rustymaiden's Full Review: Nikon COOLPIX SQ Digital Camera
I have been using a manual SLR Nikon and Nikon lenses for many years because of their clarity, so I'm fond of Nikon in general. I generally prefer a simple camera with excellent lens quality--outside of that, with film SLR's I think it is the operator's eye that makes the good picture.
With digital cameras, the megapixels, lens clarity, and color density are important to the final image, and ease of use, battery life and speedy connection interface I find are helpful.
I don't know if there is any difference between the SQ that I just bought (Ritz Camera has dropped the regular price to $199) and the ones that have been reviewed last year, but I found the following to be true:
PROS:
*nice bright LCD screen--don't miss the viewfinder (don't have to worry about parallex), even in bright sunlight can compose well.
*rotating lens adds flexibility to composition.
*very portable!
*cradle for recharging/downloading is great & superfast
nice sharp images (I don't think that there is a significant loss of clarity between any of the 3.1 MP camera images from other Nikon models. In comparison to other 3.1 MP cameras of other brands, I find the clarity to be superior.
*excellent macro feature--can get very close to subject.
*very easy to use.
CONS:
*I find the color density to be a little bit weak, but not significant enough for me to return the camera. Outside color, contrast, and clarity I think is better than the Canon of similar MP's that I have seen reviewed on other sites. I have not played with the light adjustment as of yet. That may compensate.
*by reputation I hear that this camera is fragile, so I was very glad to find a good Gameboy SP case to cushion it. I did buy an extended warrantee for 2 years at Ritz camera which includes drop-protection. I figure two years from now the digital SLR's will come way down in price !! They're down to $999 at this point.
*it's not an SLR !! but you can't expect a digital camera in this price range to equal performance to a standard SLR film camera. For $200 it is the best value, in my opinion, for a sharp little portable digital camera.
*I don't think the 40 second video is really useful, but I haven't tried it out.
*You MUST buy a 256 compact flash card and a carrying case for protection. The 8X card in it is 16MB and works fast enough (about 11-12 pix), but unless you are planning on switching cards all the time the 256 is much better. Do price around. I got one for $59.99 with a $10 rebate from Ritz camera.
*Flash is bright at close range and doesn't reach far range, but is good for fill-flash. Does add blue to pix.
*Without the flash, indoor pix blur a lot (camera shake).
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 199 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
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