Nikon Coolpix P520 Digital Camera - Black - Refurbished by Nikon U.S.A.

2018-07-04T20:00:00

I bought this camera several years ago as my first good quality camera. It's a great camera to start out on, it has great features and a wonderful zoom. I am going to buy a slightly different camera for my preferred photography, but I'm so glad I started on this one. Nikon is a great brand & I won't be switching to Canon any time soon.

Amanda

Originally posted at

2015-05-26T20:00:00

I've had this camera for a little over a year now and i already see problems, lots of times it won't even turn on even though its charged. It doesn't charge anymore unless on my computer i do not recommend this camera not good for the price

nikonusergrace0111

Originally posted at

2015-04-19T20:00:00

We bought this camera when our daughter was born, because it is supposed to be easy to use, reliable, take great pictures and i thought that Nikon was a quality name. 3 mos. outside of warranty, (that is barely over a year) and it is a paperweight now. The internal computer is fried and the repair center wants $ to repair my 1 yr. old $ + camera. DO NOT BUY. save your money and get a different camera from a different brand. I am sorely disappointed and have missed out on recording moments with my daughter that i will never get back.

Sean2B

Originally posted at

2015-04-14T20:00:00

I have had this camera for almost 1 year now, and because I am an amateur photographer I am afraid to use some of the modes for fear of damaging my camera, I only use it on the Automode and I am quite pleased at the photos I have gotten so far. Very clear and beautiful at daytime. I will like a bit of advice on taking clear photos at night.

Dennikon

Originally posted at

2015-04-11T20:00:00

Had this cam for a while.. And reading reviews I never heard about the effect mode where you can use the color selector..I took a pic in Central Park where everything was B/W sept I selected red and gave my wife a red umbrella .. So it was the only thing red..one of my best selling pictures..have schooled other who I have found with the P520 on how to do it..their astonished...so everyone try this mode under effects

Pikeplacephotos

Originally posted at

2015-03-28T20:00:00

I love my Nikon P520 I take it everywhere! I also have a sonya1000dlsr and a cannon powershot but i like the nikon better..

sunni68326

Originally posted at

2015-03-22T20:00:00

I love this camera, Especially it is also my first camera. With the features like the 42x zoom, I would recommend this camera for anyone looking for a jumpstart with Nikon!

ANikonFirst

Originally posted at

2015-02-24T19:00:00

I've used the P520 for about 1-1/2 years now. It's good camera when I don't want to take my D610 along - for example, Disneyworld with our grandson. Controls are easy to use. Only two minor issues - I wish it had the ability to shoot RAW format images, and the autofocus and exposure are a bit slow for any kind of action.

OldNikonGuy

Originally posted at

2014-11-13T19:00:00

I have had this camera since Christmas of 2013 and i absolutely love it. It's easy to use and produces outstanding picture quality for a cheaper point and shoot. The 42x zoom is perfect for taking landscape shots or for times when you can't be close enough to the scene you want. This camera fits nicely in the hand and is small enough to take just about anywhere. The full swivle screen is by far my favorite feature on the P520, is has allowed me to take shots that wouldn't have been possible without it. My only complaint is in the cheap electronic view finder. It makes the camera look nicer but all-in-all it is completely useless and an unneeded addition to this product

AmaturePhotographer

Originally posted at

2014-10-04T20:00:00

My first camera ever and I think it is a good choice for whoever wants to start with manual mode.. Stunning zoom lens. not very strong in AF compared to DSLR cameras. A little bit slow to capture a shot which it really matters when you want to capture a moment. Moreover, I wish It had Raw format as well. On the other hand, small, easy to travel with and very good camera if you like to learn photography. One of my shots with this camera won in the National Geographic website,recently, and as a person who did not know anything about photography 9 months ago, Nikon COOLPIX P520 gave me lots of motivation to explore and learn.

Azadeh

Originally posted at

2014-10-02T20:00:00

I purchased the Nikon Coolpix 520 for my month long trip to Uganda and Kenya Sept 2014. During one of my two Gorilla treks I met another tourist who had just purchased the same camera for his trip to Africa and was having the same problems with it that I was. Repeatedly the camera would not turn on so we both constantly had to open the battery compartment, pop the battery out, put it back in, close the battery compartment and then the camera would turn on again. 50% of the time the auto focus does not work with the zoom. If you are not in perfect daylight as we were not when we were Gorilla trekking in the mountains, you would get a major delayed reaction when you pressed the button to take a picture which more often than not resulted in the Gorilla being long gone! Don't even think about taking a video in poor light, that's not going to happen. The vibration/motion setting for a steady hand is non existent/useless! The sound on the video is so quiet unless you talk very loud you might as well forget narrating your video. I wish I had just taken my old Pentax which took much better, clearer, crisper pictures than this camera even came close too. What a waste of money this camera was! Do Not Buy It!

Jewellerylady

Originally posted at

2014-09-25T20:00:00

Excellent feel with great balance and I feel in full control of the camera for any shot

Panther

Originally posted at

2014-08-03T20:00:00

I originally owned to Nikon film cameras in the early 80's, Took really good photos on horseback in Wyoming, Colorado, and Big Bend NP. Had a lot of compliments on my slides. Last fall, I decided I wanted to get back into photography as a serious amateur, and bought a Nikon Coolpix L820 which was very good but wanted more manual control on photos. So in Mary 2014 bought a Nikon Coolpix P520 and gave the L820 to my wife. P520 is a GREAT camera, especially for the price. Have had great compliments on my photos. This camera can do so much, it's hard to believe that it is a bridge camera. Last week I bought a second P520 to use as a back up and to have each one programmed for different situations. These cameras will do so much more than my old Nikon film cameras that had about a half dozen lenses. I do wish that Nikon made a filter attachment capability and lens hood for these cameras. Surely there is a way. Otherwise it is a GREAT camera, and why I have ended up with two of that model.

wheredat

Originally posted at

2014-07-27T20:00:00

You can't expect high quality of image, because its lenses and sensor compared to other SLR Nikon. The menu and functions are some complex, aren't so easy to get familiarized to use them, you will need (for this or other whatever camera) extra battery, extra memory cards and the Battery charger Adapter. Does this worth? Yes. For traveling, parties, average portraits... about indoor photos with low light conditions may be its some hard or with Zoom indoor photos low light conditions you will find some blur (it happens commonly in low light conditions with a lot of cameras), . Once you practice and experiment and play with menu and functions, the fun starts. The closeUp is amazing, very good CloseUp with quality, and I mean CloseUp as "extreme closeup" !. GPS function delays in sync (satellital signals sometimes are so), but GPS info is very good for the enthusiast to tag places in photos, WI-FI accessory works good (using its Nikon APP), its comfortable to hold, you won't repent to have this one please don't forget its a basic -compact Nikon, you can't demand the functions and settings as the SLR ones. I've taken "selfies" and are so good, the LCD screen helps. Sharpness: good, don't worry, for general puproses you will be satisfied for publish on internet and print your photos. You've noticed the battery life in your smartphone, GPS, Wi-Fi and Camera will reduce the time ! , that's why in cameras and some other devices, chargetr and battery is always recommended. iF you have not plains to upgrade, and iF you are looking for a camera for general purposes, if you aren't pro and you have not interest to become in PRO, the Nikon Coolpix 520 - 530s - series will be excellent for you. if you want start photography as PRO as beginner, SLR would be the choice.

jamdvx

Originally posted at

2014-07-21T21:00:00

The best thing about this camera is it's versatility. It does a lot of things well: Zoom range is amaizing, all you could want. The ability to go completely Manual is also welcome. It handles low light without too much noise.

Data-Bank-A

2014-07-17T21:00:00

We bought this camera because we wanted a camera that was light, has a long zoom and a step up from a point and shoot. Pictures are very sharp. Not as sharp as a full dsl but your also not carrying a lot of weight. Wish camera could shoot RAW and can't find 51mm filters. Need an after market adapter to be able to use filters.

KIRK O.

2014-07-15T20:00:00

Worked great..for the first few months. Once I started having problems and working with the customer service team, that was when I was really disappointed in the product. Although my camera is under the one-year warranty, Nikon simply said it works fine and sent it back. Sadly I bought a ($) camera at Wal-Mart, and it takes much clearer and sharper photographs than my Nikon.

slsroses

Originally posted at

2014-06-03T20:00:00

I am totally in love with my camera i take it everywhere

nikonbaby

Originally posted at

2014-05-24T20:00:00

Just missing a raw feature, cable release ,, but what point n shoot does ? Great picture colour . , slow to recover from using continuous shots , and wen battery is getting depleted. But great overall,

Nikondude

Originally posted at

2014-05-04T20:00:00

The pictures I take and the rave reviews I get I feel a little guilty because it is the camera . I am learning and trying different settings . Absolutely fantastic . I have taken over 4000 pictures since December and I take the camera with me everywhere . Great all around

jdc11710

Originally posted at

2014-04-21T20:00:00

I have always wanted a Nikon as far back as I can remember, and I finally got the chance to own one. I figured I would work my way up through the cameras. Starting with the COOLPIX P520, and it was a great decision!! I love this camera, it has amazing features, its very versatile, and the picture quality is great for its model! For a starter camera for me, I couldn't have asked for better! Thanks Nikon!!

NknDrmr1

Originally posted at

2014-04-14T21:00:00

I use a Nikon D80 primarily but sometimes I just want to take pictures and not carry a heavy camera and lenses. This is the perfect camera with a good zoom. I have had it a couple of weeks and tested it on several types of pictures and I am happy with the output. I would recommend this camera.

Judy B.

2014-04-13T20:00:00

I've owned this camera two years; I bought the original 16MP version shortly after it came out. Nikon has increased the sensor size and made a few well-thought-out usability mods since then, but it's otherwise pretty much the same camera. I worked films in the '70s, and did my best at photographing wildlife (mostly birds) with my two-body, interchangeable viewfinder, 6-lens Minolta system. Over the years, I sold my 4x5s and 6x9 systems; and forewent wildlife photography because of the time and expense. I bought my first digital - a 3 MP Olympus - in 2003. It did well for casual photos for the web, and technology advanced, but I wasn't ready to spend $10-20K on a bulky system to get the great bird pictures people were getting. However, in 2012 I did a detailed search and discovered the new ultrazooms. I was excited, and after detailed analysis of reviews, I bought a P520, with its full range of pro/am features - and never looked back. Since I was still living in the city, I was taking a lot of architectural photos. I could stand in the green in front of Memorial Hall at Harvard, and take a closeup of the gargoyles on the tower - so crisp you could examine the solder joints! Standing out in front of Widener Library, I took a picture of a capital on the top of the massive columns - and only when I examined the photo did I discover they'd put bird netting around it, and it showed absolutely crisply; the camera had resolved a .020" detail at a distance of almost 100'. I took a picture of a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly in the forsythia bush at a distance of 7-8'; when I examined the photo, you could see the hairs on the body and the scales on the antenna! From that distance, the camera had resolved detail which, if you had the butterfly in your hand, you'd require a hand lens to see! From my porch, i got great pictures of birds in the garden. I moved into the country a few months ago, and have used it constantly to take excellent pictures of deer, wild turkeys, various birds - even a tiny vole which was darting out of a snowbank to grab seed below my bird feeder. In a shot of a chipmunk, you can actually see my house and the neighboring spruce tree reflected in the chipmunk's eye! Every now and then, the amazement of crisp 16MP hand-held shots at 1000mm strikes me again, and I find myself just staring at the camera or photos and shaking my head! This camera produces pictures which were absolutely impossible even 10 years ago, and it's a superb travel camera to cover all situations. I can also take it canoeing; it's instantly available, can shoot wildlife at extreme telephoto while hand-held, and if it goes overboard, it won't empty my bank account. I've had two problems: The first problem is with autofocus at extreme zoom. I've found conditions where it won't focus where I want it, even in multiple tries (if you release and half-press the shutter, it will try a different area combination) or narrow center focus. At that small image size in the viewfinder, electronically controlled manual focus isn't fine enough; a lens ring would work - but that's still much less trouble than I had with focusing long telephoto on my old cameras, and i'm willing to accept that pushing the envelope that much won't be perfect. In fact, i'm amazed at how accurate its focus is for small objects at great distance. The second problem is that it routinely underexposes shots on cloudy days, and gets the color balance wrong. i fix that in Photoshop, but I'd think it could do better. in better light, the pictures are excellent, so that's just another thing I take in stride; I'm still experimenting with the metering modes to see if I can find a meter/focus combination which will meet my needs better, but each mod has to be used for awhile to determine its strengths and limitations. I could also wish the shutter delay was less, or that it wouldn't do a full refocus at times, but I consider that just a factor of how little I paid for the camera; for $ (less in constant dollars than a single 135mm lens in the '70s), I don't expect the performance of the most expensive DSLRs. And it's possible I can work out settings which will ameliorate the situation; I've probably explored only 10% of its functionality. I've shown the picture results to my family and friends; now a sister, brother and father all have one of their own, as do a couple of techie friends. The camera is not perfect, but it's amazingly smart, and does so well with so many things that I'm willing to accept some limitations; it's still unimaginably better than what we used to have to work with, at an unbelievably bargain price. I'm sure you can get better pictures with a DSLR and assorted expensive lenses, but what this camera can do for the price has, in my mind, revolutionized photography! The only reason I might replace it is the P600, which has half again the zoom! [I'm waiting for more reviews.]

Dadsfolk

Originally posted at

2014-03-31T21:00:00

Purchased for when I need to travel light. Works well as a bridge camera. Feature-packed. Panorama works well. Macro can get very close. In Manual can start at 80 ISO. Continuous burst of 7/sec for action captures the shot well. I would have liked 50x on a non-DSLR, but they never claim it to be DSLR. Full zoom is a little blurry on the edges, but a crop soon fixes that. 1080p @ 60 is quite acceptable, but since I only bought it for stills, its a bonus. Overall, it is a good entrant by Nikon. Tip: order some spare batteries and an external charger. To save battery I turned off GPS.

Mike S.

2014-03-24T21:00:00

I use this camera to photograph jet engine conditions. When dealing with customers and conditions this camera does the job. It's easy to use but also gives you the ability to control each situation whether it be light or speed you need. Also video capable with a great resolution .

Jude

2014-03-17T20:00:00

I normally use my trusty Nikon D70 and have owned many fine Nikon film cameras in the past. I bought this camera on the recommendation of a friend to use while my D70 is being cleaned and repaired. This camera is just astonishing, words fail me... ease of use, versatility and outstanding picture quality. My very first pictures were just breathtakingly beautiful...this is now my camera of choice. Wide angle or the fantastic telephoto...just astonishing. Thank you Nikon engineers and anyone connected with the production and manufacture of this high quality camera. However, I must admit that I do covet the Nikon FD...but I am totally satisfied in every way with this camera and without hesitation recommend it to anyone in need of a versatile, easy to use camera. My only wish is for a reasonably priced and ore advanced printer that can take advantage of this remarkable camera and it's potential..

Njord

Originally posted at

2014-02-26T19:00:00

I got this as a gift from my wife, and this CoolPix really performs. I feel that is the bridge between the non-inter-changeable lens and the Inter-changeable Lens Nikons. I really like the 42 to 1 zoom, and how one can get up-close to the action without interfering with it. The only thing one needs to pay attention concerns extreme distance photos; one must keep the camera steady, and a tripod really helps. I own two COOLPIX Digital cameras, a 3200 bought in 2005, and a S8100 in 2011, and this CoolPix builds upon its predecessors; I still use both of them at times (especially, the S8100), and I liked how Nikon allowed me to use this P520 without a large learning curve. Also, I like the fact that it has manual settings besides the automatic one, and allows me to use this camera as a DSLR. I know it will take at least two years to outgrow, and master all the abilities of this P520; this camera will prepare me for my next Nikon-a full-blown DSLR.

Khafra1

Originally posted at

2014-02-23T19:00:00

Bought to use for Wildlife Photography specifically Waterfowl. Was amazed and the zoom qualify and the image quality at full zoom. Would recommend to anyone!

DuckMan24

Originally posted at

2014-02-19T19:00:00

The zoom is brilliant. I loved this camera because of its ability to capture the pics in an unprecedented way. The wide variety of options & features available are great. The only drawbacks are RAW feature & Viewfinder. You can undoubtedly go for this camera because of the trust you can have on Nikon. This is the best product you can get below ($).

HK

Originally posted at

2014-02-10T19:00:00

I always need a camera when I am not carrying my Nikon D7000. This camera is small enough for me to stick it in the glove box of my truck. The price was great.

Steve