eye-level viewfinder (100% framing accuracy) that uses AA-type batteries, which is great when traveling as you can pick up alkaline batteries if your batteries are discharged.
My Best In Class Pick
Nikon Coolpix P60
Last year Nikon launched performance oriented P series (P50 & image stabilized P5000) compact cameras. This camera is an upgrade of the initially launched P50. The Nikon P60 (5x zoom, 8Megapixel) is the first compact camera in its class to use an electronic eye-level viewfinder (EVF), which is great for framing as it is 100% accurate. Typical optical viewfinders (OVF) show only 80-85% of actual photo captured.
EVFs are helpful for shooting with a stable posture and providing a sense of privacy while framing a shot.
The camera comes with useful features like Face-priority AF (i.e. Face Detection), In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, D-Lighting (to brighten up details in shadows). Power is supplied by readily available AA-size batteries. The camera produces images with a lot of detail and good colors. The build quality is good. Nevertheless the lack of a wide-angle lens (than typical 35mm ones) mars this otherwise excellent travel camera.
Comparison with Canon PowerShot A590 IS
The Nikon P60 has more zoom and a more accurate eye-level viewfinder.If the eye-level viewfinder accuracy is not important to you, the Canon PowerShot A590 IS is the better choice because of its longer battery life.
Comparison with Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8
The Nikon Coolpix P60 has an eye-level viewfinder for easy framing and better image quality, especially in low light with lower noise reduction artifacts. However, if a wider angle view is important then the Panasonic LZ8 is preferable.
Pros
- +Good image quality
- +Good resolution & zoom range
- +100% accurate eye-level viewfinder (EVF)
- +CCD shift image stabilization
- +Well built
- +cheapest camera with electronic EVF
Cons
- -Wide end of the lens could have been more wider
- -Lower resolution LCD (153K pixels)
- -Moderate response times
- -Poor battery life
Where to buy
Nikon Coolpix P60
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Best Price:
$139
See It »
- $139 - $249 Compare Prices »
Specifications
- Zoom: 5.0x
- Resolution: 8.1MP
- Size: 3.8 x 2.5 x 1.4 in.
- Battery Life: 190 shots
- Easy to Use: Yes
Comparing My Best In Class Pick with Other Good Choices
| Product |
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| Customer Rating |
 
(from 52 reviews)
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(from 872 reviews)
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(from 90 reviews)
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| Price | $139 - $249 | $247 - $1500 | $109 - $118 | |
| Size (W x H x D) | 3.8 x 2.5 x 1.4 in. | 3.7 x 2.5 x 1.6 in. | 3.8 x 2.4 x 1.3 in. | |
| Easy to Use | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Max Image Resolution | 3264 x 2448 pixels | 3264 x 2448 pixels | 3264 x 2448 pixels | |
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Shutter Lag Time (including auto-focus time)
This is the time from fully pressing the shutter button until the image is captured. Longer shutter lag times make it more difficult to capture the desired moment.
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0.4 sec | 0.5 - 0.7 sec | 0.4 - 1.2 sec | |
| Power to First Shot Time | 2.8 sec | 1.8 sec | 2.4 sec | |
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Min Focal Length (35 mm equivalent)
The 35 mm equivalent focal length is a measure that indicates the angle of view of a particular combination of a camera lens and the sensor size. The term originates from the time when the vast majority of photography was done with 35 mm film. On any 35 mm film camera, a 30 mm or less lens is considered a wide-angle lens.
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36 mm | 35 mm | 32 mm | |
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Max Focal Length (35 mm equivalent)
The 35 mm equivalent focal length is a measure that indicates the angle of view of a particular combination of a camera lens and the sensor size. The term originates from the time when the vast majority of photography was done with 35 mm film. Larger max focal lengths make distant objects appear more magnified.
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180 mm | 140 mm | 160 mm | |
| Optical Zoom | 5.0x | 4.0x | 5.0x | |
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Image Stabilization Available
Image stabilization features are designed to reduce the blur that results from normal, minute shaking of a lens due to hand-held shooting. However, image stabilization does not prevent motion blur caused by the movement of the subject or by extreme movements of the camera.
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Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Auto Focus Assist Light Available | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
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Max Aperture (wide-angle)
The aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens that determines the amount of light falling onto the sensor. The maximum aperture (wide-angle) is the largest possible size at the wide-angle limit of the zoom lens. The lens aperture is usually specified as an f-number, the ratio of focal length to effective aperture diameter. A lower f-number denotes a greater aperture opening, which allows more light to reach the image sensor.
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f/3.6 | f/2.6 | f/3.3 | |
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Max Aperture (tele-photo)
The aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens that determines the amount of light falling onto the sensor. The maximum aperture (tele-photo) is the largest possible size at the tele-photo limit of the zoom lens. The lens aperture is usually specified as an f-number, the ratio of focal length to effective aperture diameter. A lower f-number denotes a greater aperture opening, which allows more light to reach the image sensor.
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f/4.5 | f/5.5 | f/5.9 | |
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Viewfinder Available
A viewfinder is a window that you look through to compose the picture. Some cameras do not have a viewfinder and instead use the LCD display. The LCD display may be difficult to see in bright light and may make it more difficult to capture fast-moving subjects because of the time required to update the display.
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Yes | Yes | No | |
| Viewfinder Type | Electronic (100% accurate) | Optical (80% accuracy) | - | |
| LCD Screen Resolution | 153000 pixels | 115000 pixels | 230000 pixels | |
| Battery Type | AA-size (x2) | AA-size (x2) | AA-size (x2) | |
| Battery Life | 250 shots | 450 shots | 470 shots | |
| Image Quality | ||||
| Low light (High ISO) Performance | Good | Good | Average | |
| Lens Quality (Sharpness) | Good | Good | Good | |
| Fine details | Good | Good | Good | |
Canon PowerShot A590 IS
The Canon A590IS is the successor (with more resolution & a reduction in the VGA movie frame rates) of the highly successful Canon A570IS. The camera produces images with minimal processing artifacts, rich colors and lot of details in auto mode. Its optical viewfinder (OVF) will help in extending the battery life (i.e. one can switch off LCD). OVF also helps for shooting with a stable conventional posture. Its predecessor, the Canon A570IS, received a “Highly Recommended” rating at DPREVIEW, one of the most popular camera reviewing sites. It’s a good camera to use when traveling.
Comparison with Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8
The Canon A590 IS has better battery life, as it uses an optical viewfinder, and better image quality, especially in low light.
Pros
- +Good image quality
- +Optical viewfinder
- +Image stabilization
- +Full manual controls (A/S/M modes)
Cons
- -Lowest resolution LCD (115K dots)
- -Slow flash recycling.
- -Wide end of the lens could have been more wider
Where to buy
Canon PowerShot A590 IS
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Best Price:
$247
See It »
- $247 - $1500 Compare Prices »
Specifications
- Zoom: 4.0x
- Resolution: 8.0MP
- Size: 3.7 x 2.5 x 1.6 in.
- Battery Life: 450 shots
- Easy to Use: Yes
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8
Panasonic has been the first digital camera manufacturer to introduce optical image stabilization in all of its cameras. Its LZ series offers compact digital camera with long-zoom. The LZ8 is equipped with a wide angle 5x zoom lens. The rich feature set includes Face-Detection and Intelligent AUTO mode (it automatically sets the appropriate scene mode according to the picture you are about to take). The image quality is good.
Comparison with Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8 has a wider angle view, better manual control features (aperture/shutter priority modes), and higher resolution LCD screen.
Pros
- +High resolution LCD (230K dots)
- +Optical image stabilization
- +Wider angle view
- +Useful Aperture/shutter priority modes
Cons
- -No optical view finder (poor battery life)
Where to buy
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8
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Best Price:
$109
See It »
- $109 - $118 Compare Prices »
Specifications
- Zoom: 5.0x
- Resolution: 8.1MP
- Size: 3.8 x 2.4 x 1.3 in.
- Battery Life: 470 shots
- Easy to Use: Yes
Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS
Kodak is well known for making easy-to-use cameras. Just put the camera on easy share dock and press a button to transfer them to a computer. That is why their cameras have “EasyShare” prefix in their name. Kodak Z1085IS has a high resolution 10 Megapixel sensor, 5x zoom and runs on AA batteries. It has a great movie mode too (HD video, allows zooming during movie capture). It also offers a Manual mode (you choose both the aperture and shutter speeds).
Pros
- +High resolution sensor
- +Bit more zoom (5x) than normally available in this class of cameras.
- +HD video with zoom
Cons
- -Low resolution LCD (115K dots)
- -Slow response
- -Corner softness (lens)
Where to buy
Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS
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Best Price:
$115
See It »
- $115 - $199 Compare Prices »
Specifications
- Zoom: 5.0x
- Resolution: 10.0MP
- Size: 3.5 x 2.5 x 1.5 in.
- Battery Life: 250 shots
- Easy to Use: Yes
How It Works
You tell us your budget, intended uses, and desired features. We show you personalized recommendations from unbiased experts to quickly identify the best digital camera for you.
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How to Pick Digital Cameras
- For Travel Photos
- For Photos of Children or Pets
- For Action or Sports Photos
- For Photos in Low Light
