Nikon Coolpix 4800 Review

The Coolpix 4800 is equipped with a Nikkor ED (Extra-low Dispersion) 8.3x optical zoom lens, with a 36 - 300mm (in 35mm equivalent) focal length coverage. The maximum aperture is F2.7 (Wide) - 4.4 (Telephoto.) The lens retracts when the camera is powered-down and is protected by a built-in lens cap.

Auto focus is handled by a contrast detect TTL system with auto 5-point area selection or 5-point manual. The user can select from Single-AF or Continuous-AF focusing modes. The camera has an AF-assist lamp to enhance focusing in low-light situations. The focus range is 18 in. (40cm) to infinity in normal mode and from 0.4 in. (1cm) to infinity in Macro mode (wide angle.)

Nikon have finally understood that their cameras are often used in low ambient light, and have equipped recent Coolpix cameras with a focus-assist lamp. The LCD monitor gains-up to help framing in low-light situations.

The Coolpix 4800 employs an electronic viewfinder (EVF.) This is a 235,000-dot low-temp 0.44-inch TFT color LCD with 97% frame coverage (100% in playback) and has dioptric adjustment. To the right is the "Monitor" button, which switches display between the EVF and LCD. It also controls the amount of overlay information.

The built-in flash has a shooting range of approx. 18 in. (0.4m) - 14.1 ft. (4.3m) at wide angle, 3.3 ft. (1.0m) - 8.6 ft. (2.6m) at telephoto, and can be set for Auto Flash, Red-Eye Reduction (with pre-flash), Fill Flash, Slow Sync or Flash Cancel.

On top you'll find the Power on/off and the Shutter Release. You can also see the built-in microphone and speaker.

Controls on the back: Top center is the Mode Dial with positions for: Program Auto, Scene, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night Portrait, Setup, and Movie mode. Upper left is the "Monitor" button to switch from LCD to EVF and control the amount of overlay information displayed. Upper right are the zoom control buttons, in Playback they act as the index and magnify functions. The Menu button calls up and dismisses the menu system. The 4-way selector is for navigating menus and selecting pictures, press the center button to accept selections - it also serves as the one-touch download button when the USB cable is connected. In record mode press "Up" to select the desired flash mode, press "Left" to activate the selftimer, press "Right" for exposure compensation or press "Down" to enable macro focus mode.

Below the 4-way controller is the image delete (trash can) button and the play button, which puts the camera into Playback mode.

Located on the left side are the I/O ports. The DC in jack is for connecting an optional AC adapter. The interface connector is a combination device used to connect either the USB 2.0 (Full Speed) cable for downloading images to Windows and MAC computers or connect the Audio/Video cable for viewing images and movies on a TV set. The video signal is selectable for NTSC or PAL.

The Coolpix 4800 is equipped with an SD memory card slot, however no card is supplied with the camera. There is 13.5MB of internal memory. Images and moves can be copied from internal memory to SD card if desired.

The camera is powered by the supplied Nikon EN-EL1 7.4v 680mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery pack. It is rated for approx. 240 shots. The battery is charged with the MH-53 rapid charger.

You can also use a disposable 2CR5 lithium battery to power the camera. Nikon claims you can capture 360 shots with a single 2CR5. We recommend you purchase at least one to carry in your bag, just incase you EN-EL1 goes dead out in the field.