Nikon Coolpix 4600

Posted by T3 Online on Fri 5 Aug 2005

The ugly ones are always more grateful.

Nikon struts its stuff among the digital SLR market with all the confidence of a supermodel floating down a Milan catwalk. However, down in the world of point-and-shoot cameras, the famous brand is less sure-footed.

The four-megapixel Coolpix 4600 is the company's latest attempt to add some mass-market volume to its sales figures. It features the obligatory 3x optical zoom lens, a rather smart 1.8-inch LCD, and boasts an impressively long battery life of over 200 shots with a brace of standard AA cells. It's made from plastic, and feels a little bit cheap - but it is, so it's hard to complain.

It's also amazingly small and light, and easy to use. There are no manual options, but the dial control on the back of the camera enables access to various settings, which are helpful not only for exposure and focusing assistance, but also offer framing lines that appear on screen and help with basic composition; for the point-and-shoot brigade this could be a massive boost to the quality of their photo albums.

The same people will also be interested in the "help" function: whenever you're in menu mode, a quick press on the zoom control brings up an explanation of the option currently highlighted. Video recording is also an option - up to 15 frames per second at 640 x 480, but there's no sound, so you'll have to upgrade to the five-megapixel 5600 for that.

The really good news is that image quality is very impressive, and well up to the standards we expect from Nikon. Results were sharp and the 4600 produced well-saturated natural colours under a variety of lighting conditions.

It may not be a supermodel looker, but everyone knows supermodels are a handful. Always go for the reliable but plain, point-and-shoot companion. Cheaper on the pocket and less likely to dump you for a junkie indie-kid.