"Sunlit" Portrait:
(This is my new "Outdoor" Portrait test - read more about it here.)

High resolution and strong detail, with very good color. Contrast is high, with limited detail in the highlights, but good midtone and shadow detail.

• Exposure compensation: +1.0 EV, average to a bit higher than average (though default exposure quite dark).
• Contrast/Tone: High, highlights have limited detail though midtones fairly bright.
• White Balance: Daylight best overall. Auto setting a little warm, and Manual setting reddish.
• Color accuracy: Good saturation and color. Blues are bright, as are reds, greens and yellows.
• Skin tones: Slightly ruddy but probably acceptable to most consumers.
• Resolution/sharpness: Very good, strong detail and high resolution.
• Shadow detail: Very good, fairly low noise.

Excellent resolution and detail, but again, high contrast.

• Exposure compensation: +0.3 EV, about average.
• Exposure/Tone: High contrast with harsh highlights.
• Detail: Even better detail and higher resolution, with very good definition and sharpness.
• Distortion: Good, zoom lens avoids distortion close-in like this.

To view the entire exposure series from zero to +0.7 EV, see files CP76OUTFACAP0.HTM through CP76OUTFACAP3.HTM on the thumbnail index page.

Normal Flash +1.3 EV

Slow-Sync Flash +0.7 EV

Bright exposure with the flash in the normal setting and in Slow-Sync mode, though a strong warm color cast in Slow-Sync mode.

• Exposure: Very bright at +1.3 EV, though default exposure is very dark. Slow-Sync mode results in brighter exposure, but very strong warm cast at +0.7 EV.
• Flash balance with room lighting?: Good in normal mode, though Slow-Sync mode has trouble.
• Color: Red skin tones, but good color in the bouquet.

To view the entire exposure series from zero to +1.7 EV in the normal flash mode, see files CP76INFP0.HTM through CP76INFP5.HTM on the thumbnail index page.

To view the exposure series from zero to +1.3 EV in the Slow-Sync flash mode, see files CP76INFSP0.HTM through CP76INFSP4.HTM on the thumbnail index page.

Auto White Balance

Incandescent White Balance

Manual White Balance

Good color with the Manual white balance setting, more than average exposure compensation required.

• Exposure: +1.0 EV adjustment needed, a little more than average.
• White Balance: Manual very good, Auto and Incandescent both rather warm.
• Color: Red skin tones and very bright blue flowers, but pretty good considering the tough light source.

To view the entire exposure series from zero to +1.7 EV, see files CP76INMP0.HTM through CP76INMP5.HTM on the thumbnail index page.

Auto White Balance

Daylight White Balance

Manual White Balance

Good color, though high saturation, with high resolution and strong detail.

• Sharpness/Detail: Strong detail, though slightly soft.
• Sharpness in Corners: Good, no noticeable softening.
• Color: Daylight white balance most pleasing, though Auto and Manual both nearly right. (Auto a little warm, Manual a little red.) High saturation.
• Detail lost to anti-noise processing?: Relatively slight, noticeable in brick patterns though.

High resolution and strong detail, but a slightly limited dynamic range. Good sharpness in the corners.

This image is shot at infinity to test far-field lens performance, and to present a near-infinite range of detail to the camera. NOTE that this image cannot be directly compared to the other "house" shot, which is a poster, shot in the studio.

• Sharpness/Detail: A lot of fine detail, with great definition.
• Sharpness in Corners: Very good, much better than average.
• Color: Good, though high saturation.
• Dynamic Range: A little low, some loss of detail in both highlights and shadows.
• Detail lost to anti-noise processing?: Some, in the shadowed brick patterns.
  
  

Resolution Series:

Color Effects Series:

Color Effects Series
Vivid Color	Black & White	Sepia	Cyanotype

Lens Zoom Range

A good 3x zoom range.

The Coolpix 7600's focal length range of 38-114mm equivalents is typical of most point & shoot digital cameras. It corresponds to a moderate wide angle to a modest telephoto.

	Wide Angle
	3x Telephoto
	Digital Telephoto

Auto White Balance

Daylight White Balance

Manual White Balance

Slightly warm color, with high saturation. High resolution and strong detail.

• White Balance: Daylight setting best overall, though still quite warm. Auto setting very warm, and Manual setting very magenta.
• Color: Very high saturation, especially in blue robe. Red skin tones.
• Sharpness/Detail: Very good. (Close to the limits of the poster though.)

Standard Macro Shot

Macro with Flash

A very small macro area with great detail. Flash has trouble up close though.

• Minimum Macro Area: 1.36 x 1.02 inches (35 x 26 millimeters), very small.
• Softness in corners?: A moderate amount. (Most cameras get fairly soft corners in macro mode.)
• Flash performance in macro mode?: Lens partially blocks the flash, resulting in a strong shadow.

Auto White Balance

Daylight White Balance

Manual White Balance

Good overall exposure and color, though high saturation.

• White balance: Auto setting a little yellow, but best overall. Daylight setting warm, and Manual setting a little magenta.
• Color Accuracy: Pretty good color accuracy, though saturation is slightly high, especially in the blues.
• Shadow detail and noise: Limited detail in the briquettes, low noise.

Color Effects Series:

Color Effects Series
Vivid Color	Black & White	Sepia	Cyanotype

Low-Light Tests

Limited low-light performance, though capable enough for average city night scenes.

• Exposure limit: 1/2 foot-candle. (About 1/2 as bright as typical city street lighting at night.)
• Autofocus Limit: A little above 1/16 foot-candle, thanks to the AF assist light.
• White Balance: Good.
• Noise Levels: Moderate.
• Detail loss to anti-noise processing?: A small amount at one foot-candle and 1/2 foot-candle.
• General Notes: No manual ISO adjustment.

(Note: If you'd like to use a light meter to check light levels for subjects you might be interested in shooting, a light level of one foot-candle corresponds to a normal exposure of two seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 100.)

	1 fc 11 lux	1/2 fc 5.5 lux	1/4 fc 2.7 lux	1/8 fc 1.3 lux	1/16 fc 0.67 lux
ISO 200	1.24 sec f2.8	2 sec f2.8	2 sec f2.8	2 sec f2.8	2 sec f2.8

Flash Range Test

Fairly bright at eight feet, though decreasing intensity from 11 feet on. Camera "cheats" by boosting ISO to extend range, at the cost of increased image noise.

• Flash range at telephoto lens setting: 10 feet.

8 ft	9 ft	10 ft	11 ft	12 ft	13 ft	14 ft
1/60 sec f4.9 ISO 147	1/60 sec f4.9 ISO 200	1/60 sec f4.9 ISO 200	1/60 sec f4.9 ISO 200	1/60 sec f4.9 ISO 200	1/60 sec f4.9 ISO 200	1/60 sec f4.9 ISO 200

ISO-12233 (WG-18) Resolution Test

Good resolution, 1,250 lines of "strong detail." Slightly high barrel distortion at wide angle, almost no distortion at telephoto. Low chromatic aberration, particularly at telephoto, good sharpness in the corners.

• Resolution: 1,250 lines both vertically and horizontally.
• Artifacts begin at: ~800 lines.
• Extinction point: ~1,900 lines
  
  
• Barrel/Pincushion distortion: 0.9 percent barrel at wide angle, 0.03 percent at telephoto (about one pixel).
• Chromatic Aberration: Low at wide angle, none at telephoto.
• Corner Sharpness: Very good at telephoto, some softening at wide angle.

Resolution Series, medium focal length

Resolution Test, Zoom Series