NikonCOOLPIX S3500 20.1 MP Digital Camera with 7x Zoom (Silver) (OLD MODEL)

Ever since I got my first Coolpix camera several years ago, I've realized the special joy of having a camera capable of recording high definition videos and photos everywhere I go. This is the camera I love to carry in a pocket or purse, and thanks to its gorgeous color and design, it's a welcome fashion accessory in addition to being extremely useful!I purchased this camera after dropping my older Coolpix camera while on vacation, and selected it because it is somewhat similar to my camera which was one of the first Coolpix cameras, without being too new and different. I like the way this Coolpix still has the familiar wheel of button controls where I can set the flash, close-up lens, date, time and so forth. I'm gradually learning my way around the newer features, many of which I'm still not fully up to speed with, such as utilizing special effects. I'm starting to enjoy how easy it is to switch from taking still shots to recording video, since it's no longer a matter of making menu selections, but rather simply involves hitting the record video button. The quality of videos and photos is the same excellent Nikon quality I've come to know and love.While some people may be put off by a delay in readiness when getting ready to take photos, I find for most purposes this camera is ready for action when needed. I love the way this S3500 includes stabilization, so when I used the zoom and took pictures of Mount Shasta out of the airplane window on a recent flight, my pictures were surprisingly sharp and clear.I haven't yet made much use of the touch screen on this S3500, as it's not one of the features I desired... but at some point I might get used to it. Truthfully, I have yet to try most of the fancy bells and whistles on this little point and shoot camera! It was so easy to start using right out of the box that I never did play the DVD movie it came with. I expect at some point I may get around to doing that, but I think it says a lot for good product design that this little camera is so easy to get up and running without instructions they're something you can do when you have time and inspiration for such things.Highly recommended!

I'm an avid photographer, in no way an amateur, and have owned many cameras over the years. I probably upgrade about once every 1-2 years. I chose this one because it was under a hundred bucks which was a great price. I also liked the upgrade from my 16 megapixel to this 20 megapixel. However, this is the SLOWEST camera I've ever used! It takes 10-15 seconds between pictures to be able to take another one, which almost defeats the purpose of taking a picture. After taking another reviewer's advice, who suggested using a name brand or higher quality memory card might fix the problem with the slowness, it DID help with that issue a little bit. It at least made the wait time between photos a little less frustrating.After using this camera at Thanksgiving this evening, between all the trouble I had taking the photos to begin with and after getting home and seeing the photos on my computer, I just had to come back here to downgrade my original 3 star rating to a 1 star. We took photos outside around sunset, while there was still plenty of light. Between me and several other people using the camera, every person had issues with it not only being slow, but all the photos kept coming out blurry. Flash on, flash off, it didn't matter (I've never had a camera that took blurry photos with the flash on!). I tried several different settings- auto mode, indoor mode, night mode, sunset mode- the quality of the photos stayed about the same. I just could NOT get them to stop turning out blurry, and everyone was so frustrated we just gave up on taking photos altogether. After putting the photos on my computer, the quality of the photos was surprisingly horrible. They were very blurry, grainy, and either too flashy or too dark. The photos I cropped to bring the subjects of the photos in closer looked like the quality of photos my phone takes! On top of that, the 1 or 2 photos that managed to come out decent enough not to delete had white spots all over the photo- like water spots, or "ghost spots." Very disappointing :(.This was my first try at owning a Nikon, and I can say with certainty I will never be owning one again. I will be reselling this one and I have ordered a Canon to replace it, which I should have done to begin with. I honestly don't think this camera is worth giving a try, even if you get it at a bargain price.

I have been using this camera for several months and love it. I like the high quality optics and the compactness of this little powerhouse. It was on sale, so I feel that I scored a great bargain.It took me a while to get used to using just the screen to frame a photo, rather than a view-finder. It's hard to properly focus and frame with this type of mini camera, but I find that I rarely need to edit or fix a photo. They come out clear and with bright colors, most of the time. I like the fact that I can slip this camera in my pocket or travel bag and go. There is no stupid lens cap to keep track of. Yea! I recommend the Coolpix to anyone, expert or beginner for good photographs.Note: The photo editing software has a steep learning curve. I gave up and kept using my Olympus Master photo editor, which is the best I have ever used -- simple, easy to navigate, and lets me save photos by name in folders I name.