Nikon Coolpix L19 Compact camera

 

This post will be looking at another Coolpix compact camera, but this one is special because this was my first ever camera. This is the Nikon Coolpix L19.

I will just be referring to the camera as I already discussed the history of Nikon and the Coolpix camera series in my Nikon Coolpix S01 compact digital camera post, so please check that out: https://cfthblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/nikon-coolpix-s01-compact-digital-camera.html

The Coolpix L19 was released in 2009 and “is a member of Nikon's Small Sensor Compact class cameras…” (Camera Decision 2024). The camera itself is very user friendly and a good introduction to digital photography for beginners. As DPreview (2009) writes: “the Coolpix L19 is a basic budget camera with bare bones point-and-shoot functionality in an understated body.”

Speaking of the body, the camera has the approximate dimensions of 3.8 in.96.5 mm x 2.4 in.61 mm x 1.1 in.29 mm and weighs 0.130 kg (Nikon 2014). Made mostly of plastic with a 2.7-inch LCD screen/monitor, this camera is as compact as a camera can get, although the Nikon Coolpix S01 does prove that it can be pushed even further (please see my Nikon Coolpix S01 compact digital camera post for more information).

The camera also seems to available in five different colours: Bright silver (which is this camera’s colour), Shiny pink, Black metallic, Magenta (Shafer 2009) and plain silver (DPreview 2009).

L19 body colours. Image Source: http://www.photographyreview.com/reviews/files/2009/02/nikon-l20-l19.jpg

 

Plain Silver L19 camera. Image Source: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/813ZcD82WnL._AC_SX466_.jpg

It also came with a strap (currently misplaced!) and an AC adapter to transfer photos and videos to a computer.

L19 strap. Image Source: https://en.nikon.ca/p/an-cp19-strap/25770/overview

Now for the camera itself. The Coolpix L19 has a Nikkor 3.6X Optical Zoom lens, with an aperture of F/3.1-6.7 and a focal length of 6.7-24mm which is “Equivalent with 35mm [135] format picture angle: 41-145mm,” according to the manual.

It also has a zoom of 3.6X and an auto focus system that adjust to the amount of digital zoom applied. Furthermore “The Zoom Nikkor glass lens of the Coolpix L19 produces incredibly sharp, clear images, and the Macro capability of the lens lets you focus as close as 2 inches. In addition, there is a 4x digital zoom providing a combined zoom capability of over 14x,” (Boyd 2024).

The lens, like the S01, is a lens barrel that pushes out and increases the thickness to 29mm (when on) and also has a built-in lens cover, that retracts and closes when switched off. It also has an auto ISO sensitivity that is between 64-1600 and is automatically set depending on the lighting and portrait mode.  

Above the lens is the self-timer lamp (10 seconds) and AF-assist illuminator. And next to that is the internal flash, that can reach a range of 1 ft. 8 in.-23 ft, and has two settings, auto and off.

At the bottom of the lens on both sides of the lens is the speakers (three holes) and the built-in microphone (one hole).

On top of the camera is the on/off switch.

The Shutter button, which has a shutter speed of 1/2000 second and increases depending on the mode or if shaking or motion is detected to reduce blurring, owing to the built-in motion detector, which is on automatically, but can be switched off.

More interestingly is that the shutter has “Top Continuous Shooting Speed at Full Resolution,” which can take “Up to 5 shots at approx.1 frames per second” (Nikon 2024).

The other two buttons on top of the camera are the Playback button (to see and review pictures and videos) …

And the Shooting mode button (to set it to picture mode and select the mode or setting to take pictures and to set it to video (or movie) mode.

The shooting button can set the camera to Easy auto mode and Auto mode, to let the camera take over, or the user can set it to one of the 16 portrait modes.

Page 33 of the L19 manual

Each mode automatically sets the shutter speed and ISO to get the prefect shot for what it is intended to be used for as well as what the motion detector picks up.

Then there is the Smile mode, which is “The Smart Portrait System” that “combines the functions of several exclusive Nikon technologies including Nikon's innovative smile mode that releases the camera shutter at the moment that your subject smiles, In-Camera Red-Eye Fix which automatically detects and corrects for red eye, D-Lighting which compensates for excessive backlight or insufficient flash in images, and Enhanced Face Priority AF which automatically finds and focuses on up to 12 people's faces within one frame - all to ensure that portraits and group shots will always look their best” (Boyd 2024).

Page 44 of the L19 manual

Lastly is the Movie mode, that is also auto managed and can film up to 20 minutes and 45 seconds. This mode also has three modes, with different recording times.

Page 54 of L19 manual

On the back…

Is the LCD monitor, that can take pictures with 8 Megapixels and has “approx.230k-dot, TFT LCD with 5-level brightness adjustment” according to the manual. The manual also states that the frame coverage is “98 % horizontal and 98 % vertical (Compared to actual picture)” in shooting mode and 100% for both horizontal and vertical in display mode.  It also has a resolution of 230000-dots (Nikon 2024) and “makes it easy to compose shots and play them back anywhere and the high contrast display ensures that it is easily viewable - even in direct sunlight” (Boyd 2024).

The monitor is also used to display different indicators:

Page 6 of the L19 manual

The monitor is also where the images and videos are shown for review (no kidding!). Here the images could also be very lightly edited. It can be cropped, D-lighting can be applied (“It’s a function that works in-camera to balance the shadows and highlights for a more pleasing exposure. It adjusts exposures by varying degrees depending on the situation, with the aim of avoiding blown highlights and lightening shadow areas…” (Amateur Photographer 2024)), reduce the size of the image (to 640X480, 320X240 or 160X120), get ready to print (with AC adapter), start a slide show or delete. But unfortunately none of this can be done to videos (the flash is also disabled). Videos (or movies as the menu insists to call it) can just be watched and reviewed with pause, fast forward, rewind etc.

This is also where the user can go into the Set-up menu and set time, date and other settings. The navigation of this menu is as simple as using a smart phone’s set-up menu.

The monitor also has many indications for the playback system.

Page 7 of the L19 manual

Next to the monitor are an array of buttons…

On top is the electronic zoom buttons, which has several uses then just controlling the zoom function:

Page 5 of the L19 manual

The zoom function works the similar the Coolpix S01.

Page 21 of the L19 manual

It should be noted that there are restrictions to where the zoom function can be used. For instance, optical zoom is disabled in movie mode and digital zoom is disabled when using portrait, night portrait, smile and multi-shot mode!

Underneath the zoom buttons is the flash lamp (flash indicator), the menu (which is used for the light editing in display mode and set-up and in shooting mode it can be used to set the image mode.

Page 71 of the L19 Manual

Underneath that is the Multi-selector, used to navigate the menu, playback, video etc., as well as used to set the timer (left), flash (up), white balance (right), micro mode (down) and the ok button/apply selection button (middle).

Under that is the delete button, which is basically a short cut button to quickly delete images individually.

Under the camera is the tripod socket and the battery chamber and memory card slot.

The camera uses AA batteries to operate and an external SD or SDHC card, although this is optional (and recommended in my opinion) if the user wants to have more memory, because the L19 has an internal storage of 20MB.

Lastly is the side where the eyelet camera strap is found, as well as the pin cover, that, when removed, reveals the cable connector.

This cable connector works with an AC adapter that connects it to a computer to copy the images and videos over. Or at least that is what the AC adapter that comes with the camera is for because it is a USB adapter, but other adapters can be bought to help connect the camera to a printer or even a TV!

Page 56 of the L19 manual

To learn more and read all about its technical ingenuity please see the manual here:

https://cdn-10.nikon-cdn.com/pdf/manuals/coolpix/L20L19EN.pdf

If you want to learn how this camera captures pictures and records videos, please see my Nikon Coolpix S01 compact digital camera post.

As mentioned this camera is great for photographers wanting to get into digital photography, because it is affordable and easy to storage, but it does have some draw backs. One is that because of the motion detection to create less blur during shaky cam, it produces some noise (Image Resource 2009). A second is that it has no Raw image support (Camera Decision 2024), but instead sets all images as Jpeg and AVI format. Third is that it struggles with detail and colours. As Long (2009) writes: “Like its competitors, the L19 is hobbled by a low-quality lens that has trouble rendering fine detail and often produces strange, mottled color. That said, if you’ll mostly be viewing your images on a computer screen or on 4-by-6-inch prints, the L19 will yield good results.”

There are drawbacks and positives to this camera. Basically it is a camera for people who just want to take pictures for vacations and family events. But can be used by professionals who want a certain look for a project or who are looking for a challenge!

But, I, will always recommend and use this camera because, not only is it my first camera, but it is what got me interested in making films and writing. It also can be used for some interesting shots and ideas for experimental films because it has a pretty unique look and as mentioned in my Panasonic/National NV-M5 Camcorder and Olympus OM30 Film Camera posts, if you want a certain nostalgic look, why not consider using the actual camera, instead of just slapping on a filter that at times can look fake and disingenuous.

Thank you for reading and as always I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did researching it.    

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List of sources:

Amateur Photographer. 2024. Master your camera: How to get the best out of Nikon Active D-Lighting. https://amateurphotographer.com/technique/camera_skills/master-your-camera-how-to-get-the-best-out-of-nikon-active-d-lighting/

Boyd. 2024. Nikon Coolpix L19 Digital Camera (Smooth Silver). https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/601940-REG/Nikon_26166_Coolpix_L19_Digital_Camera.html#:~:text=Nikon%20L19%20Overview&text=stylish%20camera%20body.-,The%208.0%20Megapixel%20resolution%20combined%20with%20the%20high%20quality%203.6,over%20the%20camera's%20features%20%26%20functions.

Camera Decision. 2024. Nikon L19 Review. https://cameradecision.com/review/Nikon-Coolpix-L19#:~:text=Launched%20in%20February%202009%2C%20Nikon,1%2D6.7%20lens.

DPreview. 2009. Nikon Coolpix L19 Overview. https://www.dpreview.com/products/nikon/compacts/nikon_cpl19

Image Resource. 2009. Nikon L19 Review. https://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/CPL19/CPL19A.HTM

Nikon. 2024. Coolpix L19. https://en.nikon.ca/p/coolpix-l19/26166/overview#tech-specs

Long, B. 2009. Nikon Coolpix L19. https://www.macworld.com/article/188599/nikon_coolpix_l19.html

Shafer, J. 2009. Nikon Coolpix L20 and L19. http://www.photographyreview.com/reviews/nikon-coolpix-l20-and-l19