Hey! You should know that this product has been discontinued. Here are our current recommended cameras in the Ultra Compact Digital Cameras category.
Nikon Coolpix L12
Editor's Review
The Nikon L12 is a suitable camera for everyday users who want to take simple, casual photos of friends and families without dropping a lot of money on features they'll never use. The L12 is geared to anticipate the needs of the casual user. Face-detection technology helps focus portraits and capture the smiles and expressions you want to remember forever. The Nikon D-Lighting and RedEye Fix help spruce up a photo after the fact, making for the best final picture possible, even if you didn't take the best picture possible at first. Simple, easy-to-use, and with a nice, compact design, the L12 is a great choice for uncomplicated photography.
Editor's Review
The Nikon L12 is a suitable camera for everyday users who want to take simple, casual photos of friends and families without dropping a lot of money on features they'll never use. The L12 is geared to anticipate the needs of the casual user. Face-detection technology helps focus portraits and capture the smiles and expressions you want to remember forever. The Nikon D-Lighting and RedEye Fix help spruce up a photo after the fact, making for the best final picture possible, even if you didn't take the best picture possible at first. Simple, easy-to-use, and with a nice, compact design, the L12 is a great choice for uncomplicated photography.
Specifications
- 7.1 megapixels
- 3x optical zoom / 4x digital zoom
- Movie mode with sound
- JPEG file format
- ISO 50-1600
- Auto focus and exposure
- 2 AA batteries
- Secure Digital Card storage (21MB internal)
- 2.5-inch LCD
- Part Number: 25562
- UPC: 018208255627
- Release Date: Feb 21, 2007
Shop for L12 Accessories
Nikon Coolpix L12 Comments & Questions (write your own!)
As for the Nikon L5 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), it was released in 2006 and has been replaced by the Nikon L12 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). The L5 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is a 7.1 MP camera with slightly higher than average optical zoom (5x vs the normal 3x on most compact cameras). Users review it at about an average of 3.5 stars out of 5 and DCHQ ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) rates it at a C+ grade level. For the going price, I would say you were better off trying a newer camera. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
I purchased L12 from us . the camera consist of Alkaline battery . but in my contary EN-MH1 batteries ( rechargable )use . so i purched same one and surprize when i find that its life is only single snap ..although battery is new and 1.2volt( should i buy new battery with high volts ...or alkaline battery wld be better ......or is any other option which i am missing ............?
looking forward to ur reply
thxs!
Sometimes new Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries have to go through a few use/recharge/use/recharge cycles before they develop full capacity. This may be happening with your new batteries. I am assuming that EN-MH1 refers to what we call AA size NiMH batteries and if so they should do the job IF they have enough mAh (miliAmpereHours) which measures how much energy the battery can store when fully charged. As Matt indicated, 2500 is a good amount to have. You don't want to change the voltage - 1.2 for the NiMH and 1.5 for the alkalines is fine.
Hope this has helped. Let us know if you have further questions on the battery problem.
Larry
But compact point and shoots, well, they know how to do it, but up until recently, camera prices made it too cost prohibitive. The good news is that according to recent news articles, many camera companies will be incorporating the CCD chips they use in their SLR lines (which give no shutter lag) into their point and shoot cameras. So look for it within the next few years.
Meantime, there are things you can do to lessen that shutter lag by as much as 80%:
1. Prefocus. Hold down the shutter half way to get a prefocus of the image you're shooting. When it changes, prefocus again. This will speed up your camera's performance during picture taking since it won't have to autofocus before it shoots the shot.
2. Use faster SD cards. Yes, there are faster cards and it does make a difference in writing the image file to the card. This is especially key if you're taking multiple or burst images.
3. Fresher batteries. Use alkalines at least. But I recommend using high energy batteries designed for digital photography. Varta is a good brand. They are usually sold in camera shops, are long lasting (because they are sold in small quantities) put out alot of energy.
4. Shoot in "sports" modes when you're in situations that require action. Night or available light modes when in night time settings. These presets can help in speeding up your shots, rather than the camera taking a split second to evaluate the conditions of the lighting.
5. Go manual. If you are manually focusing, particularly in darker settings, you can constantly refocus the image as things happen. Also, the infrared does have a range and if your image is out of that range you can end up with the camera's "best guess" or infinity setting which may not help. You can also go manual on fstops and shutter speeds as well, getting more light faster when you choose.
6. Go with a shallow depth of field.
7. Pan with the action. You can create some pretty cool shots by panning with your shot, focusing on your subject. This will create the effect of your subject in sharp contrast to the blurry background.
8. Use a flash - even in day time. This will "freeze" the image and cause your subject to "pop" in the shot. However, flash is only designed for limited range and can dissipate outside of about 20-25 feet unless you're using a zoomable flash.
9. Stick with 100-400 ISO. Going higher will cause more noise/grain in your shots, particularly in darker settings.
* 7.1 megapixels * 7.2 megapixels
* 3x optical zoom / 4x digital zoom *5x optical zoom / 4x digital (ignore this) w/ Image Stabilization
* Movie mode with sound * Movie mode with sound
* JPEG file format * JPEG file format
* ISO 50-1600 * ISO Settings: 80, 400
* Auto focus and exposure * Auto focus and exposure
* 2 AA batteries * 2 AA batteries
* Secure Digital Card storage (21MB internal) * Secure Digital Card storage (8MB internal)
* 2.5-inch LCD * 2.5-inch LCD
Price - between $150-200 Price - between $175-215
While it does come with Image Stabilization and a slightly (and I do mean slightly), slightly better optical zoom better MP rating, it lacks in ISO flexibilty with only two settings, a smaller internal memory (which is no big deal since you should be saving to SD anyway). The L5 does have a MUCH better macro though for extreme closeups. Photo quality is nearly identical. See for yourself by comparing the two at this website ( imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP... ). It takes pictures with each and you can compare them side by side.
Finally, when trying to make a final call, it may just come down to what camera feels good in your hand. Go to a local camera store and check both out side by side, holding them, feeling their center of gravity, the balance. How it sits in your hand. That usually sells me one way or the other.
Frankly, it looks a tossup to me.
Press the Menu button and look for the Setup - the logo with a spanner sign.
Select this and you have to do a little bit of guessing which Polish word is meant for ' Language '. - try the third one from the top of the list.
Once you hit the right one, the English language will appear among the next screen and you will be OK.
Otherwise, select 'Reset All ' which is the last one at the bottom of the ' Setup ' list.
what is the solution for this?
I'm not sure if you have your camera on when you're plugging it in. If not, after you plug it into the computer, turn it on and see if the computer recognizes it. If this does not work, or you have already tried this, I would contact Nikon customer support ( support.nikontech.com/cgi-b... ) for driver support.
Andrew ( blackdoorphotos.com/ )
I returned the L12 and bought the SD 800. Love the fact that it fits in a pocket and the IS works very good. The only minus is that you need to buy a spare lithium-ion battery because once you reach the low battery point, you get one more shot (if you're lucky) then it is out! So, be prepared for that - the battery is not cheap. Otherwise, great camera.
I liked the Nikon for outdoor colors and the longer zoom, but indoors the photos were too grainy.
<A HREF="dpreview.com/reviews/compar... a link that shows these two cameras side-by-side for an easier view of the major differences.
The difference in size is minimal and the L12 only weighs 10 grams more. The L12 is capable of taking pictures at a higher resolution and has an extra one million pixels. The L12 also has a higher ISO range up to 1600 although pictures may appear grainy at the level. Although they both have a 2.5 inch LCD screen, the L12's has only 115k pixels compared to the S9's 153K.
I think the most important thing here is IS (image stabilisation), which the L12 has and the S9 doesn't. For that reason alone I would personally go for the L12.
Hope this helps and good luck with your choice.
Mark
I want to know whats the difference in terms of quality & features between DSC-700 & Nikon L12 . I welcome your valuable comments ... Also between L12 & L11 .which is worth to buy ?
-Chandra
I am sending it back to Ritz Camera, which is also not listed in your store rating page! Is there a reason for that?
Nikon Coolpix L5 or Sony DSC W55
Both are 7 megapixel cameras. However I was suggested to take an advice from some professional brains. Anyone who can help?
Given all this, why would anyone want to settle on SONY and pay the premium for that 4 letter word?
Get the Nikon, IMHO.
Consider this, the user of the camera is an amateur who has no thorough knowledge of cameras or photography?
Since sony has majority functions automated; does the manual settings of Nikon affect the photography which is done by an amateur?
How good quality of a photograph can an amateur photographer shoot using the nikon?
Is it very easy to use or its such that it can be used only by professionals who understand photography and its techniques thoroughly?
I would really appreciate a reply on these few questions.
Give me a camera company that makes cameras over an electronics company vying for market share anyday.
betterphoto.com/?kcalpesh
And as a photographer, tech reporter, and all around consumer, I don't like it that Sony forces their customers into a proprietary revenue stream. I think it limits choices and costs them more money in the long run. More open source options used, like SD cards for example, allow for much more flexibility and competition regarding pricing and innovation.
I am sure about two Sony Cameras. DSC W55 & DSC W80. However, I would now only like to check out a few Nikon Cameras.
Can anyone recommend me few of the latest models from NIKON, which would also be a little easy to use. I agree Nikon has a slight edge considering the cost factor, since there are more open options with accessories like SD Cards.
I like the P3/P4 for it's 8.1 MP and they come highly rated and have 3x zoom - which is a tad short for my likings.
By and far, my favorite camera was my old coolpix 600, despite the fact that it was only a 1.2 megapixel camera. The Nikor lense has an advantage over most other cameras, as its made of glass. The image quality is really that much better. It does an excellent job of picking up different color tones and shades, and produces realistic colors. Prints from the camera will knock your socks off, and to my prosumer eye (not professional, mind you), I think the prints from the Coolpix cameras are well comparable with some of the prints that come from some of the nicer slr film cameras. Just turn off the digital zoom feature.
The newer Kodak cameras produce the second-best quality pictures for a point and shoot camera. They are extreamely easy to use, and throw in a lot of fun features. However, when you go to print out photos, you start to notice unrealistic black levels. The older Kodak cameras are junk, producing some weird colors.
The Sonys I would not recommend to anyone. While Sonys do excellent in low-level lighting, there tends to be noise in the pictures. In better lighting conditions, the Sony tends to over-saturate color. Some people like this, but it seems to be unrealistic photos. The upside of them is that they are fairly easy to use.
The cannon point and shoot cameras probably tie for third place with Olympus. They produce good pictures, excellent color reproduction, and with a steady hand, will give you some amazing pictures in low-level lighting. The reason I am putting these as third place, though, is that they are not as stupid-proof as the Kodaks, and while the image quality is exceptional, is not as good as the Nikons.
I am not at all happy with Fuji point and shoot cameras, particually the A series. These are just cheap cameras, and with the cheap Nikons going for about $120 MSRP, I cannot see a reason to recommend one. Not that they are bad, its just that there are better choices. Most of the Fujis I have seen use the xD memory card, which is quite annoying. These things are so tiny, that I am always misplacing them, and the only thing that uses xD is Fuji and Olympus. Stick with a camera that uses SD or Compact Flash.
The Poloroid that I have now is one that someone gave me, and is absolute junk. While it gets the job done, there are absolutely no advanced features, colors are muted, and even in excellent lighting conditions, pictures tend to blur.
There is not a single other brand I would recommend, every one else seems to be playing the "Me too" game.
Conclusion - get a Nikon. They are cheap enough that in many cases they underprice the competition, for the most part give a better picture quality than the competition of comparable price, and most have both easy and advanced features, so while you can use it straight out of the box, you will have a camera that can grow with you.
Of course, with any camera, I suggest reading reviews, searching for sample pics on the internet, go to the store and physically put your hands on a camera and see if you like it, and, most importantly, knowing what you will be using your camera for.
Can anyone help with this model, as to how good it is....??
Often times, it's holding the actual camera which eliminates alot of the confusion.
All in all, this is an excellent camera. My only annoyance with the thing is that it does not have a view finder, you must use the lcd. However, this is okay with me as its quite bright, even in direct sunlight, and has an amazingly good battery life.
Canon Powershot A570is - 4x Optical Zoom
Canon Powershot A710is - 6x Optical Zoom
How does this affect my photography? Does 710 hold any major advantage over here?
Canon Powershot A570is - Macro Focus Range - 30cm
Canon Powershot A710is - Macro Focus Range - 1cm
Macro Focus helps to shoot objects from very very close. Does 710 holds any major advantage over here?
Canon Powershot A570is
Minimum Aperture Wide - f2.8
Canon Powershot A710is
Minimum Aperture Wide - f2.6
I have no idea what is Minimum Aperture Wide? Can anyone suggest?
Video fps -
Canon Powershot A570is - 60fps
Canon Powershot A710is - 30fps
60fps is a major improvement for video shooting?
Tele Zoom (mm)
Canon Powershot A570is - 140mm
Canon Powershot A710is - 210mm
Major difference, but what is Tele zoom and which of the above is better?
ISO ratings
Canon Powershot A570is - auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Canon Powershot A710is - auto
Can anyone advice on the above comparision?
That is an amazing macro. the 30cm vs the 1cm I believe would be the focal length. I would assume this is saying that you can focus on something as close as 30cm away from the camera (that is 2 and a half feet, which kinda defeats the purpose of having a macro lense in my opinion). Now focusing at 1cm is amazing. The quesiton is, do you want to take close-up pictures of flowers and bugs?
I am not sure what this telezoom is.
on the iso settings, are you sure you do not have the two reversed? With all the features you have listed on the 710 over the 570, it really surprises me that the 710 does not have a manual mode. Most modern digital cameras that are of any quality have both manual and automatic iso settings. The question also goes, does the camera do the iso settings in optics, or digitally? Many digital cameras now days do the higher iso modes in digital mode, which amplifies the light. The plus is, you can take pictures without a flash in low-light settings, the bad thing is is that you tend to get a lot of noise in the picture. This should depend on how you want to use your camera. Taking pictures in night clubs and at parties, the noise really is not THAT bad on most cameras I have played with, and are great for memories, but if you want to take photos professionally, probably not the best thing
Canon Powershot A570is, uses a DIGIC III processor, which enables the improved face detection and advanced noise reduction technologies. By applying new algorithms, faces can be detected at a greater distance. DIGIC III also allows for a high ISO speed, up to 1600.
How big is this as an advantage over the Canon Powershot A710is which has 6x optical zoom.
As far noise reduction in the processor, this is digital noise reduction then, in which case it may be reducing noise by running a "soften" or a "blur" filter on the image. I would play with the camera some in low lighting at the store and see what happens
So this means I can already count the 6x Optical zoom or Canon Powershot A710is a better advantage than the Face detection of Canon Powershot A570is. Also the the Macro Focus Range is better in the Canon powershot A710is.
However, you also described the Auto ISO mode for Canon Powershot A710is to be a slight drawback?
I played with the face detection thing on mine at the lake today. It makes so much more sense in direct sunlight, especially if you try taking picture after picture after picture. In this case, on mine, you line up a face, or even two (some you can have up to 8 points of focus), then I can snap, move, snap, move, snap zoom in, snap, and so forth, and not have to refocus as the camera is following the face and doing it for you. That is cool, I thought I would have to resetup the face feature for each pic, but that's not the case. Now, I do not know if that is how it is on all cameras, but that is how it is on the nikon coolpix l12. I imagine this feature varies from one company to another.
I just really like the 6x optical zoom, i have not seen a consumer level camera with that high of a zoom level. I LIKE using my zoom, however, with the l12, it takes such high resolution pictues, i can zoom in on my computer and crop, and still have pretty freakin high quality pictures.
Its really up to you.
However, theres one important aspect I need to know before buying. What exactly is a gray-market Camera? How reliable could the product be? Why such huge price difference between the gray market product and the product that the authorized dealers sell?
Can anyone realy help?
Product that authorized dealers sell offer in country warranties and local repair options.
In addition, the menus and manuals may not even be in your language!
More information can be found here ( mycamera.com/index_graymark... ).
I am now looking to buy one more Camera with a slightly higher configuration, considering the optical zoom or Megapixels.
Have checked the following two:
Canon Powershot S3 IS
6.00 Mpixel
12x Optical Zoom
Macro Focus Range: 0cm
(Seems strange to me, does this mean there is no macro function at all? or that you can almost touch the object while shooting?)
Maximum Video Resoultion: 640x480
Canon PowerShot G7
10.00 Mpixel
6x Optical Zoom
Macro Focus Range: 1cm
Maximum Video Resoultion: 1024x768
Digic III Processor with Face detection feature.
I personally feel, G7 has a definite edge over S3 because of being 10Mpixel camera with Face detection and almost similar macro focus range as S3 and a higher video resolution. Is the 12x Optical Zoom more preferrable?? Any user having knowledge about these to cameras?
The question is on video resolution is not just the resolution, but how many frames you can shoot a second. The Nikon at 640x480 at 30fps looks amazing, and it has sound, and I can continue to record until the memory card runs out (this is something important to me. Can you continue to record, or are limited to like 20 and 30 second clips). Also, when you buy your camera, don't skimp on memory card. I got a 60x SD card for my camera, so it writes really fast to the memory card, which means I can take a shot every two or three seconds. My old memory card I would have to wait about 10-15 seconds between shots.
Remember to configure the camera when you get it. Most cameras, for some odd reason, are not set out of the package to take pictures at the maximum resolution.
Keep in mind that a 10 megapixel picture with little or no compression is going to be about 3-5 meg, depending on the camera. Would suggest picking up a memory card no smaller than 2 gig if you really like to take pictures.
Truthfully, If I had to pick between the two, while the 12x optical zoom is really tempting, I would go for the g7. the 6x is still better than what I got on my camera. Also, now that I am mostly photographing people, I like to get closer to them rather than use a zoom. If you do not have a steady hand, than probably anything over 8x is going to blur unless you have image stabalization or a tripod or an incredibly steady hand.
So yeah, go with the G7 is my opinion.
Once again, check the resolution on both your pictures and your video mode when you get it out of the box. Oh, and at 1024x768, your video is going to be HUGE! 640x480 should be good enough for most people, expecially if exporting to a tv or the web (hdtv you may want to go higher). At 640x480, a one and a half minute clip for me is around 60 meg.
And yeah, Video resolution doesn't really matter. A 640X480 video at 30fps is good enough, which G7 has.
Yet there is something that you mentioned above. Its the Speed of Memory Card, you said you had to wait for 10-15 seconds before taking the next shot. Are the memory cards categorized according the the speed? or they come with standard function? If there are different types of memory cards available then can you please list the best one?
Canon Powershot S5 IS.
8 Mpixel Camera,
12x Zoom
Digic III Processor with Face detection feature.
However I checked the sample images but found it a lesser better than the G7. But where people rave about 6x Zoom, 12x Optical zoom must be...... WOW.....
shop3.outpost.com/product/4... a 60x:
shop3.outpost.com/product/5... the first one is a 2 gig and the second a 4 gig)
And here is a 2 gig at 150x:
shop3.outpost.com/product/4... 150x is the fastest of all of these. And 20 bucks for a 2 gig at 150x is a killer price, I may pick up one of these. I paid $18 for my 60x at Fry's two weeks ago, I would gladly pay the extra 2 bucks for a 150x.
I am still fairly new to the whole speed thing, so I am not sure if that means that the 150x is 2 1/2 times faster than the 50x or not, but I would assume that is what it means.
Canon Powershot S5 IS.
8 Mpixel Camera,
12x Zoom
Digic III Processor with Face detection feature.
However I checked the sample images but found it a lesser better than the G7. But where people rave about 6x Zoom, 12x Optical zoom must be...... WOW.....
It also has in camera editing features such as cropping, sepia and black/white alerations, nite modes, super macro mode for REALLY close up shots, panoramic guides for shooting multiple shots to stitch into a panarama, even a mode for shooting documents.
I'm really enjoying it. If I had to complain, however, I have found the menu structure wanting and difficult to use on the fly. But other than that, it's a top notch camera.
Nikon Coolpix L12 Reviews
Nikon Coolpix L12 Reviews by Digital Camera-HQ Users
- 2.0 out of 5
It takes good pictures but it is hard to put back together.
- 1.0 out of 5
Started out great other than eating up batteries like candy. Then went to turn it on and got the "lens error" message. After searching the net and calling Nikon and being told to send it in for evaluation in very cold,abrupt language, without any kind customer service manners. Then I contacted one of their factory authorized repair centers and was told by them that it's probably a bad chip and not to waste any more money on it and to buy a new camera. When I asked if I should still buy a Nikon, the guy on the other end kind of laughed and said "I work on Nikons so I know not to buy them. I think I'll go with Canon.
- 1.0 out of 5
Had the camera 6 months and got the same old Lens Error everyone else here has.
Nikon sent me a repair bill for $159 and the camera cost $90 brand new...idiots.
I'm done with Nikon and Wolf Camera in Denver. It doewn't pay to use a specialty camera shop especially these fruitcakes. Wolf Camera wouldn't stand by the purchase and have the same lack of integrity as Nikon...match made in heaven!
- 1.0 out of 5
Yes, I got a lens error twice, the second time they said they would honor the warranty. But now they claim it was an impact error that caused it and are trying to charge me. I would never buy any camera from Nikon again. The quality is poor and the service is an abomination.
- 4.0 out of 5
I love this Camera (Coolpix L12). Panoramic view picture facility is very excellent and i took some amazing pictures.
- 1.0 out of 5
Great camera but useless. It has only worked for 2 months and it started giving lens error.
- 1.0 out of 5
Purchased the L12 and used it once. While showing my wife the pictures on the view screen I got a Lens Error. The Manual has this error in it which indicates it must be something Nikon is familar with. I returned to Nikon for Warranty and Nikon Service Center wanted 99.00 to repair their defect because the lens had impact to it. This camera was only handled once and was NEVER bumped, dropped or banged and it was working when the lens error notice displayed. I have 3 Nikons that are all less than 2 years old and all 3 have error message Lens, Card and Card. NEVER NIKON AGAIN.
- 1.0 out of 5
got it new, it took great pictures until the wife used it..lens would not retract..LENS ERROR..i was so mad i disassembled it... i love all the tiny little parts
- 1.0 out of 5
Purchased a "refurbished" cool pix from overstock.com. Lens Error right out of the box. Overstock service excellent and have promised full reimbursement. But what's up with Nikon?? I'm trying to replace my Fuji Finepix after it's lens stuck. Wondering if there is any reliable basic point and shoot...
- 1.0 out of 5
As an advid Nikon user from the early 80's in photography class in High School, I've always trusted the product value in Nikon.
From my N80, D300 to the Coolpix-12, I will most certainly question the durability of Nikon. I've found the Coolpix, to stutter upon frame shots, produce both milky and grain like photo's. I had a very similiar problem with my shutter on the N80.
Nikon who I feel made a very durable product, and frankly, it was a safe purchase which stood on name alone.
Nikon needs to step back and take a good look at current product production.
I will re-think my next Nikon purchase without a doubt!
- 5.0 out of 5
Many of my friends have thin cameras. Although the NikonL12 is slender, it is durable enough that it won't break when i drop it. It takes great pictures, and the outside is made up of a plastic that allows me to easily put/pull off stickers. Some people have commented that there should be more color options.
- 1.0 out of 5
easy to use, nice led size, took great pictures, lens jammed after 3 months, it would not retract when turned off, the panaromic feacture was very good. I have owned a Nikon F2 film camera since 1969 and it still working.
- 2.0 out of 5
I have had my Nikon L12 for about 6 weeks. I was taking pictures at my granddaughter's birthday party a few days ago when all of a sudden the pictures started coming out looking "grainy". I don't know another way to explain it. If the camera is in portrait mode the pics are fine. As soon as I switch it to the "no shake" mode the pics start looking terrible again. Luckily the store it was purchased at said they would exchange it for me. However, if the next one goes out I will be returning it.
- 1.0 out of 5
I bought a Nikon and it lasted one week - just died! I sent the camera back to Nikon. They refuse to replace my camera or fix it. Don't buy any Nikon products.
- 4.0 out of 5
I have the Nikon L12 for 3 months now, after having an L3 and getting that dreaded "Lens Error" problem that everyone talks about. But I went right back to Nikon because I love their simplicity and if you're like me and love taking casual pictures with friends and family then this camera is great. Even my uncle who is a professional photographer says it's a cool little camera with nice features. I will admit there is one thing that I dislike and that is the long flash recycle time. You can't do anything except wait the almost 10 seconds for it to recharge itself. But the quality of the pictures are good I printed a few and they looked great, the sound quality is really great also and you have a lot of features to choose from with this little cam. I've tried Canon, I've tried Fuji even Sony and I did a lot of looking around and came right back to Nikon (their 1 yr, warranty doesn't hurt either)but it all depends on what you're looking for. As I said if you want a casual camera that delivers, the Nikon L12 is for you.
- 2.0 out of 5
I was really happy with my Nikon for the year that I've owned it. If you knew how to use the settings and read the manual when having trouble focusing or with lighting, it took wonderful clear pictures (except in low light at distance, but that's to be expected). However, I've since gotten the dreaded lens error and now my lens is open and halfway extended and will not go back in. I have not yet taken it back to the place where I purchased it, but I am not looking forward to this experience as from reading this and other sites with users reviewing this product, it sounds like Nikon will not be of any use. What a disappointment from what I thought was a great manufacturer. Now I know what NOT to get for my next one.
- 3.0 out of 5
Still learning to use, but basically satisfied with picture quality so far. Strongest feature for me is the terrific macro mode - I like to take closeups of wildflowers, and it does a great job on this. Reiterate strongly what another contributor wrote - get a FAST memory card or you will miss shots waiting to write to the card. Also this camera is a black hole for battery use - almost to the point that I wish I had bought a different model. Be forewarned.
- 4.0 out of 5
First, I should like to point out that this is very much a consumer camera. It takes pictures with everything in automode straight out of the box, and with the Nikor lense, this produces some really good camera. However, it really starts to shine when you start playing with the settings. Out of the box, the camera does not take pictures at its maximum resoluion, and it does not take video at its maximum quality. I recommend a minimal of picking up a 2 gig memory card, which holds about 25 minutes of video at 640x480 30fps, and about 550 pictures at the maximum resolution.
The camera has no view finder, so everything is done on the LCD. In other words, there is no turning off the LCD when taking pictures, which means that this thing sucks batteries. Using no flash, I can easily go through three or four sets of batteries just trying to frame pictures and such and doing a photoshoot on a 2 gig memory card. By a high end rechargable that is ment for digital cameras, buy several, you will probably go through a set or two in a single afternoon as a normal person, and more if you are a hobbiest.
Learn how to use the white balance on your camera. The white balance can spell excellence or disaster for your pictures. The L12 has many presets, so just set it before you take your first picture, which takes all of 5 seconds. I like to carry around a white sheet of paper with me, or a white tshirt, and white balance manually, but that is probably more than most people will want to deal with.
The picture quality in direct sunlight will take pictures of similar quality to the Nikon D series camera (which I have used).... if you have your white balance set right, and your camera set to maximum resolution. The low iso settings on the camera make sure that in direct sunlight, everything is crisp and vivid.
The different color settings on the camera are fun. I usually leave it set in vivid color, but Sepia is fun to play with. It has a few other settings that I have yet to play with.
The image stabilization is probably not a feature you want to use in low lighting. Image stabilization on this camera tends to increase the shutter speed and increase the iso settings. In some cases, in low lighting, it will try to digitally enhance the lighting in the scene which leads to noise. However, this feature works great in bright sunlight, sporting events, etc.
The higher iso settings work. You can take pictures in extreamely low light without use of a flash, which is nice because flash can blind people in low lit areas. Just be aware that there will be some noise in the picture, so the feature is really there more for "perserving the moment" rather than for professional photography purposes.
The video mode blows me away. If you do set it to 640x480 at 30fps, the video quality rivals that of most VIDEO cameras out there on the market. As it records sound too, and I can fit about 25 minutes on a single 2 gig card, I currently have no reason to buy a seperate video camera. Yes, the video quality really is that good.
The flash takes about 10-15 seconds to charge, which is annoying. Learn when to use a flash. Here is a tip, you can backlight your subject if you use a flash. I like taking pictures of the kids at sunset with the sun behind them, and use the flash. Yes, it is okay to use the flash in the day.
The camera has a really good flash fill, as long as your subject is inside of the flash range (be sure not to throw a flash on something closer than the flash range, it will wash out the photo, but you really do not want your subject that close to the camera anyways, that is why you got zoom).
The resolution of the camera is so good, it makes up for the 3x optical zoom. I can crop the pictures later in the computer, and still have pictures of higher quality than some of the lower end cameras.
The face detection feature is kinda strange if using a flash. If you use the feature with a flash, be prepared to have your subject hold still for a good 20 seconds at least as you frame the shot, use the feature, and then wait for it to do its weirdness with the flash.
The face detection feature really shines though in direct sunlight. After you tell it where the face is, it will follow the face, even if the subject moves, if the photographer moves, etc, which means you can take a sequence of pictures without having to worry about refocusing. This is awsome when taking pictures of children.
As I said, pick up at least a 2 gig memory card, but I will go futher to recommend that you get a 60x or faster memory card. My first was one they gave me with the camera, and I would have to wait a good 10-15 seconds for it to save pictures. With the 60x, I can shoot a photo about every 2-3 seconds, if I am not using flash.
With as much batteries as the thing eats, you really notice it go down if you try to use flash. I cannot reiterate this enough, CARRY EXTRA BATTERIES.
- 1.0 out of 5
Always handled carefully, never dropped or camera never got any impact...suddenly I got this error message "Lens Error.". The power button keeps blinking & camera lens remains open.
I will recommend everyone not to buy this model.
- 4.0 out of 5
Pictures are good both low light and outside. Performance is reasonable it takes few seconds for the flash to get ready for another shot. View finder is indeed missing however it is possible to manage without.
I think it worth its price.
