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Those looking for a premium compact camera to stuff into a jeans pocket while still retaining high image quality and plenty of manual control will find plenty to like in the Nikon Coolpix P330.
Images from it are fantastic, and while there isn't quite the amount of creative options we'd like to see (ie digital filters), it's still a good option for those wanting to experiment, or experienced users looking for a decent backup.
Anybody who is torn between this and the Nikon P7700 should bear in mind the extra portability of this compared to the larger model - although it is worth remembering that the Nikon P7700 comes with the advantage of a viewfinder and an articulating screen.
We're a little bit disappointed by the speed of this camera, as it's the main sticking point. If you can get around this, or are infrequently photographing quick moving subjects, then this is more than worthy of consideration.
We'd also like to see a few bonus "extras" elevating this camera slightly. A touchscreen for quickly making adjustments would be a good start, as would Wi-Fi built in without the need to shell out for the optional adaptor. The fact that it has GPS built-in is good, though.
It's also pleasing to see that Nikon has made the decision to include raw format shooting on the P330. Where previously it had reserved that solely for the highest Coolpix model, the company seems to have realised the benefit of offering it in the smaller P330.
We liked
Images are crisp, sharp and display a fantastic amount of colour and lots of detail. When the light is good, you have the potential to capture some really beautiful photographs, making it excellent as a device to always have on you. The f/1.8 aperture lens also goes some way towards helping with that.
We disliked
Once again, we're a little disappointed by the speed of a Nikon premium compact. If the company could work on making shot to shot and autofocusing speeds faster for the next iteration of the P series, we'd be really happy. A touchscreen would have been nice to see too.
Final verdict
This is a camera that's basically an "almost there" for Nikon. While image quality is fantastic, we can think of several ways that this camera could be improved to make it even better.
The most notable problem we have is with the speed of the camera, and it would also be great to see other improvements to the usability of the camera, such as a touchscreen or a dial around the lens.
That said, if you want something simple and unobtrusive and are already a Nikon owner, this should certainly be one for consideration.
If, on the other hand, you're happy to shop around different manufacturers, you might want to consider the excellent Canon PowerShot S110, which features a touchscreen, inbuilt Wi-Fi and a dial around the lens for controlling different functions.
