Nikon Coolpix A10

The Coolpix A10 is a fixed-lens compact from Nikon, released in 2016. It measures 96 x 59 x 29 mm and weighs 160 g, so it slips into a jacket pocket or a small bag and stays there until you need it.

Photography here is deliberately simple. A 16-megapixel CCD sensor sits behind a fixed lens, so there is nothing to swap or adjust beyond the camera's own settings.

It runs on two AA batteries instead of a rechargeable pack. That suits a camera kept in a drawer or handed around at family gatherings, since carrying spare cells is straightforward.

The 16-megapixel CCD sensor produces files with enough resolution for everyday prints and online sharing. The 1/2.3-inch format helps keep the body this small, and the fixed lens means the camera is always ready with no lens choices to make.

Sensitivity runs from ISO 80 to 1600. The base setting suits bright daylight, while the ceiling limits how far you can push exposure as light fades, so the built-in flash is useful indoors.

Focusing and drive speed are the real constraints. A single autofocus point means you place that point on your subject and recompose, and the 1.2 fps burst rate is essentially single-frame shooting, so fast action and running children are hard to catch.

Image stabilisation is built in, which reduces the blur caused by your own hand movement at slower shutter speeds, though it does nothing for a moving subject. With no viewfinder you compose on the LCD, and the 1/2000s maximum shutter speed gives plenty of headroom in bright conditions.

The A10 records Standard HD video in MOV format, with a maximum frame rate of 30 fps. That resolution is fine for casual clips shared by message or on social platforms, but it sits below Full HD, so it is less suited to viewing on a large screen.

The 30 fps frame rate gives natural motion for everyday scenes. There is no built-in timelapse mode, so time-compressed sequences are not something the camera creates by itself.

Framing happens on the LCD in live view, with touch input available for menus and playback. Clips are stored as MOV files, and with no viewfinder the screen is the only way to frame while recording.

Framing and review happen on a 2.7-inch LCD with 230,000 dots. It is small and modest in resolution, adequate for composing a shot and checking settings, though fine focus detail is hard to judge on it.

Touch input is present, so menus and playback can be operated by tapping the screen. The screen does not flip or tilt, so awkward angles mean moving yourself instead of the display.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both built in. There is no GPS, so location data is not recorded with your images.

The built-in flash helps with close indoor shots, but there is no option to attach an external flash and no weather sealing, so keep the camera out of rain and dust.

Photos go onto a single SD, SDHC or SDXC card, and there is no second slot inside the camera, so one card at a time is the limit.

The camera is rated at 400 shots from two AA batteries. That number is a rating without stated test conditions, so treat it as a guide rather than a guarantee of what a day out will deliver.

Because the power source is AA cells, there is no USB charging and no proprietary charger to keep track of. When the cells run flat, refreshing the camera is a matter of fitting new batteries rather than waiting for a recharge.