Nikon P530 review

42x optical zoom in a back to basics bridge camera

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Nikon P530
A bridge camera with a huge zoom

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Sky

On occasion, skies can have a cyan tint to them, something which is a little disappointing to see from a Nikon camera. (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Colours

Colours are generally bright and punchy straight from the camera. (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Flexible range

The camera's 42x optical zoom gives you a flexible range to work with. (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Wide angle

At its widest point, the P530's optical zoom lens covers a wide angle of view, useful for architectural and landscape shots. (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Detail

The camera's 16 million-pixel sensor can resolve detail fairly well. (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Noise

At mid-range sensitivity, noise is pretty well controlled, but there are some examples of image smoothing if you examine at 100%. (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Macro mode

Use the camera's macro mode when you want to shoot close-ups. (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Depth of field

Despite the camera's small sensor size, you can still achieve shallow depth of field effects if you go close the subject. (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Optical zoom lens

At its widest point, the camera's 42x optical zoom lens offers an equivalent of 24mm. (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Flexible zoom

At the telephoto end of the optic, the 42x optical zoom equates to 1000mm in 35mm terms, making it very flexible. (Click here to see the full resolution image)

reach

If you need extra reach, the P530 also features a digital zoom, which boosts the reach by 4x, to 4000mm. (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Special effects

The following images display the range of different effects that can be enjoyed when shooting in Special Effects mode.

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Amy Davies
Amy Davies

Amy has been writing about cameras, photography and associated tech since 2009. Amy was once part of the photography testing team for Future Publishing working across TechRadar, Digital Camera, PhotoPlus, N Photo and Photography Week. For her photography, she has won awards and has been exhibited. She often partakes in unusual projects - including one intense year where she used a different camera every single day. Amy is currently the Features Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine, and in her increasingly little spare time works across a number of high-profile publications including Wired, Stuff, Digital Camera World, Expert Reviews, and just a little off-tangent, PetsRadar.