Nikon Coolpix 8700 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: Nikon's 8-megapixel 8700 is a straightforward upgrade of the 5-megapixel Coolpix 5700. The two cameras have nearly identical bodies and many of the same controls; both have 8X optical zooms with electronic eye-level viewfinders, and articulated LCD ...

Verdict: All of the accessory lenses designed for the Coolpix 5700 also work on the 8700; they include a 1.5X telephoto converter and a .8X wide-angle converter for about $150 each, and a massive fish-eye lens

Award: Recommended!

Review summary: The eight megapixel, eight times optical zoom Coolpix 8700 was announced on January 28th, 2004, a year and eight months since the five megapixel Coolpix 5700 on which it is based. The 8700 enters the eight megapixel fray which is currently made up of ...

Pros: Eight times optical zoom, nearly 300 mm telephoto reach, Excellent automatic white balance, best of group, Excellent macro performance, best of group, Good image quality, resolution not as high as expected, Smallest and lightest eight megapixel ...

Cons: Slower than expected startup time, Limited latitude of image parameter adjustment, AF assist lamp requires flash to be up, Initially confusing 'User setting' concept, Lower than advertised continuous shooting speed, Battery life limited by low ...

Verdict: At first the Coolpix 8700 looks like a simple upgrade for Nikon, take the Coolpix 5700 body, the same lens and controls and drop in an eight megapixel CCD.

Cons: Not easy to operate

Review summary: 2004 looks to be the year of the 8-megapixel camera. We take a look at Nikon's latest offering.

Verdict: While the CoolPix 8700 is undoubtedly a good all-rounder with impressive resolution, it's overshadowed a bit by some of its competitors. Its image quality is perfectly adequate, but it never seems pin-sharp despite all those pixels. Sony's 8mp ...