Nikon COOLPIX 4600 4.0 MP Digital Camera - Silver

Nikon has created a winner with the CoolPix 4600! It features a Compact Design, Lots of Automatic Features and it's priced just right for an entry level camera (about $180 retail). The CoolPix 4600 is a great choice for the person that wants to take a camera everywhere you go. Nikon has packed lots of features into this tiny 4 Megapixel camera. The camera controls and settings are intuitively designed and easily accessible. You don't need to read the manual before you can start using this camera!

The 4600 has a very small package design (approximately 3" x 2-1/2" x 1", 4 oz.). It easily fits into your shirt pocket. Even though this camera is small, Nikon has designed the body so that it's comfortable to hold without getting your fingers in the way of the lens.

The 4600 features Nikon's legendary Nikkor optics. It has a 3X optical zoom and a 4X digital zoom for an total zoom of 12X. It has a 1.5" LCD for viewing while taking or reviewing pictures. The display is a reasonable size and is easily viewable in daylight conditions.

One feature that Nikon has retained is an optical viewfinder. Many new digital cameras no longer provide an optical viewfinder. Using the optical viewfinder, instead of the LCD, is a great way to conserve power. Nikon's optical viewfinder also adjusts to the zoom level in realtime. You can get a pretty good idea of how the final image will turn out.

The CoolPix 4600's metering and autofocus use technology that works well in low/no light conditions. I have an old CoolPix 800 and it won't take a picture if there isn't enough ambient light for the metering and autofocus system. The ability to take pictures in low light is a big plus as far as I'm concerned. The 4600s built-in flash is bright and works well up to 3m (10 ft).

I would category as an advanced point-n-shoot camera. It has 12 preset scene modes and the ability to take video clips at 30 fps (no audio). This camera doesn't really have any manual options, so if you like to customize settings when you take pictures, this camera is probably not for you.

The CoolPix 4600 uses 2 AA batteries; you don't have to worry about replacing a proprietary battery. Two batteries make the camera light. Battery life is very good; you should be able to take dozens of pictures with one set or on one charge. The 4600 stores images on an SD card. It comes with a 16Mb SD card in the box. The 4600 interfaces with your computer via a mini-USB plug. It doesn't have an AV output, so you can't plug the 4600 directly to a television or other video device.

In summary, I think the CoolPix 4600 is a great value for the entry level photographer. It's numerous automatic settings & scene modes cover most lighting conditions that amateur photographers will encounter. It's 4 MP resolution and 3X optical zoom produce clear crisp images.

As of this writing, I believe that Nikon has replaced the CoolPix 4600 with the CoolPix L4. I've seen the CoolPix 4600 priced at about $150 retail at my local big box store (you might have to look for a sale). I haven't used the newer camera, but I would guess that it's an incremental update to the 4600's design. At a glance, the L4 has a larger LCD (2") and it appears that Nikon has removed the optical viewfinder.

If you have any comments, corrections or suggestions regarding this review, feel free to send me an e-mail. I'm always interested in improving my reviews and guides.

This is the second time I have purchased this identical model. The first one was as a gift for my wife. As her job takes her around the world every week, I knew this would be an excellent camera, small enough to travel with effortlessly and also to produce excellent images. I too needed a smaller camera for quick use when it was not handy to carry my digital SLR. I keep this little camera with me at all times and I have been very pleased with it. It is quite simple to use and uses standard AA batteries. No need to recharge or run out of battery power. Memory is a common standard SD card type. I currently travel with 2, 2.0 G Ultra SD cards. Although this is an older model, it still ranks with the higher end, compact digital cameras.

I originally bought this camera a year ago because I have a huge Sony digital that is too large and very difficult to carry around. Unfortunately I dropped it and damaged the lens so went to eBay to find another one.
This camera has all the functionality I need (I'm not a big picture taker), it's small, fits into my purse, takes great pictures, connects with my computer or my HP PhotoSmart printer with ease and it didn't cost an arm and a leg to buy. It has some wonderful features so I can experiment with different photo opportunities such as fireworks, or close up etc. If I read the instruction book a little more I'll probably find more things I can do with it. Nikon makes a great camera, and this little Coolpix 4600 is just perfect for me and my needs. It's a great all around camera at an affordable price.

It's the only digital camera I've ever owned. Image quality is out of this world. However, shooting indoors you should be close to your subject matter because the flash does not effectively light up a big room. Very intuitive controls. Very compact. Smallish display screen. I usually set the resolution at 2 megapixels. At this resolution 8 x 10 photos are crystal clear, and I can't understand why people want higher resolution. After nine months of heavy use overseas, mostly at an orphanage, and after taking more than 2000 photos, and after being handled hundreds of times by orphans the camera broke. It was a software glitch. When this happens you must send it back to the factory, and it's cheaper just to buy a new/used one on ebay. I have bought five of these cameras and given them as gifts to friends in Russia.

I've purchased this camera as a second backup for smaller and Quick shots. It was used but lightly used. The menues and operating system is simple but very effective. With Nikon camera's I know they are stable and reasonably reliable. It's a pocket camera and one can not expect high res from them as you would from the 'D' series camera's. There are some minor tools it does not have the bigger Coolpix cams have, but can be expected in lower level units. Never the less it does what I need very well. I bought it because I have two other Coolpix and a Nikon DSLR. Their reliability goes with care I give them.