Nikon 12.1 Megapixels Coolpix P500 Review by CNET AU With Rating 7.7/10

The COOLPIX P500 is listed for retail at $399.95 MSRP and is offered in black and red. It is currently selling at around $397 (drop from $399 about 3 weeks ago). Here is the summary of review by CNET AU, giving the camera a rating of 7.7 out of 10:

"Superzooms by their nature are meant to pack in an incredible list of features and a lengthy zoom, generally following the mantra "you can't have it all". The P500 does little to change this notion, with a tendency to over-expose images particularly at the telephoto end of the lens. Colours on default JPEG settings are good though, and low ISO shots have an acceptable level of noise to not affect prints too much. High ISO shots at 800 and above become messy. Autofocus is quick and effective, and chromatic aberrations and fringing have been significantly reduced from this camera's predecessor, the P100. They're still there, but definitely not as pronounced. There's the usual degree of barrel distortion present on images taken at the wide end (22.5mm). As with all superzoom cameras, taking a steady image at the telephoto end of the zoom is next to impossible, with handshake and motion blur entering images. This is particularly pronounced in the P500, which has the longest zoom in the world on a superzoom at the time of writing. Video quality is very poor, with images appearing hazy. The P500 also uses electronic image stabilisation only when shooting HD video, which results in incredibly shaky images when hand-holding the camera. The audio is decent though, with hardly any noise perceptible when the lens zooms in and out. Wind noise is also kept to a minimum with the noise filter activated.

The P500 will suit a photographer who values plenty of features, an electronic viewfinder and an incredibly long zoom rather than impeccable image quality. You'll look mighty fine using it though and ladies will flock to you like no tomorrow when you go to take a photo."