Telephoto flagship camera NIKON COOLPIX 8800
A review and photo examples of the NIKON COOLPIX 8800 (E8800) fixed lens digital camera.
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Table of contents
Gallery
Review
1．Overview
The COOLPIX 8800 is a Nikon integrated lens digital camera released in 2003. It is the flagship telephoto camera in the COOLPIX series, which does not have a COOLPIX model number prefix. As shown in the specifications below, the flagship model, the COOLPIX 8400, prioritizes wide-angle shooting.
These cameras are respectable old compact digital cameras, having been released over 20 years ago.
The image sensor has 8 megapixels, a 4:3 aspect ratio, and a maximum resolution of 4032 x 3024. With 4000 pixels horizontally, the resolution and image quality feel sufficient.
The lens has a 10x zoom focal length, covering the wide-angle end from 35mm to 350mm.
Using the dedicated wide-angle converter WM-E80 (0.8x), the focal length is limited to 28-85mm, but the wide-angle focal length is expanded.
The viewfinder is an EVF with a resolution of 240,000 dots.
The batteries used are EN-EL7 and EN-EL7e.
When using the vertical grip: MB-CP11, it can be powered by six AA batteries.
2．Usability
The COOLPIX 8800’s startup time is not fast; it feels like it takes a few seconds, but the startup wait time varies depending on the CompactFlash card. I usually use the SUNDISK Extreme III, which has the fastest startup time of all the CompactFlash cards I own. If I use a suspicious, no-name CompactFlash card, the wait time before the camera is ready to use is even longer.
I use the vari-angle LCD or EVF for shooting, but neither is particularly high-resolution, so while I can check the composition, it makes it difficult to precisely check the focus of small subjects.
I rely on the small sensor for a deep depth of field.
I own the COOLPIX 8400, a wide-angle zoom camera that appears to have the same EVF, but the EVF on the COOLPIX 8800 looks better than that one, so I feel the EVF on the COOLPIX 8400 is a problem.
When shooting in Raw format, the image size is 13MB and the image recording time is 20 seconds. The display blackout clears after about 10 seconds of recording, allowing you to begin the next shot. However, AF response and button responsiveness can be poor at this time, so it’s best to wait until the 20-second recording is finished before operating the camera. With JPEG-Extra, the image size is 4MB and the recording time is 3 seconds, allowing for a smooth shooting pace. This is roughly the same as the COOLPIX 8400.
ISO 50 is the base sensitivity, with a maximum of around ISO 400. Noise is relatively unnoticeable in bright conditions such as sunlight, but becomes more noticeable as the light level drops. Since the noise isn’t particularly unpleasant, and camera shake can be reduced with VR, this camera is suitable for use in relatively low-light conditions.
As for the shooting results, barrel distortion is noticeable at the wide-angle end depending on the subject distance. At the telephoto end, at 350mm, distortion is hardly a concern, as I rarely shoot linear subjects.
Regarding distortion, I was unable to enable distortion correction for images taken with this camera using NX Studio Ver. 1.8.0, provided by Nikon.
Affinity Photo2, which I personally use on a regular basis, is paid software, but it has a correction profile for the COOLPIX 8800, so if you turn the distortion correction function on, it will automatically correct distortion from the EXIF information.
In the image below, the left is with distortion correction off and the right is with distortion correction on.
The COOLPIX 8800’s weak point is its battery. The dedicated EN-EL7 and EN-EL7e batteries (with charge capacity indicators) were only used in this camera and the COOLPIX 8400, and Nikon has already discontinued them. Because so few cameras use them, compatible batteries are no longer available on the market, making them difficult to obtain. I bought a new battery at an auction, but it was over-discharged and would no longer charge, making the battery a real pain.
The recording media is CompactFlash (CF), and image storage is available in Raw and JPEG formats. There are eight JPEG storage qualities, but I’ve tested it with a 4GB CF card. With a 4GB CF card, you can take just under 300 shots in Raw (NEF) format, so JPEG storage at the highest quality should be fine.
The camera also recognizes 16GB CF cards, so you don’t have to worry much about storage media.
3．Summary
In conclusion, to sum up the COOLPIX 8800 is one of the ultimate integrated lens digital cameras from the early 2000s, with a wide range of options available, and if you buy everything, it will cost quite a bit of money. It seems to have been a popular camera, and used ones still appear to be reasonably cheap. If you play around with it without excessive expectations, it will give you a good idea of the capabilities of digital cameras from the 2000s.
Specifications, considerations, etc.
This camera comes with many specialized options, including the HN-CP14 lens hood, two adapter rings for attaching teleconverters and wide-angle lenses, and fisheye, wide-angle, and teleconverter lenses. Since the camera is no longer on sale, finding them secondhand is difficult.
To attach the adapter ring, an attachment is required that screws into the approximately 54mm thread on the front of the camera and a special thread diameter. The flower-shaped hood also requires a 54mm to 67mm conversion adapter.
This optional attachment has a special 54mm thread diameter, and the WC-E80 wide-angle converter (0.8x) adapter for attaching the hood, listed in the table below, is only compatible with this camera.
Because the WC-E80 screws into the front of the E8800 lens, attaching it requires removing the hood adapter, making the dedicated hood unusable. When the WC-E80 is attached and the camera’s wide-angle converter option is checked, the focal length is limited to 28mm-85mm. This converter is designed to extend the focal length with a single lens, but image correction is insufficient, resulting in significant distortion around the edges of the image at 28mm.
In the image below, the left is 28mm with a wide converter attached, and the right is 35mm.
The adapter for attaching the lens hood doubles as a 54mm to 67mm adapter, allowing you to attach 67mm diameter lens protection filters, ND filters, and other accessories. Since this adapter is almost standard equipment, I wish the front of the lens had been designed with a 67mm thread from the start. The use of options on integrated lens-type digital cameras these days is often puzzling.
The teleconverter and fisheye converter FC-E9 (0.2x) and teleconverter TC-E17ED (1.7x) are compatible with several cameras, but to attach them to the E8800, dedicated adapters, the UR-E18 (for the FC-E9) and UR-E17 (for the TC-E17ED), are required.
In this case, the hood and adapter ring came with a used camera, so I was able to obtain them without any trouble.
Nikon’s optional parts for compact digital cameras tend to be more general-purpose than those of other manufacturers, but the need to purchase an adapter to connect them to cameras with retractable lenses is a hassle. Although adapters have a low list price, most are no longer on sale, so if you search for them second-hand, they can sometimes command a premium price.
Nikon continues to sell cameras with integrated high-magnification zoom lenses that emphasize the telephoto end.
- 2008: COOLPIX P80 18x zoom (35mm equivalent: 27-486mm)
- 2009: COOLPIX P90 24x zoom (35mm equivalent: 26-624mm)
- 2010: COOLPIX P100 26x zoom (35mm equivalent: 26-678mm)
- 2011: COOLPIX P500 36x zoom (35mm equivalent: 22.5-810mm)
- 2012: COOLPIX P510 42x zoom (35mm equivalent: 24-1000mm)
- 2013: COOLPIX P520 42x zoom (35mm equivalent: 24-1000mm)
- 2014: COOLPIX P600 60x zoom (35mm equivalent: 24-1440mm)
- 2015: COOLPIX P610 60x zoom (35mm equivalent: 24-1440mm)
- 2015: COOLPIX P900 83x zoom (35mm equivalent: 24-2000mm)
- 2018: COOLPIX P1000 125x zoom (35mm equivalent: 24-3000mm)
- 2025: COOLPIX P1100 125x zoom (35mm equivalent: 24-3000mm)
| Items | COOLPIX 8800 | COOLPIX 8700 | COOLPIX 8400 |
| Camera effective pixels | 8 megapixels | 8 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Focal length | 10x Zoom Nikkor lens, f=8.9-89mm (equivalent to 35-350mm in 35mm format), F2.8-F5.2, 2 ED lenses used | 8x Zoom Nikkor lens, f=8.9-71.2mm (35mm equivalent: 35-280mm), F2.8-F4.2 | 3x Zoom Nikkor Lens f3.5x Zoom Nikkor lens, f=6.1-21.6mm (equivalent to 24-85mm in 35mm), F2.6-F4.9, 2 ED lenses used |
| Lens Construction | 16 elements in 10 groups | 14 elements in 10 groups | 10 elements in 7 groups |
| Leaf blade | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Image sensor | 2/3-inch CCD | 2/3-inch CCD | 2/3-inch CCD |
| Max ISO | 400 | 400 | 400 |
| Back LCD | 1.8-inch, 134,000 pixels | 1.8-inch, 134,000 pixels | 1.8-inch, 134,000 pixels |
| View Finder | EVF, 0.44 type, 235,000 pixels | EVF, 0.44 type, 235,000 pixels | EVF, 0.44 type, 235,000 pixels |
| Battery | EN-EL7、EN-EL7e | EN-EL1 | EN-EL7、EN-EL7e |
| Recorded Media | Compact Flash | Compact Flash | Compact Flash |
| Size(mm) W x H x D | 116 × 85 × 121 | 113 × 105 × 78 | 116 × 85 × 121 |
| Weight(g)(only body) | 600 | 480 | 400 |
| Release date | November 12, 2004 | February 14, 2004 | October 1, 2004 |
| Price(Yen/No-tax) | Open price (around 130,000 yen) | Open price (around 130,000 yen) | Open price (around 110,000 yen) |
Options
- Battery Grip: MB-CP11
- Fisheye Converter: FC-E9 (0.2x) ¥45,000 (excluding tax)
- Wide Converter: WM-E80 (0.8x) ¥12,000 (excluding tax)
- Teleconverter: TC-E17ED (1.7x) ¥60,000 (excluding tax)
- Lens Hood HN-CP14 ¥5,000 (excluding tax)
- Adapter Ring UR-E17 (for TC-E17ED) ¥3,000 (excluding tax)
- Adapter Ring UR-E18 (for FC-E9) ¥2,500 (excluding tax)
- PC Connection Kit
| Fisheye FC-E9 | Wide-angle Converter WM-E80 | Telephoto Converter TC-E17ED | |
| Lens Construction | 5 elements in 4 groups | 1 group 1 element | 5 elements in 3 groups |
| Converter Magnification | 0.2x | 0.8x 28mm | 1.7x Max 600mm |
| Composite aperture | same | F2.8 | F5.2 |
| Size | ? | 75 x 29.5 | 88 × 85.5 |
| Mounting Diameter | 28mm | – | – |
| Filter size | – | – | – |
| Weight(g) | 205 | 150 | 635 |
| Compatible camera connection adapter | COOLPIX8800：UR-E18 COOLPIX8400：UR-E16 COOLPIX8700：UR-E12 | COOLPIX8800 | COOLPIX8800：UR-E17 COOLPIX8700：UR-E19 COOLPIX5700：UR-E19 |
| Price(Yen/No-tax) | ¥45,000 | ¥12,000 | ¥60,000 |
Reference links
- COOLPIX 8800・Official page
- COOLPIX 8400・Official page
- Nikkor Thousand and One Nights: Night 24 Converter Lens for COOLPIX 4300
- A quick look at low magnification binoculars
- TC-E17ED・Manual PDF
- FC-E9・Manual PDF
Affiliate links
Update history
- 2025.8.14
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