Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

Jul 16, 2004 - By Nathaniel Hansen
The Nikon Coolpix 3700 is a compact, lightweight digital camera with a 3.2 megapixel imager and a 5.4-16.2mm 3x optical zoom lens. The dual brushed and matte metal finish adds to the streamlined design, and the reflective metal accents not only add to the look and feel, but help users get a better handle on the camera. Style aside, the Nikon Coolpix 3700 is poised to make those in front of the lens, as well as those behind, look good; but only as long as you’re in automatic mode. There are few actual manual features that can be manipulated on the Nikon Coolpix 3700. Point-and-shoot consumers may rejoice, even at US$399, but digital camera enthusiasts who want real manual control on a small camera should perhaps keep shopping.
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Front (8.0)
The front of the Nikon Coolpix 3700 is home to the lens, situated on the bottom left (bottom right, if you look directly at the front) of the front side. Above the lens are two small circles, the smaller one being the multi-function LED, and next to it the viewfinder window. The one-inch rectangular flash is in the center of the Nikon Coolpix 3700, with the three-hole microphone off to the left (right, when looking at the front). The front is designed with a brushed metal façade, with reflective metal surrounding the lens and the grip on the far right side. The façade arcs below the flash, offering a little more aesthetic appeal. In the center of the camera are the names of the manufacturer and model.  

Back

Back (7.5)
The back of the Nikon Coolpix 3700 is the nerve center, where 90 percent of the camera’s function is controlled via buttons, joysticks, and mode dials. The viewfinder is on the top of the back, on the left side. Next to the viewfinder, further to the left but within the same black housing, are the autofocus and flash LEDs. On the right side of the viewfinder area, users can use the LCD (called the “monitor” in the Nikon manual) on-off switch. This button is handy, as it can help preserve battery life without shutting the camera down.

 

Directly below the viewfinder and LEDs is the 1.5-inch 134K LCD screen. The LCD juts out from the rest of the back of the Nikon Coolpix 3700, which helps to keep fingers off the screen. To the immediate right of the LCD are the bulk of the controls, including (beginning at the top) the multi selector/joystick, the delete and menu buttons, and the mode dial on the bottom.

On the top of the right side, on the back, users can access the wide angle and telephoto zoom buttons. These also serve as index and magnify buttons in playback mode. A small grip area of raised bumps sits below the zoom buttons, presumably for the thumb.

Left Side (8.0)
There are no features on the left side of the Nikon Coolpix 3700, making it easy to hold without getting in the way of crucial controls.

Right Side (8.0)
The wrist strap attachment mount is at the top of the right side. The words “Card/Batt.” are engraved below the strap mount. Further down is a square of raised bumps and an arrow pointing downward. These are the instructions for opening the battery and SD card port cover. To the left of the raised bumps, a second port cover can be opened, revealing A/V and USB terminals. At the very bottom of the right side, a third, smaller port cover can be opened when the battery/SD card cover is open, so that the external DC power source cord can be withdrawn from the camera.

Top (7.5)
The on-off switch surrounds the shutter button in a circular combination interface that resides on the top of the Nikon Coolpix 3700. A small LED to the left of the switch indicates when the camera is on. There is also a six-hole speaker in the middle of the top, towards the back of the camera.

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