Nikon Coolpix L26 Digital Compact Camera Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification



The Nikon Coolpix L26 is an entry level compact camera with a 16.1 megapixel sensor, 3 inch screen, 5x optical zoom lens, electronic vibration reduction and is powered by AA batteries. It is available in black, red and silver for £60.

Nikon Coolpix L26 Features

The L26 has a 16 megapixel CCD sensor and 5x optical zoom, which is a 35mm equivalent of 26-130mm. To help reduce blur, e-VR (vibration reduction) counteracts camera shake and motion detection compensates for camera and subject movement. To make image taking as easy as possible Easy Auto mode optimises the camera settings automatically for the scene, as well as 18 scene modes which can be selected.

The L26 also has a Smart Portrait System with Smile timer, Blink proof, Skin softening and Red-eye Fix. Videos are recorded at 720p HD. The camera is powered by two AA batteries, meaning replacements can be picked up just about anywhere in the world.

Key Features

• 16 megapixel CCD sensor
• 5x optical zoom (35mm equiv: 26-130mm)
• e-VR (vibration reduction)
• 3 inch LCD screen
• Smart Portrait System
• 720p HD video recording
• ISO 80-1600
• 10cm minimum focusing distance
• 18 scene modes
• Available in black, red and silver

Nikon Coolpix L26 Handling

The L26 has a plastic body, it's small with one end slightly thicker than the other to accommodate the two AA batteries which makes it easier to grip the camera. There is a decent sized 3 inch LCD screen, which is bright and easy to view in varying lighting conditions. The buttons are fairly typical for a compact camera, with a dedicated movie record button placed on the rear. The menu system on the L26 is easy to understand and navigate.

The batteries have a CIPA rating of 200 shots, performance will depend on the quality of battery purchased. We tested the cameras performance at focusing, shutter response, shot-to-shot time, continuous shooting etc. and have posted the results below. To test this we took 6 or more shots and calculated the average, so that consistent results were produced.

Shutter Response		0.1 seconds
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response		0.5 seconds
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response		0.8 seconds
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo		2.7 seconds
Shot to Shot (without flash)		2.3 seconds
Shot to Shot with Flash		6.5 seconds
Continuous		1.25 fps

Continuous shooting mode records images at full 16.1 megapixel resolution. The L26 is slow at starting up and also slow from shot-to-shot.

Nikon Coolpix L26 Performance

Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review and product ratings.

Nikon Coolpix L26 Sample Photos

Landscape | 1/160 sec | f/8.0 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Portrait | 1/60 sec | f/5.3 | 11.8 mm | ISO 200 High-Res
Sport | 1/250 sec | f/5.5 | 17.6 mm | ISO 320 High-Res	Pet | 1/80 sec | f/6.3 | 15.4 mm | ISO 800 High-Res

Sample Photos - in portrait mode, skin tones are good, with just the slightest touch of red-eye. Landscape mode takes pictures with good blues and greens.

Nikon Coolpix L26 Lens test images

Wide Angle | 1/125 sec | f/8.0 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Full Optical Zoom | 1/200 sec | f/6.5 | 23.0 mm | ISO 80 High-Res
Digital Zoom | 1/160 sec | f/6.5 | 92.0 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Macro | 1/25 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 125 High-Res

Lens Performance - The L26 takes images which are well exposed with good colour reproduction. Detail is OK if you shoot with a low ISO setting, the images produced are best for sharing on the web rather than getting large prints. There is also purple fringing evident in contrasting areas. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 10cm, making it difficult to get really close to your subject, although a decent enough macro image can be taken.

Nikon Coolpix L26 ISO test images

ISO500 | 1/125 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 500 High-Res	ISO800 | 1/13 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 800 High-Res	ISO1600 | 1 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 1600 High-Res

ISO Noise Performance - You cannot manually set the ISO speed on the L26. The lowest ISO speed available is ISO 80 where images are noise free. Noise appears at ISO 200 (examples at these lowers speeds can be seen in other test shots in the article). These images above show the effect of noise at ISO 500, 800 and 1600. Images are quite noisy at ISO 500, but retain some sharpness, with much softer images produced at ISO 800. Although the shot at ISO 1600 is under exposed, it is still clear to see that images are very noisy at this speed, which is probably why is was hard to get the L26 to use this setting, it is best avoided!

Nikon Coolpix L26 White-balance test images

AWB preset - incandescent lighting | 1/20 sec | f/4.2 | 7.9 mm | ISO 200 High-Res	Incandescent Preset | 1/20 sec | f/4.2 | 7.9 mm | ISO 200 High-Res
AWB preset - fluorescent lighting | 1/4 sec | f/4.2 | 7.9 mm | ISO 200 High-Res	Fluorescent Preset | 1/4 sec | f/4.2 | 7.9 mm | ISO 200 High-Res

White Balance Performance - Auto white-balance (AWB) copes really well, under the incandescent lights, very similar shots were produced whether using the AWB or incandescent presets. Under the fluorescent lights, the AWB setting performed well, with a magenta cast appearing when using the fluorescent preset.

Nikon Coolpix L26 Other sample images

Landscape With Building | 1/160 sec | f/8.0 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Zoom Example | 1/200 sec | f/6.3 | 15.4 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Black And White Copy | 1/60 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 1000 High-Res

Nikon Coolpix L26 Digital filters

Color Options Black And White | 1/6 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 200 High-Res	Color Options Cyanotype | 1/6 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 200 High-Res	Color Options Sepia | 1/6 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 200 High-Res	Color Options Standard Colour | 1/6 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 200 High-Res
Color Options Vivid Colour | 1/6 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 200 High-Res	D-lighting | 1/160 sec | f/8.0 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Skin Softening | 1/60 sec | f/5.3 | 11.8 mm | ISO 200 High-Res

Digital Filters - The L26 has a few colour options to add creativity to your pictures. You can also edit images in playback, with D-Lighting and Skin Softening options available.

Video - The video below is shot at full 720p HD, optical zoom isn't available during recording.

Value For Money

The Nikon Coolpix L26 is priced at £60, making it one of the cheapest digital cameras available. Other entry-level budget cameras to consider include the Canon PowerShot A3300 IS (£94, 5x zoom, 16 megapixels), Nikon Coolpix S6150 (£99, 7x zoom, 16 megapixels), Panasonic Lumix DMC-S5 (£99, 4x zoom, 16.1 megapixels), Nikon Coolpix S3300 (£100, 6x zoom, 16.1 megapixels), Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS18 (£100, 4x zoom, 16.1 megapixels), Olympus VR-340 (£109, 10x zoom, 16 megapixels), Fujifilm FinePix T400 (£119, 10x zoom, 16 megapixels) and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS45 (£120, 5x zoom, 16.1 megapixels).

You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.

Nikon Coolpix L26 Verdict

If you are on a very strict budget, or are buying a child their first camera, the L26 is ideal. Images produced aren't ideal for large prints, but will look great when shared on Facebook or Flickr thanks to the cameras good colour reproduction. Overall, you can't expect much for £60 and you certainly get what you pay for.

Nikon Coolpix L26 Pros

One of the cheapest cameras around
Good colour reproduction
Replacement batteries easy to find
3 inch LCD screen
5x optical zoom

Nikon Coolpix L26 Cons

No ability to control ISO speed
10cm minimum focusing distance
Camera is generally slow to use

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Nikon Coolpix L26 Specifications

Manufacturer	Nikon
Lens
	Max Aperture	f/3.2 - f/6.5
	35mm equivalent	26mm - 130mm
	Optical Zoom	5x
Image Sensor
	CCD pixels	16.1Mp (Megapixels)
	Pixels (W)	4608
	Pixels (H)	3456
	Sensor Type	CCD
	Sensor Size	1/2.3 inch
	Sensor Size (width)	No Data
	Sensor Size (height)	No Data
	Aspect Ratio	4:3 16:9
LCD Monitor
	LCD Monitor	3in
	Screen resolution	230k dot
	Touch Screen	No
Focusing
	Min Focus	10cm
	Focusing modes	Face Detection Centre
Exposure Control
	Shutter speeds shortest	1/2000sec
	Shutter speeds longest	4sec
	Exp modes	Scene modes
	Metering	Centre-weighted - Average Spot
	ISO sensitivity	80 - 1600
	White balance	Auto Manual Outdoors/Daylight Cloudy Incandescent Fluorescent Flash
	Exposure Comp	No Data
Shooting Options
	Continuous shooting	1.2fps
Video
	Movie mode	Yes
	Video Resolution	1280x720 720p
	Video FPS	30fps
	Stereo Sound	No
	Optical Zoom with Video	No
Other Features
	Image Stabilisation	No
Interface
	HDMI	No
	USB	USB 2
	Wi-Fi	No
Storage
	Card Type	SD SDHC SDXC
	File Type	JPG
Power Source
	Battery Type	2xAA
	CIPA Rating	200
Box Contents
	Box Contents	Camera Strap, LR6/L40 (AA-size) alkaline batteries (x2), USB Cable UC-E16, ViewNX 2 Installer CD, Reference Manual CD
Dimensions
	Weight	164g
	Width	96mm
	Height	59.7mm
	Depth	28.8mm

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