Tracey Capen

Nikon Coolpix 2500

The Coolpix 2500 is among the coolest-looking cameras we've tested. Its svelte silver-and-blue body slips into a pocket easily--or use the included leash to let it hang comfortably from your neck. The 3X zoom lens rotates into the body, protecting it when the camera is turned off. The Coolpix 2500 weighs only 7.5 ounces, so it's easy to hold with one hand. The camera relies on 12 preset modes--called Scenes--for adjusting exposure. These range from Museum, which sets up the camera for indoor shots and prevents the flash from firing, to Fireworks, which makes the shutter release respond quickly, but uses a slow shutter speed and no flash. We usually found a mode that fit our shooting needs, and the settings worked well. Our only beef: The Scenes menu doesn't loop, so if you scroll to the last option, you must back your way out (in six button presses) to return to fully automatic mode. A small button on the back of the camera shrinks an image to e-mailable size without requiring special software. In our image assessments, the Coolpix 2500 scored higher than any other 2-megapixel-class camera, and better than any other model priced below $400. The camera reproduces color very accurately, though we frequently saw image noise, especially in enlarged images. Our 4-by-6 prints looked sharp, but 8-by-10s betrayed the relatively low pixel count.
Some of the controls seem to sacrifice functionality for the sake of the design. For example, the tops of three buttons that control the flash, Scenes, and the menus rest flush with the main LCD's bezel, so you must press them at an angle. And instead of having a one-piece toggle-type button, as many cameras do, the 2500 relies on a piece of plastic between the tiny zoom-in and-out buttons, which makes them hard to distinguish. The LCD has a poor angle of view--you often must tilt it to see exactly what you're shooting. That's especially aggravating because the camera lacks an optical viewfinder, and we often found ourselves rotating the lens one way and the LCD another. Images on the LCD are a bit grainy in good lighting, and very grainy in poor lighting. The camera does not have any low-light focusing aids, such as an external light or infrared emitter. You must enter the Scenes menu, pressing a couple of buttons a total of five times, to shoot a closeup. Most other cameras put a dedicated macro button on the case. Likewise, you must press a thumbwheel on the back a couple times to summon manual mode. The camera has little in the way of manual controls: You can't adjust the aperture or shutter speed, though the unit does have a manual white-balance setting that works well.
The included rechargeable battery powered the Coolpix 2500 through 284 shots in a little over 90 minutes. That's about average for an under-$500 camera. We found the battery charger a bit unwieldy, however: The charger module is small and light, but you must plug it into a proprietary AC cord, so if you forget to pack the cord, you're out of luck. We much prefer the charger included with Canon's PowerShot S110; its prongs fold into the charger module, which is about the same size as the 2500's. A second EN-EL2 battery for the 2500 costs about $35--inexpensive for a proprietary rechargeable. Like many other Coolpix models, the 2500 is equipped with Nikon's Best Shot Selector. When it's turned on, the camera takes shots as long as you hold down the shutter release, and then picks the sharpest photo of the bunch. The camera is fast enough to snap several shots that may differ, but because it doesn't save all of them, we couldn't easily tell whether the feature works. Plus, it doesn't function with the Scenes selection structure. You can take short movies with the camera; they're quite smooth, but the camera can't record audio. And since the camera doesn't have a video-out port, you can't play stills or movies on a television.
The Coolpix 2500's small, well-designed case makes it a camera you'll end up taking with you more often than not. It may not be as small and attractive as the Canon PowerShot S110, but the Coolpix 2500 takes better shots and has a longer battery life.

Buying Information

Nikon Coolpix 2500 2 megapixels, 1600 by 1200 maximum resolution, 37mm-111mm focal range (35mm equivalent), f2.7 to f4.8 aperture range, shutter speeds from 2 seconds to 1/3000 second, LCD viewfinder, mass-storage USB connection, 16MB CompactFlash media, lithium ion rechargeable battery, 7.5 ounces with batteries; Arcsoft PhotoImpression, VideoImpression, Panorama Maker, and PhotoBase for Palm software. One-year parts and labor warranty, 24-hour daily tech support (call is not toll-free). $ 299 2 megapixels, 1600 by 1200 maximum resolution, 37mm-111mm focal range (35mm equivalent), f2.7 to f4.8 aperture range, shutter speeds from 2 seconds to 1/3000 second, LCD viewfinder, mass-storage USB connection, 16MB CompactFlash media, lithium ion rechargeable battery, 7.5 ounces with batteries; Arcsoft PhotoImpression, VideoImpression, Panorama Maker, and PhotoBase for Palm software. One-year parts and labor warranty, 24-hour daily tech support (call is not toll-free). http://www.nikonusa.com 800/645-6689