Nikon Coolpix P90

	Color
	Product Tour	Page 3 of 16	Noise

Color Accuracy (12.94)

The first of our panoply of tests looks at how accurately the camera records color. At 3000 lux illumination the Nikon was very accurate, though oddly its best mode was called "Softer" rather than the default Normal. For this test, we shoot the X-Rite ColorChecker chart with each camera, and then use Imatest software to compare the captured colors versus their known values. Click here for more on how we test color

The table below shows the colors captured by each of our recently reviewed ultrazoom cameras in their most accurate modes, compared to the ideal value shown in the leftmost column. The P90 had very accurate browns and greens, but had some trouble with pinks and blues.

	Camera Color Comparisons
	Ideal	Nikon P90	Canon SX1	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony HX1
Dark Skin
Light Skin
Blue Sky
	Ideal	Nikon P90	Canon SX1	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony HX1
Foliage
Blue Flower
Bluish Green
	Ideal	Nikon P90	Canon SX1	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony HX1
Orange
Purplish Blue
Moderate Red
	Ideal	Nikon P90	Canon SX1	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony HX1
Purple
Yellow Green
Orange Yellow
	Ideal	Nikon P90	Canon SX1	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony HX1
Blue
Green
Red
	Ideal	Nikon P90	Canon SX1	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony HX1
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan

NOTE: Because of the way computer monitors reproduce colors, the images above do not exactly match the originals found on the chart or in the captured images. The chart should be used to judge the relative color shift, not the absolute captured colors.

Color Score Comparisons
		Compare to Canon SX1
		Compare to Olympus SP-590UZ
		Compare to Sony HX1

The Nikon handled itself well in this section, scoring a bit below the Canon, but on par with the Olympus and better than the Sony.

Color Modes (4.00)

The Coolpix P90 offers a fair few color modes. In addition to the above-mentioned Softer mode, there's also Normal, Portrait, Vivid and More Vivid (for when you want crazy over-saturated and bright colors). 

Canon SX1	Olympus SP-590UZ	Sony HX1
See how the competition stacked up against the Nikon P90