Model Design / Appearance (7.0)
The P1 looks just like every other Nikon Coolpix digital camera: compact and plain. Sure, it has a few flourishes here and there, but it’s still a very traditional looking digital camera overall. The Nikon P1 is a point-and-shoot model with its compact measurements and is designed for the beginning to intermediate user who wants a simple interface and the convenience of wireless transfer and printing, and marketing towards simple ease-of-use and convenience is not the same as marketing towards the fashion-conscious. The Nikon Coolpix P1 isn’t especially gorgeous but it is not the homeliest of models either. Its plain appearance certainly belies the P1’s wireless capability.
Size / Portability (6.5)
The Nikon Coolpix P1 measures a compact 3.6 x 2.4 x 1.5 inches and weighs 6 ounces without the card and battery. An eyelet and a wrist strap aid in this model’s portability, but its main strength is still its small size. It is just a bit too thick to stash in a pants pocket, but could fit in a coat pocket very easily. The P1 is designed to be very portable to complement the wireless capability, which attracts a more convenience-oriented audience.
Handling Ability (7.0)
The Nikon P1 has some ergonomic surfaces on it that allow for better handling. The body is compact and mostly rectangular, but a few divots and lumps go a long way. The biggest feature is the right-hand grip, of course. The front of the grip has a distinctive lip with an edge that isn’t sharp but still provides enough edge to hang on to. On the back of the camera, there is a divot around the zoom toggle. This lets users’ thumbs rest comfortably above the toggle when not using it. The handling is quite smooth and is streamlined by these ergonomic features.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (5.0)
The buttons on the Nikon Coolpix P1 are adequately sized despite the P1’s overall small frame. The zoom toggle is a single panel that rocks between the ‘W’ on the left and the ‘T’ on the right. It is just barely smaller than the width of a thumb, but is still big enough and stiff enough to provide a good medium to control the hyperactive zoom lens. The other circular buttons on the back are properly sized and spaced. The mode dial, located atop the P1, has part of it hanging over the back edge. This allows users’ thumbs to grip the ribbed dial and turn it. All of the buttons are clearly labeled and laid out in an organized manner.
My only concern is with the multi-selector. Its central button is surrounded by a single donut-shaped button that can be pushed in four directions. This ring can easily be pushed in two directions at once and cause a bit of camera chaos.
Menu (7.0)
The menus on the Coolpix P1 can be displayed in text or icons, depending on the user’s preference and selection in the setup menu. The text view is much easier to decipher. The icon view does put all options on a single screen, but it puts each option in a tiny tile. Not all of the icons are completely intuitive, but the text title appears at the top of the screen to help. The menu backgrounds are gray and the selected option is highlighted in gold.
There is a designated Menu button as well as a designated Setup position on the mode dial. The setup menu appears automatically when selected on the dial. The following options are 
available: Menus, Welcome Screen, Date, Monitor Settings, Date Imprint, Shot Confirmation, AF Assist, Sound Settings, Auto Off, Format Card, Language, Interface, Auto Transfer, Reset All, and Firmware Version.
When the Menu button is pushed in the Auto mode, a message appears: “Warning!! No menu in auto mode. Please use another mode.” When the button is pressed in the programmed and aperture priority modes, the following options are available: Image Quality, Image Size, AF Area Mode, Auto-focus Mode, Fixed Aperture, Noise Reduction, Reset, and User Setting.
The movie mode menu is not long with its Movie Options, Auto Focus Mode, and Electronic Vibration Reduction selections.
The scene mode menu is always in the icon format even when the preferences within setup are selected to text. A little blue triangle in the corner of each tile shows which scene modes have special effects. The effects are generically labeled “Effect 1,” “Effect 2,” and so on. Fortunately, there is a help guide available when the ‘T’ end of the zoom toggle is pushed. It explains all of the scene modes and menu options on the P1. For example, Effect 2 in the Night Landscape mode has the following insight: “Halos form around street lights and other point light sources.” (That is much more descriptive than “Effect 2.”)
The playback menu has these options: List by Date, D-Lighting, Print Set, Slide Show, Delete, Protect, Transfer Marking, Hide Image, Small Pic., and Copy.
Ease of Use (6.75)
The Coolpix P1 is quite easy to use for the most part. The auto mode is simple to find and makes photography very easy. The P1 handles well with its ergonomic and compact body. Its control buttons are adequately sized and spaced. Navigation can be a little tricky with the single-paneled multi-selector, but a gentle touch keeps the camera moving in the right direction. The menus can be displayed as text or icons. The icon view puts all the options on one page, which is nice. However, it is so busy to look at that users will more likely opt for the text view. The ‘T’/ telephoto end of the zoom toggle also doubles as a Help button and has explanations for menu options and scene modes and such; this will be very helpful for beginners trying to decipher some of the menu’s lesser known icons.
But let this be known: while the camera itself is easy to use, the wireless setup process is not. It is anything but. Users need to know their SSID, wireless password, the type of password, and the type of wireless environment. Needless to say, I was digging in my filing cabinet of Internet bills to find the one I’d scratched all that info on. So if you’ve purchased this camera as a gift for your technologically challenged grandma, do her a favor and set up the wireless for her. After the initial setup, the Nikon Coolpix P1 is easy to use—but only after.
