Nikon Coolpix 900

Of course, all this is pretty meaningless if the image quality itself is poor. However, if you're working to the Nikon's highest resolution of 1,280 x 960, this is far from the case. It's very close in terms of quality to the Olympus C-840L, which scooped a Recommended award last month. It really is marginal, but the Coolpix 900's pictures appear slightly more detailed. And, in a direct comparison with the Kodak DC260, the quality difference is so small as to be almost indistinguishable.

Ultimately, the Coolpix 900 is a well-designed, high-quality camera, which, thanks to its 1.3 million pixel CCD, is unlikely to disappoint even the most demanding user. What may do, however, is the price. This stands at a hefty £859 for the reviewed premier bundle and £759 for the standard package, which doesn't include the Flash adaptor, features only a 4Mb memory card and has no mains power adaptor.

The bottom line is that, even in its cheaper form, the Coolpix is still £250 more expensive than the Olympus Camedia C-840L, which is close enough in quality to retain its A List status.

Author: Martin Cooper