Nikon COOLPIX L27 Nikon - Review 🏆

The Nikon COOLPIX L27 is an entry-level point-and-shoot digital camera that was released in 2013. As part of Nikon's budget-friendly L-series cameras, the L27 is designed to be an affordable and easy-to-use option for beginners and casual photographers looking for a no-frills camera.

The L27 features a 16.1 megapixel CCD sensor and a 5x optical zoom NIKKOR glass lens, allowing you to capture everything from wide landscapes to close-up portraits. It has a compact and lightweight body with a 2.7” LCD screen, making it highly portable. The camera runs on AA batteries so you don’t have to worry about charging. It also offers basic shooting modes like Auto, Scene Mode, Smart Portrait and Subject Tracking.

Overall, the Nikon COOLPIX L27 is a simple, inexpensive point-and-shoot camera aimed at first-time users who want an uncomplicated way to take decent photos without advanced controls. It’s a good choice for casual shooting and snapshots.

Design and Build

The Nikon COOLPIX L27 is a compact and lightweight point-and-shoot digital camera. It measures at 95.4 x 59.2 x 29.9 mm and weighs 160g including battery and memory card. The body is constructed of high-quality plastic which feels sturdy despite its light weight.

The camera has a very basic and straightforward design that prioritizes portability and one-handed use. It lacks protruding hand grips but the smooth body finish and small footprint allow it to sit comfortably in your hand. The minimalist aesthetic gives it a smart and sophisticated look.

There is a slightly raised rubber grip on the back for your thumb which helps with holding the camera steady. The L27 is available in a choice of colors including red, blue, black and silver to suit different preferences.

Overall the COOLPIX L27 has a simple but functional body design aimed at maximum portability and ease of use. The compact and lightweight plastic construction makes it easy to carry around in your pocket or bag.

Another impressive model from Nikon is the Nikon COOLPIX P950, which boasts a powerful 83x optical zoom lens. This camera is perfect for capturing distant subjects in stunning detail. With features such as 4K UHD video recording, RAW image capture, and a vari-angle LCD monitor, the COOLPIX P950 offers immense versatility for both photography and videography enthusiasts. Its robust build and advanced capabilities make it suitable for more demanding shooting scenarios while still being user-friendly.

Image Quality

The Nikon COOLPIX L27 has a 16.1 megapixel CCD sensor, which enables it to capture images with a maximum resolution of 4608 x 3456 pixels. This resolution provides enough detail for printing high quality photos at sizes up to 13 x 19 inches.

The sensor's sensitivity ranges from ISO 80 to 1600, allowing you to capture sharp images in low light conditions by increasing the ISO. At lower ISO settings, images have minimal noise and fine details are preserved. As you increase the ISO, some noise starts becoming visible but shots remain very usable through ISO 800. At the highest ISO 1600 setting, noise is more apparent but can be reduced in post processing if needed.

The COOLPIX L27 produces vibrant, color accurate photos and videos straight out of the camera. The camera processes JPG images with natural color rendition and pleasing contrast. Overall the image quality is very good for a compact point and shoot in this price range.

The Nikon D500 Body is a powerful DSLR that caters to both professional photographers and enthusiasts. With a 20.9 megapixel APS-C sensor, it offers outstanding image quality even in challenging lighting conditions. The D500 excels in speed, featuring an impressive 10 frames per second continuous shooting and an advanced autofocus system with 153 focus points. Its robust build with weather sealing ensures durability in various shooting environments, making it a reliable choice for capturing high-quality images and videos.

Lens

The Nikon COOLPIX L27 features a 5x optical NIKKOR zoom lens with a focal length range of 26-130mm, allowing you to capture wide landscapes and zoom in on distant details. The maximum aperture is f/3.2 at the wide end and f/6.5 at full telephoto, which is fairly standard for a budget compact camera. While not super bright, the aperture range should suffice for most everyday shooting situations.

For a compact camera, the 5x optical zoom provides a decent amount of flexibility. At 26mm wide, you can fit more of a scene into the frame, like large group shots or sweeping landscapes. Zooming in to 130mm allows you to get tighter shots of distant subjects. It's a good general purpose range for things like travel photography. The optical zoom enables better image quality compared to digital zoom. Overall the lens specifications are basic but capable for a budget point and shoot camera.

Features

The Nikon COOLPIX L27 has a good range of features for a budget compact camera. It offers several shooting modes including Auto, Scene Auto Selector, Smart Portrait, and Subject Tracking.

The Scene Auto Selector mode analyzes the scene and automatically selects the appropriate scene mode from Portrait, Landscape, Night Portrait, Night Landscape, Backlighting and Close Up. This makes it easy to get optimal results in different situations without having to manually select a scene mode.

There are 19 scene modes to choose from including Party/Indoor, Beach, Snow, Food, Museum and Fireworks Show. These optimize the camera settings for specific shooting conditions.

The Smart Portrait mode uses face priority and smile detection to take portraits of people. It also has Blink Proof which automatically takes another shot if the subject has blinked.

For creativity, the COOLPIX L27 has 5 effects including Soft, Nostalgic Sepia, High-contrast Monochrome, High Key and Low Key. These allow you to add an artistic flair to images in-camera.

Overall, the Nikon COOLPIX L27 provides a nice assortment of shooting modes and effects that offer flexibility for different situations and add creative options. These are easy to use and provide good results.

Video

The Nikon Coolpix L27 can capture HD 720p videos at 30fps. This allows you to shoot decent quality videos that are suitable for sharing online or viewing on a TV. The 720p resolution is fairly standard for an entry-level compact camera like this. Some more advanced models may offer 1080p full HD recording.

The 30fps frame rate provides reasonably smooth and fluid videos for this class of camera. It's not as high as 60fps which you'll find on higher-end models, but 30fps is fine for casual home videos. One limitation is that you can only record video clips up to 29 minutes, likely due to sensor overheating concerns. But for most family events and trips, the HD 720p 30fps video capabilities of the L27 will be sufficient.

Display

The Nikon COOLPIX L27 has a 2.7 inch LCD display, which is fairly standard for an entry-level point-and-shoot camera. The screen resolution is approximately 230k dots. While not extremely sharp, the LCD provides a decent preview of shots and is usable in most lighting conditions. A 2.7 inch screen is relatively small by today's standards, but remains functional for basic framing and reviewing images.

The LCD screen does not tilt or articulate. It is fixed in place on the camera's rear. This may limit usability when shooting from high or low angles. An articulating screen can be useful for composing shots from creative positions. However, the lack of tilt/swivel functionality is expected for a budget compact camera like the L27.

Overall, the display is quite basic but gets the job done. Photographers who desire a larger and higher resolution LCD may want to look at more advanced Nikon Coolpix models. But the L27 provides a screen that is usable for casual shooting and reviewing pictures.

Connectivity

The Nikon COOLPIX L27 has basic connectivity options. It has a mini HDMI port to connect directly to HDTVs for viewing photos and videos on a big screen. There is no Wi-Fi, which is disappointing at this price point, as it limits wireless sharing capabilities. However, the camera does have Bluetooth built-in for basic wireless connectivity with smartphones. This allows you to wirelessly transfer photos to your phone. The L27 relies on a micro USB port for charging and transferring photos to a computer. Overall, the connectivity options are very limited compared to other cameras in this class. The lack of Wi-Fi is a notable omission. But the Bluetooth does provide basic wireless functions for smartphone connectivity.

Battery

The Nikon COOLPIX L27 is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that provides enough juice for 220 shots per charge according to CIPA standards. This is a decent battery life for a compact point-and-shoot in this class. The battery charges via USB, so you can top it up through your computer or a USB wall adapter.

Overall, the battery performance is solid but not exceptional. 220 shots per charge should be sufficient for day-to-day casual shooting, but you may need to pack the charger for a long day of photography or travel. The convenience of USB charging helps offset the mediocre battery life.

Conclusion

The Nikon COOLPIX L27 is a decent budget point-and-shoot camera with some good features but also some significant limitations.

Pros:

• Compact, lightweight and portable design
• Easy to use with simple controls
• Good image quality in decent lighting
• 5x optical zoom lens provides versatility
• Effective Vibration Reduction system
• Built-in flash
• Affordable price point

Cons:

• Image quality suffers in low light
• Slow autofocus system
• No manual exposure controls
• No RAW shooting
• Low resolution 460k dot LCD screen
• Mediocre battery life
• No wireless connectivity options

Overall, the Nikon COOLPIX L27 is a solid choice for those looking for an inexpensive, simple to operate compact camera to take decent snapshots. It's compact enough to slip in a pocket and good enough for casual shooting. However, more discerning photographers will be frustrated by its limitations, especially in low light and action situations. For basic daily photography it's a fine choice, but more demanding users will want to look at more advanced models. At its affordable price though, it packs in a decent amount of value if you work within its constraints.