Excellent image quality

WHY NIKON COOLPIX

I bought a second hand Coolpix 700 a couple of years ago based on many hours of browsing reviews. I had only one problem with the flash circuit but Nikon fixed it for me. I upgraded to the Coolpix 800 because my old 700 did not have a zoom. This camera is relatively low priced and at 2.1 MegaPixels it is perfect for beginners (the Auto mode does it all) and for the more experienced users (allows basic ISO adjustments). Their focusing system is excellent, the lens produces distortion free images, colors are very natural. The macro mode produces beautiful close-ups. The camera is easy to handle and fits well in one's hand. Nikon does not recommend using Flash Cards above 64Mb, I used 80Mb cards with no problems. Overall, a great camera.

PROS

Traditional point and shoot shape. It is probably strange to list this here, but statistics show that people are more attracted to the traditional, proven over the years shape of a traditional camera. On the psychological side of things, it feels like you are using a serious piece of equipment and not just another gizmo.

Nikkor lens. The 800 is equipped with a 2x Zoom-Nikkor lens with a 35mm equivalent of 38-76mm. The Nikkor lens are famous for their sharpness and focusing system. Few people realize that a digital camera is still a camera and is as good as the lens it is equipped with.

Best metering system. The Nikon Coolpix cameras are some of very few digital cameras equipped with a 256 point matrix metering system. What that means in plain English is that the software analyzes 256 pieces from different spots of your image to decide on the exposure parameters. Camera can be easily set up to operate in the more classic centre-weighted and spot modes.

Excellent mode dial design. The 800 uses a mode dial present on many cameras today. Although it is ergonomically designed and protrudes, it rotates in the same axis as the body when the camera is turned off, preventing accidentally turning on the camera when slipped into the case.

Coolpix 950 on a budget. It has most of the characteristics of the award winning Coolpix 950 and although it has less features and it looks different, it is based on the same systems and mechanisms so it produces the same high quality images at a lower price.

Simple to operate. The Coolpix 800 is much simpler to operate than it's high-profile sibling, the 950. Menus are clear, the automatic mode can do it all for you, it's a classic point-and-shoot.

Amazing macro mode. By the push of a button (no adjustments, no lens attachments), the camera enters the macro mode, in which one can shoot as close as 2.8in.

LCD can be seen in sunlight. One of the few digital camera LCDs out there that are designed to to be operated in low temperatures and are also highly visible in sunlight.

Viewfinder. You might think this is something obvious but some cameras don't have it. A viewfinder saves battery life, since you can turn the LCD off.

Power user settings. In manual mode the camera allows one to adjust many parameters:
White balance
Metering
Multi-Shot mode
Sensitivity
etc.

MultiShot mode. In manual mode you can take a sequence of pictures.

Reliable shutter. The shutter is a combination of a classical mechanical system and a charge-coupled electronic. As for specs, the shutter speeds are 8 to 1/750 s.

Takes AA batteries.

CONS

The auto-off feature is annoying.

Low battery life - but much higher compared to other cameras.

The Flash Card door is underneath the camera which makes it difficult to remove it while using a tripod.

No USB port