Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsWorst point and shoot ever!
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2013
I have had several Nikon point and shoots over the years, in addition to my DSLR and lenses. I like to have a point and shoot in my pocket a lot of the time, they're small and easy to carry. Previous Nikon pocket cameras have done a great job, and often getting better results than my D70s DSLR. And, let me add I always bought the Nikon model at the low end $100-$150 price range, not the higher priced models.
This camera is HORRIBLE. First and foremost, the focus is dreadful. I just used it for a weekend in Telluride and had to discard at least half of my photos, as they were not in focus. Same for an earlier event a month ago. I don't know what this camera is trying to focus on, but NOTHING in the images was in focus. I had read this on earlier reviews, but ignored it thinking it was user error. It's NOT. I have always been able to pull a pocket camera out and get a nice image no matter where I was. Not with this thing.
Next up is the exposure itself. Horrid. I took some outdoor photos, granted in snow, but they were unusable, could not even rescue acceptable images with editing software. Previous models did quite well outside.
The flash is also not very powerful, I've used pocket cameras from Nikon and got good indoor photos at night, not with this thing. The photos are grainy because there simply isn't enough light, and that's assuming they are well-focused, which I've already discussed. Also, the flash is on the same side as the shutter button, so invariably if you ask someone to take a photo, you have to tell them to move the fingers that automatically are place on the front of the camera, but in this case, block the flash.
I only gave it one star because I had to. This camera is a total FAIL by Nikon. I know it's a cheapy, but previous cheapies from Nikon did a respectable job to just "get the shot" with a camera I could easily carry in my pocket. It's a bummer I didn't listen to the reviews and bought this. Now, I need to buy another camera, AND add the cost of this one to it, when I should have just bought a better camera from the start.
Might be time to spend a few extra bucks and try a Canon Powershot.