Excellent Value for Money

OK, there are many, many more feature-packed cameras available.
OK, it's only capable of 6.1 megapixels
OK, it's not the most amazing at producing indoor shots without flash.
OK, you have to get expensive AF-S lenses to get auto-focus with this camera.

Well, forget all those things and buy this camera now. It's excellent. If you, like me, are looking for your first 'proper' camera (ie. an SLR), then, in my opinion, you need look no further than this wonderful piece of kit. It's just so much fun to use... it just feels so right -- good size, good weight, good picture quality, pretty fast, easy to use, nice 'idiot' mode, nice 'helper' pictures to remind you what the different settings do... it has the same (excellent) sensor as some of the more expensive models too, so that can't be bad.

Most of all though... you are getting a well-featured PROPER SLR CAMERA for about £250. It's an absolute bargain and I really can't tell you just how much better your photos will be if you buy one of these, read a few articles on photography, get a couple of books on the subject and just start shooting.

To summarise: buy this camera -- it's ace.

very satisfied

I found it difficult to find the right camera as there is too much on offer. After reading a large number of reviews on dedicated camera review sites, I selected the P5100, and I am very satisfied with it after using it for a month in different weather situations. It has many 'scene' options, that make it easier to take a shot that has the right exposure/lighting. I find that over- and under exposure is the most common problem with digital photography, and this one actively helps to reduce that. Another problem I had with my previous Sony was that many pictures were blurred, despite my hand being quite steady. The result with the P5100 is much better, as at least 80% of my first 150 photos were very sharp. It actually also has a special 'anti-shake' setting, though most photos taken without this setting also came out well.
For close-ups however, I recommend to set the camera in the right scene, or the chance is high it will be blurred, I found.
All in all good value for money. Would buy again.

This is an Awesome DSLR!

It's about 15 years since I 'gave up' film SLRs...they were big, bulky and heavy and I didn't want to carry them around anymore. Like many, I flirted with a few compact cameras before working my way onto a few digital compacts (Sony, Canon etc).

Now at a different stage of my life (the kids are grown up!) it felt like the time to get back into SLRs once again.

To be honest, technology is now such that it's probably difficult to buy a bad DSLR...try some out...they all have fantastic features that put my old film camera to shame. I have however always hankered after a Nikon...cue the D80.

Initially somewhat daunted by the many features available on the D80, I have spent an enjoyable time getting back into SLR cameras again with the D80 - it's more compact than my old beasts and an awful lot more capable. If you're unsure, drop into 'Auto' mode initially and the camera will do everything for you, other than compose and zoom - you'll get good results this way. Natural curiosity however will soon have you exploring the Programme, Aperture and Shutter priority modes, plus the auto-bracketing, excellent exposure compensation modes and even in-camera editing facilities. Fancy everything in Manual mode?...not a problem, go for it.

When handling the D80 you will be impressed I'm sure by the feeling of quality and class - not 'plasticky' at all as some modern DSLRs tend to be. The 18-135 kit lens is very good and, again, feels solid and reliable.

The D80 has some very detailed and comprehensive in-camera menus. After a couple of days, they all make sense and you'll soon be whizzing through them. The key thing with the D80 though is that you have bought into the Nikon 'system' - an unrivaled collection of lenses and accessories, all oozing quality and class. Nothing is forever of course, especially in this disposable world, but I do tend to feel that the D80 is definitely a long(er) term investment.

Things to buy with the D80 at the same time...? A lens filter (67mm thread), a decent SD or SDHC card (I bought a 4Gb SDHC card) and a nice padded case/bag. After that, well, the Nikon world is your oyster!

A stunning camera - I'm delighted I bought it.

nikon p50

a brief non-technical review- we bought this camera because we are both artists looking for a pocket sized notebook/travel camera. After three nikon digital cameras this one was a welcome replacement- it ticks all the boxes- it's light, but feels solid, good positive dial functions and a very nice layout. good screen size and easy menu, fantastic crop function means it doesn't stop being creative when the picture has been taken. The simple anti-shake allows clear photos even when flash isn't allowed or appropriate. Easy batteries-AA rechargeables, or emergency from any corner shop. Wide angle lens for landscape. stunning macro. Great large scale prints, no purple fringing,
It looks like a camera, it works very hard, it feels as if it will carry on for as long as we need it, and print quality is what we expect from nikon. At this price I plan to buy another, because we don't want to share.

Very disappointing camera

Having been delighted with a Nikon Coolpix 3100 for the last 4 years my brother and I decided to upgrade to a new Coolpix when the battery compartment cover started to break on the old camera. We thought that we would stick with the trusted Coolpix brand, so went for the S210.

However we could not have been more disappointed. Having taken nearly 200 pictures each, and having tried various settings and scene modes, we both discovered that the wonderful crispness of the pictures on our old Coolpix was sadly lacking on this new model. In the majority of pictures the focusing was only crisp in the centre of the picture. As you moved to the outside of the pics you got increased blur - and that was with the vibration reduction switched ON and even on static objects. There was also a good deal of chromatic aberration (bluish-purple edging) in high contrast areas. This may be down to our lack of photographic know-how...but even if that is the case, this camera is most certainly not a point-and-shoot - not if you want to get any kind of decent results without having to fiddle with manual settings. The camera really struggled with focusing indoors and most of those pics ended up more blurred than the outdoor ones. The pics may well be OK for 6x4 prints, but certainly not any good if you want to blow them up.

On top of that both of us encountered"lens error" problems while on holiday in Cyprus only 3 weeks after purchase, and that was with the cameras in a padded case, so no chance of sand intrusion. In the case of my camera I was able to power off and then back on and that seemed to fix the problem. The same thing worked for my brother the first time it happened, but the next time the lens error was terminal. The camera was toast for the rest of the holiday.

When we took the camera into a photo shop in Larnaca a passing Canon rep pointed out the slimness of the Nikon camera and the resulting vulnerability of the lens mechanism.

We have now returned both cameras to Amazon and are now considering going for the Canon IXUS 80 IS, which seems to have much better reviews.

Is this really a Nikon???

Expected a lot from this camera because of the Nikon name, but it didn't live up to its billing. Some friends and I used our different cameras to take the same shots on each to see which was best - the P80 failed to excel against the much older Canon A530 compact and was outperformed by the smaller, tougher similar priced Olympus MJU1030SW. The most disappointing bit was the macro performance, which took several attempts to correctly focus on a stationary flower, whereas the Olympus done it first time on auto mode. Nikon P80's auto mode is rubbish so you will need to play around with the wealth of modes to get the results you want. It took good sunset pics in 'scene' mode, but I had to test auto & manual modes, with various white balance and ISO combinations before it done what I wanted. I expected a lot more and was really disappointed with the lack of usability and poor picture quality indoors and in macro mode. There are better camera's out there for the price.

Seroius camera

The D300 rewards hard work. If you want nice easy aim and shoot shots buy a D40 as its very very good. But the D300 operates on a different level. It will take time to get used to all its features but when you do....
A1 build quality and superb quality pics. Bump up the in camera saturation and it will produce D3 quality pics. Trust me i have both! D3 anyone????

Everything except a viewfinder

I have recently recieved my silver Nikon coolpix S440 after scouring the internet for information regarding the best all round compact digital camera. I have previously been a Sony P10 Cybershot user but the New Sony reviews were not all good and the spec questionable below £220. After much deliberation I opted for the coolpix (knowing it did not have a viewfinder) I am so pleased I took my time to investigate the options, the camera has 10 useable megapixels with some realyy cool funtions such as panoramic with a X5 zoom lense (not digital zoom, there is X4 digital also) The pictures I have taken with the camera are crystal clear and with the 10 MP enlarge perfectly. Prices range from £163.95 ( with £5 postage)to £210 so shop around for the best deal, the blue and plum colours seem to be cheaper, If like me you are looking for a very small high definition camera which is easy to use but seems to do everything this could be the one for you.

Nikon S600

I own a Nikon D70x and a D200 along with the usual collection of zoom, wide angle and macro lens.
I needed something which would produce good quality images but that I could carry in my pocket.
I bought the S600 on the day of it's release and found it to be very good
indeed. The lens is superb and once you find your way around the menus and use the correct set up the photos are very good. I am very pleased with the camera it does what it says on the packet.

So good its pointless reviewing it:

It does seem pointless I feel to review this camera, as if you have got this far you've already read oodles of reviews in all the magazines and they will have said how fantastic this camera is. BUT if you are thinking about buying a DSLR online, now, without going into a shop as I did, then this really is the one for you. Ignore all the fantastic features, ignore the sensor robbed from its bigger expensive brother, ignore the 11 point focusing system, (or better the movable 11 point single focus) ignore the enormous crisp LCD, the bright well laid out top mounted display, the gorgeous crisp bright viewfinder, ignore all those well placed buttons. The simple fact is, if you are toying with this or the Canon equivalents (as most will be) then buy this for the glorious build quality, the weight and the way you wonder if the Nikon designers have the same sized hands as you (and anyone you pass this camera to) as its simply the best in build quality and ergonomics, the smaller Canons (350 & 400) just feel like plastic toys, and unless you have very small hands you'll find your last finger flailing around with no-where to go, whereas the bigger ones (20 & 30) are built like a brick outhouse, but sadly look and feel like a brick outhouse.

This is what it boils down to, on spec for £ they all run a photo-finish, on build and handling this ones has got them all well and truly licked.