Nikon P510 Review

Posted by Paul on May 11, 2012
Posted in: Photography. Tagged: , .

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Bird on a wire @1000mm

I’ll admit that when I saw that Nikon had a camera that had a zoom on it from 24-1000mm, I thought: I’d love to give that a try!!! I waited around for LensRentals.com to come up with one, but they didn’t, so I had to take matters in my own hands. The FedEx guy dropped it off yesterday. :D

Last evening, I spent two hours and 265 shots, down in McDowell Nature Preserve trying the camera out. Seeing if I could run it’s battery out, take it through its paces, and see what it was about. Currently, it is on sale for $399 with free shipping. B&H was out of stock, so I bought one from Adorama.

Without further ado, here are my thoughts:

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Viewfinder -

The P510 has an electronic viewfinder. Well, I remember having an electronic viewfinder on my DiMage A1 – 8 years ago. This viewfinder, from what I can remember of the old one, seems to be about the same quality – fairly crappy. C’mon Nikon, you can do much better than this! I used the Nikon 1 V1 and it had a very good EVF. This, although significantly less expensive, is a huge step down. It’s usable, but tiny and the resolution is not very high. Further, there is no sensor to switch between the EVF and the screen, which the A1 had, as well as the Nikon V1. The switch is done manually with a button on the back. Seems that it would have been easy to include this on the camera.

Charging and battery life
There is no separate charger. There is a small brick that comes with the camera that you plug into the wall, plug one end of your USB cable into it, the other end into the camera. The battery cannot be charged by itself. I don’t know if Nikon provides a separate charger for the battery, but this ties the camera up while the battery is charging. If you have two batteries, you cannot leave one to charge while using the camera. You have to wait!
As for battery life, I’ve seen reports that it lasts about 250 shots or so. I used the camera for two hours, solid, shot 260 shots and the battery was not fully charged. I’d say that it lasts quite a bit longer then that. My battery meter was still showing full.
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Manual Focusing
Forget about it! The viewfinder, in my opinion, doesn’t have enough resolution to do accurate focusing. I suppose one could focus on the rear viewfinder, which is very clean and of pretty high resolution.
GPS
Not all that accurate. Some of the shots had GPS coordinates that seemed remarkably accurate, others were off several hundred feet. No rhyme nor reason. All were taken under open sky. Also, where other GPS’s might work, this one has trouble unless under open sky. Even amongst the trees, it didn’t pick up a signal, where my hand-held GPS had no problems.
Zoom
Killer. I mean, seriously, 24 – 1000 mm! This was the reason that I got the camera. For that reach! At 1000 mm, as one might expect, camera shake is HUGE, but the VR does a great job at allowing me to shoot at slow shutter speeds, hand-held.
Auto-Focus
OK, it’s a $400 camera. I’m trying hard not to compare it to my D700, or even D300. The auto-focus is a bit slow and has quite a bit of trouble, sometimes, locking on at 1000mm, unless there is a great amount of contrast on the subject or between the subject and the background. However, as you can see from some of the photos, it works well and is delivers a very clean, acceptably sharp photo, even at maximum zoom.
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Ergonomics
It’s a Nikon and they’ve got ergonomics solidly. The camera feels good in your hand. Buttons are positioned in places that make sense, and the meaning system seems very familiar, very similar to the V1.
RAW
No Raw – This doesn’t bother me in the least. :) Heck, it’s a P&S camera.
Shooting Formats
Finally, I love the different formats available 4:3, 3;2, 16:9, 1:1. I shot the whole 2 hours in square format. It was cool not to have to turn the camera on the side. :)

I’ve not tried out the 1080p HD video, just yet. Maybe when I go to The Bahamas I’ll try it out. Maybe not.

This camera, even with its faults, makes a fantastic walking around camera, or even in -the-woods camera. I’m sure that I’ll be posting more critter shots, soon. Also, it has 30 or 60 FPS shooting! I’ve yet to try this out … yet!

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21 comments on “Nikon P510 Review”

  1. Thanks for this article. I just bought this camera for the same price at a brick and mortar store, haven’t had a chance to even charge it up.

    While on a recent vacation, my brother gave me a Fuji Finepix S2950 16x zoom digicam and recently took quite a few shots of desert bighorn sheep with it. Also video.

    All the time, I was wishing I had this camera instead.

    Now I have it.

    Hopefully the bighorns will be around the next time I drive out to the desert.
    Bill Mcdonald recently posted..Trip to Aspen Grove and Upper Fish CreekMy Profile

    • Hey, Bill! Welcome aboard. Thanks for commenting. I think that you’ll like the camera, especially the 42x zoom. I stopped by your blog and read about your adventures with the Big Horn Sheep! :) Had you had this camera at the time, you can have gotten some serious ‘face time’ with the sheep, without getting a headbutt!

  2. Looks like a pretty versatile camera, albeit with a few quirks. Looking forward to seeing some more photos. Have fun on the cruise!
    Tom Dills recently posted..ChoicesMy Profile

    • Thanks, Tom. Yes! Yes, there are some quirks, probably some that would be deal breakers for some folks, like not being able to shoot raw; however, it is quite versatile and I’m having fun with it. I just came back from another 2-hour shoot in the woods, so there should be plenty of photos to share over the coming months.

  3. That is an impressive range, and normally cameras I have seen that try to do that have some pretty soft looking images at the full zoom range. These are quite impressive considering it is P&S.

    Note to self; I do not need another camera, I do not need another camera, I do not need another camera. Look away.

    • Ah yes! You can run, Mark, but you cannot hide! :) You might not NEED another camera, but you know you WANT one! LOL

  4. Paul, I still very much like my Canon S90 but wonder if you have found anything comparable you would switch for? I just tried RAW for the first time so I guess I would want that. Anything come to mind – similar in size – that would be a step up? It IS 2 years old….
    chuck boyd recently posted..I got busted yesterday….My Profile

  5. Thanks for this review, Paul. You do these so well it’s always a pleasure to read one and I really do like Nikons. One thing I don’t understand though is the choice of formats, since I never had a camera that offers it. I’m guessing that some formats are not recording information from some pixels if you choose one that is not full frame. Is this true? And if so, why would you want to do that?
    ken bello recently posted..yeLLowMy Profile

    • Thanks, Ken. You are correct. You lose some pixels;however, is it really any difference, other than committing up-front, then cropping after the fact? The P510, when shot without cropping offer 16 MP, or 4608 x 3456. If shot in square format, you get about 12, 3456 x 3456, 3:2, 4608 x 3072 (14 MP), and 16:9, 4608 x 2592 (12 MP).

      As you can see, it gives the most pixels that it can on a side, depending on the format. The advantage that I see, is being able to frame and think in that format while shooting, not ‘discover’ it after the fact, during post processing. I don’t know if you’ve ever used a square format camera. It’s a completely different way of shooting, framing. One that I’ve not been able to accomplish without the square in place. I have, from time to time, noticed the square after the fact. In the end, it yields the same number of pixels, except that it was intentional one way, discovered the other, both equally valid. That said, it could be argued that shooting it in its native, full format (4:3, 4608 x 3456), allows you take in all of the pixels and defer decisions until later, assuming that you want to change the format. Certainly, leaving it in the native format offers the most choices of cropping, after the fact. But, sometimes, I just want to see it in the camera.

  6. These photos look good. I can easily imagine times with having that kind of focal reach would come in good. I’m one of those “RAW” guys but I could probably overcome it. :-) I’m not surprised it hunts a bit on auto-focus at those longer lengths. It is surprisingly sharp for a P&S. Enjoy!
    Earl recently posted..Not on today’s menuMy Profile

  7. I’m impressed with the quality of these images. For what it’s designed for it seems to meet the demands. I also agree, you do a great job of evaluating these cameras. Looking forward to hear more about its results.
    Monte Stevens recently posted..Storm Clouds Over the PlainsMy Profile

  8. Hi Paul,

    I need help, I am looking to buy a camera for my trip to Europe in Sept, but am stuck between two cameras!!

    Canon PowerShot G12 vs Nikon Coolpx P510

    I have no idea on which I should choose as I’m an amateur cameraman.

    I want to take lots of pix of close up and distance (Alps), but I think I need to have a spare battery in case I take more than 400 photos (each day)

    Also, I will be taken photos from the ‘coach’ while moving, which needs a camera that can take photos through windows (manual adjustments needed??). I know a SLR would be better for all this, but I dont want to mess around with long/short lens, polarized lens for the window??

    The main thing is I just want to return from Europe with a wife that is happy with the photos taken with either camera.

    Cheers

    • Jason: thanks for posting. Back in January, I did a review of the Canon G12. In comparing these two cameras, I would say that I would favor the Nikon. The camera is more versatile and the zoom is incredible. The G12 zoom is 28-135, while the P510′s range is 24-1000 mm. I found this extremely useful in most situations. The Nikon, though cannot be slipped into your pocket; therefore, if portability is paramount, then the G12 may get the nod, as long as you have roomy pockets. Also, I found that the G12′s viewfinder was useless, while the EVF of the P510, low in resolution it is, is very useful indeed, especially to those of us who like viewfinders.

      Also, the P510 is less expensive.

      • Cheers Paul for some great feed back!!

        I really do like the zoom of the Nikon, bet will be outstanding for the distance shots.
        Have you tried taking a photo through a window of a moving vehicle?? (I know its a strange request), but as with most bus tours……will have no choice but to take photos on the move. Would be interesting to see how the Nikon goes.

        I have since found out the Canon G12 can place a lens adaptor and 58mm polarized lens.

        Thank you once again :)

        • Jason: that greatly simplifies the equation. The Nikon does not accept filters. If you need the polarizer, go with the G12. Also, it shoots raw, if you are into that type of thing :)

  9. Hi Paul. Nice shots. I also have a P510 and I love it. It is a warranty replacment for the P500 that I had before this and I found it also to be a great camera (although faulty in this case).
    You mentioned that focusing at maximum zoom is a problem. I have found that if I change both the metering and focus to single point that I don’t have any trouble here except in low light or if I am trying to focus on something that is still tiny even at maximum zoom.
    You’ve probably tried this also but if not maybe you might have a bit less hassle.

    • Thank, Geoff: Yes. I use the single-point AF all the time, as I like to have the choice of exactly where the camera attempts to focus. This, like other AF cameras, has difficulty focusing in low-light/low-contrast situations;however, as it’s AF system is not as powerful and the servos are a bit slower, it takes a bit longer.

      Overall, I am very pleased with this camera and do not regret the purchase for a single moment!

  10. hi paul ,
    good evening ,
    i have to buy a camea and i am getting confuse in nikon p510 or fuji hs 25 exr . please help me to suggest which camera is best .

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