Nikon COOLPIX L610 Digital Camera (Black) (Old Model)

As an experienced DSLR photographer, I needed a small and simple do-all vacation camera that would work for both my wife and me. The Nikon L610 is a superb camera for its size and price and meets our needs perfectly. I suspect it will probably meet the needs of most casual photographers. The quality Nikkor glass lens provides crisp and accurate images. The 14x zoom range is appropriate for most hand-held shots. The manual pop-up flash has a bit more output than most point & shoots and offers nice illumination. AA alkaline batteries are relatively long lasting (for still photos without flash) and can be purchased easily anywhere in the world. Regarding camera setup, for the vast majority of our photos, I select the AUTO setting and adjust the ISO sensitivity to 125 and simply point and shoot. The photos are very sharp with vivid color and we are pleased with the results nearly every time. For what it's worth, in reading some of the critical reviews on digital cameras, it seems the problems most people have occur in three areas: (1) battery life, (2) memory speed, and (3) user familiarity. Many seasoned photographers know that AA alkaline batteries offer the advantages of reasonably long life, affordability and availability -- especially when traveling overseas. No chargers, no voltage issues, no waiting, just plug & play. For improved performance, I use non-rechargeable Energizer Lithium AA batteries in my L610. These offer hundreds of trouble-free shots and battery life virtually becomes a non-issue (about $6 for a 4-pack on Amazon). As to memory, my choice is the SanDisk Extreme Class 10. The high-speed data transfer rate this memory card offers is particularly important when shooting videos. The current price for a 32GB card is about $30 on Amazon (a 16GB card is about half this price). As to ISO sensitivity, nearly every technical analysis of digital cameras shows image quality noticably degrades at settings above ISO 200 (ironically, similar results occur with film speeds). Unless there is a specific need, such as extremely low light or fast-action photography, lower ISO settings will give most folks much better photos under a broad range of conditions. Lastly, there is a lot of technology packed in these little automatic cameras. Obviously, we are much better off reading the camera user manual and becoming comfortable with the features and functions of these gadgets. As the saying goes, it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

I initially bought this camera to use on my honeymoon, and while the photos are OK, they're not the quality I would expect from Nikon. Trying to get the photo you want with this camera requires taking several shots and deleting most of them. I'm sorely disappointed with this camera, for the reasons many others have mentioned. It eats through batteries (we use rechargable, so it's not so bad, but I wouldn't take this to an event of any sort without a set of backup batteries), the image quality is so-so for a camera of this price, and low-light or motion photography is practically out of the question unless psychedelic-blurry photos are your thing. Overall, is the camera OK? Yes. It's OK. Solid 3.5 stars. Is it worth $150-200? Absolutely not. In fact, I have a Coolpix L14 that I bought in 2009 or so, and while the images are lower resolution than the L610, sometimes the quality is overall more pleasing and prints nicer. The L610 takes lovely photos in direct sunlight, and films well in bright light, too (using a SanDisk Extreme 32GB card). Trying to capture clear photos of motion, pets, babies or almost anything indoors? Better hold REAAAL still, and pray the subject doesn't move. As I have developed a fine tremor, taking a clear shot can be an exercise in futility. I don't personally know what camera to direct you towards, but reconsider this one. It's NOT worth $150-200.

I have had cameras in the past using the usual cartridge, roll film, canister, etc. including 4x5 plate formats, twin lens reflex, SLR, etc., and more recent early digital cameras. The Nikon L610 is the first digital I have owned that feels like a more substantial SLR when holding it. Today, most digital cameras are not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes, and thinner. They are awkward to hold, and if your hands are bigger than medium size, the challenge to keep fingers off of unwanted feature buttons can be daunting. The L610 has what I will call a vertical 'bulge' on the right side, which is perfect for your grip. The shape of the top of the camera is, on first look, very unusual, and then you recognize that it provides some additional ergonomics that make your left hand grip better, and which keeps those errant fingers above the lens, and away from the viewing screen. And when you deploy the flash, the left hand still remains clear. The viewing screen is a terrific 3" wide, which doesn't seem like much, until you compose your photo on it. It is BIG. The top of the camera is super user friendly. The power button is in a perfect location, the shutter is easily found without looking for it every time you take a shot, and the zoom control (part of the shutter assembly) is also 'intuitive'. Menu features are very simple to use, even if you don't bother to read any of the instructions that come with the camera. I have not used the movie feature extensively yet, so I have some learning to catch up on with respect to the sound recording level adjustments. However, the video was simple to use, and playback likewise was intuitive. By the way, we shot inside with available light, and the quality of the video was excellent! We really didn't take the time to do a decent test of the sound level, but what we did record was clear. The package comes with a USB cable, and a video cable, a camera strap, and two AA batteries. There are plenty of accessories available, but I limited myself to a 16 GB SDHC card, a Case Logic camera case, and a set of four rechargeable batteries with charger. The price of the camera, plus the noted accessories was a total of nine dollars more than the lowest price for just the camera that I found anywhere else. One final note: Nikon engineers have a home run with this camera. The ergonomics are first rate - for you Industrial Engineers out there, this model is a case study in human factors engineering. For the rest of us, this camera is at the perfect price point for new digital camera users, and is a welcome high quality addition to the more seasoned user's camera bag.

Took this camera on holiday to Italy and I am thrilled with the pictures! Excellent quality for a compact camera. I used 6 Energizer Lithium batteries and took over a thousand photos. Low light photos are a little challenging but it may be due to user error, lol.