Nikon COOLPIX L120 14.1 MP Digital Camera - Black

This camera is one of the better cameras that I've owned. I find it versitle and easy to use. I used it at my daughters volleyball game and put it in the "continuous shoot" mode. I was able to get some great clear pics in a quick paced setting. I'm still exploring the different settings and capabilities but overall for the price...very nice purchase.

The Nikon L120 seems to be a decent camera for it's price range. It has a firm and solid grip, unlike the small point and shoots that always seem to slip out of my hands. It has the look and feel of a small SLR even though, technically, it isn't an SLR.

There are dozens of pre-set settings to select for all types of photo environments, but only the ISO setting and white balance setting have manual controls. Everything else, including focus, is automatic only. This limits creative control of your image. Of course, if you're a point and shoot photographer, this camera averages out the exposure and focus well enough to get most shots well.

The main feature is the 21x zoom lens. Nikon cut some corners here, because this lens has a high amount of geometric distortion at the wide angle setting (vertical objects like doorways appear slanted). The image looses sharpness in the four corners at most lens zoom settings, and there is visible chromatic abberation (color fringes around objects in the edges of the frame). In fact, when you look closely, the image never has that crisp sharpness normally associated with a 14 megapixel cemera. My older Nikon D50 was only 6 megapixels, but it's better lens yielded super crisp images. Again, the L120 is only a 250 dollar camera.

The image is average with shots taken indoors without flash. Light sensitivity is fairly good, but at the cost of some graininess.

Colors are highly saturated, sometimes a little too much. Most people like vibrant color, so it may not be an issue.

Video quality at the highest setting of 720 is only so-so. There is no 1080 mode. Videos are more grainy than they should be, with more digital artifacts and less sharpness than a FLIP video pocket camera. In 720 video mode, the FLIP is still king. The stereo audio quality is pretty good, but sometimes it picks up the noises of the camera's internal mechanisms. There's no external mike input or headphone jack.

An HDMI port allows you to view your stills and videos on any HDMI equipped HD TV.

The camera uses 4 standard AA cells and comes without a charger. That means you'll need to invest in a charger and rechargeable nickel metal hydride batteries, or lots of alkalines. While common alkaline AA cells are convenient to find at any store in a pinch, their expenses add up. Replacing four batteries in the field while trying to get the polarities right and not drop the camera can also be a challenge.

For the average photographer, this is a lot of camera for the money, and it certainly looks and feels impressive for 250 dollars. But an avid photographer is probably not going to be satisfied with the image quality or the lack of complete manual control.

As a photography enthusiast, I was excited to get this camera at such a reasonable price. Of course, I was skeptical, what with the cameras I tried before seeming to give me frustration with slow focus, poor battery life, and bad quality pictures. When I started reviewing the pictures I took with the L120, I was surprised with the results! There was little to no noise all the way to ISO 400, and even at ISO 800, my night shots came out sharp. At wide angle, I have a wider view in front of me. I don't have to stand a block away from a tall building anymore, in fact, I can stand not even 100 feet from the facade and get the whole structure in one shot! Zoom is really awesome with the deep and powerful 21x lens. And better yet, unlike my last deep-zoom camera, colors remain vivid in full zoom as it is in wide-angle. My previous cameras' color quality faded and pictures became pale at full zoom.

Videos. I can finally record high quality WITH zoom AND stereo sound! Cameras I had before didn't offer optical zoom with sound.

Pros: Good battery life (rechargeable), FAST focus, fast writing to card, SLR-like & feel, healthy on my wallet, great video quality, features, sharp pictures, very little grain.

Cons: No optical viewfinder, no manual aperture settings, slight buzzing when zooming in a video.

The cons are a small setback, but everything else is like WOW! The zoom whirr doesn't bother me, since I like to film trains, and the loud noises of the train makes the zoom buzz pretty much unnoticeable.

I am satisfied with this camera, and I recommended it to several friends already! I have had this camera for only a week, and I just can't leave home without it. It is a big and better upgrade from my Olympus SP-600, and it is my first Nikon.

Gave this as a Christmas gift..my daughter and husband LOVE it!
She just started taking pictures and the quality is fantastic.
She is very excited to use all the other features that come with this camera.
Seller answered all my questions and explained everything I needed to know prior to purchase.
The price was for a bundle and it could not be beat by any local stores or on-line competitors.
I would highly recommend this product and seller for anyone looking for a Nikon camera.

Impressed with the camera overall. I bought the camera to be able to shoot my kids playing sports. It zooms in close and takes 3 pictures at once so you get the action shots. I also wanted a fast camera that I don't have to wait for the camera to be able to take another picture. My last camera took 15 sec between when it would allow me to take a second picture. That was a Cannon Power shot. I also take pictures of homes and the pictures are beautiful and the battery life does not run out like other cameras.