Nikon COOLPIX L810 16.1 MP Digital Camera with 26x Zoom NIKKOR ED Glass Lens and 3-inch LCD (Red) (OLD MODEL)

True story: Had my heart set on the Nikon D3100, but I couldn't bring myself to pay that much for it. Rewind to my son's 8th grade graduation in May. I didn't have a camera at the time so I was using my cell phone which ran out of batteries by the time the graduation procession started. I was devastated. FORTUNATELY a good friend whose son was also graduating was sitting right behind me and she had a gorgeous professional looking camera. She offered to take pics of our son for me. When she emailed them to me the next day, her pictures were amazing! The zoom, picture color and clarity was so unbelievable! I HAD to know what the name of her camera was. She said a "Nikon Coolpix L810". I quickly looked it up online and found it cheapest on Amazon. I ordered it on a Friday and got it on Monday! I'm in LOVE with this camera. I've been practicing taking photos with it outside my work during breaks and the pictures are just beautiful, the zoom is AMAZING. Now, it's definitely not a quick point and shoot camera. You should ABSOLUTELY read the focus instructions VERY carefully before you use this otherwise your pictures come out blurry. BUT that's not a camera issue, it's a "you're not focusing the camera correctly" issue. Lol. You need to press the button down only halfway to allow the camera to focus first, once the focus light turns green, THEN press it all the way down. Tricky at first but gets easy after about 5 pics. So take your time practicing with the focus and getting to know all its shooting modes and features before you try to use it for special occasions like graduations, weddings, vacations...etc. After you get used to it, you will be in love with it. The price for the quality of this camera is outstanding. Love the size of it too. Big enough to be taken seriously, but small enough to fit in a purse or bag for travel. Not heavy, but just enough weight to it to give that quality feel. It's perfect! Comes with: Strap, four AA batteries, USB cable, audio video cable, lens cap and software CD-ROM. Didn't come with a carrying case but no biggie, found one on ebay for about $6 w/free shipping (Ebay item #380422196943)

I was simply looking for a camera to take good photographs and maybe even try my hand at some professional photography in the near future. This camera is a great product to start with. it does not shoot in RAW but the image quality is just as great to work with. The learning curve is pretty low, which is a good thing, there are many preset features for different shooting situations, from all-purpose shots to sports to fireworks/night shots. As I mentioned the fireworks mode, it would be good for me to note on this particular setting the camera's shutter speed is at its max of 4 seconds. I make mention of this because I know some folks may want to try their hands at light painting. Four seconds is more than enough to get a word or 2 in and with enough practice and experience you will be creating perfect light painted images each time. It must also be noted that for optimum performance natural daylight is the best time to take photographs with this camera, the images are shot at its best, crisp and clear. What I like the most is the ability to get just the right amount DOF needed for commercial product photography. Once you have proper lighting and a tripod or anything that will keep your camera steady, most if not all your shots will be near perfect. For what it's worth, the 720p recording works fine. My only gripe with it, is that the autofocus does not work on items that are within 1-5cm of the lens. I guess I may need to try a macro lens and see if it would make a difference. Other than that, for general video recording it works just fine. All in all, for it's price and size the COOLPIX L810 is worth the buy. It will be the perfect gift for any budding photographer.

I purchased the L810 August 2012 (about 1 year ago), so I've had quite a bit of time to try it out. This was my first upgrade camera from using basic ~$100 Nikon models like the P60 and L28 (although my very first was a Kodak easy share). Pros: ~I chose the camera in Blue. The color is rich and I haven't had any major issues with it chipping. ~My cameras come with me everywhere, so it's been through a lot and is holding up pretty well. I have dropped it once (only about 3 months ago) and it only sustained a corner chip (that's all that is apparent). The performance of the camera has not been affected. ~When the lighting is high, especially on sunny days, photos are stunning and crisp, especially macros (the type of photos I take most often). ~This camera takes SD cards, so it was an easy upgrade (although later I purchased an SD with a higher class to improve recording on card speed). ~You can fit quite a bit in the shot when lense is fully zoomed out. ~ (might be a con for some people)Although it isn't a DLSR, it kind of looks like one.Some people have even asked me which Nikon DLSR it was! It's my dream to own a DLSR, but I don't have the money for that yet (college is expensive). This camera feels similar to a DLSR when you hold it (as close to the dream as I can get, for now). Neutral: *Because the lense is a little too big for the camera, sometimes wider shots will have curve distortions in the corners. It's not significant enough to bother me, and I have actually used this defect to take some awesome, creative perspective shots. *Manual setting: The manual light/exposure setting is OK. The camera can be finicky. *Setting: Sometimes settings within the camera are sometimes difficult to find, such as formatting card. This is frustrating when I need to work quickly because my subjects don't always wait for me (organisms). *The lense has to be open/exposed too review pictures. I would have liked it if there was an option to "close lense" while reviewing pictures. My cheap $50 FujiFilm that I take along when fishing automatically closes its lense after you start reviewing images about 1 minute. *Darker lighting shots and extreme contrast lighting tend to be very warm. This can usually be fixed with software, but I've had instances where there was no hope. Negative: *Using the flash: Occasionally when I need the flash and pop it up (esp. for dark macro shots), the camera doesn't recognize this and I have to fight with the camera to accept the flash manually. *Lense is very easy to destroy. Only a month after owning this camera, there was already dust under the lense. I always keep the cap on, and I never exposed my lense to extreme wind or beach conditions. The dust is not visible in most shots, but I know it is there. At certain zoom levels, one of the dust specs create a blurry spot. I am pretty sure that Nikon would fix this problem if I sent the camera in, but it's probably expensive. I never looked into it, though(and I dislike paying shipping). *Dark lighting; This was my BIGGEST disappointment from this camera. It's horrible for low-light situations. My friend's cell phone camera was getting better quality low-light photos than me. Whenever I want a low-light shot, such as a picture of a moth at night, I have to wear a head light and hold a flashlight in my left hand while trying to take a picture. When I use the flash, it only works for objects close-mid distance away. Very close objects get super-exposed, and father objects are non-existent. Also, as the lighting gets darker, the fuzzies get harsher. I know, this isn't a pro-camera. But I would have liked it to handle low light a little better for the price. *Energy monster: The camera takes (4) AA batteries. No battery packs here. This thing is a battery monster that's ALWAYS hungry. I have rechargeable AA batteries for it now, but not always. Before investing in rechargables, it was a bad situation. *Focus: Like I said, I love taking macros/ close-ups. Sometimes the focus takes way too long, and very often it's challenging to get the right focus. For example, I want to get a close-up of a dragonfly. The camera will focus the face or the body, but not both. Whatever it doesn't focus is very blurry. I want a crisp, all-focus closeup. That might be asking too much for a camera like this, but I really don't know. I don't have enough experience to make such a judgement. *Speed: The camera is much faster than my previous, but still too slow for quick, action shots like animals running. These shots tend to be clearer the more you zoom out, but sometimes I want detail. I tend to get these shots indirectly. I take a video of the action, then use editing software (like Picasa) to extract photos from the video. These "photos" are not as crisp as a regular picture, but they allow me to capture things like lightning. There is a super-fast continuous mode that puts 16 photos on one frame. You can extract individual photos from this frame later, but they have to be blown up, and that sacrifices clarity. So, the L810 gets 4 stars overall because it is a nice improvement/upgrade from cheaper cameras. I do like it, but it can be frustrating when I can not capture the shots that I envision. Plus, it's dark-lighting shots are simply awful. You might have more experience with cameras than me and could probably make better judgements of my complications. Or you might have less experience and feel a little overwhelmed by all the reviews for all the cameras you are looking at. No matter who you are, the ultimate decider is YOU. This is my experience and you'll need to judge and digest it to decide if the L810 will satify you needs as a photographer.

I use my new camera for work (print advertising business) and it does an excellent job out on location. I have used it for studio shots as well as portraits and action shots. I bought this in June 2012 after a long search for features and value of numerous cameras. My first shots with the L810 have now printed in our magazine and they look great. I'm sure that's the 16 MP resolution quality coming through. It is easy to use and has a lot of settings. I was amazed at the resolution and quality of the pictures in low light with the flash off. This is my second Nikon camera and I debated buying a more expensive body only model so I could use the lenses I already owned. But I was looking for something fast and easy and this fit my needs without time consuming lens changes or need for a big bag to carry them in. The 26x Zoom is very good and is quick to auto focus when panning in and out. Uploading to computer is easy after quick software install. 3 inch screen is very clear and makes it simple to do a fast review of the picture I just took and make adjustments for next shot without having to wait until I load to computer and possibly need to go back for a re-shoot. I didn't buy this for the video mode since I work for a print magazine but my initial trial with video is very good. I only wish I'd waited a couple of days because Amazon dropped the price $20 just after my order date but that's just my bad luck and makes it an even better deal for others. I still can't believe you get Nikon quality and all of these features for 200 bucks.

Used written in small letters....says old model, but used word not in add....only when adding to cart...did not see this until looked back at add after receipt of camera...did not receive batteries as advertised...fast shipment though...cosmetically fine...will find out soon how well it works...must buy new batteries 1st to gift wrap for Christmas.....

I received this camera less than 24 hours ago.. I have fairly extensive experience with photography - mostly film. Familiarizing myself with this Nikon (L810) and doing a fair number of shots encourages me. It is obviously a 'consumer grade' item but performs very well. It is quick to start - easy to learn and use, fairly intuitive. It shoots quickly and with very little lag. The photos taken are of very good quality thus far. Batteries (AA) are easily available. With a 16 gig card it seems to have a large capacity even at the highest resolution set. All the settings available seem to cover most situations without enduring a very high learning curve. It kind of looks/feels like an SLR - but is small and light. The lens works quite well and provides wonderful telephoto power. The macro setting is very friendly and effective. I've yet to find anything to complain about. It is a VERY good value considering the low price and high performance. I'd have liked to had geo catching but the provided software is an acceptable 'work-around' for that. I've yet to use the video - but not a big requirement for me. If its half the still performance I'll be satisfied. It's a Nikon - not a Leica - but very-very good considering the price. Only time will answer reliability concerns... but while feeling a tad flimsy - not a big annoyance. It feels good in the hand. Small in size and nice light weight. I'd strongly recommend it. The only problem I anticipate is a confusion potential when inserting batteries as far as polarity. There are no discernible makings to know which way to put them in unless you check the manual. A small solve-able issue... but a foolish over sight I thought. A great value!!

This camera was something that I was dying to get. I've had a very old, 8 year old in fact, Coolpix camera that still works but it's so old that I hate using it. The time in between taking one picture and the next if you need the flash is horrendous. So I finally went on the search to revamp my camera owning. And I found the Nikon Coolpix L810. I have to admit what I really wanted was something close enough to a professional photographers camera. I take pictures everywhere I go. Especially with my son. I also don't buy photographer pictures, I tend to do them myself and they always turn out really well. But I wanted a camera that could take that even further. When I read that this camera could take pictures that were professional grade I was pretty sold. Not to mention that it came in colors. I love color choices! It just makes everything a little bit more fun. Upon recieving it, I read the manual and figured out how to use it. It takes a little time to figure out exactly how to. Because you don't just go clicking away like most cameras. You hold the capture button half way down. There is a small square on the screen that will turn green when your camera is properly focused. That is when you press the capture button down completely to capture a picture that is not blurred. You can 'snap snap' but sometimes you will get blurry pictures because the camera takes pictures so fast if you don't focus you will get blur. It doesn't have any problems with the lens cap. If you forget to take it off a message on the screen informs you to turn off your camera, take the lens cap off, and try again. Which was nice because I have heard of people ruining their motor because they left their lens cap on. There are two places to zoom on the camera depending on how you hold it. On the top and on the side, which is really handy. It does take video though I haven't tried that yet. I was also worried about the size of the pictures. How much room they would take up on a memory card. I bought a 16GB card and haven't had to stop taking pictures yet. In fact, I went to the zoo took over 80 pictures and still only came to 300mb. So I am extremely pleased with that as well. I have already recommended it to a friend that is interested in a nicer camera. Definatly worth the purchase.

First Impression: Great looks and many settings, oh my! Out of the box this camera looked quite capable, which is what I expected, already having a Nikon that was my main camera. Side zoom, dedicated record button are all great pluses for it, and opening up the side panel, there it was, mini HDMI that can spit out your 3D photos onto a capable device. Wow! Design and Case: Nikon made it look like a DSLR, as many cameras in this class do to be able to have a large zoom and bigger, well, everything including the screen, flash, microphones, and even four batteries in the hand-hold. The blue glossy plastic looks great and can hold up to scratches relatively well. Buttons are well placed, although there is one to let the flash up, meaning you better remember to release it on a dark shot, because it doesn't automatically. Lens cap is basic, you might have to finagle to get it on. The hand hold is rubberish, very nice to your hand and your shot. Tech: You can choose the type of batteries you put in in setting for better efficiency. Zoom in two places is a little overkill for me, but some may like it. Stereo mikes really don't make to much of a difference considering they are an inch from each other. Buttons are basic, you will recognize the symbols from your first digital camera. Screen is great quality with what looks like a high ppi, size is just right. Shooting: Simple as ever if you want to take a picture, no settings, no filters, auto everything. It's called auto mode, and it's for the people who just don't care and want a good quality pic. But oh you can do so much more! Straight up modes also include portrait (recognizing faces), scene (I'll get into that later), and easy auto, where it picks a scene for you. Scenes: Very good ones to pick from, most have special things about them such as; in sports mode, it takes three, food mode you change the tint. Panorama assist is dreary along with it's brother, 3D. On both, when you take a picture, it shows the out line of the edge of it that you have to line up with your surrounds, which isn't as easy as it sounds. UI and Settings: Hit that little menu button and it will take you to different settings depending on the mode you were in. Some are obvious, white balance, megapixel count, ISO, filters, and how many shots to take on a click. But that's just the shooting menu. When you cruise onto movie menu from the side, again, even easier than shooting. Go to set up and you open a big can of worms. Anything you possible want to change about the camera is found on three pages of options. Those intimidated by technology are warned to leave them be. Those who like cameras, dive on in. I recommend going over every setting and figuring out what it does, so in the future you know. Things like Eye-Fi upload, vibration reduction, and motion detection are wonderful. Overall the UI is straightforward as long as you know what it all means, as navigation is easy. Recommend for anybody

I have owned 2 of these cameras mainly for it's smaller compact size & for quick photos & videos. No issues with this camera at all.

This was a replacement camera for my 12 year old and ailing Olympus 5060wz camera. This camera was a great price for the features it comes with and even though it does have some weaknesses to it, like the slow focusing, weak flash, way to touchy zoom, it still produces great photo's for this type of camera without breaking the bank. If you are an avid photographer, used to higher end performance, this model will be a disappointment to you!! For myself, even having been an avid photographer since my early teens and my father being a Professional Photographer, this camera suites my current day needs for photo taking, so, my drawback list isn't an issue for me. I like it and it's functionality and ease of use. Cheers, Pierre.

Consomme trop de batteries.