Nikon Coolpix P80 10.1MP Digital Camera with 18x Wide Angle Optical Vibration Reduction Zoom (Black)

I purchased the Coolpix for business pictures in my office. The camera offer good performace at a very affordable price. Highly recommended purchase if you are looking for a quality and easy to use camera.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00176BDD4/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title

Nikon P80 worked wonderfully for about a month. Then I found the image at minimum zoom had a black ring on the left side of the screen. This disappeared on zooming.
Got it repaired, there was some problem with the lens assembly, I was told. But now the camera is not the same as a new one in its feel.
As I bought the camera in US and am in India now, couldn't get any free service or replacement due to some international warranty issues, I was told by Nikon India office in Mumbai; had to pay a hefty sum for the repairs. Was thoroughly disappointed with the experience.

Like all the other reviews, if you read the manual and actually try to learn how to use this camera, then it is great. If you don't know what you're doing and are not willing to learn. Then you are going to be one of the negative review writers on here. It is as simple as that.

I had a pretty high level knowledge of cameras going into this purchase but I still found myself doing quite a bit of reading to get the hang of all the settings to make the photos come out just right.

I absolutely recommend this camera to people who are very serious about their photos and don't just want a point and shoot camera. But this is also not for highly advanced users who would be better off with a DSLR and different lenses. This is the in between camera for people who call them selves amateur photographers but are too broke to buy a DSLR.


One more comment about Nikon products in general. They are built to last, if something breaks it is probably a fluke, check your camera over when you get it and you should feel that it is built tough. My last Nikon was run over by a car after being dropped from my moving vehicle. It was still in one piece and looked in such good condition that I thought it would turn on. It did not, but it held up so well to that kind of extreme. I was able to pop out the memory card and battery for use in this new camera. This was an older version of the P series you are looking at on this page too.

I bought the camera for my wifes b-day. What a nice looking camera and it had all the functuality that one needs for a camera in this price range. The problem, our when taking pictures of our daughter playing in her soccer games, we noticed on sports mode that there was a green line on every third picture. Every third picture had a green line running down it. We took it back to Best Buy where the manager swapped it our for another camera, exactly like it, a Nikon Coolpix 10.1. While we were there, the Geeksquad guy came by and said lets take a look at the model, the one in store that they show potential customers. Guess what? It did the samething. So we opened the new camera, took it out of the case, fired it up on sports mode and guess what? It did the samething. Best Buy pulled the camera from the display and has sent the 7 back to the manufacture. True story. This happened at the Best Buy in Cedar Park, Texas. We then bought the Sony Cybershot for about $425, and we love it. Plus the Cybershot lets you take pictures rapidly with zero lag time. Thanks Nikon. Go Sony.

I use this camera every day - I go nowhere without it.

As a pro photographer, I started using compact cameras two years ago, when I got tired of hauling heavy pro equipment around with me while on vacation.

My first compact cameras - the Nikon S-10 and the Nikon D-70 - were good, but not perfect. When I saw this camera's specs, I bought it without hesitation, and wow, I am impressed!

It does EVERYTHING one would expect a compact camera to do with ease, and much more. It is easy to use, It is light. It comes packed with features.

The auto-programs and auto-white balance are spot-on. Focusing is quick and silent. The zoom is excellent, and the min f-stops are impressive throughout the focal range. All of this at an unbelievable price! You simply can't go wrong in buying this camera.

If you know my reviews on this and other sites, you will know that I don't easily award more than three stars to a product.

This camera deserves its five stars - it is easily the single best online purchase I've made all year!