P7100 First impression

<p>I like the size and handling of this thing but find its response slow with compared to my D7000 or even my D3100.<br>

I cannot seem to get ti to get any higher f-stop than f8. EG I cannot get to f11 or f16. Shooting in A</p>

 

<p>Here is an image from this morning.</p><div></div>

<p>Errol - from reviews I've seen, it's much faster than the P7000 was, but still not exactly fast in an absolute sense, especially when writing raw. That said, compacts often aren't as fast as DSLRs (I don't know if the battery size comes into it), so the P7100 isn't <i>as</i> slow compared with its competition as it is when compared with a D3100.<br />

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F/8 is the specified smallest aperture. Bear in mind you're dealing with a small sensor - going much lower than f/8 means you'll be diffraction-limited, which Nikon probably don't want you to do (for the same reason f/22 is missing from many modern SLR lenses), and the depth of field will already be considerable compared with the same aperture on a DSLR lens. It's not unusual for the aperture range to be limited in this way on compacts. If you just want less light, there's an integrated three-stop ND filter. I hope that helps.</p>

<p>Errol, I have a D7000, a D200 and also use my wife's P7100. The P7100 will in no way compete with the DSLRs for speed of focus. It's not designed to do that but I find it terrifically convenient to grab and use and am very impressed with the images I get from it. In fact, I bought the P7100 for my wife while I owned only the D200. There were actually situations where the newer tech of the P7100 captured better shots than my D200 did... which precipitated the purchase of the D7000. Yes, F8.0 is the limit but you won't lack for depth of field because of the small sensor in the camera.</p>

<p>I also bought her an SB400 and it is a great addition. Plenty of light and the weight balances better than either my SB800 or SB600 did on top of the P7100.</p>

<p>Personally, it was perfect for my wife. It has enough 'easy' built into it but gives her the freedom to control the capture beyond that, as her photography understanding grows.</p>

<p>Tom</p>

<p>Thanks for this. I suspected there was a limit on the F-stops and knew about the diffraction and depth of field issues. Good to hear it from others. I am enjoying it so far. I know that there are better ones out there but the p7100 takes the same battery and flash set up as my 3100. Neet to get the right bag for it now.</p>

<p>With a lens of only 6mm minimum focal length the physical aperture size at f/8 is around 0.75mm diameter, basically a pinhole! To get the aperture blades any smaller would require very thin material and an extremely precise mechanism. That, as well as the diffraction issue is why it stops (pardon the pun) at f/8.<br>

The limited range between f/5.6 and f/8 at the telephoto end is a bit poor though, and you'd have hoped that the maximum aperture was kept more constant on a camera of this calibre.</p>

<p>Anyone with a P7100 should pick up a copy of David Busch's Nikon Coolpix P7100 Guide to Digital Photography. It does an excellent job of explaining the camera and helps you get more out of it.</p>

<p>I have been shooting since 1967 film and 2005 digital. Just need a few things explained since I never had a P&S before and I will be OK. </p>