Jessops Exclusive

Nikon’s compact line-up falls into three categories – Life (L), Style (S) and Performance (P) – with the L6 as the entry-level point-and-shoot Jessops’ exclusive.

Features

A 6mp sensor and 3x zoom are fine for 5x7in prints, with 15 scene modes covering all situations. The auto-ISO extends to 800 and face priority AF makes a welcome appearance and 23Mb of internal memory is enough to store 15 6mp files.

The L6 comes in a slim silver plastic shell, with a slightly bulbous right side ‘grip’ providing a comfortable handhold. There’s no Viewfinder:, but the 2.5in LCD is bright (if a little lacking in resolution). Menus have a choice of text or icons.

Performance

A two-second start-up won’t win speed records, and the whining zoom irritates. Focusing is accurate, images are quickly stored and the included Energiser Lithium cells last for ages.

Image Quality

Vibrant colours and an accurate white balance are let down by noise – or more specifically, heavy-handed noise reduction. Even in a 5x7in print, fine detail can ‘melt away’ into a flat colour patch and isn’t helped by shutter speeds that are often so slow they induce camera shake.

Value For Money

Someone, somewhere is having a laugh. £299.99 for a plastic-bodied, 6MP point-and-shoot compact with a 3x zoom? Forget it.