Lots of solid reviews (4.0 out of 5.0) over at amazon
i kind of want this. new on amazon is $220, but lack of manual control kinda sucks for me…
Pros:
Good value for the money
18X, 25 - 450 mm optical zoom lens in a compact, generally well-built body
Optical image stabilization
Sharp 3-inch LCD display with 921k pixels
Fast autofocus in good light
GPS receiver with compass and large landmark database
Scene Auto Selector picks a shooting mode for you
Plenty of scene modes and special effects
Wide selection of burst modes, some of which are pretty good
Redeye not a problem
Full HD movie mode with stereo sound, use of optical zoom and image stabilizer, and full-time autofocus
Cons:
Noisy and soft photos have noticeable detail loss, even at base ISO of 125
Strong highlight clipping at times
No manual controls, save for white balance
Low light focusing not great
Below average battery life
Flash is slow to recharge
Not great for night shots, due to 1 sec shutter speed limit and lack of manual controls
Photos taken in portrait orientation are not rotated automatically
Flimsy door over battery/memory card compartment
Internal battery charging is slow, won’t let you charge a spare
Full manual on CD-ROM
I bought one of these from a previous Woot and I’ve gotta be honest: I’m disappointed with it. The photos all come out as kind of soft and detail is pretty terrible when viewing as “Actual Size” on my computer.
I feel that my much older Kodak Z710 produced infinity superior photos on the automatic setting. The only reason I sold that camera was because it only recorded VGA video (and at 10.5fps whatsmore!).
I’m likely going to sell this Nikon and try to find something better. I wanted to have a good pocket shooter like my Minolta Dimage from high school but this Nikon ain’t it.
“Factory Reconditioned” aka “Paperweight in 3 months”.
This is the previous woot: ($99.99 again tonight like last time)
http://tech.woot.com/forums/viewpost.aspx?postid=5444361
This is my previous post: (I realize dpreview is referred to above as well, but I’m not going to bother editing the last post as I recopy)
I’ve had my reconditioned Panasonic camera for 7 years now and it still works perfectly. Although the camera is getting beat in megapixels by most smart phone cameras these days it still takes better shots and I use it when I’m going to events and visiting places. Can’t speak for Nikon’s quality by my refurb camera has held up.
I have no experience or comment on this camera. But there are lots of real world pictures taken with this model on flickr:
I bought one of these from woot plus a couple of days ago, the lens malfunctioned out of the box. Returned for a refund. I’m not going to try again with this deal.
I was pretty disappointed with this camera. Pictures are all really soft, really no control over exposure. It’s just really sad for a camera. I’m sorry I don’t have anything better to say about it.
The bottom line on any camera is the photos that it produces. You have two people in just these few comments who say the camera takes remarkably bad pictures. Digital Photography Review, pretty much the authority on cameras these days, said the same thing.
“While the Nikon Coolpix S9300 represents an excellent value and offers a nice point-and-shoot feature set, its photo quality is poor relative to the competition, with mediocre low light shooting and below-par battery life.”
So you want a previously broken, repaired, questionably reliable camera that takes bad pictures? This Nikon is perfect for you!
Just to be clear, I am a Nikon guy. I own three of their better cameras, the ones with removable lenses and stuff. But for a point and shoot camera to put in your pocket, you want Panasonic or Canon. Not Nikon.
Got mine last woot for it about a month ago. Really like it, it’s factory refurb and a great value. The only thing I have occasional problems with is autofocus finding something to focus on, but I can usually manage. No problems in waiting for it to start when you turn it on, nice and quick. Picture quality is fine, I haven’t noticed any problems. Some people are way too picky, like audiophiles they hear things wrong that other people can’t hear.
Very disappointing. Bought one last time and it is now in for repair. Battery won’t charge and getting a new battery didn’t solve the problem.
Pictures are not very sharp. The dial moves too easily, so accidentally moves to another setting. The flash is located where you would normally hold the camera. It is very awkward to hold it without blocking the flash. There are better choices out there.
Sucks for you, but, sadly, not many.
Most users under 50 have never used manual controls and never will. Unless they are an “enthusiast” they neither know nor care about the relationship of f-stop/shutter speed/ISO.
The rub is that they complain about the camera when they try to use it for shots it cannot take due to it’s limited specifications.
Kinda like saying “Why can’t this Chevrolet FLY like a 747???”
It is a FACT that even major Japanese companies fill in their camera lines at certain price-points with cameras not really made by them, but some camera that they have slapped their name on.
This could be one of them, but I cannot say for sure.
Ok I guess I’ve never owned a real camera (wait my Nikon d200 seems real) but when I let the camera focus I get some of the best pictures I have EVER gotten from a point and shoot I bought 2 and used them in Nicaragua last week … Left them with students there so I am IN for 3 more … Maybe I was just lucky.
I bought one on the last woot-off and took a bunch of pictures with it. Two things I was not impressed with was the low light capabilities and the lack of being able to have the shutter opened to take shots of the night sky. I sold it on eBay and the guy had it for a couple of weeks and then it wouldn’t even power on. I sent him all of the info for the manufacturer warranty and I haven’t heard back.