Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification
The Nikon Coolpix L330 was announced in January 2014 and is an update to the L320. The upgrades are small - the sensor is 20.2 megapixels and the screen resolution has been increased to 460k dots. The Nikon Coolpix L330 is available in black for £179.00.
Nikon Coolpix L330 Features
The Nikon Coolpix L330 has a 20.2 megapixel CCD sensor and a 26x optical zoom Nikkor lens, which is a 35mm equivalent of 22.5 - 585mm. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of just 1cm for macro shots and to keep images as sharp as possible there is optical image stabilisation.
The L330 is easy to operate with Easy Auto mode optimising the camera settings for the detected scene. There are 18 scene modes and a Smart Portrait System which includes a Smile Timer, Blink Proof alerting and Red-Eye Fix.
Videos are recorded in 720p HD with optical zoom and autofocus available during recording.
Key Features
- 20.2 megapixel CCD sensor
- 26x optical zoom lens (35mm equiv: 22.5-585mm)
- Optical image stabilisation
- 3.0 inch 460k dot LCD screen
- Smart portrait system
- 720p HD video recording
- ISO 80-1600
- 1cm minimum focusing distance
- 1 fps continuous shooting
- Available in black
Nikon Coolpix L330 Handling
The Nikon Coolpix L330 is a bulky camera, so you're not going to be able to carry it in your pocket. It has a DSLR style with a good rubberised handgrip and rubber patch on the rear for your thumb. To activate the flash you need to press the button on the right of the camera.
Buttons on the top of the camera include on / off as well as the shutter release and zoom rocker. On the rear are movie record, mode, playback, menu and delete buttons. There is a d-pad for cycling through the menus - this also gives you access to the flash, self-timer, exposure compensation and macro.
The rest of the rear of the camera is filled with the 3.0 inch screen, which has a decent 460k resolution, the L320 had a resolution of just 230k dots. The screen has an anti-reflective coating which makes it easy to see in bright sunlight.
The L330 operates using 4 AA batteries, so it will be easy to find spares when needed. When using alkaline batteries you can expect to get 370 shots - for more you can get 580 shots from EN-MH2 AA batteries and 960 shots from lithium AA batteries.
We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.
| Shutter Response | 0.125 secs | |
| Wide - Focus / Shutter Response | 0.6 secs | |
| Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response | 0.8 secs | |
| Switch on Time to Taking a Photo | 1.9 secs | |
| Shot to Shot without Flash | 1.5 secs | |
| Shot to Shot with Flash | 3.5 secs | |
| Continuous Shooting | 1.1 fps |
Continuous shooting records in full 20.2 megapixel resolution, but recording slows after 4 shots.
Nikon Coolpix L330 Performance
Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Nikon Coolpix L330 Sample Photos
Sample Photos - The L330 produces images with decent colour which are well exposed. Portrait shots have decent skin tones when using the smart portrait system - they are also free of red-eye when using the flash. Performance in low light is reasonably good.
Nikon Coolpix L330 Lens test images
Lens Performance - Image detail is reasonably good at both ends of the lens for a low cost camera, but not perhaps what you'd hope for from a 20.2 megapixel camera. Purple fringing is kept to a minimum though. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 1cm, a decent macro shot is possible, but when shooting just 1cm away from the camera, it's difficult to avoid it casting a shadow on your subject.
Nikon Coolpix L330 ISO test images
ISO Noise Performance - Noise is low at IOS 80 and 100, but even at ISO 200 noise is causing images to lose sharpness. A little more noise appears at ISO 400, with images looking blurry in places at ISO 800. There's more noise as you'd expect at ISO 1600, but the images produced at this speed are fine when resizing and sharing on the web.
Nikon Coolpix L330 White-balance test images
White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) performance is excellent under both the incandescent and fluorescent lights. When using the incandescent and fluorescent presets under the respective lighting, colour casts are quite strong.
Nikon Coolpix L330 Digital filters
Digital Filters - There are five different colour options to choose from to add a touch of creativity to your pictures, we have included examples of each above.
Video - Below is a video recorded at 720p HD. Quality is OK, the autofocus is reasonably quick when using the zoom, but the noise from the lens when zooming is quite loud.
Value For Money
The Nikon Coolpix L330 is available for £179.00 The Sony Cybershot H200 also has 26x optical zoom and is even cheaper at £119.00. With 30x optical zoom there is the Fujifilm FinePix S4800 at £121.00 and the Canon PowerShot SX510 HS at £190.00.
You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.
Nikon Coolpix L330 Verdict
The Nikon Coolpix L330 is a decent camera if you're on a budget but want a decent amount of zoom. It's a bulky camera and if you have a larger budget you'll find compact cameras with more zoom that you can easily carry in your pocket, such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60. The 20.2 megapixel sensor doesn't mean that you're getting excellent quality picture, but for users who prefer to share their images on the web, the colour reproduction is up to the job.