Nikon Coolpix L4 Performance
Timing and Performance
Average to slightly slow speed for a consumer camera.
| Startup/Shutdown |
||
| Power on to first shot |
2.7 seconds |
Time it takes for
LCD to turn on and lens to deploy |
| Shutdown |
2.5 seconds |
How long it takes
to retract lens |
| Buffer clearing
time |
2 seconds |
Worst case buffer
clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you
can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut
down until the buffer is cleared. |
| Mode
switching |
||
| Play to Record, first shot |
0.7 seconds |
Time until first
shot is captured |
| Record to play |
3.4 seconds |
Time to display
a large/fine file immediately after capture |
| Display recorded image |
1.6 second |
Time to display
a large/fine file already on the memory card. |
| Shutter
response (Lag Time): |
||
| Full Autofocus
Wide |
0.85 second |
Time from fully
pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle
position. |
| Full Autofocus
Tele |
0.93 second |
Time from fully
pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position. |
| Prefocused |
0.219
second |
Time
to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button. |
| Cycle
time (shot to shot) |
||
| Single Shot mode Large Fine JPEG |
2.91 seconds |
Time per shot, averaged
over 20 shots |
| Single Shot mode 640x480 JPEG |
2.23 seconds |
Time per shot, averaged
over 20 shots |
| Early shutter penalty? |
YES |
Some cameras refuse to snap
another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single
Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer. |
| Flash recycling |
7 seconds |
Flash at maximum
output |
| Download
speed |
||
| Windows Computer,
USB 2.0 |
955 KBytes/sec |
Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-770=USB 2.0 Low; 771-4000=USB 2.0 High |
The Nikon Coolpix L4's performance ranges from average to slightly slow, depending on what you're doing. Start-up time is a little sluggish at 2.7 seconds, and shutter lag at wide angle and telephoto is on the slow side of average. "Prefocus" times (half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure) are fast, though not as fast as I've seen, with a shutter delay of 0.219 second. Shot-to-shot cycle times are also sluggish, at about 2.91 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, and the camera captures frames continuously at this rate. The flash recycle time is about average at 7 seconds after a full-power shot, however. Connected to a computer, download speeds are fast enough, though definitely not the zippiest on the market. Bottom line, while the L4 is clearly not intended for sports photography or really anything that moves too fast, it should handle travel and most standard photo opportunities well.
Battery and Storage Capacity
Battery
Moderate battery life with standard AA alkaline cells, but much better
life with NiMH or lithium AA's.
| Operating Mode | Number of Shots |
|---|---|
| AA alkaline batteries |
250 |
| AA NiMH rechargeable cells |
450 |
| AA lithium cells |
600 |
The NIkon Coolpix L4 uses two AA batteries for power, and a pair of ordinary alkaline batteries are included with the camera. I strongly recommend picking up a set of rechargeable batteries and a charger, and keeping them freshly charged with a spare set on-hand for extended outings. (Read my NiMH battery shootout page to see which batteries currently on the market are the best, and see my review of the Maha C-204W NiMH battery charger, my current favorite.)
The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.
(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))
Storage
The Coolpix L4 accepts SD/MMC memory cards, though no card is included;
10MB RAM is built into the camera.
| Image Capacity with 10MB Internal Memory |
Fine | Normal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,272 x 1,704 | Images | 5 | 9 |
| File Size | 2.0 MB | 1.1 MB | |
| 1,600 x 1,200 | Images | - | 18 |
| File Size | - | 584 KB | |
| 1,024 x 768 | Images | - | 41 |
| File Size | - | 258KB | |
| 640 x 480 | Images | - | 77 |
| File Size | - | 138KB | |
We strongly recommend buying at least a 128MB card, preferably a 256MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.
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Note: For details, test results, and analysis of the many tests done with this camera, please click on the tabs at the beginning of the review or below.
Also Consider...
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