I'm a semi-professional photographer who's been using Nikon cameras and products for several years with zero complaints. I purchased this camera to have something more portable for snapshots of friends and family. My faith in Nikon was misplaced and I've found myself sorely wishing that I had gone to a brick and mortar store to test-drive a few small cameras. I admit that it's quite possible that I'm jaded and spoiled after having shot with a D200 and D700 for years, but the picture quality of this camera is incredibly dismal, the build quality is so-so, and the speed of operation is also incredibly disappointing.
If you like to use a flash a lot and aren't really concerned about the quality of your pictures, this camera might be acceptable to you. But if you are somewhat technically savvy when it comes to cameras, you should be aware that the 12 megapixels and ISO 6400 capability do NOT translate into even marginally acceptable picture quality. The sensor in this camera is really from the bottom of the barrel, and after having used it for awhile, I was very disheartened to discover that my iphone actually takes better quality pictures than this camera. Additionally, start-up is surprisingly slow, auto-focus is only quick in really bright light and I've had a few problems transferring files from the camera to my computer (issues with both speed and glitches).
On the bright side, the video quality, although limited by the poor sensor quality is not half-bad. Although I have occasionally had issues with the sound quality (choppy sound sometimes occurs when recording movies).
My advice is to shop around before purchasing this camera. I paid $200 for mine two months ago, and in spite of trying to like and use the camera, I've regretted it ever since.
Date:
2010-04-20 - 08:45:18
Author:
Steve
Rating:
Great Point and Shoot
This camera can power on and take a picture in 1 second, but if you don't take it right away you have to wait about 5 seconds. I'm happy with the camera's portability and quality, but would like it to take pictures in faster intervals (about 1-2 seconds between shots).
Date:
2010-05-10 - 09:29:10
Author:
Braun333
Rating:
Some example shots
I just picked up the new Nikon S640 for my finance.
This is a Macro test:
