Disclaimer: This particular review isn't being written from an avid photographer's point of view.
I needed a small, inexpensive, good-quality, easy-to-use camera for my job and the Fuji e510 I bought in 2005 just wasn't cutting it. The Fuji was good for its time, had manual settings capability, but had a painfully small viewer and was too complicated for my uses which require quickly taking good-quality indoor pictures with normal room lighting (no flash preferred).
I was looking at the Nikon L20/21's, then I saw that this new (Spring 2011) model L24 came out. I've used it on enough jobs to feel I can properly judge its operation and image quality and so far, I'm very pleased.
My job is a self-employed computer tech and I do a lot of on-site subcontracted work for companies that service electronics manufacturers' warranties. My main use for this camera is taking good, clear indoor before/after photos of various electronic devices and related components. My requirements are a large LCD viewer, the ability to use common AA batteries, have my settings (date/time, photo mode) retained after batteries were removed and replaced, and a quick way to transfer images to my PC's that doesn't rely solely on a USB cable.
Preferring not to have to deal with camera angle or cumbersome tricks to reduce flash reflection from shiny surfaces, I was hoping to find something that would allow effective non-flash settings where a semi steadily-held camera could take clear, acceptable indoor pictures as required by the companies that I do work for.
As much as I tried, I could not get good, consistent results with the e510 but I seem to have found that camera with the L24.
So far with the L24, I've taken pictures of HDTV televisions (displays powered both on and off), PCB boards, product labels, macro shots of venting capacitors, etc. - all without flash, using only ambient room lighting.
For me, time is an important factor and with these onsite job shots, I do not have the time or desire to do pre-shot adjustments or after-processing like resizing, gamma-tweaking, or cropping. The shots I take need to be ready to be attached to an email or be uploaded to technician portals. The settings that I have found that work for me is the "white balance" and "motion detect" set for auto, resolution set for 1024x768 (for email-ready small file and dimension), and flash set for "off".
As long as my subjects aren't in the shadows, the camera is held relatively steady, and the images framed properly, my pictures have been clear and all I have to do once I return home is transfer to my PC, attach and send. The settings as described above allow clear pictures for my uses in both regular and macro modes.
The camera remembers my settings with its AA batteries out and its 3" LCD viewer lets me verify a good shot (they've all been pretty good so far).
Connectivity:
All of my PC's have a card slot that accommodates the SD type, so if the included UC-E6 cable isn't handy, I remove the SD card from the camera and transfer images that way. If I needed more of these cables, I can get them for $4 each on eBay.
You don't have to use a SD card (camera has 17MB built-in) but I do recommend using a card for the extra storage and image-transfer/connectivity options.
When buying a SD card, consider the card-reading compatibility with your existing equipment if you intend on using using the card to transfer images. Some card readers do not read SDHC (high-capacity) cards, I was aware of this potential compatibility issue beforehand and bought a standard SD 2GB (not a SDHC) card.
I'm sure once more people buy this camera, more features than I covered will be discussed. There are settings on the L24 that I will probably never use. In my quick tour through the menu settings (haven't read the manual yet - haha) I didn't see where you can manually adjust aperture or shutter speed independently but there is an exposure control. The lack of manual settings might be a minus for serious photographers but like I said before, photography isn't a hobby for me - I just want to take good pictures easily and quickly. Nikon COOLPIX L24 14 MP Digital Camera with 3.6x NIKKOR Optical Zoom Lens and 3-Inch LCD (Silver)
Although I haven't used all its features yet, I love this camera! The photos are sharp and clear, and it is so easy to use that I just took it out and started shooting. If I could post just one of my dragonfly photos in which you can see every vein in their wings there could be no doubt as to the quality of the photos. My 75 year old father saw how easy it is to use and the quality of the photos and asked me to get one for him. QED
Four stars, though, because the auto focus when using the macro function has difficulty focusing on objects that do not take up enough of the field of vision. It could use a manual focus or an easier way to manipulate the auto-focus. - Digital Camera - Point And Shoot - Great Camera - Best Digital Camera'
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