2010-11-18T19:00:00
Rated 4 out of 5
Good camera, but not for everyone
OK, first of all, the combo is good for the price at the time I bought it (mid October). Overall, everything seems useful except for camera case, which fits the camera too tightly thus makes it difficult to insert/remove the camera in a flash.
This camera produces images with quality that rivals even the entry-level DSLRs such as the Nikon D40 (my first DSLR) in a much more portable package, and even more if you consider the available zoom range. The high ISO images are better than the Nikon D40 can achieve at ISO 800.
The camera body contains enough knobs for manual control of exposure, shooting mode, and various settings that make using it a joy, but only if you are familiar with an DSLR camera before. For people wanting to get a good & easy to use point-and-shoot camera, this is not it. But for previous DSLR owners, this is fantastic as a backup and/or travel camera. The build quality is typical of Nikon DSLR, not point and shoot cameras.
There are quite a few complaints on the net about the issues such as slow .NRW writing speed, lens focus error re-initialization, etc. My own experiences confirm these issues, but I belive their impacts largely depend on personal shooting preferences.
Overall, a fantastic supplemental camera for DSLR owners. The firmware could use some improvements. Top IQ & ergonomic in its camera class.
Daniel W.
