First impressions with a compact
I decided to buy a compact camera. Several things led me to this: I can't always travel with a bag dedicated to photo gear. Sometimes it's better not to draw attention with a big camera (I also have a battery grip). With that in mind I set out to explore what the market had to offer, naturally starting with Nikon's catalogue (I'm not such a fanatic that I need everything from Nikon, but consistent feel and controls are always a plus). The Coolpix A caught my attention. The body is comparable in size to any other Coolpix. Inside, however, you'll find significant differences. The most striking is the DX sensor (from the D7000). Image processing is handled by the EXPEED 2 chip. Unlike other Coolpix models, the A comes with a fixed lens (18.5 f/2.8). The cherry on top is 14-bit RAW.
Nikon regularly holds presentations of their products at selected shops. So I kept an eye on when the Brno stores would be up and went to try the camera in person. Even after talking with the Nikon rep (who obviously wasn't going to talk me out of it) I came away with the impression it was going to be a good choice. Weeks passed, the end of the year approached... the trip to Tallinn was coming up too, and the Coolpix was selling out fast (as if Nikon was about to announce a new model). And with Christmas coming I gave myself an early present. I'm quite curious what shooting will be like with Active-D Lighting, ISO higher than 1600, and other features my D80 lacks.
