Review on 📷 Nikon Coolpix S9300 16.0 MP Digital Camera - Red: Capture Vibrant Moments in High Resolution by Alexis Guiney

I have read previous reviews of Nikon s9200 and most of them were positive. I was looking for a higher resolution non-DSLR camera for general use and didn't want to deal with anything too complicated. In general, the camera works decently. The camera is easiest to operate in automatic mode, although there are some options in manual mode. Color saturation was excellent and natural. Some reviews indicated that there were focus issues. In auto mode, I noticed that some shots weren't as sharp as I'd like, and at times the camera struggled to focus even on a well-lit subject. For a camera with such a high resolution (16 megapixels) I expected a better overall image than this camera. In fact, my very old Sony Mavica MVC-CD500, bought back in 2002 and only 5 megapixels, is capable of producing stunning images with pin-sharp precision. The s9200 also records 1080 videos, which is not bad at all. The s9200 is relatively small and supports SDHC cards for a large number of images. The rear preview screen is very large and bright. The menu structure and navigation is typical but easy to use and understand. Although the camera has many features, there aren't many things to get confused with on this camera. One issue with setting the time on this camera is that it only uses the military 24 hour format, there is no way to use the more typical AM to PM format. The camera feels very solid and is solidly built. One really bad thing I noticed about the case design is the location of the auto pop-up flash. Unless you leave the flash in the up position, since it's in the top-left corner of the camera — right where you're most likely to pick up the camera with your left hand — when the camera decides it needs a flash needed, your hand just keeps it from "popping". My advice is to leave the flash in the up position so your hand can hold the camera without fear of the flash popping up, but then you need to make sure you don't put your finger in front of the flash. . The zoom worked as expected, but I did notice that the camera had some trouble focusing. So make sure you're not too close AND don't zoom in at the same time, otherwise the camera won't focus properly. The camera's macro mode seemed to work, although it didn't seem to give better focus and seemed to have trouble focusing. This camera does not use replaceable disposable batteries, instead it uses a proprietary rechargeable battery. The camera also comes with the usual software for downloading images from the camera to your computer and also has a panorama stitching program. I've tried the stitching program and it takes some use, but it works. A more advanced stitching program is available for an additional fee, and if you create panoramas you can upgrade to it. For the price I paid ($150), this is a very comfortable camera. However, if you're looking for better performance, better focus and sharpness, look elsewhere for a model or manufacturer. UPDATE 10-2013: My original comments are still valid as I have had and been using a Nikon S9200 for a few months. On two trips I cannot recommend it to another brand or model despite its good qualities: great battery life; A charge seems to last forever. Although the camera has some manual options, I didn't take advantage of it and only used it in AUTO mode. But even in AUTO mode, the focus is a) unreliable at best and b) impossible to fully zoom in on the subject, even at a significant distance from the subject. Macro mode doesn't seem to make a difference in focusing, and focusing was inconsistent. I'm sorry to say that the focus is simply unreliable after prolonged use. While the camera is capable of capturing great images with very natural color saturation most of the time, the issue of focus outweighs everything else (at least for me) so you can't expect sharp and focused shots. I also found a significant parallax error where most shots require a visit to Photoshop to make corrections (could be a lens system or glass and sensor combination). So if you don't know how to correct severely parallaxed images, don't have the software to make such corrections, and don't care about the time it takes to do it, get ready to edit many, if not all, of your images. An additional annoyance I've found is a small flap on the right side (when looking at the back of the camera) that hides the USB and HDMI outputs: you need USB access to charge the camera or to use their HDMI. Exit. Once the damper is in place, it is very difficult to open; There doesn't seem to be a tactile edge to open it easily. In fact, it annoyed me so much (and I have the patience of a saint) that I ripped off the valve and permanently removed it! The current price for Revain is higher than what I originally paid, and while you can still get it from a third party through Revain (or elsewhere) for less than what Revain is asking, I strongly recommend AVOIDING this particular Nikon model and to get something that still doesn't have the major focusing problem that this model seems to have.