Nikon first brought 2-megapixel quality to the consumer price range with the Coolpix 950; the Nikon Coolpix 800 digital camera continues Nikon's professional legacy at an even more affordable price point. With a 2.11-million-pixel, 0.5-inch CCD and a maximum resolution of 1,600 x 1,200, the Coolpix 800 gives you topnotch picture quality and a wide array of advanced features. It lets you save images in an uncompressed TIFF format plus three JPEG compression modes, with two resolution choices. It sports a 2x Zoom-Nikkor lens and a 1.25 to 2.5x digital zoom; you can shoot subjects as close as 2.8 inches away with the Macro setting.
The Nikon Coolpix 800's autofocus is truly impressive--it uses 480 steps for incredibly accuracy. The camera also offers 256-element matrix, spot, and center-weighted exposure modes. The built-in Speedlight flash includes auto flash, flash cancel, fill flash, slow sync, and red-eye reduction modes. Battery life is also a winner--even with the LCD turned on, the Nikon Coolpix 800 offers a battery life of approximately 100 minutes using four AA alkaline batteries. It ships with an industry standard 8 MB Nikon CompactFlash memory card, which stores up to 200 images, depending on image size; you can buy optional CompactFlash cards with up to 64 MB of memory.
1 2.1mp that won't disappoint
Amazing,this was an expensive high quality camera just under Nikon's best 950 digital back in 1999! However,this Nikon 800 still takes pictures that will match or exceed the best cameras in the market today thanks to its original build quality internals which were not skimped on plus the all glass 2x optical zoom (38 to 76mm equivalent)f/3.5-4.8 Nikkor lens. ..it's virtually a steal at todays price and nothing today takes better pictures in it's class. Oh,did I mention it fits in pocket like a hand. :)
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2 a step up from the tiny point-and-shoot
this is the first serious digital camera i got, and i've been pretty hapy with it. great macro, decent zoom, and fair response time. the other complaints you hear, including how it chews batteries and the like, are generally true. still, given a pocket full of batteries, i'd take this with me when i go places.
my biggest complaint is the size, it doesn't travel super well (i like to keep my hands free, i'm forgetful and often misplace things). i like to stick my camera in my pocket, and it just doesn't fit.
still, its plusses make it a decent camera. i'd check out some of the newer coolpix cameras if you were buying new and had the budget for it, they're a great line.
3 no zoom
This camera takes wonderful pictures but the zoom doesn't do the job. its no good for taking pictures of your child playing football but its great for pictures on a trip. be careful the lag between pushing the shutter and taking the picture is long as well as the time between pics at high quality.
4 Great Camera !!
I have been using this camera for about two years now. It takes great pictures and I have taken hundreds of pictures of my Grandchildren and made slideshows on Cds for them. I would absolutely buy this camera again. (I dont like the loose lens cap but I would not deduct a point for that.)
5 Decent camera...that's about it
I bought one of these when they came out. The first problem was the batteries. It ate them like no tomorrow. I ordered two sets of rechargeables and that fixed that. Then I bought a card reader to transfer pictures, and that really helped...until...I accidentally dropped it (not that hard) and it broke. ... It worked fine when I got it back.
My other problem is the fragility of it. It's extremely fragile. I like the camera but would not purchase it again because of this.
6 Update to my prior rating
When I first got this camera it arrived broken and I went through alot of hoops and unworkable customer service before it was fixed. Now that I have the camera in my hand, it is really great. Takes great pixs and I love it. I like the crisp pixs and ease of use. I would buy this again.
7 Great picture quality!
I've had this camera for just over 1 year. Picture quality out of the camera is phenomenal. With a high quality printer I get better pictures than I ever did with my 35mm. I would suggest a minimum of 32 MB compact flash card, but they're cheap now.
The serial connection is the biggest problem with this camera. It can take an hour or more to download 32 MB of pictures and you have to use the Nikon software which doesn't always like W2k. But a card reader is relatively cheap and does the job quickly without draining the batteries.
The optical zoom went out after about 5 months and Nikon quickly repaired it. I've heard this is not an uncommon problem though. It's worked great since then though. We always use the LCD screen and haven't run into a problem with guzzling battery power since we started using the card reader, even with normal batteries.
Although I haven't seen better pictures from any other camera in the 2 MP range, the red-eye flash on this one doesn't seem to do much good, and most of the photos with people in them need to be edited if a flash was used. The menu on the camera does allow you a lot of options and control when taking pictures though. In fact the camera has two modes - one where more control is permitted and one where most of it is automatic. Nice if you know what you're doing.
All in all it takes great pictures, but doesn't have many bells & whistles for the price and you'll need to buy a USB card reader.
8 good for sunlight and not moving, not usable with flash
I've been using the Cool Pix 800 camera for about one and a half year, June 30, 2001
Reviewer: Peter Walther Germany
Some things you should know: The picture quality for outdor pictures is great, but there is a significant time delay between the time you press the button and the time the picture is taken, do not plan to take pictures from moving objects. It real eats AA batteries for breakfast, lunch and dinner if you plan to use Rechargeble Cells you need at least 2 set's and you will not be happy, if you are away from a power outlet. Do not plan to use the build in flash, it will generate a real cool pix with green blue colors, but worst than that, in almost every picture you take with a person you will have the red eye effect. The zoom in the camera was broken (within the warranty period) and I spoke with a friend who own's the same, it was broken in his camera too (outside warranty). Current status, the camera is stolen, and I am waiting for money from the insurance, I do not plan to buy the same camera again but I learned a lot of things I have to check next time.
Peter
9 Fine little camera
I have had my 800 for about a year and like it very much. It's easy to use (and I agree with most of the comments below) and takes good quality pix. (Most of mine are flowers/birds.) I use the NiMH rechargeable batteries - have two sets - and have no problems; they last much longer than the NiCD ones. I use a Microtek reader connected to my Mac's usb port (and with an earlier Mac, used a card.)
My only big complaint is the lag time between seeing and taking the shot - often a problem with birds. Question: are any of the cards better/quicker than others? I have a SanDisk. I am also thinking about upgrading to the 995, but wish it used AA batteries.
10 Great, BUT......
this is a great camera for the money, BUT there are so many things that are needed after the purchase. ac adapter, bigger flashcard, flashcard reader, camera bag, another lens, because of the lens, a flash attachment. This all adds up to alot of money. More than I had wanted to pay. I should have done more homework, before buying. I still love the camera. Would I do it over again? Not sure. k.
11 Good starter - but not durable
I have had a Nikon Coolpix 800 for just over a year - and have found it to be pretty good. What people say about the image quality is correct - it is excellent!
A couple of hints:
1) Don't ever drop it, bang it or travel with it unless it is VERY well padded. The lens mechanism is quite flimsy and costs more than the camera (!!) to fix
2) Buy a Compact Flash reader - don't even think about downloading photos any other way - its just not worth it
The comments that other reviewers have made about the lack of paper manual, flimsy battery door, and battery consumption are correct ... but the first twio you eventually get used to - and the last seems to be true of most digital cameras.
Buy it as a starter camera ... be REALLY careful with it ... and you'll get some pretty good photos!
12 A mixed bag... although very solid
I purchased this camera over 6 months ago and have used it extensively(hundreds of photos so far). The camera is fantastic for outdoor photography in bright sunlight but not very good for shooting indoors or in very low lightconditions. The range of the integrated flash is extremely limited and "flahsed" photos appear extremely cool (blue-ish). P>Minor quirks aside, I have to say that I am very happy with this camera and I have completely stopped using film cameras since I got it. As I said before, photos taken in bright sunlight look absolutely fantastic, with great colors and no artifacts (even when compressed to JPG). Also, this is one of the only cameras in this price range that has a manual mode in which you are free to tinker with almost every aspect of picture-taking. You can set manual focus, F-stops and much more. If you like to take control of your photography and don't want to spend a fortune you should definitely take a closer look at this one.
Oh yeah... and get a bigger memory card (32MB+). The 8MB card shipped with this camera is inadequate for high-resolution photography. And while you're at it, get a USB card reader too.
13 A partial fix to my 05/15/2001 complaint of flash pix
I called Nikon recently to complain about the flash picture problems I wrote on 05/15/2001. I got a quick but partial solution. The solution works only in Manual REC mode: 1. Select M-REC mode; 2. Press MENU button; 3. Select RESET ALL (to the default values); 4. Set SENS to 200 or 400. The Manual flash picture is much better (about 15-20 feet vs 10 feet). But, the Auto flash and the SLOW SYNC are still problems. Daylight pictures are excellent. Nikon did a very poor job in quality control and in communicating this problem to their registered customers. My experience shaked my confidence to all other Nikon products.
14 Maybe this time the review will shoow up
... I got the camera and first time out of the box it had a system error. No problem I figure, call Nikon and get it fixed... Now that I actually have a working camera it has it shortcomings, eats batteries, hesitation after you click and other annoying quirks. However after I got more memory it actually takes great pixs. I would NOT buy it again after going through all the nightmare with Nikon. Maybe after a few months with it working properly I might change my tune.
15 A 5-Star day-light and 1-Star low-light camera
...I have used this camera for more than 6 months, I found the following situations where Nikon 800 produced extremely disappointing flash pictures, even with ISO-400 and exposure compensation:
1. Out-door Slow Sync Flash (low light or night light) - Shutter speed is too slow to obtain a clear picture (no way to change).
2. Out-door Regular Flash (night light) - You can't see any landscape.
3. In-door Flash (dark wall/wall paper) - Bright colors turn into grey.
4. In-door Flash (large room or long hall way) - Colorful background turns into grey.
I think the problem is the Nikon firmware. I have seen other cheaper cameras produced much better night and low-light pictures.
16 I've been using the Cool Pix 800 camera for about a year
I totally hated this camera the first week I owned it. The manual was misprinted and impossible to make sense of, the software was (and still is) the worst and I dropped it and broke the battery door the second day I had it. Here's some things you should know: It eats AA batteries for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Exspect to buy a lot of batteries, even if you buy the AC adapter (which they should include anyway). The software only transfers the images to the computer. That's it. You can't rename the thumbnails until you have them downloaded. You only get 15 images on high res 1600 x 1200 and 100 images on low res. If you plan to e mail the images to be reproduced on photographic paper, you must use high res. You rarely need the flash. Turn it off while you are shooting. If you break the battery door, call the customer service, pay $18.00 and replace the door yourself. 3 little screws, no problem. Buy a larger capacity "flash card". This will increase the number of photos you can take before having to download. Hi res takes twice as long to download that low res. That's about it!If you need further assistance, e mailme...Bill Peary
17 great camera
I have no problem with the batteries or compact flash storage capacity. I like the low price for this product, which is being phased out. I bought a SanDisk Image Mate.. to load the pics into my computer. Overall a great buy!
18 Good Camera Overall, but
The Nikon Coolpix 800 takes a little getting used to for the novice but can be mastered fairly quickly. Photo quality is very good. Documentation is poor, and the bundled software virtually useless except for retrieving pictures from the camera to send to another photo editing program. The battery door already broke (4 months old) and the camera is in for service now. I had read something from other users about the poor quality of the battery door and obviously (unfortunately) they were correct. The tech I spoke to said they have no plans to beef up the door either! Guess I'll just have to be very careful, or order spares! Calling for service requires a half an hour listening to "we're sorry, all of our customer service reps are busy" then finding out there are no factory authorized service centers, so you have to mail the camera to Nikon in Melville Long Island! I mailed it last week so only time will tell if I'll be without the camera for months on end! PS: They won't send a replacement door for you to change youself under warranty.
19 Good camera, but go for the Nikon Coolpix 880
Skip this digital camera and go directly to the Coolpix 880 by Nikon (also on Amazon). Why, you ask? Well, this Coolpix is quite old (in terms of digital) and you'll be throwing your good money after a badly outdated camera. Here are the details why:
Megapixels. The Coolpix 800 takes 2.1 megapixel pictures, but the 880 take 3.1 megapixel. (More pixels are preferred to less since this will affect your image quality. ANd believe me - you will SEE the difference!)
Zoom. The 800 has a 2x optical, plus 2.5 digital zoom lens; however, the 880 has a 2.5x optical and the digital zoom. You always want as high an optical zoom because using pure digital zoom will make your pictures look fuzzy!
Memory. Both the 800 and 880 come with 8 MB of CompactFlash, but most people would agree that this isn't enough. Purchase an additional CompactFLash card for 32 MB or more and you'll be happy you did.
Downloading. The 800 only connects via serial port, but the 880 connects via serial OR USB. THe USB connection is MUCH MUCH faster for downloading pics to yoru computer, but the serial (800's only method) is horrendously slow.
Batteries. THe 800 uses 4 AA batteries, but the 880 uses far superior and much longer-lasting 2CR5 lithium batteries. The 880's batteries also weigh less.
Price. This is the ONLY reason you shoudl consider the 800 ($499) over the 880 ($699). But let's face it, if you have $499 for the 800, you should fork over the extra $200 and get the 880 so you can have a digital camera that will last you more than a year. The 800 is being phased out by Nikon. RUN to the 880 today! :)
20 Best Value in 2.1 Megapixel Class
Fantastic entry-level Nikon digital camera. Beautiful colors and sharpness, compact size, Nikon optics and a very good price. Here are some recommendations to make your Nikon 800 experience more enjoyable:
1. You need a large size (64M or larger)USB-enabled compactflash (like Lexar) or a USB compact flash reader to make transfers fast. The serial interface on the camera is too slow.
2. Make your own hand-strap. An elastic cat leash cut to size from the local pet store is the best.
3. Order a UV filter to cover and protect the lens.
I love my Nikon 800. Highly recommended.
2.
21 If you liked working with a manual 35 MM, the 800 is 4U
Heard about the images this camera and the 880 gave, and they are great! This is not a point and shoot camera, because you have to override some of the automatic settings when there is backlight or even frontlight. I would not recommend it for anyone who hasn't had a 35 MM that they had to tweak the picture. The best thing about this complaint is that you can view the picture immediate and reshoot it again. One reason I got the 800 instead of 880 is that it takes 4 AA batteries and the 4 AA rechargeables are less costly.
22 Good digital camera
For the most part, I'm quite happy with my Coolpix 800 (bought at Amazon.com). It certainly gets the job done, and the images are as good as what I've gotten with my 35mm SLR, if not better. My main beefs are the ones that are well known about this camera: the flash and zoom are both very limited (to the point where I pretty much consider this an outdoor camera - the one time that I did use it indoors extensively, I set the sensitivity to ISO-400 and shot by available light), and I wish it were possible to manipulate the f-stop and shutter speed directly. And I've got a new beef: Due to the small size of the camera, it is nearly impossible to use it without getting thumb prints all over the LCD screen. But these notwithstanding, it is a great camera that takes good, well exposed crisp pictures, and that's the bottom line.
23 A good product at a value for money price
Got my Nikon 800 a month ago and have now had the chance to try it out. I have no qualms in saying picture quality is very good. My additional comments would be the same as many others; you get a lot of camera for your money in the Nikon 800. However, plan on spending an additional [sum] on a USB SmartCard reader, ...for a set of NiMH batteries and recharger (get the best, with 1600mAH capacity)... ... for a 32MB SmartCard. In fact I purchased a 64MB Sandisk card from Amazon... and on the 'normal' jpeg setting you will get 128 pictures. Finally, the carrying pouch that comes with the camera is useless as it offers zero protection against knocks. You'll want to get something more substantial. Other Dislikes: Plastic feel of camera body. Lense location on the far right hand side of the camera body (careful fingers!). SmardCard cover feels as if it will snap off, if even slightly mishandled. Those comments don't detract from what is still a great digital camera purchase.
24 Great camera and GREAT tech support
I wanted a digital camera for all the usual reasons. In addition to its usefulness for emailing, my second reason is that I take hundreds of snapshots yearly that I throw out as soon as I get home - sometimes, while still at Kinko's. It seemed like such a great idea to be able to delete all my duds - before any tree ever has to die for them, or (gasp) any photo lab worker has to see them.
This is a great little camera. It is truly a simple-to-use, lightweight thing. I agree with all the praise. I wish I had known at the outset (if only to spare myself the headache) that the instruction manual - the good, big, complete one that I wanted to read cover-to-cover - is on a CD rom. Don't plan on reading it in bed, unless you want to first print all 54 pages. The little "quick" booklet (missing much material) that comes in the package has a loosely organized table of contents to the CD, but, inexplicably, no page numbers that would correspond to the topics in the printed material, so you must search.
You must buy separate photo-editing software, unless you want to send your nice little photos only to have your recipient download them in in that ridiculous huge size we've all seen. In addition you will not be able to modify your photos in any way without the software.
Four double A batteries were used up in an hour of snapping, viewing, deleting, snapping. When the batteries begin to wear out, the camera gets sluggish, and then it's time. A rechargeable battery pack (or two) is a must.
An excellent feature of any Nikon camera is that the Nikon tech support line is a twenty- four hours a day, seven days a week operation. This is incredible. I had a few glitches with the Nikon software, and phoned several times. I was helped right away - efficiently and well. That alone is a fantastic plus, especially for someone who is not particularly good with new gadgetry. Terrific.
25 great camera, so far.
I bought the camera after reading the reviews and checking consumers report. for the money this camera is great. i do not use it alot and am still getting used to it but so far so good. i recommend this camera. i did get a great price plus a rebate. that helped me make the move and i am glad i did it. k.
26 Amazing Camera
After careful searching for the right digital camera I purchased this honey. I have been thrilled with all aspects of my Nikon Coolpix 800. It is so lightweight (usually carried a Canon with 300 zoom lens) . . it fits in my purse. The macro is amazing. It was bad weather here, so I went to Meiers store and photographed . . . jelly beans, colored foil wrapped kisses, flowers, people . . . all without a flash. They came out beautifully. The battery life is great. I have used mine for over two weeks and it is just now run down. I did buy the USB card reader . . .a must have. I also had to go to the HP web site and download a driver update for my scanner to make it work. All in all I truly love this little camera. I am an artist who works from photos . . . I have the whole world at my fingertips now with no waiting for processing. Best buy for your money . It's worth twice the price.
27 Nikon Coolpix 800 - Happy with it!!
I just bought my Nikon Coolpix 800 through Amazon (good buying experience, by the way, the camera was shipped within the two weeks Amazon said it would be). This camera is my second digital camera, replacing a 640 x 480 clunker. My choice was based on determining that 1600 x 1200 resolution would be sufficient for my needs, and the Nikon seeming to give the best pictures in that resolution range on the review sites (epinion.com, megapixel.net, etc.). So far, this camera has not disappointed me. The picture quality is excellent. The quality is as good as, or better than anything I have ever gotten with a 35mm SLR. I have gotten great compliments from photographic friends for the quality of pictures that I have emailed them that were taken with this camera. The camera does lack aperture- or shutter-priority options, but you can finesse around that with the EV control. I am also pleased with the black and white and VGA options. The VGA setting is 640 x 480 resolution, but still better quality than my old one. This is good if you only plan to email a picture to someone or use it on a web site. I also like the ability to adjust white balance, including manual white balance adjustments. All in all, a great picture taking digital camera for the money.
28 Nikon Coolpix 800
I am really enjoying this camera. It is very easy to use as a point and shoot camera as well as having the manual mode for the more advanced user. I am the in between user. I have been enjoying learning how to take great shots with this camera.
The paper book manual is very basic and will get you started right away. It is really easy to get started. It also has a little "quick guide" pamphlet so you can find basic functions fast. Then it comes with an in-depth reference manual on a CD-ROM. This I felt was a little inconvenient. I'd rather be able to page through a book quickly to find what I need, but others may like the CD-ROM manual. But I would not let that deter you from buying this camera.
I bought this camera because of the higher resolution (the 2.11 megapixels) to be able to print quality photos. I plan on using Amazon's Ofoto site to have them printed as well as printing them on my Epson. Of course I love to email my photos to everyone as well. But so far the picture quality is great. Especially outdoor shots. The flash for indoor shots could be stronger. This seems to be the norm with digicams having a harder time indoors. Up close is fine but the back of the room is dark. There are ways around that using the manual mode.
The software that came with the camera was very generic. So if you are very into editing, I would buy additional photo editing software.
Additional things that I bought were rechargeable batteries and a charger. I drained the batteries that came with the camera in one day of usage. The LCD really drains the batteries.
I also bought a 64mb compactflash card from Lexar. The 8mb is just not enough. Especially if you were to go on vacation. The Lexar card came with a jumpshot cable (a memory reader). It was very reasonabley priced. You just plug the cable into the USB port in your computer. Then you take the memory card out of the camera and put it into the reader. This helps out because you don't have to plug your camera in all the time to download your photos and it won't waste the batteries. Plus it is faster than the serial cable that comes with the camera. One thing I might mention about Lexar's jumpshot cables is that they will only read Lexar cards. But for the price of the card that included the jumpshot cable it was well worth it. And it was so easy to use.
I still plan on getting a nicer case for my camera. One with more padding. And if you were go on vacation, you would need a spot for the batteries, the charger and also the software if you need to download it to a computer.
All in all I am very happy with my purchase. I had been researching it more months on sites like Megapixel.net and ZDNET as well as other camera reviewing sites. The price was exceptional for the quality of this camera and I would highly recommend it.
29 Great Bargain
This is a great camera! I have had it for only a few hours and have taken several great pictures. This is my first experience with a digital camera. i feel vert comfortable with it. It is virtually ready to use out of the box. All I need now is a larger memory card and I will be ready for my vacation.
30 Bang For Your Buck!
Wow! What a bargain! At a price less than most of the competition (cameras w/ at least 2 megapixels), the Nikon Coolpix 800 is a steal. This camera has many advanced features, many found on higher-end cameras, although it's still simple enough for novice users, like me, to handle. With a quick skim the manual you will be off and running. The layout of the camera is very logical and easy to navigate. Most people will probably use the autofocus although a manual focus mode is avaliable for more "advanced" options for photo-taking. The autofocus is terrific and allows the user to have a "point-and-click" attitude to digital photo imaging while encompassing the advantages of the incoming "digital age." The TFT LCD screen allows you to have a great view of pictures you have taken and stored on the compact flash card. The LCD on-screen menu is extremely easy to operate. It produces superb pictures rivaling many higher resolution cameras. With a decent printer, you could produce photos detailed enough to rival that of regular 35mm "professional" development. The print quality is great and it is enhanced by high quality photo paper. It is a good idea to do plenty of research on the digital camera topic before you purchase one since it is quite an investment even for the "cheaper" cameras. The included 8mb compact flash card is decent, holding 16 "normal" detail 1600X1200 photos, although I would recomend purchasing a larger capacity one (i.e. 16mb+). Another additional bonus would be to purchase a compact flash reader to download the images. They are relatively cheap and reduce the download time. Rechargeable batteries would be an added plus since the LCD display is a battery drainer. Another important accessory would be a high-quality carring case considering the amount of money put into the camera. Overall the Nikon Coolpix 800 is a great camera at a bargain price.
31 My first digital camera
I received my Nikon Coolpix800 in the mail on Friday, almost in time to get all the nights of Chanukah. I took it to the dinner that evening and took pictures of the kids and other congregants. I also took it home and took some great close-up shots. You can't necessarily tell how the picture will come out just from looking at the LCD screen, but when the pictures were viewed on my computer, they were really nice. The pictures were clear. Even though the room wasn't that light, the pictures were fairly bright. I forgot to change the focus to distance for one picture of the kids on the stage, so it didn't come out that great--oops. Also, the close-up shots were really nice--even in darkness or low light, when the LCD screen won't show anything, the pictures come out clear and bright. I noticed two things I thought were unusual. The first is that the pictures seem to be better when the zoom lens is low or zoomed-out. If I used the close zoom as opposed to simply moving closer, the picture seemed darker and less clear. The second--the batteries did start to go low later in the evening. So, I plugged in the A/C adapter. I forgot to unplug it, and the batteries were fully-charged in the AM. I don't think I was sent rechargeable batteries, but having the A/C adapter seems to extend the battery life, so, though I saw the low battery light in the evening on the first night I started taking pictures. I have used the camera with and without the A/C adapter, and I am still on the first set three days and 40 pictures later. I also do recommend having the USB CompactFlash system to download pictures--it takes seconds to download about 8MB. I bought a larger disk (32MB) and have used over a quarter of the pictures, and it takes less than 30 seconds to download all of the pictures--they appear quickly and clearly. I am considering keeping the disks and just buying more like I would buy film for negatives, as the picture quality decreases when I put them into programs on my computer.
32 Wonderful camera, but...,
Like everything about the camera except it is not 'twain' compatible and means a lot unnecessary moving of data to utilize various, good graphic programs. So, for the price, it is a good performer but had I known the above fact in advance, I would have purchased something else.
33 I love my Nikon 800 Digital Camera
I've been a camera nut for over 30 years, but have always used 35mm or 2-1/4 film. I have had my Nikon 800 for 6 weeks now and doubt I will ever use film again.
The photo quality is fantastic. Using the normal setting, about 500kb/photo(the high res is about twice the size), the 4x6 prints are indistinguishable from 35mm and are comparable at 8x10. The ability to image both the light and dark portions (ie the shaddowed areas in a bright sunshine shot) of a photo are far superior to film. My prints on an HP 862 printer using "best print quality" and Kodak glossy premium picture paper are photo shop quality.
It is very easy to use. I have spent less than 5 minutes with the manual. I have shot almost everything on auto exposure with great results. I have had no problem with exposures too dark.
Three small negatives (pun intended), the cycle time between exposures can exceed 2 seconds, the flash is weak, and the Pictureworks/HotShots software included is cumbersome. The exposure speed, iso 100 equivilent, can be frustrating in low light situations, but this is common to all digital cameras.
You do need to buy a 36 or 64mb... flash card to hold 60 to 120 photos until you can download to yourcomputer. The 8mb that comes with this (and most other) camera only holds 8 to 16 images. A SanDisk USB flash card reader... will quicken the transfer to your computer and save batteries.
34 Highly recommended
After reading just about every review I could find, I finally purchased the Coolpix 800. I was looking for a camera that was above 2 mega pixels and $500 or below. I have read some of the reviews about the low quality of pictures in a dark room, but after playing with the light meter adjustment I did not have any problems with the quality of brightness of the photo. I even went to the extreme and took some close up photos, outside, in total darkness of a Hybiscus bush. The photo showed incredible detail and deep rich color from the flowers. I also read some of the complaints about the auto focus always being on and drawing on battery power. This is only the case if you leave it on this setting. You can set it to only auto focus when you press the shutter half way.
The pros for this camera are: It's easy to figure out. Takes great pictures. Has lots of features for manual and automatic photos. You can even take black and white photos. Different lens settings like fisheye and wide angle. Manual and Auto settings. LCD screen is incredible. It does have a lens cover. and it is fairly compact. It's a lot of fun shooting pictures just to see what kind of results you get with the manual settings. I was able to have fun with this camera right out of the box.
My only complaints are that I wish it came with a power supply, the battery cover is a little flimsy, and the software that comes with the camera isn't anything to get all excited over.
Bottom line is if I had to buy it again I would do it gladly and without hesitation.
Hope this makes your descision a little easier.
35 Excellent is the only word !!
I got this from Amazon.com 3 days ago and is still shooting away. Sharp pictures, excellent focusing & light weight.
Here are some negative points if that's what you are looking for -
1. It is a battery hogger. The 4 energizer (alkaline) battery pack that came with the camera lasted only for about 20 pictures. You NEED rechargeable NiMH battery. .... Andthe charger is [even more money]. You don't really need the optional AC adapter. It is just another thing to load the electrical outlet near the PC.
2. The 8MB CompactFlash card is just not enough if you want to stick to the 1600x1200 resolution which is the default. At normal compression, you can have only 16 pictures. I feel that 640x480 resolution should have been the default. 640x480 is only available in advanced options. At 640x480, the 8MB card can hold 102 pictures at normal compression which is good enough for me. But if you want to stick to 1600x1200, you may be better off considering a card with more capacity.
I decided not to reduce the number of stars because of these negative points because the quality easily makes up for them and these negative points may be unavoidable (as in the case of battery usage) or not applicable to all (as in the case of resolution & storage size).
I had been using Nikon N50 (non-digital) for years and had fallen love with that camera. I guess the N50 will have to excuse me now !!
36 Great value+pic quality if you don' t need lots of features.
The camera has no USB connector--it uses a serial wire, which means it can connect to most PCs or older Macs, but needs an adapter or a USB-enabled flash card for newer Macs. Apart from that it takes good pictures and at the price it's selling for now it's a good entry into digital photography. The optional lenses are great and will transfer to other Nikon models later if you upgrade.
I prefer the form factor of the 900/950/990 even though they are bigger, because of the way the body twists. This makes it so you can see the LCD when you're holding the camera over your head pointing down, or down by your knees pointing up. Great for pics of kids, crowds, etc. The Nikon 900 series are the only still cameras I know of that do this.
37 Fantastic camera, can't beat the price!
The Nikon Coolpix 800 is a wonderful camera for the price and has some outstanding features typically found on higher-priced models. The automatic picture taking mode does a good job of metering and focusing while the manaul mode gives the user the ability to change ISO, exposure, white balance and focus. I have had the camera in the dark, wet depths of slot canyons in Utah to the high, snowy country of Colorado. It has performed well in a variety of temperatures and has held up to a number of good hard knocks. An optional 28mm wide angle lens attachment is great. The only items that detract from the allure of this camera are: The flash is a bit weak. The serial port connection is slow, get a USB card reader. NiMH batteries are a must (But that holds true for just about any digital camera product). The included 8MB card is not hardly enough. Buy at least a 32MB card. You won't be disappointed with this camera, I'm very pleased with it!
38 Great value for a first time digital camera user!
I'm very happy with my new Nikon Coolpix 800 camera. First of all the body is a nice size and shape. It's very easy to carry around and fits in even small purses, and feels quite durable. Second, it takes very good pictures! The quality of my prints from Amazon.com Photo Services by Ofoto is excellent. I take the pictures with the camera resolution set to "fine" and the 4x6 and 5x7 prints are excellent. Third, the automatic settings are smart enough to do the work for you, and it's fun to play with the self metering also. Fifth, it's cool to have Nikon brand camera. The only things I wish this camera had are a stronger zoom lens and a stronger flash for indoors. I'm very happy with this camera and feel I got a good deal for my first digital camera.
39 cool camera with a few kinks
Wow, those pictures are really cool. Have it for a few days now and mainly made different pictures in automatic setting. I bought the camera for it's awsome picture quality and so far it delivers. As others have said before, there are a few kinks you will have to live with, if you go for Nikon's entry level: 1) flimsy covers for battery/smartcard/lens 2) this thing eats up batteries, get lots of NiMH rechargables. (the batteries that came with the camera were empty after shooting 15 pictures and downloading them to PC) When you turn the camera on, the LCD monitor turns on and the camera is in constant metering/focusing mode. So, running around like that for a while, eats up batteries even more. If you don't want to use the monitor, you have to turn it off when you switch the camera on.
Summary: great pictures for a decent price, if you can live with the above.
40 Some reconsiderations on the camera
Since I wrote my first review, I have had the opportunity to play around with the camera and to take hundred of pictures, no doubt the camera is great, still have the problem of having a very slow lens, that requires a lot of ilumination to make those great pictures. But the reason because I am writting, this new review is to give some advices to those with the same camera: 1- Buy a battery recharger ( a 2 Hours one is great) 2- Buy 8 rechargables AA Niquel-Metal hydraide (choose a good ones, the cheaper don't last) 3- Buy a USB compact flash card reader ( The best investment! ) 4- Buy a 64 Mb compact Flash Card ( It is in most of the cases enough for a short trip) 5- Think before taking a picture, and use the features of the camera, it is so versatile that will allows you to have that great picture, whatever the conditions, but need some practics. 6 With good illumination use the automatic setting (A)it always get the better picture. 7- With Poor condition use always Manual. set for 200 ASA or 400 ASA depending on the condition, you can even increase the apperture of the objetive manually, do so if you think is needed 8- Finally you need a good software to retouch the pictures they always need to increase the brightness, and sometimes also the gamma. I am using CamediaMaster from Olympus and I am very happy, it is not the best for retouching, but it the best to managing and organizing your pictures, besides you can play a slide show without need of create any album, just play the file. Enjoy your Coolpix and play with it for as while before judging it. ...
41 Great camera except...
I like the Nikon a great deal except for one fatal design blunder, totally unexpected from a company with Nikon's reputation. The optional lenses block most of the view finder when they're in use. As the representative told me, you must use the LCD monitor when using the optional telephoto lens (and apparently other lenses and digital cameras). Unfortunately, the LCD monitor is virtually useless in dim lighting or bright sun. So this is a very serious design error. I can recommend this camera only if you never intend to use the optional lens.
42 A great camera with metering`problems
I have had several different digital cameras, all on the samerange, and this is a great machine, that takes very sharp images, besides it allows you to manually set almost everything, which is great when you want to shot on poor conditions. A USB flashcard reader it is a must, the batteries last enough to shoot at least 100 pictures using th LCD to review the shots, no complains here. Now the down side, the metering system is always taken dark pictures that are too bad on artificial illumination, when you shoot with the flash, only the closer ( I ment 3 foot) is iluminated the rest is too dark and unreadable, only way to overcame the problem, set the ASA to 400, you will get a litle more blurry picture, but at least you will be able to see something. I do not understand why Nikon has not fixed this problem yet. I am a fan of Nikon, but something is wrong in this model, that posible could be corrected with a sofware modification. I have requested to change this unit for other to see if it is a unique problem of this one. One advice......, ! My (other camera) makes very good pictures, always well illuminated! EN
43 Excellent camera for an excellent price
If your thinking about buying a digital camera for this price definitely buy this Nikon 800. The 2.1 megpixels far outshine any 1.3 mega pixels cameras. The LCD monitor is like a tv. The battery life is also excellent I get about 1.5 hours on my rechargeables. Its completely worth the extra few bucks, why settle for less, as they say.
I love this camera ive played with some similarly priced ones(EG Canon powershot s100) but i still love the Nikon 800. But so as to help you I'll tell you some points to note about the camera that some people may not like.
1. Rechargeable batteries are a must,eventhough the battery life is one of the longest around its pretty much a necessity for any digital camera. Batteries + recharger cost me 17 dollars.
2. The zooming capabilities on digital cameras are not very good. However for the Nikon you can buy a telefoto lens.
3. The memory card supplied with digital cameras is always the most basic. The Nikon comes with an 8MB card which with the settings(picture quality, picture size) that I have selected gets me about 50 pics. However at the best pic qualtiy and largest photo size, this card can only store one photo. However my photos show no adverse degradation in quality or size, so I do not feel the need to buy more memory.
4. There are loads of manual functions that you may never use, or use only sometimes. But it means that everybody is happy.
5. It's takes alot of practice(a few days) to capture moving objects and ensure to get the object at the precise moment you want it.
6. It comes with a soft, flimsy case , you want to buy more protection.
7. Downloading photos using the serial port is ok for an 8MB card. Anything higher than 16MB may become annoying. Certainly if your impatient get the usb card reader...
I would be willing to pay a 100 bucks more for this camera its seriously that good. The pictures produced are just of such good quality.Suffice to say Im very happy with my purchase.
44 Good Quality Images. Will Cost a lot more than you expect.
The quality of the images are very good and the 2 MB products are very much the *sweet spot* for amateurs and will be suitable for everyone except proffessionals. Be warned though that you should prepare to spend quite a bit more than the cost of the camera. 2 sets of batteries and a recharger are a neccessity and maybe an AC adapter as well. Nikon should try to include a recharger, nothing kills the digital camera experience more than realizing that your camera lasts for about 30 minutes before you need to put in new batteries. Also the 8 MB card is useless. You can only take 1 (!) high quality uncompressed image. Factor in...for a 64 MB Compact Flash. Likewise I havent found any image editing software (also a negative with Nikon is you get no printed manual and the basic software is VERY basic) so you will need to purchase some editing software.
45 Better than my friend's Kodak 280 -- and cheaper, too!
I'm always the last guy in my group of friends to do something. They all graduated college before I did. They all got married before I did. They all had kids before I did. And they all bought digital cameras before I did. Being the last digital camera purchaser had its advantages, though. I got to learn from all of their mistakes! I have a friend with the Olympus 460, one with a Nikon Coolpix 950 (the fancier version of the 800), and one with a Kodak 280. They all bring their cameras along on hikes and camping trips, so I was able to see all of the pros and cons to help me make my own purchase. I decided that I wanted 2 mega-pixels and optical zoom. I also didn't want to spend more than $500. I ruled out the Olympus right away, because it only has a 1.2 mega-pixel image size and I want at least 2 mega-pixels so I can make 5x7s or even 8x10s. Of course, after I bought my Coolpix 800, I learned that Olympus is coming out with a 2 mega-pixel version of the 460, so if I were buying it today, I'd have to reconsider. After ruling out the Olympus, I was left with the Kodak DC280 and the Coolpix. My friend's 950 was outside of my budget, but that's OK, because I didn't like the shape of the 950 (weird twisty thing) or its size. The 800 is smaller and looks and feels like a normal camera. If you compare the 800 to the Kodak DC280, they basically look identical. 2x optical zoom, 3x digital zoom, Compact Flash card, AA batteries, optical viewfinder, LCD display, etc...they're nearly identical. In the end, I figured "Kodak mostly makes instamatics, and Nikon makes lots of high-quality 35mm cameras". I've heard lots of great things about Nikon film cameras, and figured that this technology would carry over to their digital cameras. Besides, with the rebate, the Nikon is cheaper!
I'm totally thrilled with my decision. The pictures are fantastic, and the camera never fails to amaze me with its flexibility. Though it's not as fancy as the 950, it's LOTS cheaper and is easier to carry. Look around: if you want a 2 mega-pixel camera with an optical zoom, you can count on spending $500 or $550. This camera has all the features I need with an awesome price! Definitely happy with my purchase, and happy with the quick painless service I received from Amazon.
I can recommend this camera without reservations. You won't outgrow it any time soon, and you can't go wrong with a Nikon lens.
46 Best deal out there
This is the 3rd digital camera I've purchased. My first model was a 640x480, which looked good in emails, but was really lacking when I tried to print my pictures out. Next came a megapixel model, which was better, because it made prints look good, but I couldn't zoom or crop much before my pictures started looking fuzzy. It was time for a 2 megapixel model. I looked at the Coolpix 950, but it was too big and too expensive. I looked at the Canon digital elph too. It's small and cute, but in my opinion isn't worth the extra money. I looked at a few other models too, but I kept coming back to the Nikon. I think that most people agree that Nikon optics are about the best available, and they have a good track record with previous models of film and digital cameras...
Good stuff: GREAT pictures; Nikon lens; optical (not digital) zoom (though not quite as powerful as some); Compact Flash (personal preference, maybe, but available in bigger capacities); Much more compact than the 950, with most of the features and the same resolution.
Not as good: have almost lost the lens cap several times already; batteries don't last too long with lcd on; get rechargeables!
Unless you're a hardcore photographer, this should have all of the manual abilities and photo quality you need. If you are a hardcore photographer, you probably want one of the 3 megapixel models instead...
For me, the Coolpix 800 is 80% of a new Olympus 3030 or a Coolpix 990, but for less than half the price. Bargain!
47 This camera does the job like few other digital cameras.
The Nikon Coolpix 800 is hard to beat. It's easy to use, produces great quality photos and the price is second to none.
I have tried other digital cameras -- Kodak, Olympus, Sony, and more expensive Nikons -- and this one is by far the most impressive. I use the camera for newspaper and magazine work, and am quite happy. So is my editor.
To save batteries, I turn the LDC monitor off, except for a brief viewing. And, I purchased a PCMCI adapter, which enables me to read the photos very quickly. This makes downloading the photos much more simple and less time consuming.
There are a few minor problems with the camera. The biggest is that the zoom is disappointing compared to other mega pixel cameras -- even with the optional teleconverter lens. Here's why: The converter blocks the viewfinder, forcing the photographer to use the LCD monitor, which means batteries don't last as long.
Still, I'm pleased with the purchase.
48 A Pretty Good Camera For Your Money
I bought this camera having never used digital, and I must say I was stunned! It is VERY easily used, and even if you're not electronically inclined, you'll figure it out in about 15 with the help of the QuickStart guide that comes with it. I will say that for a more advanced user/experienced photographer, it may seem a little elementary; you can't change shutter speed (this is automatic), F-stop has very limited variability, zoom is so-so (though there are a variety of accessory lenses you can purchase).
As for batteries, do yourself a favor and buy some NiMH rechargeable batteries (takes 4 AA) at radio shack, where a set of four plus the charger is only 19.99. This Camera is a ravenous, battery-devouring beast, and you will have to change batteries after 45 mins if you use alkaline. With the NiMH, I have yet to kill them- they last forever.
The auto mode is very user friendly, and does just about everything for you. The manual mose allows you to change around things a bit (but does limit you, for example the shutter I mentioned)
There are several different resolutions you can use (the default is 1600x1200, but you can shoot 640x480 or smaller), and also several shooting options like 16-shot which takes 16 shots over the course of about 5-8 secs, bestshot which will take 10 and the camera decides which is the best. Or you can take up to 40 frames per second.
You might want to get an extra or larger memory card because even though they say it holds 200 pictures, this is a bit stretched. It will hold about 30 basic quality, 16 normal quality, 8 fine quality or 1 high quality in the 1600x1200 mode, and about 200, 100, 50, 5 in the 640x480 mode. Though I WILL say that the 640x480 VGA mode is a good mode because even a 19" monitor cannot display a 1600x1200 shot, and part of it will always be off screen, whereas the 640x480 almost perfectly fits the screen (I use the 640x480 VGA mode myself). Plus the 1600x1200 shoty takes quite a qhile to upload.
Summing it up, if you have never used a digital before, you will be surprised off you A-- at how easy it is to use and take good photos. If you are a professional or have experience, you might want to go with the 900, 950, or 990.
I give it 4.5 stars
49 Nikon Coolpix == Slowpix
Nikon Coolpix 800 has two shortcomings:
1. The flash is terrible. Almost always, the flash shots come out with the subject bright in the center and the backround completely dark. It looks like a metering/exposure problem.
2. The camera is slow. I take a lot of pictures of moving objects, my kids etc. Almost all moving shots, the camera takes the picture a second or so later than the actual shot which means I missed the shot.
If you don't take a lot of pictures with flash or moving objects, this is a great camera. For me, I went and bought an Olympus C2000Z. Works great, and has 3x zoom to boot.
50 This is a KEWL Camera - What's the Beef?
The Nikon Coolpix 800 is a GREAT camera. I don't understandwhat the other comments are complaining about. Mine came with aninstruction booklet, a foldout "getting started" sheet (which was very well written), and a CD for more detailed instruction. But, all I needed was the starter sheet, 15 minutes of trying it out, and found it was intuitively simple. I also didn't have trouble with battery life (I used the alkalines that came with it). I took 20 pictures, downloaded them into my computer and STILL had PLENTY of battery life. This is a nice compact camera with some great features...This is an amazing camera at an amazing price - and I am usually very finicky. I'd recommend this camera whole-heartedly.
51 Fantastic quality for hundreds less than the 3 megpix models
I came very close to purchasing the CoolPix 990 or Olympus C3030Z for twice the price of the CP800, but after a few days with this little gem I am very pleased with my choice. The extra money is well spent on accessory lenses, rechargable NiMH batteries, memory cards and reader.
The 2X optical zoom is not a big issue if you add on a telephoto lens -- the current Nikons all support add on lenses with their threaded barrel, using the properly sized adapter rings. Keep in mind that the digital zoom on the 800, and most digital cameras, results in severe noise and distortion. I doubt I'll ever use the digital zoom.
Image quality is superb, and I have found myself marvelling at the sharpness of pics shot at full res (1600x1200) in fine mode, even at fully automatic settings. Color and white balance seem very natural, and of course are user-settable in manual mode. Nikon's expertise in quality optics and metering is very evident here.
Minor concerns are that the battery cover area seems flimsy, and also the optical viewfinder must be used with the right-eye to avoid severe nose-smudging of the large LCD, which is flush with the rear case and dead center so right in nose territory!
User interface is quite friendly and easily mastered with a bit of experimentation on the menus.
You WILL want a USB or PC-card CompactFlash reader as the camera does not include USB support natively. Serial port transfers are a joke with files this big (600-900K per pic)!
I highly recommend this camera to intermediate photographers who want more resolution, manual control, and lens options than a low-end device, but do not need all the bells and whistles of the $800+ 3-megapixel "big guns".
52 Big things do come in SMALL packages
This is one great tiny camera! I was kinda shocked by how small it was when I first opened it but it's compact size betrays the many features hidden within it's frame. However, this may be a downfall to someone with big hands so if you do you may want to find one at a camera or electronics store before you buy.
There was one thing that I did find annoying and that was the online manual. The manual is pretty informative but if you are like me and are outdoors a bit...well the online manual won't do you anygood, so read up before you try and leave home with it.
Other than those two very minor features this camera more than does the job. It is very lightweight and compact yet it has the ability to add various other lenses from fisheye, macro, and a telephoto. The flash is powerful enough to handle most any shot and you have the option to change the film speeds to compensate even further. It shoots in standard form at 1600x1200 but can be reduced to 640x480. If you want to take high speed pictures, you have the option from single, continuous, up to an amazing 40 continuous shots. This is my first digital camera so I don't know if others have these features but for the price and the size I can almost bet you are not going to find one that rivals this little Nikon in quality. I would highly recommend this camera to anyone.
53 A great amateur digital camera!
I must admit that I like having new electronic toys when they come out. I purchased a digital camera in 1997 and was not entirely impressed by what 500$ got me then. However, 3 years later, I stumbled upon the Nikon Coolpix 800 at a great price and took another shot at digital imaging.
PICTURES: The pictures it takes are fantastic! The 1600x1200 resolution really makes a difference when making prints. They look like they were taken with a 35mm. This is not even mentioning the backing of a quality Nikkor lens that picks up lots of detail other digicams of the same resolution do not. Another feature that impressed me was the fact I could add additional lenses to it (and Nikon has 3 designed specifically for the Coolpix 800/950/990).
FEATURES: It has a lot of features of its bigger brother like an uncompressed TIFF format, ability to take B&W pictures, and adjustable metering. However, for a non-professional photographer, I liked the fact the auto mode was easy to use and allowed me to take great pictures right away. I now can switch to manual mode to take more control of the picture, but the camera is ready to take great pictures right out of the box. Unlike other reviewers, mine came with a paper manual in addition to a CD-ROM that explained many of the basic features and taught me about some of the more exotic ones.
This is a great camera for anyone wanting a digital camera that takes great pictures but doesn't want to spend ton of money on features that may not even be used. Otherwise, the CP990 and the D1 are really nice cameras for those interested in more control. I do recommend getting an extra Flash card since 8 MB does run out fairly quickly when taking pictures in FINE or NORMAL mode. Getting a USB SanDisk CompactFlash reader was also a big help since the built-in connection is serial and can take a LONG time to download pictures if you have a lot of them.
54 Possibly an unfortunate fluke
The Nikon Coolpix 800 sounded like a great buy in a full-featured digital camera. Unfortunately, when mine arrived at my doorstep, after unpacking it and following the quick-start instructions to the letter, I took one test photo, and the camera began to buzz and an ominous statement "system error" flashed on the LCD screen. The only way I could even shut off the camera was to open the battery bay. The comprehensive manual on CD said that if this message appeared and a restart didn't fix the problem (it didn't), the only action was to phone Nikon. Since this was a new camera, right out of the box, I didn't bother, but packed it back up and returned it the following day. There are many good things about the camera, but in my short time with it, other than the obvious fatal flaw, I noticed that the battery compartment cover and smartcard cover were both very flimsy (noted in other reviews). I feel that both of these will get extensive use during the life of the camera and are prone to failure. Perhaps the major fault was a fluke, but I won't be replacing this with another coolpix, or probably with another Nikon.
55 Chapter 2 'Poor luck so far...
The great staff at a Camera World got my camera working and it is doing fine now. I'll stick with the Nikon800 Coolpix.
56 Poor luck so far with the coolpix800
I recently purchased my first digital camera, a Coolpix 800 (Not from Amazon). I couldn't get it to focus. At a camera shop they pointed out to me that the lens was in crooked. I bought another from the camera shop and returned the first one.
To my dismay, when starting this one up I got a 'system error'. I called the camera shop and they stepped me through a card--formating exercise, still no luck.
Finally I called the Nikon factory snd told a gal my problem. She kind of laughed and said "Oh, send it back".
I'm now, being 0 for 2, looking at another brand.
Thank you, Clair
57 Great Camera For The Price
This is a great little camera. The pictures are bright, crisp and easily managed using the camera's menu and browsing functions. The manual is on CD but using the camera is fairly intuitive and should not take long to master. The camera is fairly light but the construction is solid with very little edges to catch and break off.
My favorite aspect is I can take pictures using the CompactFlash card then pop the card into my CE handheld and review the pictures without having to load to a desktop computer. Highly recommend this as a camera for the novice to casual user.
58 Great camera, minor annoyances
I've had my CoolPix 800 since November and for the most part, I am very pleased with it. The pictures are great and there are a fair amount of features that the advanced amateur will find useful. Two major disappointments however are the inability to control the shutter speed and aperature, and the battery life. Nikon's web site will lead you to believe that you can control the shutter speed and aperature (such as when you are taking fast action shots or photos at night), but this is not true. Shutter speed and aperature are automatically controlled no matter what you are shooting. To get that kind of control, you need to be purchasing the CoolPix 950. Amazon's review that "battery life is a winner" is a crock. The camera eats battries at an alarming rate even with the LCD screen switched off. I have considered purchasing a rechargeable set, but my solution is to buy the battries in bulk at Costco. You can get a brick of 48 AA Kirkland battries for about $12. These battries are almost as highly rated (according to Consumer Reports) as regular Duracell's and a whole lot less expensive. Unfortunately, not using rechargeables is not the most environmentally friendly option. By the way, the owners manual on CD. Get a clue Nikon, that one's a real pain!
59 Superb Images
The images that this camera is capable of producing will be hard to duplicate in any other digital camera that can be purchased for under $600. Previous reviews have mentioned size, controls, and rudimentary software as problems.
I don't believe Nikon or anyone else bills this camera as a 'pocket' camera. If size is a big criteria, consider the Canon S10. The CP800 is easy to hold and is not so small that it is hard for someone with larger hands to manipulate.
I find the controls about average for a digital camera. Digital cameras don't work like film cameras and require that you develope new skills. No matter what camera you purchase there will always be a learning curve involved. Most of the controls seem quite logical and once you are used to them, cease to be a problem.
The Nikon View software is simply a means of getting the images from the camera to the computer. From there you can use the image editing program of your choice to modify or print your pictures. One of the great things about a digital camera is the fact that you CAN adjust and retouch your photos. Many cameras download their pictures via a serial cable and they are all slow. USB card readers are inexpensive (around $50) and GREATLY speed up the process.
One big plus is the availability of additional lenses and filters, another feature not generally found in cameras of this price range.
No one camera is a good 'fit' for every user but if what you are looking for is great film-quality images, you won't be dissapointed with the CP800.
60 Best bang for the buck
I've had my Coolpix 800 for about a month now, and I can still say that I'm one proud Papa. Yeah, they eat batteries like candy, but so do most cameras with any kahonna's. Buy rechargable! The biggest drawback to this camera is the serial port issue. There's a way around that, though. Buy a SanDisk (they manufacture Nikon memory cards) drive and USB...uploadin' quicker than spit. Well, now that we've bought a CompactFlash drive, some Nickle Metal-Hydride rechargable batteries, an AC adapter, and another 48mb of memory(or you'll be reminded of that time when you ran out of film), we've just added about $250 to an already pricey camera. Not to fear folks. If your reading this review, that means you have internet access. Shop around for the best price. On-line prices will, without a doubt, beat the human factor. Try, Buy .com for the camera and Spotshop.com for the other goodies. I saved a couple hundred easily. Oh and lastly, I wouldn't have a digital camera without at least 2 megapixels, built in flash, optical and LCD viewfinder, and CompactFlash(most common). There's lots of other goodies with this one, and that's why I think this is the most camera for it's price range.
61 Only the pictures are good
I have virtually no digital camera experience and bought this camera about a week ago. I did extensive on-line research and the reviews were outstanding concerning picture quality. In this regard the reviews were accurate. However, I mistakenly thought that picture quality was the only necessary feature in a digital camera. Wrong. I have found many disaapointing features in this camera. First, that the camera's manual is on disk rather than paper is LAME! How are you supposed to read how to download and process pictures when your computer screen is tied up reading the manual. Second, the camera's controls are very confusing. Many buttons serve dual (sometimes three) functins which of course you have to memorize because the manual is only on disk. (There is a printed pocket guide but it is an abbreviated version.) By the way, I printed the entire manual and it is still the worst written electronic manual I have ever read. More experienced digital photographers may not mind this. Third, the camera has a cheap feel to it. After buying it I went to a few stores to see some others and realized how cheap the feel of this camera was. Fourth, the camera is an odd shape and size making it difficult to put it in your pocket and go. Fifth, the serial cable provided is a slow method of transfer. Purchase of a card reader is a must. Sixth, the Nikon View software is very basic. Thus, a photo editing program will be necessary. Finally, the lens cap is not tethered to the camera. While this is not a big deal, it is inconvienant, but more importantly highlights the many shortcomings of the camera's design. Again, although I have many complaints I have to admit the picture quality is exceptional. The question is would I buy this camera again. Probably not. I would trade a slight reduction in picture quality for a better thought out camera which is easier to use. By the way, I have since discovered that the place I bought it has a 30% restocking charge precluding return of the camera. I strongly suggest that anyone contemplating the purchase of a digetla camera on-line go to a local store first just to handle a few diffrent models and then check the rules regarding on-line returns.
62 Minor annoyances
Picture quality is superb, there is no question. There are a few minor issues that I wish I had known when I was shopping for digital cameras. I would like to have a little more zoom capability than the 2x lens provides, as well as better macro capability (or any macro at all). I understand that the Coolpix 950 has both. A flashcard disk drive is a neccessity as battery life is very short (4 AABatteries last maybe an hour). For example, taking and uploading 14 photos will zap 4 brand new Duracell Ultras. I did purchase 4 Nickel Metal rechargeable AA's and that helps ease the pain of replacing batteries. It would be nice if they included the AC adapter, no question this is a must for this camera. Uploading pictures from the camera to PC is easy but slow with the provided software. An additional photo editor other that the one provided will be neccessary to do any creative editing.
On the bright side, the camera has an outstanding compact flash and is loaded with nice features that I have not taken the time to figure out.
Overall, I am quite satisfied with this camera as the quality of photos can help me overlook some of it's shortcomings. I am however considering an upgrade to the Coolpix 950.
63 Easy to use, High Res output, compact, lightweight Camera
This little brother to the CoolPix 950, has almost all the same features. Excellent 1.9 Million Pixels, very easy to use. The 8 meg Compact Flash holds 1-32 images in different formats. Optional A/C adapter should be included, in order to download pictures to your PC. I bought the SanDisk Compact Flash Disk Drive and it downloads to the PC without wasting Camera batteries. Lot's of optional accessories, lenses etc.
