Ease of Use: Excellent - It is easy to use right out of the box
Durability: Very Good - Well made and will last a long time
Portability: Excellent - Tiny, and always functional
Photo Quality: Very Good - Pictures are consistently sharp
Battery Life: Excellent - Superior battery life
Lighting Conditions: Use inside & outside, with or without a flash
I would recommend this camera primarily for: Anyone
Comments:
This camera was worth every cent. I bought this camera in Chandni Chowk (Delhi), for a great deal at Rs 11, 000 with included: camera (boxed with charger, USB cable, A/V cable, wrist strap, recharge batt, 16MB card, and the Nikon View CD-ROM), 256MB SD card (additional I got for Rs 1, 800/-), case, recharable battery, and I think thats all. I got a pretty good deal so dont expect that when you go out to buy it. But it is pretty cheap for everything you get - in grey market it could cost less by Rs 3000/-
First thing you see on this camera is the beautiful, sturdy metal case. I dont think I could ever break it. The layout is alltogether perfect, making it easy and quick to do anything. All superfluous buttons are removed, but everything is accessible within the touch of a couple buttons.
Secondly are the many features on this camera. The hardware is only half the camera, the software built into this camera is amazing. You can do simple editing such as cropping, applying filters, and more right on the camera. In the setup mode there are numerous choices to controll every little aspect on the camera, from time zone to shutter noise. in scene mode, after you are done being astonished by the number of scenes, you will find the panorama mode and start jumping for joy. you can piece these together simply once you get back to your computer and use panorama maker to create beautiful panoramas also, you can do vertical panoramas and 360 degree quick time virtual realities which make me happy. Auto mode is great, and it is soooo simple to change flash modes, exposure options, macro on/off, and the countdown mode. There is supposed to be a way to make the camera take a picture when you clap or make a loud noise, but I have gotten variable results with that. Once you try out movie mode in high quality, you will want to throw out that old camcorder. The quality, 30fps is so amazingly smooth you would think it was real life. But I doubt anyone would have a memory card (or rather enough memory cards) to fit a sizeable amount of movie when on high res. The lower resolutions are good too. Manual mode works quite well but I dont find myself using it much. Microphone mode is quite usefull, recording any audio you need at any time. I enjoy all these features. Playback mode is easily accessible through the play button in the middle of the dial, and many many editing functions are available, as well as slideshows, zoom, and more. You can also turn on the camera without extending the lens by holding the play button.
When you actually try out the hardware, you will be pleased. Startup is instantaneous and quiet. the zoom lens is quite adequate, and with digital zoom you can zoom nearly as far as you would ever want to. The flash is nice, with a nice preflash and redeye preventer. To turn on the camera is a small lever that you swivel which makes the camera turn on. This switch surrounds the shutter release button. The camera is good size for the average hand, putting the thumb in the perfect position for zooming while the index finger presses shutter, all the while keeping a tight grip on the camera. the monitor is nice and very good quality. There seems to be some sort of anti-glare coating or something because it takes a lot of sun to cause the monitor unviewable. In such cases, or when you feel like it, there is a viewfinder which comes in handy.
This camera comes with a battery charger which charges my battery from exhausted to full in one hour. Also, my battery lasts approx 3-4 days. Amazing, since I take a lot of pictures. The A/V cable works good, not showing the quality loss that occurs with most. USB transfer is amazing. I usually dont use software for my cameras, but this is an exeption. This version of NikonView is phenomenal, and transfers 128MB worth of pix in only a few minutes. Once they are transfered, an easy to use thumbnail gallery is assembled and you can edit the pictures as you please, including the wonderful panorama maker. All this picture transfer happens by simply turning on the camera while connected via USB, which automatically starts the process
Alltogether this camera is a great buy and nothing is wrong with it except the memory that comes with it is not a lot. Also, it is a good idea to get a second battery as there is no AC adapter thing to work off socket power when the battery is drained. If you want a small, easy to use camera with all the features you want, buy this camera. The only people who should not buy this camera are people who fuss for lots of megapixels