Nikon Coolpix P50

The Coolpix P50 is Nikon's attempt at a middle-ground camera: it's neither a point-and-shoot-only ultra compact nor a fully-fledged photographers' camera. Instead it's a pocketable digital camera that marries a sensible sensor to a useful lens and keeps the frills (and the cost), to a minimum. This is a camera to take everyday photos with, rather than one for getting particularly serious about photography. But in such a crowded market does the P50 have what it takes to make it onto our recommended list? Let's find out. Let's start by having a look at the headline features.

• 8.1 Megapixels and 3.6x wide-angle zoom
• Face priority mode
• In-Camera Red-Eye Fix
• D-Lighting
• SDHC card compatibility
• Approx. 52 MB of internal memory
  

The P50 processing incorporates Nikon's Expeed "processing concept." This doesn't mean that it has the same processor as the Nikon D300 or D3 (in fact Nikon says that it doesn't refer to any specific parts or features). Instead, "Expeed" refers to "Nikon's original comprehensive concept of digital image processing... a system that embodies Nikon's intense passion for digital images." Which doesn't appear to mean a lot more than: 'contains Nikon picture cleverness.'