Nikon Coolpix 8800 8MP Digital Camera with 10x Vibration Reduction Optical Zoom Lens

The purchase was easy. The product arrived as promised and in new condition. I would use this company again for future purchases.

My Nikon 8800 has traveled from the Amazon basin to the North Slope of Alaska and has taken over 100,000 photos. It has spent about a month in the hot, humid Amazon basin, a place which claimed the life of one of my past cameras. I've used it so much, I actually wore out one battery pack and had to replace it. Still, three years later the camera is functioning perfectly, just the way it did in the summer of 2004 when I bought it. This camera has been very reliable.
The image stabilization is extremely helpful in taking butterfly photos, the project I'm working on with this camera. I also use it to record interesting birds, so I can look them up in a field guide at home. With the image stabilization, I truely don't need to bring binoculars.
It is far lighter and easier to transport than SLR type cameras. I find this very helpful.
To improve this already excellent camera, I suppose that it would benefit from a bigger LCD monitor, stronger external battery pack, and screws for a cable release.
Also, in a perfect world, it would become a bit more light sensative and function better in darker conditions, or allow faster shutter speeds/greater depth of field. Maybe that science fiction type function will become possible some day, but whatever the case, I just love this camera as it is right now. It makes possible butterfly photography at resolutions and distances that were completely impossible just a few years ago.

My Coolpix 8800 lapsed into "system error 2" mode within weeks of getting it. After taking 3 or 4 shots the error message comes up and I have to shut it down and start it back up to take a few more shots before the error 2 message recurrs. Nikon says to try a fresh battery and different storage card...no help. Now Nikon says says send it in and we'll fix it- but don't say what it will cost... The shots I do get aren't as good as an HP camera we have that was half the price. The controls are ridiculously complex. The flash pops up and fires when shooting in bright light...the whole thing is a piece of junk. The only good shots I've gotten with it are inside shooting documents from 2 feet away...but for any outdoor complicated lighting it is unreliable... I wouldn't recommend this camera or any Nikon product to my worst enemy....Oh yeah, and they made the lens an oddball size so you have to buy overpriced Nikon filters for it.....

I recently faced the "System 2 Error" many other users. Luckily, I have a three year warranty and it was fully covered and came back within 3wks of mailing (I sent it just before Christmas so it took longer).

The Pros:
Excellent features
Lightweight (I have small hands and cannot hold much weight)
Came with a Remote control
Large LCD
etc...

The Cons:
Expensive (I paid $700 plus $135 3yr warrantly)
Slow shutter speed
Slow writing to flash
Has a tendency to over/undercompensate EV (so you need to play with the function quite a bit)
Dreaded LENS ERROR!!!!

Overall, I am happy with my camera. I never owned and SLR and this camera is a great stepping stone for someone like me who wants something like an SLR but can't afford/doesn't know how to use one.
After owning the camera two years, I will definitely keep it as my, "throw in the handbag and go" camera but if you can afford an SLR, definitely buy one.

I loved this camera but I have had to send it back 3 times for the infamous "system error 2" design fault which plagues many of these. The repair service is slow - the camera has been in repair 50% of the year I have had it.