COOLPIX L830 16 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 34x Zoom NIKKOR Lens and Full 1080p HD Video

After my first digital camera that I bought in 2006 started to have problems, I knew I needed to get a new one. I didn't want to spend a lot of money so after reading the reviews I took a chance and bought the Nikon Coolpix L830 about 2 weeks before I went on a trip to Europe. When it arrived all I had to do was pop the batteries in and point and shoot. It was fabulous and so VERY easy to use! I took over 3000 pictures on my trip (many from a moving tour bus and even a high speed train) and had only about half a dozen that were blurry and had to be deleted. This camera can use either rechargeable or regular AA batteries which make the camera a bit heavier than others, but I like the option of being able to easily pick up extra batteries whenever I'm traveling. The camera does not have a viewfinder which doesn't bother me at all because I like the large LCD screen to see what I'm shooting. But it's the zoom on this camera that is PHENOMENAL! I'm posting pictures I took of the sea lions on the rocks here in the Northwest.....the first picture was without the zoom so you have an idea of how far away they were. The second picture is with the zoom and I did not have to use a tripod to get such a clear picture, I merely leaned against a small railing and snapped away. The resulting photos were crisp and clear with no blur, so clear that you can even see the whiskers on the sea lion!! The video I took was just as vivid, both in picture and sound, as the still photos. The other picture was taken in France through the window of a moving tour bus. Even with the slight tint of the bus windows, the colors are nice and bold and there is no blur. And after seeing the great photos I had, my friend bought the exact same camera and now she is just as happy with her purchase. I have never owned a Nikon before, but I am completely sold on this camera and feel that I definitely got the best value for the money spent!

When I was getting ready to head out on a recent trip to the stunning Central America country of Belize, I knew that I would need something more to take pictures than merely the iPhone I carry in my pocket. I had some big plans to fulfill a life-long dream of traipsing through the Belizean jungle and taking pictures of the animals I found there. Since I'd had a (much) older style of Nikon COOLPIX previously, I made sure to include this version in my research pool. After a significant amount of research, I came back to the L830. It seemed like a good deal. It supposedly had the features I needed, but I was hesitant to pull the trigger on the purchase. It just looked like the price was too low. I didn't want to get snowballed by the low price into buying something I would regret as soon as I was out into the jungle. I was especially worried that the listed 34x zoom would crap out and leave me with nothing but larger, fuzzy shapes instead of the crisp, clear, high-definition pictures and videos I wanted to bring back. I needn't have worried. This camera is AMAZING. Seriously, I took pictures and video that would have been bragged about had they been taken by a professional wildlife photographer. The high-definition pictures showed every hair on the howler monkeys' bodies and every tooth protruding from the mouths of the crocodiles hiding away in the reeds at the edges of the Monkey River in south Belize. The 16MP sensor in the camera performed stunningly well in both the bright light of the pristine Belizean beach and in the dim mist surrounding the Mayan ruins at sunrise and the darkened interior of the caves we explored. Not only was the output magnificent, the controls were so very easy and intuitive, I barely had to read the instruction manual. Still, I did read that manual and found it to be clean, concise and packed with good tips on how to use the L830 up to its potential. There really was no downside to my purchase of this camera. I plan on using this for a long, long time. Definitely worth my money and yours.

This camera did everything I expected, based on the description. Many of the reviews I read before buying indicated that the viewing screen looked washed out in daylight and I found that to be true. As such, it is difficult to know if you're subject is in focus or whether the composition is ideal. Having said that, the tilting feature to the screen is very useful and unlike other cameras with a similar articulating screen, this one seems robust, unlikely to fail from overuse. The video it produces is clear and crisp, stills have good color and capture fine detail. Most of all however, the 720MM telescopic lens is fabulous, bringing distant wildlife, architectural features or geology much closer than I imagined possible with a small camera. While traveling, I witnessed many tourists with large SLR type cameras, sporting massive lenses that probably couldn't match the magnification power of mine. I must admit, I felt a little smug. Overall, I am very happy with the camera and as I said earlier, it does everything I expected and even more. But I do miss the viewfinder on my now broken SLR camera. Having to use a screen makes me feel less involved in the composition process. Additionally, my old SLR had a great host of "Manual" modes that allowed more creative photography that are missing on this unit. I hope one day, someone figures out how to combine all the features of this camera, with those of an SLR. In closing: I feel that this camera is a very good value, it's quick, light, has impressive lens qualities, uses standard AA batteries, which I view as a plus and seems rugged enough. I used it to great effect on a recent trip to Zion National Park, where I took beautiful photos and videos. If someone asked for suggestions on a great digital camera priced under $200, I would enthusiastically recommend this one.

Just received this yesterday. I purchased it in anticipation of my wedding and honeymoon in Turks and Caicos next week. My digital SLR was bulky and I had increasingly found myself avoiding using it and my iphone, though handy and the quality of picture was usually good, I longed for a camera that would allow me some ability to zoom in closer to various activities. All I have done is experiment with the camera, so I am uncertain what the quality of picture will be as I am taking more serious pictures, but here are my initial impressions: 1) The camera is surprisingly light. My concern will be how it will handle an accidental drop, but I definitely like not carrying around a heavier camera. 2) The camera is easy to learn the basics. There are a number of buttons on the body to adjust features. After using my go pro, which is all menu driven and difficult to navigate, this is a breeze. It is also simpler to navigate than my Nikon digital SLR. 3) Several reviews indicated frustration with the auto focus. I am uncertain if this will be a problem. I attempted to take pictures of my maltese and she was jumping and running… every time I attempted to depress the shutter half way to focus, it would light up some and she would run towards me, which then caused the picture to be out of focus. 4) 34x Zoom… need I say more? The benefit of digital SLR cameras was the ability to obtain that level of control on lens. The lens on this camera gives incredible flexibility. There were a couple of reviews that complained that the zoom control was cumbersome. Anyone one who has used zoom on a camera will not find this any more awkward than any other zoom. I think it is about learning the touch of it. 5) $200 from Amazon! $200 for a camera with this capability is crazy. Gotta love the price point on a Nikon! 6) Love the ease of shopping on Amazon and reading all of the great reviews Overall, my initial impressions were quite favorable. I am looking forward to seeing how it performs while in Turks and Caicos. One other comment is that the instruction booklet was very anemic. It said on the outside, "Quick Start Guide" and it was just that. I am hoping that there are additional directions somewhere else to discuss the various "Modes" which you can use. No, you can't adjust aperture and shutter speed, but I rarely have a desire to control that much of the photography. I usually had my Digital SLR on auto mode anyway.

I consider myself an avid hobbyist photographer. I also take photos for my blog, which I am establishing as part of my profession as a writer and researcher. For my purposes, this camera is perfect. It feels great in my hands and the zoom lens allows me to obtain a sharp focus on subjects even across a large lecture hall. I'm still learning all the features. The pocket guide is helpful, but I would recommend downloading the manual. A very helpful review by another purchaser includes the download link to the PDF document. Several reviews mention the lack of a viewfinder as a detriment. I've been taking pictures with my iPhone so the lack of a viewfinder is of no consequence to me. Plus the ability to add a memory card (which is really a necessity) means I can take as many photos as I want without worrying about storage space, which has become an issue with my iPhone. Your mileage may vary. I also like the option to change shutter speeds on this camera. Before I got my iPhone I was using a 5 MP Kodak EasyShare camera. It takes decent pictures but the shutter speed is so S-L-O-W I lost many great pictures. And I'm not talking about fast action shots,either, but rather expression shots from a speaker. Frustrating! Battery life seems OK if you use lithium batteries as opposed to regular dry cell batteries. Using lithium batteries is convenient if you're traveling, especially abroad, but you can also use rechargeable batteries with an external recharger. If you're bothered by the prospect of discarding batteries and having them wind up in landfills (I was), there are often local recycling facilities available (http://www.earth911.com/recycling-guide/how-to-recycle-single-use-batteries/), or you can recycle your batteries by mail for no charge (http://batterycenter.com/battery-recycling-program.html), These options provide the ability to discard spent batteries as responsibly as possible. Finally, I really like that this looks like a real camera, rather than a pocket camera. It may seem superficial, but I've already noticed that I am treated like more of a professional when I attend events as press when I'm using this camera as opposed to my iPhone. The red color is also gorgeous, and yes, I've received favorable comments for this, too. If you're a pro photographer, spend the money to get a top of the line camera. It's an investment. For me, this step up from a pocket point and shoot model was just the ticket. Very glad I made this purchase.

I loved the size, and feel of this Nikon. The zoom was great, the pictures sharp and the price, very good. And, I liked the Nikon's tilted screen. However, this was my first camera without a viewfinder, and after two weeks, I returned it and ordered the Panasonic Lumix FZ60 - a more expensive camera; but, with viewfinder. I really prefer having the option of having both. The majority of my pictures are nature - birds, flowers, scenery. I had issues with seeing the screen in bright light and it's easier for me the zero in on the subject faster with the viewfinder. It is also easier for me to hold my camera steady when using the viewfinder. The panasonic does not have as long a zoom, but it serves my purpose and cropping the final picture brings my subjects in beautifully. The Panasonic pictures are awesome, it's easy to use and has some great editing features. Bottom line, manufactures are missing the boat by not having more options with optic viewfinders in their comoact models.

After over 50 years of Photographic experience and many Thousands of dollars spent on cameras, I thought I had seen it all. Most of the cameras that I own are in excess of $1000 dollars just for the body. The lens can cost twice that amount to make them work the way they can. My wife was going to Colorado for her Granddaughters wedding. Two years ago I had purchased her a FujiFilm camera that had been doing her a superb job of taking photos. I thought that she would be surprised if I got her a new camera for her trip. I had a limited amount of funds so I done some extensive research and came across this Nikon Coolpix L830. I spoke with a fellow professional photographer that had purchased one of these for his wife. He had nothing but good things to say about the camera. So I purchased one of these for her trip. When she returned, we sat down and viewed her photos on our office 36 inch HDTV I was blown away by the quality of the photos. Under the most terrible conditions the camera had produced amazing photos. Low light conditions were not a problem for this camera. Zoom it to the full extent of the lens and the photos were amazing. Clear sharp focus and color spot on. I was so amazed that I purchased me one to have as a "take everywhere camera". It is never out of my camera bag and is my grab & shoot camera. I can recommend this little camera to anyone wanting a quality camera at a reasonable price. Has it replaced my $3000 dollar Sony DSLR? Actually yes, I grab this when I want a quick high quality photo without a lot of hassle. Fantastic little point and shoot camera. You have got to get one of these little cameras for sure.

I haven't used it much yet, but I can say that for $200, it is hard to not recommend it. Having worked as a professional photographer for several years, and having owned both pocket-sized and SLR-like digitals, I would say that the following are the important points to consider when making a camera purchase: 1. Price (duh). If you don't want to spend $800 or more for a real camera (or at least something close to one), the next option is an SLR-like model (again - this one was only $200 - a big plus). 2. SLR-Like vs. Pocket-Sized. To be honest, considering the capabilities of most phones nowadays, I don't undestand why they even still make pocket-sized cameras. (Although there are some that are sort of a cross between a pocket-sized & SLR-like that have a lot of zoom and give you a bit of something to hold onto). (And personally, I consider having something to hold onto to be a big plus). 3. Zoom. With 34x optical zoom, its a no-brainer. That's more zoom than you could get out of a 400mm lens with a doubler! (Try lugging one of those around). It also has image stabilization (a necessity for a long zoom shot). 4. Pixels/Picture Quality. As some of you know, more pixels does not necessarily equate to a better picture. I have an old 5 meg Olympus which has a 7 meg interpolated mode which still takes as good or better pics than anything I have seen since. (But it is as slow as Christmas). As far as I know, the quality & clarity is the pics from this camera are comparable to other 16 meg cameras on the market, but I would still keep it in the highest quality (least compressed/interpolated) mode. 5. Auto Focus Speed. This is a BIG PLUS with this camera and a crucial factor which none of the mfgs. include in their specs. The primary reason that we wanted a new camera is because my wife and I were fed up with trying to take pictures of our little girl with a camera that would almost always never focus quickly enough to get the shot. If you read the specs regarding "continuous shooting" you will see that it will shoot ~6.7 fps (max ~5 frames) in Continuous High mode. That doesn't actually tell you how fast it will focus, but is the only means of comparison that most mfgs. provide. Also, one camera review/testing site rates the "shutter lag" when in autofocus at 2/10 to 4/10 of a sec. I don't think there is anything else out there in the same price range that comes close. 6. Batteries. It seemed odd that Nikon would have gone with AA's rather than the usual proprietary lithium, but I have decided that it might come in handy sometime to be able to just put in some new AA's rather than having to recharge. (And you can always use rechargeable AA's if you want). 7. Focus Point. I discovered that you can go into the menu and select different focus points just like a real camera! (Despite having a face detection mode [which, if it is like other cameras, you will never use because it will increase the focus time], if you shoot a lot of portraits, it is a big plus to be able to quickly focus on the eyes/face & then take the shot without having to bring the camera down). Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any way to tell the camera to keep the point that you selected. (You have to go into the menu & reset it each time you turn the camera off). 8. AWB (Auto White Balance). I had looked at a review which compared this camera to others in the same class, which included sample pics taken in different lighting conditions. I was thus very disappointed to discover that it pretty much sucks in getting the white balance right when shooting indoors. (A BIG MINUS, but probably not much worse than the competition). 9. User Interface. The number & placement of dedicated function buttons is pretty much the same as most digital cameras nowadays. However, they are placed so close to the edge (under the "heel" of your thumb when you hold the camera) that I keep inadvertently pressing one or more of them. Maybe in the next model they will put a bit of a lip or ridge there to help prevent that? 10. Viewfinder/View Screen. The fact that the view screen can be extended & rotated allows you to stand and look down at it (thus allowing you to get a lower camera angle). That is actually a big plus for those who are aware of such things and often find themselves shooting from a kneeling position. However, the absence of a viewfinder is a BIG MINUS in my opinion. If you read some of the other reviews, you will see that people complain about trying to use the screen in bright sunlight. You must in effect resort to shooting blindly and hoping that you manage to get a couple of good shots. That is true for most digital cameras, and unless you already have a thousand pics on your card, it doesn't really matter if you take a hundred pics & keep only one. Still, if Nikon had only included a viewfinder, they could have had a camera that without question would have been a real winner. - After receiving some specific questions, here is the link for the manual: http://download3.nikonimglib.com/archive1/B6sUJ00pkWTy0186hYa00PAl9y53/L830RM_%28En%2902.pdf