Will this 15x Optical Zoom compact prove itself in the Beginner Pool, or will it be splashed out of the water? Read the full Nikon Coolpix L110 review here.
Nikon Coolpix L110 Overview
The Nikon Coolpix L110 is the company's demoted Super Zoom that answers to the 1080p-clad Coolpix P100. The Coolpix L110 offers a 15x optical zoom, 28mm wide-angle lens, and 720p video recording. Absent are most manual controls and external features. Instead, the Nikon Coolpix L110 seemed like just another average 12-megapixel budget Super Zoom in this price range. In fact, the distance between the Nikon Coolpix L110 and Nikon Coolpix P100 rivals the Delaware Water Gap. That encompasses everything from still image and video quality to shooting feature arsenal, and we actually enjoyed shooting with the compact Nikon Coolpix S8000 more than the Coolpix L110.
Shooting with the Nikon Coolpix L110
A camera without a Manual Mode!? Moreover, a camera devoid of even a Program AE mode. The most control we were allowed was in Auto mode, and that was limited to White Balance and ISO. Of course Exposure could be set, but there was no Shutter Speed or Aperture. The Exposure Meter automatically set those parameters. So, when the lights faded, so did the camera's low light sensitivity. Auto modes and Scene modes. Let's just say it was torture for an advanced photographer. But that's okay—we realized that this camera's audience is more unique than we thought it would be, for the Nikon Coolpix L110 is essentially a lower tier point-and-shoot stuffed in a larger body with a 15x optical zoom.
The problem is that all of the new Canon compacts we tested this year—the PowerShot SD1400 IS, PowerShot SD3500 IS, and PowerShot SX210 IS—all exhibited better manual controls, still image, and video quality. Even the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 offered more, and these are all compacts. Don't get us wrong—we loved the Multishot 16 burst shooting mode and the Panorama mode worked very well with Panorama Maker 5, but a 15x optical zoom is not enough to make us love a camera the way we did this year's Canons. The Coolpix L110's Image Stabilization never really functioned properly and the camera had a hell of a time focusing in video mode. We liked the designated Video Record button and knurled grip, but Nikon really didn't give us anything special to rejoice over.
Nikon Coolpix L110 Still Image Quality
This is tough for us to deal with, but the Nikon Coolpix L110 took a pay cut in the image quality department this round, especially when compared with the Coolpix P100. It couldn't shoot low light, and exhibited a decent amount of purple fringing along heavily contrasted borders. With only a flash as its sword in the dark and a smattering of Scene modes as its shield, the Nikon Coolpix L110 was gobbled up by the Challenging Shooting Environment monster in nearly every other shot. When lighting was optimal, the Coolpix L110 delivered, but the performance was everything we'd expect from a camera in its class.
Here's where the Nikon Coolpix L110 really tanked. All of our videos were riddled with an overall lack of detail, flat color palette, and side order of noise. Low light shooting was out of the question, and the gap widened even further when we thought about the Nikon Coolpix P100's most excellent 1080P video quality. This was the definitive litmus test for us, and we recommend going with the Nikon Coolpix P100 or the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS. The Nikon Coolpix L110 will really only take you halfway there.
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