this camera is for you. This camera does have some great features, some of which I have not even had time to use yet. The main draw, however, (other than the size) is that it is simple and easy to use. There are tons of point and shoot cameras out there, and there is no use being snobby over which one you buy, because they all do pretty much the same thing. This one is great for the price. You could get a nicer camera, but for 90% of the people in the market for a digital camera, this will do what you need and want it to, and more.
I use mine mainly for snapshots and spontaneous pictures with friends and the like. However, I do enjoy photography, and I have experience with SLR cameras as well (and I own one). Therefore, I also sometimes take artistic shots. This camera does it all unless you are a professional photographer, in which case, you already know you need a different camera.
The size is perfect. This will even fit in small pockets on skinny jeans or whatever. The case I bought with the camera adds some bulk, but the camera is so slim, even the case fits in my pockets comfortably.
I use Amazon Student Prime, so shipping is never a hassle. I can't really comment on other shipping speeds. The package was simple, but the camera box protects the camera with styrofoam and cardboard, and the shipping box used inflated plastic bags to keep the camera box safe. Someone would really have to try to damage the camera to manage it.
Amazon lists plenty of features of this camera, but here is my list:
RECHARGEABLE!
Records HD movies with one button
Big LCD screen on back to help compose pictures in a size you can actually see
19 scenes to choose from to assist in getting a better picture
Pet Focus will find your pet's face and once focused, will shoot the picture
There are several cool filters like selective coloring, a miniature effect and a fisheye effect
Is tiny and lightweight
Comes in cool colors
This camera will even warn you if it thinks someone blinked.
Bottom line: This camera is what you want. I search for weeks or longer before deciding to buy something, and I chose this camera. For a point and shoot, it has everything you need, and so many things you didn't even know you wanted. Unless you don't actually know what you're looking for, you won't regret buying this camera. Nikon COOLPIX S3100 14 MP Digital Camera with 5x NIKKOR Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and 2.7-Inch LCD (Purple)
The Nikon Coolpix S3100 is great FOR THE PRICE! Perfect size to tote around; functions are extremely user friendly to toggle thru; just point and shoot; love the fact that you don't need to remove the battery to recharge; and it takes a great PICTURE!
I ought this camera in hopes that it would be as nice if not better than my old Nikon Coolpix L4. Yes, this Camera is thinnier, lighter, and more stylish but all of that's useless. The pictures would be beautiful if it wasn't for the horrible/complete lack of image stabilization. Most of my pictures came out blurry even with VF on. My Coolpix L4 takes better pictures and I got it back in 2005. Needless to say this camera is going back and I'll be in the market again for a new camera.And for those of you asking, I took pictures of still objects, people moving around on stage, people standing on stage (little to no movement), and my pets. Out of the 50 pictures I took with the camera I think maybe 6 or 7 were worth keeping. The camera did not do well either with the stage lights. (I am a theatre person and I NEED a camera that can handle the intense lights) Truthfully, I can't see how this camera could be useful for anyone but I see reviews that it works fine for other people. I ended up going out and buying an SLR type of camera and am quite pleased with it.
This camera pretty much rocks for its price. I bought this camera because I was in need of a camera update and the cell phone camera on my G2 wasn't cutting it.
When I took this think out of the box for the first time I was glad to notice that it's small and thin and fits nicely in my pocket. My old camera was much bulkier and I couldn't carry it in my pocket without a strange looking bulge in my pants that made me look like an idiot.
I am not a digital photographer so I bought this camera as more of a point-and-shoot camera. I wanted a camera that I could snap a quick picture that would have lots of details and look pretty nice without too much photo editing. Normally when I take a picture I am wanting a picture of my friends or myself at a certain event or next to a landmark etc... So I wanted a camera that would be simple but still take a sweet picture. I can't tell you how many times I've had people trying to snap a picture for me only to not be able to get my old camera to work right and the picture(s) turn out horribly. Like I want to load a fuzzy blur up onto my Facebook page.
That being said, this camera can also cause difficulties with the technologically retarded. This camera has to achieve a "focus" before it will snap a picture. Sometimes you can push down the button trying to take a picture and the "focus" will be off and it won't even snap a photo at all. For those special individuals, who for some reason are always snapping my photos, this can cause extreme problems with their abilities to be able get the camera to function.
Now you may be asking yourself why I would have rated the camera so high and said that it rocks and then ripping it a new one, but I just wanted to let you know the only problem that I have had with it so far. This camera perhaps is not the easiest camera to use, but if you spend 5 minutes to learn how it works then you will be able to get excellent pictures from it.
The camera's picture taking mode basically has 4 different options, Auto mode, Scene mode, Smart portrait, and Subject tracking. In my experience so far with this camera I have noticed that the Auto-mode isn't always perfect. I may have to take a bunch of pictures, before I can get the picture looking like I want it to look. To be honest I am a bit picky with my pictures though. Many times when I am having somebody else snap a picture for me that can be quite an annoyance. The Auto-mode definitely works better on landscapes than it does for people (in my opinion).
The scene-selector mode is sweet when I am the one taking the picture there are 15+ differing options that optimize the camera for different types of pictures such as: sunset, portrait, pet, beach, party/indoor, etc. I gave up even trying to teach the technologically handicapped this mode after the 2nd attempt.
The mode that has been the most useful for me has been the Smart-portrait mode. This mode basically finds a couple of people's faces and then focuses the picture on them. Since the majority of the time I am taking pictures of people I have found this to be an amazing option. I use this mode for 90% of my pictures. I get pictures that look amazing and I usually give the camera to other people in this mode although sometimes it won't take a picture and they will have to "refocus" the camera by re-pressing the button.
The smart tracking picture mode has honestly not been something that I have needed yet but I suppose it takes pictures of moving objects or something like that.
I could ramble on more but I figure that this should be sufficient for now. Overall this camera takes great pictures, they look sweet in print and they are very photoshopable (is that actually a word?) and look great in print form and also on the web. - Nikon Coolpix - Super Zoom - Like It - Superzoom'
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