Even though the Nikon Coolpix P4 shows improved image quality compared to its predecessors, this camera is still lacking in important areas compared to other compact digital cameras. The number one disappointment is how sluggishly it performs. Three other major weaknesses of this camera are its poor automatic white-balance system, its strange ergonomics (making it difficult to hold and tedious to change settings) and its rather shot battery-life. This is unfortunate since the P4 has a plethora of digital features such as spot-focus, face-priority and best-shot-selector (selects the sharpest among a series of images).

On the other hand, image quality of this Coolpix is rather good. Despite image noise at all ISO settings, it is not significant enough to ruin medium size prints up to ISO 200. At ISO 400, noise should not be noticeable in small prints. The lens is also sharp and its effective vibration reduction system allows to use low ISO settings more often. Because of its image quality, we were considering rating the P4 better than average but there are too many better compact digital cameras to award this one a good rating.

Unless the stabilization is important, consider other compact cameras such as the excellent Canon Powershot A620, the Canon Powershot A700 or the Fuji Finepix E900. If stabilization is important, the Panasonic Lumix LX1 is a superior alternative, complete with a wide-angle lens, full manual controls and a speedy performance, although its image quality is not as high as the other cameras already mentioned.