Nikon Coolpix L28 Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification


The Nikon Coolpix L28 is a compact camera with a 20 megapixel sensor. It also has a 5x optical zoom, runs on AA batteries and is available in pink, red, silver and black for around £80.

Nikon Coolpix L28 Features

The Nikon Coolpix L28 has a 20 megapixel CCD sensor and 5x optical zoom lens which is a 35mm equivalent of 26-130mm To compensate for camera and subject movement there is motion blur reduction.

When shooting there is auto mode which adjusts the camera settings automatically, as well as 18 scene modes. There is also the smart portrait system which includes a smile timer, blink proof alert and glamour retouch.

Videos are recorded in 720p HD.

Key Features

• 20 megapixel CCD image sensor
• 5x optical zoom lens (35mm equiv: 26-130mm)
• Motion Blur Reduction
• 3.0 inch 230k dot LCD screen
• 720p HD video recording
• ISO 80-1600
• 10cm minimum focusing distance
• AA-size batteries
• Smart Portrait System
• Available in pink, red, silver and black

Nikon Coolpix L28 Handling

The L28 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 L28 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		0.175 secs
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response		0.65 secs
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response		0.75 secs
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo		2.2 secs
Shot to Shot without Flash		5.0 secs
Shot to Shot with Flash		5.9 secs
Continuous Shooting		1.1 fps

Continuous shooting mode records images at full 20 megapixel resolution. The L28 is slow at starting up and also slow from shot-to-shot.

Nikon Coolpix L28 Performance

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

Nikon Coolpix L28 Sample Photos

Portrait | 1/60 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 200 High-Res	Landscape | 1/640 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80 High-Res
Low Light | 1/4 sec | f/6.3 | 15.4 mm | ISO 800 High-Res	Pet Portrait | 1/60 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 640 High-Res

Sample Photos - The L28 takes images which are well exposed with good colour reproduction. 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 L28 Lens test images

Full Optical Zoom | 1/400 sec | f/6.5 | 23.0 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Wide Angle | 1/1000 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80 High-Res
Digital Zoom | 1/320 sec | f/6.5 | 92.0 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Macro | 1/40 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80 High-Res

Lens Performance - 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. The 20 megapixel sensor seems to be unnecessary, for example, the S5200 has a 16 megapixel sensor and images have more detail. There is 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.

ISO Noise Performance - You cannot manually set the ISO speed on the L28. The lowest ISO speed available is ISO 80 where images are noise free. Noise appears at ISO 200 (examples at other speeds can be seen in other test shots in the article). Images are quite noisy at ISO 400, but retain some sharpness. At higher ISO settings images become very noisy, which is probably why it was hard to get the L28 to use higher ISO settings.

Nikon Coolpix L28 White-balance test images

AWB preset - incandescent lighting | 1/30 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 200 High-Res	Incandescent preset - incandescent lighting | 1/30 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 200 High-Res
AWB preset - fluorescent lighting | 1/8 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 400 High-Res	Fluorescent preset - fluorescent lighting | 1/8 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 400 High-Res

White Balance Performance - Auto white balance (AWB) copes well under the incandescent lights, with similar shots 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 L28 Digital filters

Colour Options - Black And White | 1/15 sec | f/5.5 | 17.6 mm | ISO 450 High-Res	Colour Options Cyanotype | 1/15 sec | f/5.5 | 17.6 mm | ISO 400 High-Res	Colour Options - Sepia | 1/15 sec | f/5.5 | 17.6 mm | ISO 400 High-Res	Colour Options - Vivid | 1/15 sec | f/5.5 | 17.6 mm | ISO 400 High-Res

Digital Filters - The L28 has a number of 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 720p HD, optical zoom isn't available during recording, but you can use digital zoom, an example of which can be seen on the ePHOTOzine Youtube page.

Value For Money

The Nikon Coolpix L28 is available for £78.99. You'll struggle to find other compacts with a 20 megapixel sensor at this price, but other cameras you might consider are the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS6 at £49.99, Fujifilm FinePix JZ200 at £52.95, Pentax Optio LS465 at £57.99, Canon Powershot A1300 at £60.08, Sony Cybershot DSC-W710 at £84.99 and Olympus VG-180 at £89.99.

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 L28 Verdict

If you are on a low budget, or are buying a child their first camera, the L28 is ideal. Despite the 20 megapixel sensor, images produced aren't ideal for large prints, but should look great when shared on Facebook thanks to the camera's good colour reproduction. It uses AA batteries which means you don't have to worry about charging the camera, with replacement batteries easy to find.

Buy Online Now Nikon CoolPix L28 £70.38

Nikon Coolpix L28 Pros

Good colour reproduction
Replacement batteries easy to find
3 inch LCD screen
Available at a low price

Nikon Coolpix L28 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 L28 Specifications

Manufacturer	Nikon
Lens
	Max Aperture	f/3.2 - f/6.5
	35mm equivalent	26mm - 130mm
	Optical Zoom	5x
Image Sensor
	CCD pixels	20Mp (Megapixels)
	Pixels (W)	5152
	Pixels (H)	3864
	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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