Nikon Coolpix 4600 4.0 Megapixel

Nikon has created a winner with the CoolPix 4600! It features a Compact Design, Lots of Automatic Features and it's priced just right for an entry level camera (about $180 retail). The CoolPix 4600 is a great choice for the person that wants to take a camera everywhere you go. Nikon has packed lots of features into this tiny 4 Megapixel camera. The camera controls and settings are intuitively designed and easily accessible. You don't need to read the manual before you can start using this camera!

The 4600 has a very small package design (approximately 3" x 2-1/2" x 1", 4 oz.). It easily fits into your shirt pocket. Even though this camera is small, Nikon has designed the body so that it's comfortable to hold without getting your fingers in the way of the lens.

The 4600 features Nikon's legendary Nikkor optics. It has a 3X optical zoom and a 4X digital zoom for an total zoom of 12X. It has a 1.5" LCD for viewing while taking or reviewing pictures. The display is a reasonable size and is easily viewable in daylight conditions.

One feature that Nikon has retained is an optical viewfinder. Many new digital cameras no longer provide an optical viewfinder. Using the optical viewfinder, instead of the LCD, is a great way to conserve power. Nikon's optical viewfinder also adjusts to the zoom level in realtime. You can get a pretty good idea of how the final image will turn out.

The CoolPix 4600's metering and autofocus use technology that works well in low/no light conditions. I have an old CoolPix 800 and it won't take a picture if there isn't enough ambient light for the metering and autofocus system. The ability to take pictures in low light is a big plus as far as I'm concerned. The 4600s built-in flash is bright and works well up to 3m (10 ft).

I would category as an advanced point-n-shoot camera. It has 12 preset scene modes and the ability to take video clips at 30 fps (no audio). This camera doesn't really have any manual options, so if you like to customize settings when you take pictures, this camera is probably not for you.

The CoolPix 4600 uses 2 AA batteries; you don't have to worry about replacing a proprietary battery. Two batteries make the camera light. Battery life is very good; you should be able to take dozens of pictures with one set or on one charge. The 4600 stores images on an SD card. It comes with a 16Mb SD card in the box. The 4600 interfaces with your computer via a mini-USB plug. It doesn't have an AV output, so you can't plug the 4600 directly to a television or other video device.

In summary, I think the CoolPix 4600 is a great value for the entry level photographer. It's numerous automatic settings & scene modes cover most lighting conditions that amateur photographers will encounter. It's 4 MP resolution and 3X optical zoom produce clear crisp images.

As of this writing, I believe that Nikon has replaced the CoolPix 4600 with the CoolPix L4. I've seen the CoolPix 4600 priced at about $150 retail at my local big box store (you might have to look for a sale). I haven't used the newer camera, but I would guess that it's an incremental update to the 4600's design. At a glance, the L4 has a larger LCD (2") and it appears that Nikon has removed the optical viewfinder.

If you have any comments, corrections or suggestions regarding this review, feel free to send me an e-mail. I'm always interested in improving my reviews and guides.