8. Main Characteristics

Viewfinder, Focusing, And Optics

On the P1, Nikon allows viewfinding only through the LCD display, which is the best solution for this type of camera. The screen is large and shows all useful information about the shot; in some modes, you can even display a histogram in real time.

The autofocus offers a choice of 9-area automatic focus selection or 99-area manual focus selection; you can also force central-area focusing. There's also a Face Priority AF for portraits. In this mode the camera automatically focuses on a (human) face if one is detected in the image; it's an interesting mode that will make a lot of users happy. Naturally there's LED lighting for focusing in dark environments, but unfortunately, there's no manual focus.

The little zoom has the most useful focal lengths, but its maximum aperture decreases greatly in telephoto position. This is part of the price you pay for compactness, so you'll have to watch out for problems. The macro mode lets you focus as close as 1.6" (4 cm) when the lens is in the wide-angle position. We've seen better performance than that, but it's fairly standard for consumer-market compacts.

Exposure: The Right Choice!

Aside from the "green" full-auto setting, the P1 has scene, program, and aperture priority modes. This is a good range of choices that combines simplicity and effectiveness. For experienced photographers, aperture priority mode can be used for practically anything, especially since the P1 is well designed, with simultaneous access (via the multi-selector) to the aperture and to exposure correction.

The available sensitivities run from ISO 50 to 400, a standard range for a compact camera, and there are three metering modes: matrix, weighted, and spot. It's all there if you need it. The white balance has seven preset values, automatic mode, and manual (metered) mode.