Nikon Coolpix L12 7MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Vibration Reduction Zoom

I chose this camera as my birthday gift almost a year ago. I have been quite pleased with it so far. It's a good first time digital camera, and the user manual and settings are really easy to navigate. I buy lithium batteries, so they last longer. I've taken it with me on vacations and was pleased with the ease of use and good pictures it takes. My best pictures have turned out when I am as steady as possible, especially with low light--I usually hold my breath.

The only negatives for me have been the slow processing time when using the flash and the noise in fireworks pictures. But I try to avoid the flash because natural lighting is much nicer.

I've also posted some pictures taken with the L12.

Overall, I think this is a solid, reliable camera that takes good pictures.

This is a plain, non-technical review for an average user.

I wanted a slim point-and-shoot that would produce fairly good images for max 5x7 prints...

Well, this camera seems to only work well in good sun -which is a typical thing with many cameras...along with the impossible to see display ...I mean you cannot see what you are shooting in a nice sunny day, as the diplayed is washed out.

The image quality is so-so. I probably should have played with the white calibration more, with other numerous setting, but I wanted a point-and-shoot camera, not a cockpit panel.

The battery drain is noticeable. The next-shot speed is AWEFUL..It takes its time to adjust focus... Then it goes into sleep mode every 1 minute if not sooner, so if you are trying to get a shot of your precious grandson when you need an ever-ready camera, this one is not it!

On the positive side, it fits in the hand nicely, has fairly intuitive controls, and is indeed small. The download from internal memory was a breeze. I never bothered to installed the software.

I took three shots under rain and the poor thing died. So glad it did.

I bought this camera as a Christmas present for my father. I've been the one who has used it the most. It is very user friendly and can be programmed in other languages. The pictures are so crisp! I get compliments on the quality of the pictures all the time.

i bought this camera 3 months ago and it was taking some really great pictures.
Then suddenly, while i turned it on a week ago, it came up with lens error and made a weird buzzing sound.
I have researched this problem and it has happened to many people.
just google nikon coolpix lens error.
i would highly suggest that you should get a cannon powershot instead of a nikon coolpix.

It's been a while since I've been motivated enough to bother posting a review, but I'm furious and fed up with Nikon's garbage. I originally had a Coolpix L11, the model one notch below this one. It worked decently enough for about a week, and then suddenly the camera would no longer turn on. The power button did nothing. After eliminating batteries, lack of charge, etc. as possible suspects, I took the camera to an electronics repair shop and was told that the power on\off switch was malfunctioning. The cost to repair it would have been almost enough to buy a new camera, so I chalked it up to "sometimes stuff happens" and let it go. A few months later, my sister received a new camera for herself to replace her outdated one; the new one was another Coolpix L11 identical to mine. Surprise, surprise -- again after a full day's use, the power button suddenly went kablooey and the camera could not be turned on. This time, my father was rightly annoyed about the situation because he'd just bought the camera that morning, so he marched it right back to the store and exchanged it. To my knowledge, the exchanged camera works fine, but that's still 2 Nikon Coolpix cameras in a row with the same manufacturing defect. Now onto my review for the L12. I received an L12 this Christmas to replace my original (dead) L11 with its malfunctioning power button. I took the L12 out of the box for the first time just tonight. Brand new, plastic and shrink wrap and foam covering still intact in the box. Guess what? It won't turn on. The batteries are absolutely brand new and were included in the box. The camera's never been out of its protective wrapping. It's simply defective. The SAME defect that the other TWO Coolpix cameras had.

I'll be returning it later this week and I'm sure the store will make an exchange on a clearly defective product, but at this point, I don't WANT another Coolpix. This line of cameras by Nikon is obviously defective on the manufacturing level and I should not have to waste my time and money buying and exchanging cameras, essentially trying one after another after another until I get one that works. 3 out of 4 defective cameras with the exact same flaw, brand new out of the box, already broken? You have to be kidding me.