Nikon COOLPIX L20 Digital Camera

I first want to thank my great Uncle Frank, who passed away several years ago, at the age of 93. He worked for Kodak for years, and was so kind to his subordinates, that one of them actually came to his funeral some thirty years after retiring from there. Uncle Frank used to have a camera always at the ready, and I remember wondering how many times he could take a picture. Even after retirement, and lving in Rochester NY, he wouldn't think of buying anything but Kodak. He was truly a company man, and while I've bought several of their products over the years, I have an affinity for anything from Nikon. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is that they are user friendly.

When digital cameras were first sold at a price that I could afford, I wasn't too eager to buy them.  It had nothing to do with disliking technology, although I do have nostalgic memories of my first camera. It was one of those skinny ones, with an enormous flashbulb on top, that had to be replaced after fifteen pictures or so. Over the years I had several models that could now easily be laughed at, because they really were dinosaurs compared to what is available now in the most basic of models. I remember thinking why would I want digital, when I can go buy a roll of film for next to nothing? It was so easy to just place the canister in a camera, and let it do all of the work, and then print them out at my local grocery store.

This primitive thinking has thankfully been replaced by my more modern outlook, and I've had several digital cameras now. Sadly, one recently was retired unceremoniously. I had a Nikon L10 for a couple of years, that was recently dropped by an employee at Nationals Stadium, and I loved that camera dearly. Guess that's what you get for asking a young college kid to take your picture with the "shocker gesture" in front of the outfield. After several days of comparison shopping, I decided that I would stick with Nikon due to my luck with them, and for the reason that they had one at an affordable price. The L20 was on sale at a local shop for $119.00, and after buying it, I can say that I've enjoyed using it.

The red color seemed a bit much at first, but my initial apprehension of this has gone away. You can't lose this camera, as it really does stand out. Its a masculine red, that would look fine on a car as well, and this is one attractive camera all the way around. The small flash is on the upper right hand corner of the front side, and the retractable lens in directly in the right center area. There's a ridge on the left side where it says "Nikon Coolpix" , and the viewfinder is a small circle just above the lens area. It looks very sleek, and I love the huge screen on the back. This takes up a large part of this side, but along the back right hand side you have the zooming controls, picture mode selection button, and are able to access the menu and/or delete a picture immediately.(And why did I like film canisters?)

The top part of the camera is silver, with the words Coolpix L20,and here's where the On/Off  and shoot button are. My major complaint is the on/off button, which is very small, so it can be a bit of a chore to press. If you have poor hands, or arthritic fingers, this could cause some issues for you. Yet this also does serve a dual purpose, by keeping your battery power at a maximum, by not allowing accidental powerings. Just below these buttons is the shooting mode and playback buttons. These are easy to use, and allow you to access several features in a matter of seconds. The ergonomics of this model are awesome, as you can easily grab the entire camera in the palm of your hand. Its incredibly simple to hold on to, and this along with the included strap will prevent any accidental drops. While I'm not planning on testing it in rough fashion, the materials used are more than durable, and I think its a bit lighter and tougher than the L10 that I had before.

This is not going to be a camera for experts in the field, but I like it due to its simplicity. There's an Easy Auto Mode, where the camera itself finds the right setting for your picture. I haven't had any issues with this at all, with the exception of fast moving objects. If you are taking a basic picture of someone standing, or of a large tree, this option will suit your needs. For a car race, or to get that quick shot of a passing B2 dropping a nuclear device, toggle through the Shot Selection Mode. This is the second option in the menu, and I'd recommend using "Sports" here. You can use this mode to pick Portrait, Landscape, Night Portrait, Party/Indoor, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Dusk/Dawn, Night Landscape, Close Up, Food, Museum, Fireworks, Backlight, and Panaroma Assist. These can help you take incredible pictures if on the appropriate setting, and it can take awhile to get used to these. For instance, if you take a picture for portrait during a high speed event, expect a lot of blurry images. As long as its on the proper setting, for the most part you can expect clear, crisp pictures.

I've used this camera at a lot of different events so far, and have had only several blurry pictures. These for the most part have been due to my mistakes, and in no way can be blamed on the camera. The Easy Auto Mode for the most part will work fine, but switch to the appropriate menu selection when at sports/fast moving events. This allows the camera to work at the proper shot speed, and will make you a lot happier. If you want to take pictures of yourself, be sure to use the self timer, and there's also a smile mode. No more pictures of grumpy people! You can also take video, with a maximum time depending on your memory card. I've only used it a couple of times, as I have a traditional handheld video camera that I like better, but this is fine when you want to get a quick clip of something.

Do you hate spending a lot of money on batteries? I do, and that's why I love using AA's instead of those pricey lithium ones that can cost an arm, leg, and a couple of toes. You can easily get two hundred plus shots with generic AA's, which is more than impressive enough. Plus, you don't have to worry about finding some hard to find battery when out in a rural area, as everyone carries AA's. The video mode drains batteries fairly quickly, and for that type of usage, I'd probably go with a higher end set of AA's instead. If you use this camera to look through all of your pictures, expect a long life with one set of them, as you can use it for hours looking at pictures on memory cards, and deciding whether to keep them or delete them. A SD card can be placed where the batteries are, and in just snaps into place without any trouble.

Do you have issues with transferring images to your computer? I have the guts to admit this has been a problem for me. This has got to be the easiest camera to this with, as all you have to do is attach the connecting wires from your camera to a computer, and its pretty much a one step process. This is due to the Nikon Suite disc that's included, and the software is very user friendly. All you have to do is hit transfer, and the images are loaded onto your computer, and you can decide to place them on your hard drive, CD, or put them online at a photographic website. The installation process was easy as well, although it does take a fair amount of time to load it up initially, so be patient. Once its in, you are good to go, and I've found it a great way to store pictures and put them onto my facebook page.

I am very thankful to Nikon, for producing such a user friendly device, that has such wonderful capabilities.  The 10 megapixel pictures look fantastic, and a lot of my family members and friends have been happy how they've turned out. The 3.0 inch LCD screen has allowed my poor eyes to not be overwhelmed while looking at pictures for keeping or deleting purposes, and the easy to use features have stopped a lot of headaches. I really love this camera, and am amazed by how fast it is in every regard, and how it has made me a better photographer. While I won't be delivering any of my work for National Georgraphic, this has allowed me to add some great pictures of my family members into albums. Life is a book of memories, and thanks to the L20, I can have many to cherish for years to come. Thank you Uncle Frank...sorry its not a Kodak, but I'm in love with Nikon.