the fastest and smoothest zoom, excellent (easy to use) dials and controls, auto backlit control, 3 year warranty, big flash by p&s standards, no noticable flare (yet). Classic size and traditional look with a decent hand grip.

No f-stop compensation feature, no focal length indicator, no diopter adjustment, passive autofocus is a bit touchy ( too smart for its own good). A faster lens and higher shutter speeds would be nice.

A good p&s for the medium level p&s photographer who likes composition type photography (group pictures, landscapes,weddings,etc). Not as spontaneous as an epic or T4.

Customer Service

Not used yet.

Similar Products Used:

mostly slr's and fixed focal length p&s cameras

Sharp focus in Auto mode, powerful zoom lense, compact size with Multi AF.

Spot focus is not accurate, out of the focus area in viewfinder.
Date imprinting for Y2K is only ' 0 instead of '00. It's not Y2k Compliance
QC for this model is not good, my new one has to go for service due to battery leakage in OFF position and exhausted in one week.

A good camera. But you have to try your luck to get one under proper QC check to avoid the trouble with servicing, though it's under warranty. Moreover, it's not Y2K compliance

Customer Service

Good attitude. But unsatisfactory in troubleshooting this kind of fully Automatic Camera

Similar Products Used:

Canon Prima 105

Compact, light, easy to use drive and mode dials, pre-winds film, good flash, quiet zoom, nice control layout. AF and flash ready indicator lamps, parrallax correction marks, spot focus and focus lock. Red eye reduction via multi burst pre-flash, fill flash and flash cancel ability

Tiny finder makes it hard to see what is at the edges of the frame, sometimes AF has trouble with subjects with little contrast, uses expensive lithium batteries.

I bought this camera when I decided to try my hand at snapshooting again. I had previously owned a Cannon SureShot Supreme while I was in the service, but left it under the seat of a rental car in Rio de Janiero. I still curse that day. After deciding what I wanted from a zoom P&S I was able to find one at the Nikon Outlet for about half of what most retailers are asking right now for the camera. This one has a bunch of features that are easy to use and actually quite intuitive, but I highly reccomend you read the manual if you purchase one! The controls, which are basically two dials on the top, the flash mode button (also on top) and the shutter release are all in the right spot for my medium sized hands and are easy to use. The left dial controls what type of creative mode you are in (landscape, portrait, night scene, etc) while the right dial controls the drive options and the timer/remote operation. The flash button obviously selects the flash mode. However, it should be noted that certain creative modes will automatically select or cancel certain flash modes. (again, read the book!)

All that said, after an initial test roll, I took this and my XA-2 on vacation to Las Vegas. I shot 8 or so rolls through the Nikon in 4 days, half of those were 800 speed Fuji Superia to catch all that neon. The rest of the time was Fuji 400 Superia for inside and outside shots (both speeds were 24 exp. color print films). There was only 2 bad exposures in the bunch, and one of those is because the subject was out of flash range! I shot most of the night stuff on the camera's portrait mode with the camera mounted on a tripod and they are some of the best shots I have taken. Ever. The focus is crisp on all of them and they were easy to take without having to really think about more than composition. Comparing the prints to the ones taken with the XA2 it is hard to distinguish which are which despite the fact the the Nikon lens is an f4.5/35mm compared to the XA2's Zuiko f3.5/35mm

I can tell you that the flash on this thing is a red-eye generating monster! It is a very powerful flash by P&S standards, so do not forget to set the reduction.

OK, final thoughts: If you want to take pictures, buy one of these. If you want to LEARN photograhy, or expect more versatility from your camera get a used FE2. This is a very good P&S camera for shapshooting and I did get a VERY nice 8X10 blow up from the Vegas trip. It is easy to use, fits in a jacket (not jeans or shirt) pocket, is easy to load and practically idiot proof. It will also work very nicely for candids and the 135mm zoom will get you right up close on most subjects. My model is the QD and the date did set properly, so I guess the other reviewier got a lemon. Too bad though, cause this is a great camera to take to parties, on trips, to weddings or just to carry when your SLR outfit is too much! (Keep in mind my value rating reflects the Nikon Outlet price and NOT the retail price.)

Customer Service

Since this was a Nikon Outlet item, I called to confirm that it was in stock and available for shipment. They were courteous and professional. Have not had anything serviced yet.

Similar Products Used:

Olympus XA2 with A-ll
Cannon SureShot Supreme
(both are excellent and worth grabbing if you find a nice used one)

Fast and smooth zoom. Nice and easy-to-use dials for options.

Poor quality control. This is the second year and it's going to service for the third time.

It's a matter of luck to get good focus, but once you catch it, the result is very good. And the focus is auto, so there is nothing you can do but pray.

It requires expensive lithium batteries, and if you are on vacation, you'll have a hard time to find such uncommon ones. So be prepared to carry spares.

The shutter button is hard to depress and makes you shake the camera causing the picture to blur.

If I had known that I'd visit the service so many times for a point-and-shoot camera, I never would buy it in the first place. I know there are cheaper and more reliable point-and-shoots in the market. The name "Nikon" must have fooled me.

Customer Service

Once the warranty expires, you'll find out that in 2-3 years, the total service costs can be as much as the price of the camera.

Similar Products Used:

Canon Point-and-Shoots.

The mode dial is very nice, easy and fast to dial. Handgrip feel so nice with my hand

Focusing speed for take snap photos is slow, rather difficult to take fast moving object

This great camera can take a very sharp and beatiful pictures. I ever got bad pictures with this camera. But after I read and follow the manual carefully, I can get crisp picture. so, the first step to use this camera is to learn the manual. It's big flash so usefull. Overall I like this camera with it's powerful lens, great big flash and easy mode dial to get beatiful pictures.

Customer Service

Quite good

Similar Products Used:

Minolta Dynax 7000i, Minolta Dynax 9xi.

Great zoom range. Tons of features. When it is focused properly, the pictures are great.

It is hard to get it focused quickly for spontaneous pictures.

Overall I am happy with it, but it can be frustrating when you try to take pictures quickly and they turn out blurry. People don't like to stand there waiting for you to get an "auto-focus" camera to focus. I have missed some good shots because of this.

Customer Service

not applicable

Similar Products Used:

none