Nikon Coolpix 8400: A Wide Angle Solution

Color Reproduction

For all of our color tests, we reset the Coolpix 8400 to its factory default settings. It was then set to record using the highest image quality option (JPEG). All images are in sRGB color space.

We took a picture of our color chart using each of the following WB settings: Auto, Incandescent, and Manual. Click on a thumbnail below to view the full-size image.

Incandescent WB

Auto WB	Incandescent WB	Manual WB
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Reference Chart ("actual colors")

Auto WB	Incandescent WB	Manual WB

When set to Auto WB in tungsten lighting, we were not surprised to see that the Coolpix 8400 produces a slight yellowish-orange color cast on the color chart. However, we should mention that the 8400 is a bit more accurate than most digicams with Auto WB. When we set the camera to Incandescent WB, the chart is noticeably more accurate. However, we still detected a bit of a yellowish cast. With Manual WB, the color reproduction was extremely accurate.

Daylight WB

Auto WB	Daylight WB	Manual WB
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Reference Chart ("actual colors")

Auto WB	Daylight WB	Manual WB

In daylight, the Coolpix 8400 put in a very impressive performance. With all three WB settings, the camera produced bright and very accurate color charts.

Studio Shot

In this shot, we tested the camera's ability to reproduce colors in our studio shot using different WB settings.

Auto WB	Tungsten WB	Manual WB
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In our studio shot samples, the Auto WB setting actually produced slightly more accurate colors than the Tungsten WB setting, although both have a slight yellowish-orange cast. The Manual WB setting produced very accurate colors.

Built-in Flash

For the flash test, we set the camera to Auto mode w/Auto flash. The picture was taken from 5 feet away.

Click to enlarge.

The 8400 proved capable of producing very accurate colors in our flash test. We found no sign of a color cast in this sample. The color saturation is fairly conservative right out of the camera.