Nikon Coolpix 7600 review

Nikon's Coolpix 7600 may not be the most attractive compact digital camera, but thanks to its chunky grip, which houses two rechargeable AA batteries, it is comfortable to use.

It's also one of just a few to have an optical viewfinder, although sadly it's too small to be of practical use. The 1.8" screen is much better for reviewing and framing your shots. Its incredibly fast refresh rate more than makes up for its relatively diminutive size. All the necessary buttons are well placed, and a dial provides quick access to video and still shooting modes and the camera setup menu.

At its highest quality setting, the 7600's 7-megapixel sensor records images at 3,072x2,304 pixels. Using slightly compressed JPEG files, this results in photo files of around 2.5MB. With so much data to write, the Coolpix 7600 takes several seconds to save each photo before it's ready to take the next. Although this is annoying, the auto focus and exposure engines operate efficiently, so the camera still feels reasonably responsive. The batteries supply enough power on full charge for just over 150 shots, and you can always buy some standard AA cells when you're out and about.

The 7600 produces well-balanced photos. It occasionally struggles to gauge the right exposure for your intended subject, but you can fix this using the exposure compensation function. Colours are captured faithfully but, despite its high resolution, photos from the 7600 aren't as sharp as those from some 5-megapixel cameras we've reviewed. It performed excellently in low light when using the flash, producing accurate, lively photos. It also has a respectable video mode, which can record 640x480 pixels at 30fps.

The Coolpix 7600 produced decent results across the board. It takes fairly good photos in all lighting conditions and excels when using the flash, but it doesn't make the most of its 7-megapixel sensor.