Customer Reviews

Nikon Coolpix 4500 4MP Digital Camera w/ 4x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I own a Coolpix 4500, before I had a 950 and a 995. I've been using them all a lot.

Coolpix 4500 Pros:

- Very good overall picture quality if you use the following settings:
1600 x 1200 resolution (downsampling algorithm does a great job - I usually shoot at 2 mp when travelling to save space without losing much quality); medium quality jpeg; sharpening +1

- Sturdy all metal swivel design body allows you all sorts of shots that would be impossible to take with other types of camera.

- Fits in pocket (even though it is not really slim)

- Best macro of all compacts - if you need close-ups, the Coolpix is about the best choice around

- Lens is not extending out of camera body, so it is well protected from mechanical damage and dust (look at all those flaky extensible plastic gadgets on other cameras!).

- Accessory lenses available, especially the teles are excellent

- Best choice of options available in compacts, everything can be adjusted according to personal taste. All sorts of exposure and focus options a modern higher end SLR has.

- Good lithium battery with fast 2 hour charger (get a spare battery, though!)

- Still good quality at 400, usable at 800 ISO!

- Histogram allows you to check exposure

Cons:

- Lens does not deliver enough detail to take full advantage of the chip's 4 megapixels. No improvement compared to 995 (3 mp).

- Little direct access to functions; you spend a lot of time fumbling

- Multi-level menus that are SLOW to navigate

- Slow lens (maximum aperture) at tele position); try 200 ISO whenever necessary

- Shutter delay too long (apparently slower than 995) for candid shots or anything that moves quickly

- LCD (1,5") is too small, especially if you have eye problems; the 995 had a 1,8", the 950 a 2" screen!

- Distortion (pincushion at wideangle, barrel at tele)

- Does not focus well at low lighting levels (no AF assistance light)

- Clipped highlights (no detail in light areas while the rest is properly exposed; underexposing does not help much)

My conclusion:

I you want to shoot sports and under low light situations, or if you need the best resolution, get something else,

If you need to travel light, take close-ups, take pictures discreetly, need some more tele (with or without accessory lens) and are content with (very good) 2 megapixel pictures, get the Coolpix 4500.

Not to sound like a negatron, but some of the previous reviewers aren't really qualified to comment on this camera. It's features are wasted on them. Too small? Q: What is the best camera? A: The one you take with you and always have in your hand. Don't kid yourself-- if a camera is even slightly bulkly or cumbersome to haul around (as both the 990 and 995 are) you won't carry it and it will quickly migrate directly to your closet. In this regard, the 4500 really shines. Lightweight, portable, truly pocket-sized (i.e., you don't have to cram it in there and it doesn't feel like a brick thumping against your leg after 5 minutes). Second, the swivel design is excellent for capturing candids. You can hold the camera at your waist and fire off shots without anyone being the wiser. No hands covering faces, no corny poses, just people as they are. Try to get shots like that with a typical point-shoot or SLR. Too mechancial? Come on! I suppose some people can't handle two moving parts. Anyway, there is no need to twist the cam to take shots-- if you want to hold the camera up to your face like a typical point-and-shoot, in it's default position, nothing's stopping you. It works great that way as well. Trust me, there isn't anything 'weird' about this device that someone with an ounce of common sense can't handle. Finally, this was a reasonably priced camera when it first came out. Now, at the current price with all the discounts and rebates, it's a steal. But yeah, if you're looking for solid quality at absolute bargain basement prices and the 4500 is too much, skip the 995 and go right to the 990. That is the camera I used up until recently as a backup to my pro-grade D100 for model shoots. The fact that an older model in this line has that sort of credibility should tell you something about the quality you can expect from the newer 4500.

Overall the 4500 is a solid camera with many advantages over the 995, however, the 995 hasd a few features that are missing or better than the 4500.

Pros of the 4500:
Scene modes-it is much quicker (less battery drain) to set the scene than it was with the 995.
User interface-while the LCD on top is gone it is still pretty easy to tell what options you have on for the mode you are in.
Video-Video with sound is nice and I thought I really needed it but so far not a big deal. It is very nice to be able to shoot a little video but still shoot GREAT photos!

Pros of the 995:
The flash- While it required the user to extend the flash to use it, it seems more powerful and more effective at a greater distance than the 4500's flash. I shoot many shots inside large dark spaces (caves and tunnels) where there is no power and a long ways from any roads so the flash is handy. To overcome the 4500 flash I would need to buy both the SK-E900 ($70+) & an SB series flash like the 80DX ($325) OR a SB-22s ($115), so I can get a good flash for about $185 new.

Both cameras produces beautiful, crisp images and overall, you get a lot of camera for your money.
I would recommend getting a 256MB flash card (or bigger) and a spare battery (although I have yet to need it.) I have been able to shoot over 100 photos with flash on most of them with both cameras on one fully charged battery.
Recommendation: If you want the latest and the best go with the 4500, but if you want a good camera for a good price, check out the 995 at an online auction or Nikon's refurbished cameras at Nikonmall or Amazon for used.

I didn't care much for the Coolpix 995 when it was out. The 4500 (which is the 995's replacement) is much better in my opinion. The body size has been greatly reduced. Unfortunately that also resulted in a reduction in screen size, but I guess that was unavoidable. Excellent image quality, excellent macro mode (3/4 inch!), good zoom. It comes with a different battery charger, probably because the ones that were included with the 995 were awful (I work at a camera store and they came back defective all the time). The software leaves something to be desired--invest in something like Adobe Photoshop Elements to do your editing. Overall, a good camera.

I've ordered 8x10 prints of the high resolution, low compression picture and was very happy with the results. Menu system is a bit complex at first, but I am used to it now. At highest Res, .JPG images can be 400K, 800K or 1.2M depending on compression setting. I have used the swivel lens to take pictures at odd angles and clearly see the LCD disply. It was very useful. Ability to display on TV for immediate review was very good quality. May not be the smallest is certainly considered convenient. I have no complaints yet! I do recommend at least a 64Mb flash card. ( I bought the 128MB and can fit about 100 1.2M pictures on a disk.)

This Coolpix 4500 is my second Nikon digital camera. I'm still new to photography, but I can say that so far, the 4500 is an excellent camera.

The 4500 takes absolutely beautiful pictures, and the 16 modes go a long way to help novices take great looking pictures in all kinds of conditions. I like the new modes included over the Coolpix 885. The sports mode works well, and the panorama mode makes it very easy to create composite shots that look like they were created by a professional. Focusing is quick, and pop-up flash works well, and the camera feels solid.

Above all, it's pictures are amazingly detailed, with grat color reproduction. Highly recommended for novices and intermediate photographers alike.

While some of the Sony digital cameras will burn directly a mini CD, once it has been burned you cannot erase it! With CF cards you can review your photos and re shoot as many times as you like! CF card based cameras are also faster in recording the image! But the previous reviewer forgot also one point! This camera just came out about a month ago, thus no way he could had used in his field research in Peru! Thus his review for this camera I would say is a bit invalid if not biast.

The Nikon 4500 is a much improved version of the 950-990 series, with more features and more user friendly. It is not a perfect camera, no camera is but it will give you very good results without to much know how. I biggest concern with Nikon digital cameras that they tend to be a bit blue biast, and I owned several digital Nikons, including 950, 995 and D100, thus a I recommend software designed for editing digital photos in which you can correct the proper color balance. Adobe Photo elements version 1 or 2 are good as well as Paintshop Pro 7. Apart from this minor problem, you will be happy with this camera as long as you get youself a 256 MB CF card, don't even bother with a 128 MB or less, the prices came down so much for the CF cards lately that you can pick up a good brand like Lexar or Viking for very little.

I have also owned a 950 series Coolpix before purchasing the 4500. The bottom line is image quality -- the 4500 produces beautiful pictures if you know how to use it properly. This a compact camera that's loaded with features. The LCD screen is 1.5 inches, most are 1.8 -- I have no trouble seeing mine. The menus are complex at first, but after you use it a while, the menus become simple and easy to navigate. The wide range of settings requires an elaborate menu system. If you're just going outdoors taking pictures during the day, point and shoot works perfect. The camera's weight with the battery is a little over 12 ounces. I doubt that's going to wear someone's arm down.

If you're looking for a compact camera that takes sharp, colorful pictures, buy the Coolpix 4500. To help you understand the ease of use - I'm in a wheelchair with limited arm movement and no finger movement. I have no problems operating this camera.

I did alot of research before I bought this camera a year ago. The research has paid off dividends. First off this is a great Camera!!. I bought it for two main reasons. One was astrophotography and the other was just going on trips and tooling around.

Pros of this camera:

-Intuitive (after the manual is browsed) B+
-Picture Quality A+
-User controllability A++ (my cousin has the Fuji and you can't manually control anything, just a bunch of predefined settings. Alot of the other cameras were like this)
-up to 5 min of keeping the shutter open (nice for astrophotography, but you do need the remote for this)A+
-The Auto Focus is Great with even marginal light B+
-When you controll the settings yourself you can get very artsy with your photos (this is sort of cool)

Cons:
-In very low light situations the focus can have trouble but I have rarely noticed this, besides there is a manual focus if the light is way too dim, and I mean waay.

!!!ONE IMPORTANT SUGGESTION!!!!

If you decide to buy this camera buy one of those screw on UV filters. It has no negative effects in picture quality, only positive effects, and it can save your lense. After fifteen days of owning the camera I accidentally scratched the lense. It was minor but I was SOOOOO pissed after spending all this cash, so i tried to replace the camera through the in store warranty, but it was void by the time I found the scratch. So I bought a $15 UV filter and no scratches since. However, if I do get one, it's on a $15 dollar lense I can easily replace. Also Once you clean your primary lense and screw on the UV filter you won't have to clean under there until you remove it. It's a pretty cheap invesment for alot of benefit. Hope this review helped!

Hi.

I've had a Coolpix 775, a Coolpix 995, the Canon Powershot S30 and now this one. The camera I liked the most (before this one) was the Coolpix 995, but it was way too bulky. The Powershot is a cool camera, but it doesn't feel the same, and the macros suck. This new Coolpix is smaller (not as a Powershot, but still small), stronger (all metal, cool!), and has 4 megapixels. It takes really awesome macros and has even more options than the 995. Who can ask for more?