Nikon's 2014 AA-powered budget compact — 16.1MP CCD, 26-130mm 5x zoom, 720p video
The Nikon Coolpix L29 was announced in January 2014 as one of the last waves of true budget compacts, arriving as smartphones were absorbing the market it served. It sat at the foot of Nikon's AA-powered L-series, a marginal update in the L26/L27/L28 lineage sold cheaply in several colours.
It couples a 16.1-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD with a 5x Zoom-Nikkor covering a 26-130mm equivalent range, framed on a 2.7-inch LCD. Sensitivity spans ISO 80-1600, video records at 720p/30fps, and files go to SD or SDHC cards. Operation is fully automatic with scene auto selection and modes for portraits, landscapes and sport. Two AA batteries give a rated 200 shots on alkalines, and the 96.4x59.4x28.9mm body weighs about 160g.
The L29 is for absolute simplicity: point, shoot, and replace the batteries anywhere on earth. It suits beginners, children and holiday glovebox duty. With electronic-only shake reduction, a slow lens and a small CCD it wants daylight, and its late-CCD-era files have the colour character that draws current digicam revivalists.
Examples are recent enough that most survive well; check the AA contacts for leakage corrosion all the same, as cheap alkalines left inside are the usual killer. Weak cells cause lens errors, so test the zoom on fresh batteries, confirm 720p video records with sound, and inspect the screen and lens front element for scuffs, since these lived in pockets and glove boxes.