I was initially hesitant to buy this camera since there were ZERO reviews to be found, either here at Amazon, or elsewhere on the internet. But, since I've owned two previous Nikon Coolpix cameras (an old 4 MP camera, and a really old 2 MP camera) and both were great, I wasn't too worried. And I was right to buy it: it is working great and taking great photos, after several days of playing around with it.
First of all, it is very user-friendly. The menus and controls are completely intuitive, and make sense even if you have not cracked open the manual. ("cracked open" being a bit of a misnomer, since the manual is electronic only; the paper manual that comes with it is just a "quick start guide")
Second of all, it is a gorgeous piece of machinery; cute and cuddly and shiny and impressive. I'm afraid my girlfriend is going to try to steal it, it is so cute. I may have to buy her one to preemptively stop that from happening.
But, most of all, it takes great pictures. I walked all over town the first day, putting it through its paces, and scrutinized the photos on my computer when I got back home. If I was going to have to return it, I wanted to do so quickly, but I don't need to. The photos are great.
It is a point-and-shoot, which means that you don't have direct control over shutter speed, aperture, etc. But, you do have a dozen or so "scene modes" including Beach, Museum, Sunset, Panorama, Action, etc. These are very handy. I haven't tried them all yet, but they seem to be well designed.
The second day, I put the camera through its paces inside the house. No problems; it takes great indoor shots, providing excellent exposures both with natural light and with the flash. The wide-angle 4.9 mm lens (equivalent angle of view to a 27 mm lens in a 35mm format camera) was especially nice: you can stand in a corner of a room, and get the entire room into the photo! Nothing left out. That is pretty unusual in an inexpensive fixed-lens camera.
My third day test was to take the camera to the beach on a bright, contrasty day. It performed admirably, maintaining both shadow and highlight details, and rendering the deep blues of the sky and water, as well as the bright sand, equally well. This one's a keeper, folks!
Another nice plus: there is a "16x9" mode available in the "shooting mode" options. This doesn't quite use all 4000x3000 pixels; it only uses 3968x2232 of them. But the images are perfect "HD" format, and completely fill up a typical wide-screen monitor without any stretching. Somehow, they look all the more impressive on a computer screen than the typical 4x3 ratio.
Final tidbit: I bought the camera from Amazon, which was $10 cheaper than the local big-box store, had no sales tax, AND allowed me a 30 day return period with no restocking fee (which would have been 14 days AND a restocking fee at the local store; they need to get a clue).
Anyway, as an overall impression, five stars easily for the Nikon Coolpix S3000........JC Nikon Coolpix S3000 12.0 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Electronic Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Plum)
What a GREAT camera. I had been cursed with the kodak easy share (older model) for years now and no matter what, I could only take about 10 pics before the battery died. I love the Nikon its small- light weight and perfect fit for me! Im not a professional photographer but I can take some great pics with this camera. The options that the menue gives you for photos is amazing! I would highley recomend this camera above kodak! They made everything VERY easy for inital set up also! Once I opend the package, did the camera set up, I was ready to take pictures within 3 minutes (once I charged the battery fully which only took about 30 minutes). I bought this camera because I was going on vacation and was tired of going places with an unreliable heavy camera and now feel so lucky to have this one! Ive never taken so many pictures before that its like a whole new world for me. This camera will also give you and option for "blink protection", "auto correct", and so MANY other options. Great camera, great price compaired to Walmart, Target, and other store/web-sites. Also Amazon was the only place I could get this cool green color. Stores werent carrying this color yet (only the purple, black, and some of them had the orange). One last thing I want to mention is the speed of taking the pictures. What I was used to was press the button wait about3-4 seconds then wait about 8 more seconds before you could shoot your next one-not so with the Nikon. I can practically take pic after pic with it - its great!
Before I bought this camera I did a lot of research on digital cameras. I narrowed it down to three brands. Canon, Nikon, and Sony. It took a very long time to make a decision since I didn't want to buy crap. I eventually settled in the Nikon brand because I am very familiar with its features and camera functions. I was replacing a cheaper older model of a Nikon Coolpix L10. So, I was definitely going spend a little over $100 for this camera, but then again cameras have come a long way since the 2007. Even if I didnt buy the S3000 I knew I would get something better than my older camera due to the advancement of the compact camera technology.
This camera is great for everyday/events picture taking. After having the camera for a few days, I tested it out when I went to a family reunion. I got many compliments and inquiries about where i got the camera from. I believe I took about 100 pics in the two days spanning the family reunion.
Camera Features:
I took pics using a wide variety of the camera's features. The micro mode was pretty cool, the camera was able to focus on the subject and the picture did not come out blurry.
It was pretty easy to take a pic in panorama mode. At first when I took the pics that would make up the panorama pic, I wasnt sure how the whole pic would come out, but the panorama maker software that comes with the did wonders. Once you out the pieces of the panorama pic in the correct order the software makes the panorama picture for you. Now that I know that I made a great panorama photo I will be using this feature very much in the future.
This camera definitely tells you if someone blinked in the photo after the photo has been taken and you can always opt to take another pic. Continuous shot selecter is also a nice feature. You can choose to take 3 continuous shots or 16 continuous. Pics in low-light or darkness are excellent and always give light exposure buy the flash and orange light on the front of the camera. I took a picture in my room with the only source of light in the room being light from a television and the picture came out as if a ceiling light was on.
Other features that are nice are skin-softening, smart portrait(recognizes faces), 17 scene modes including panorama, subject tracking
Video:
For a compact camera, the video quality was great. The sound quality was also excellent inside the video too. Playback on my laptop was seamless. You could hear words and sentences very well in the background of the video. It's NOT HD, but I could make out everyone in the video and nothing at all was blurry.
Battery is a plus since you can charge it, as oppose to change AA batteries all the time. The charge is very short as well.
Definitely get a case for this camera, it is very compact, slim, and small. I have a case logic compact digital camera case. I bought my case at Walmart for $7 and cents. I feel like my camera is very well protected.
Overall I am very happy with my purchase of the Nikon Coolpix s3000. Its a great everyday camera for the busy college student or for someone who just wants to capture life's moments.
Definitely buy this camera, it well worth your money and you will not be disappointed. - Digital Camera - Point And Shoot - Nikon - S3000'
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