Nikon 16.1MP Coolpix P510 42x SuperZoom Review by DCI With Rating 8.5/10

On January 31 2012, Nikon announced two new P-series Coolpix cameras, including the world's longest SuperZoom. The P510 has the biggest zoom range of any fixed-lens camera with its massive 42x, f/3.0-5.9 Zoom-NIKKOR ED lens from 24mm to 1000mm equivalent. It features a 16.1 Megapixels Backside Illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensor with high-speed continuous shooting performance (at 5fps full resolution), fast autofocus (AF), 1080p HD video mode, 3-inch 921,000-dots LCD, an electronic viewfinder, full manual control and built-in GPS capabilities. Optical Vibration Reduction stabilization is included as well, though it'll need to be pretty strong to steady such a long zoom lens. 

The Coolpix P310 comes with a 16.1 Megapixel BSI CMOS sensor and a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture, NIKKOR glass lens at 24-100mm zoom range. Other features include a 3-inch 921,000-pixel LCD, zoom memory, manual control, and creative filters and effects. The P310 achieves superior image quality in low-light settings with a wide ISO range up to 3200 (Hi1 6400 equivalent) and a fast f/1.8 lens. The COOLPIX P310 incorporates optical VR image stabilization with several scene modes including Advanced Night Portrait mode, Night Landscape mode and Backlight/High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode. The Advanced Night Portrait mode combines consecutive images of the background while the subject is captured using the flash, while the Night Landscape mode combines a series of consecutive shots taken at a fast shutter speed into a single image with reduced noise. The Backlight HDR mode merges images of the same scene at different exposures to achieve a single image with a broad range of tonal detail. The COOLPIX P510 is listed for $429.95 in black and red colors. Here's the summary of review by DigitalCameraInfo, giving the camera a rating of 8.5 out of 10:

"Superzooms are popular for plenty of good reasons, but the main one is the huge zoom range. The P510 certainly has that part covered. Its massive 42x, 24-1000mm equivalent lens has the longest reach of any camera out there, and by a long shot, too. We've worried that zoom ranges are getting out of hand, and it might be coming at the cost of image quality. But to heck with it. If we keep getting cameras like the P510, we're along for the megazoom ride. The P510 could stand on the merits of its huge zoom range alone, but it's a solid all-around camera. Image quality is strong for a point and shoot. Photos are clean and nicely detailed in most situations, with realistic colors. Handling is comfortable thanks to a big grip and textured surface. It's generally easy to use, too.

Battery life should be better on an expensive camera like this, and the build quality feels a bit cheap for the price point too. As is almost always the case, GPS doesn't work well in cities. And without RAW capture or more on-body controls, it doesn't offer quite the same level of user control as some of its competitors, including the Panasonic FZ150, Sony HX100V, or Fuji X-S1. Warts aside, the P510 finishes with a very strong overall score. It may not offer everything that everyone wants in a superzoom, and there's still room for improvement. But the enormous zoom range and strong image quality are reason enough to put the P510 toward the top of the superzoom heap."