Nikon Coolpix P90 Megazoom: An Easy-to-Use Powerhouse

The 24X-optical-zoom, 12-megapixel Nikon Coolpix P90 ($400 as of 11/22/09) is a powerful camera that offers full manual controls, a tiltable LCD screen, and the easiest operation we've seen in the megazoom class.

Considering all the bells, whistles, and extras packed into today's digital cameras, it's somewhat refreshing (and oddly surprising) to see a model that's simply designed for taking a lot of different kinds of pictures. The Nikon Coolpix P90 has a few unique in-camera extras, but it concentrates on being a solid, versatile megazoom.

Specs-wise, the main draw is its impressive zoom lens. The 24X-optical-zoom lens ranges from 26mm on the wide-angle end to 624mm telephoto, and the built-in optical image stabilization does the trick in most real-world scenarios. Using a tripod, I was able to lock in on a building that was three and a half blocks away and get a crisp image. The macro mode produced sharp images when the subject was practically touching the lens, as shown below.

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Tim Moynihan, PC World