Nikon coolpix 4500 camera review

Nikon Coolpix 4500 is first Nikon's digital camera to feature a 4.0 effective megapixel CCD combined with a 4x Optical (38-155mm in 35mm photography) Zoom-Nikkor lens. The Coolpix 4500 offers advanced imaging control options as well as numerous automatic functions for a wide range of versatility in a more compact, solid and ergonomic magnesium alloy body.Hihg capacity nikon EN-EL1 battery. The Coolpix 4500 provides superior still images up to a maximum size of 2,272 x 1,704 pixels.

Coolpix 4500 Features:

• Four megapixel effective CCD for images up to 2272x1704 pixels


• Swiveling Nikkor 4x optical zoom (38-155mm in 35mm equivalent)


• Macro focus with AF down to 3/4 of an inch!


• 1.5-inch TFT color monitor with LED backlight


• CompactFlash Type II card slot (512MB/1GB Microdrive compatible)


• EN-EL1 rechargeable battery and charger included


• Programmed Auto (with Shift), Shutter-Priority, Aperture-Priority and Full Manual exposure modes


• Drive modes: Single, Continuous, Ultra High Speed Continuous, 16-Shot Multi and 320x240 QuickTime Movie w/audio


• 32MB DRAM buffer for fast, 2 sec shot-to-shot speed


• Shutter speeds from 1/2300 sec. to 8 secs (Bulb to 5 mins)


• Aperture settings from F2.6 to F10.3


• 7-bladed lens diaphram for true depth of field control


• Auto Pop-up flash with auto, fill, slow sync, and red-eye reduction


• Control of color sharpness and saturation


• Five-area multifocus system and Spot-AF


• 256-segment Matrix Metering, Center-weighted or Spot


• Noise Reduction for long exposures


• ISO sensitivity of 100, 200, 400 or 800 (in all modes)


• Matrix Auto White Balance plus Fine, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Speedlight and Preset.


• AE Bracketing with white balance as well as exposure value


• 7,900-step autofocus with 50-step manual focus


• Record images in TIFF-RGB (uncompressed) or JPEG Fine, Normal, or Basic quality.


• Lens section lock prevents "drooping" when using heavy lenses


• Epson PRINT Image Matching Technology compatible


• External sync connector for Nikon Speedlights


• USB 1.1 port for image download


• One-Touch upload for easy image transfers


• User-upgradeable camera firmware


• Compatible with existing Coolpix auxilliary lenses.

The now familiar EN-EL1 rechargeable battery (5.0 Wh), also found on the CP5000 and CP5700, is used here. Nikon estimates that the battery will last for about 100 minutes in "average use". The run-down of the EN-EL1 battery is about 100 minutes (in the conditions typical of Nikon: display on, zoom adjusted for each shot, flash used for a third of shots, NORMAL quality, 2272*1704).
Nikon includes an external charger for the EN-EL1. They also give you a lens cap and strap to protect the lens.

Here's a new one: the CP4500 has a feature called Perspective Control which allows you to change the vertical perspective. The example Nikon gives is to make a shot of a building taken looking up at it appear more square (like it was taken at eye level). You adjust the image using the four-way switch (up/down only), and when you're happy with it, you wait 40 seconds for the new image to be written to the CF card.

Another CP4500 feature lets you resize your image to a much smaller size. Choose from 640 x 480, 320 x 240, 160 x 120, and 96 x 72.
One nice feature is the ability to delete a selection of photos, instead of just one or all of them. You can also mark images to be automatically transferred when the camera is hooked into the computer.

The Coolpix 4500 excels in the image-quality department, providing especially detailed, sharp, and clean images with little noise. It accurately meters and exposes pictures, and color tends more toward the natural than the oversaturated.