Digital-Camera Reviews

It's the best deal if you wanna spend around 250$.

Pros:
-compact size, stylish
-metal body, nice build quality
-selectable AF sensor and metering in M-record mode, each AF bracket acts as spot meter, useful for tricky lighting
-framing guides on LCD
-generally competent metering, Auto white balance, focusing. again, for difficult lighting, the AF sensor acts as spot meter in M-record mode
-straightforward transfer with Nikon View, although a separate card reader is recommended instead of connecting camera directly to computer, this is to save those USB contacts in the camera from wearing out prematurely.

Cons:
-movie mode exhibits that notorious audio-sync problem
-hot or dead pixels on my unit, resulting to those annoying white spots on the image when viewed at full size
-Scene Modes disable features here and there, and that set up may not be what you really want
-no option to set ISO, camera adjusts ISO on its own, which may result in noisy images
-more on noise, you really need lots of illumination, either daylight or flash, to keep the camera from bumping the ISO up, and with it, the noise
-still having difficulty dealing with the green cast of fluorescent lighting (as do most cameras)
-button operated zooming, with those tiny Wide-Tele buttons, especially when in Macro mode, is not the easiest thing to do

Overall, a decent picture taker that requires well-lit scenes to perform well. That means it is a "flashy" camera. For someone used to the Olympus Stylus, this is not an issue, however, this camera is not for those who prefer shooting without flash, especially indoors. There's the auto-ISO issue mentioned above, which leads to noise, also, the lightweight and small size of the camera, not to mention all those buttons which get in the way of the left hand, prevents any decent steady handhold. This maybe the reason for those soft lens comments from other reviewers, among other variables (e.g. how is the Sharpness set?).

Many of the cons are limitations imposed by the small size of the camera. Regardless of make, for compact cameras, these limitations are something one must live by. If you want more control (to prevent the ISO from bumping up by itself), and you want to stay Nikon, the larger Coolpixes (4500, 5xxx) maybe the better choices. The Canon A70/75/80 also offer greater controls, but at the expense of compactness. However, I cannot believe that Nikon or any other manufacturer for that matter, cannot make a compact that allows manual ISO setting.

The decent build and finish of this camera are regrettably offset by noise issues, and in my sample, dead pixels, which prevents me from giving this camera a higher rating.

Had previously bought a Canon SD10 to replace a Coolpix 4300 since I needed a faster and smaller camera. Was confident of good picture quality after reading reviews on Amazon and CNET.

Much to my horror, no matter what settings I changed, the picture quality was blurry when compared with my old Nikon. So I returned the Canon and, with much trepidation, bought the 3700 even though it offered a megapixel LESS than the Canon, and for more money too.

In this case, it is obvious that you get what you pay for. Sharpness of photographs are amazing despite being a megapixel less. Definitely superior to the Canon and comparable to my old Nikon 4300. Upon reading the manual, discovered that Nikon has specifically built a algorithm to ensure sharpness in its digital processor. Makes a world of difference. Responsiveness is great too with imperceptible shutter lag. Would recommend to all looking for a compact camera. Just make sure that 3 megapixels are enough for your purposes. I eventually returned this camera to wait for Nikon to release a compact, fast, 4 megapixel camera. The extra megapixel is important if you crop your photos or otherwise want to be able to print larger than 4x6 genuine photo-quality prints.

I've tried my share of digi cams, from sony to canon to fuji and found that the Nikon 3700 is by far the best in its class. Sweet Compact Size and really light in weight. Excellent quality of pics during the day and at night, found it to be superb in most cases. Scene modes can come in handy. Tons of great features. Movie quality is probably the best in a digital camera. At 640 X 480, it was excellent. This camera is very satisfactory and worth the $350.

I am very disapointed with this camera. The only good thing that I can say is that the camera has a pretty cool swivel lens which allows you to take pictures at all sorts of weird angels. The quality of the pictures are also good.

Everything else is pretty bad. Because of the position of the lens, it is VERY easy to get a fingerprint on it. I have many ruined pictures because of this. There is also a red eye problem with this camera. In almost all the pictures that I have taken with the flash on, the people had red eye. Also, there is no viewfinder. Taking pictures at night is a real pain with this camera because all you can see on the LCD screen is black. It can take a few seconds before you begin to see something on the screen, and even then it is very hard to make out what your camera is pointed at.

If you were thinking about purchasing a Nikon Coolpix, don't. There are better cameras out there.

We liked this camera at first, when it seemed we were only taking daytime outdoor shots. Once you move indoors and start using the flash, the quality is pretty bad, the red eye problem is terrible, and the battery life is ridiculously short. One night of indoor photos, and you wake up the next day to find your battery is dying and it takes about a minute for the flash to recharge after each shot. So if you don't mind hauling your special Nikon battery charger on every trip, or if you plan to mainly use it outdoors, then it's an okay choice. Positive aspects are good design, easy to use, and good software package for uploading pics.

We have had this camera about a year now and have been through the highs/lows, flash and red eye situations. I wanted a digital camera I could put in my pocket. That I got --and have taken 2,000+ pictures inside/outside, snow/rain forest and have been satisfied with this camera. I have had problems with red eye, but that was easily fixed using the portrait setting where there are flashes before the photo is taken to get eyes prepared. The only thing that continues to be a problem for me is trying to find my subjects in the LCD especially in bright sun. Overall we have been quite satisfied with this camera.

Hope this helps

I have had only 2 digital cameras in the past, a Sony and a Pentax, so I still have a short experience.

I was told by a work mate how good was nikon 3100. So when 3200 with more options came out I thought to buy it.

Now that I have used the camera for 2 weeks I can say that it is very easy to use it has a lot of features but ........

with low light condition the pictures are so noisy that are almost useless

So if you want daylight camera maybe it's for you, but if you are going to use it with low light or flash think in another option.

In my case I'm going to send it back to the store.

Thanks

Julio

I'm a novice at digital camera photography, and just got the Coolpix 3200 three days ago. I'm loving it! The pictures I take are sharper than expected, and the camera is very easy to use. The uploading to the computer is a snap, and the editing software included with the package (I bought) makes for easy use.

The camera is small, and fits nicely into a shirt pocket, so I carry it every where I go - including a recent fishing trip with one of my sons. I shopped for a long time before deciding on one of the many digital cameras available, and took the Coolpix. I have not been disappointed.

I used it nearly all day yesterday at a grandson's birthday party, taking lots of picture, and the batteries still have power. We even reviewed the pictures on the TV, which is a great feature. I have a recharger, but so far, battery life has been long.

I've had my coolpix 3200 for about a week, and am really surprised at how good the pictures are, how easy it is to get the pictures into my PC, and how long the batteries last. I bought Duracell rechargeables with the camera, told my camera that these were the batteries I was using through its menu system, and have been taking pictures for a week on the same batteries. That's more than 80 pictures -- perhaps more -- all on the same 2 batteries, most of them using a flash. My battery charge meter has not even shown up yet.

When I first read the manual, I didn't understand the value of all the frame, portrait, and scene assist modes. As I've used the camera, though, I've come to see that they are very important. The frame and portrait assistants actually change the location of the auto-focus. When I am in sports mode, the camera's auto-focus is constantly changing so that the picture will shoot quickly when the shutter release is pressed. Shutter speed and aperature are adjusted depending on which scene I've selected. In other words, using the modes makes for much better pictures. They are more than just marketing pitches.

The software that came with the camera is okay, though it is nothing earth shaking. Better tools came with my scanner/copier/printer combo, but if you don't have those tools, what comes with the camera is much better than nothing and will get the job done.

I'm very satisfied. The camera is so small that I wear it in a tiny case on my belt all the time.

BTW, I was going to buy the 2200 instead, but am glad that I didn't. Once I had the manual (which is the same for both cameras), I saw that there are a number of small features that the 3200 has that are not available to the 2200. For example, the 3200 has sound for movies, the 2200 does not. You can record voice memos and set sounds for camera functions with the 3200. The 3200 can take more continuous pictures at a time (due to the higher resolution and space required). There are more differences, and most of them are small, but by the time you add them all up, it's worth the additional $100, in my oppinion.

I was an avid amateur photographer back "in the day", but grew tired of the hassles of large cameras and film developing. Thanks to this tiny, filmless camera, I'm a photographer again.

I purchased this camera after I accidently killed my Nikon 775. I have to admit to a bit of disappointment. There wasn't much progress made in the camera form factor. It is a relatively large camera. I assumed that there is some sort of trade-off...that this larger camera took better quality pictures than other, smaller, 3.2mpix devices.

I've had a terrible time trying to get decent shots. With the 775 I consistently got very nice snapshots. I've owned this camera for about 8 weeks and I'm still struggling to get decent photos. Night shots are almost impossible. Maybe my memory card is too slow, but it takes forever to get setup for the next picture. Tonight I saw an Elk while driving home from skiing. I pulled over and was able to snap pictures from about ten feet away. It was getting dark. The 2 pictures that I was able to snap turned out awful and I'm not happy about it.

The redeye feature doesn't work and the delay is too long. I set the camera for party mode, and used it at a christmas party, and nearly half of the shots were blurry and unusable.

I've turned down the image size, and I'm going to try getting faster memory, in order to try and get the camera more responsive.

I sprung for rechargeable Ni-MH batteries and I'm pretty satisfied with their life, but it took about two weeks before they would really keep a charge.

Pros:
1.) Ease of operation. The camera is very user friendly. Just by messing around with it for 20 to 30 minutes I figured out how to operate most of the functions.
2.) Great price. I was looking at sony p7 and canon. Both of these cameras were nice and had a few more options than the Nikon but I like the Nikon's style and functionability better.
3.) LCD screen. I liked Nikon's screen better than Sony's just because it was recessed. With Sony's if you set it down on a flat surface then the screen would have come into contact with the surface

Cons:
1.) My friends have reported little white spots of light on their pictures. I have noticed a few little spots on pictures that I've taken but they aren't bad. I have also noticed that these spots will occur on other cameras, even disposable.
2.) Battery life is about average. My batteries usually last 45 minutes to an hour. I have rechargable nickle batteries.
3.) The 16mb memory disc is standard but I got a 128mb one as well so that I would be able to hold plenty of pictures.

This is my first digital camera.. It takes great pictures but like everything it is not perfect'It is easy to figure out how to use and the controls are well placed for its small size. But it really is small and sometimes it is awkward to handle but the small size is great for travel and is small enough to fit in a loose pocket comfortably. I would have liked a bigger memory card. I bought a 128mb card when I bought the camera. I took about 150 pics on vacation and had room for about 150 more. 64mb would be plenty. You really should buy rechargeable batteries. This camera goes through batteries rather quickly. I bought regular alkaline batteries ' they lasted about 5 minutes I then bought Lithium batteries :). The rechargeable batteries die after taking about 50-60 pictures. The movie quality was pretty good and you can edit the movies on the camera. Shutter response time is slow. In low light without the flash pictures become very blurry. I would guess the shutter automatically stays open longer to compensate for low light. I have not found a way to prevent this. On high quality the write time to the card seems long, about 7-8 seconds. I would like more features that you would find on a higher priced bigger camera but I wanted this to travel with and it worked great for that. It gave me good prints and it was pretty easy to use. Overall it is a great camera that anyone could use.

Great camera, great pictures, eats up batteries.. buts its worth the money!

Overall, a decent camera. Great function for size. Price has come down quite a bit recently, so a good deal for the money.

Pros:
Size -- nice and compact, fits in my pocket.

No junk to tote around -- doesn't need a lens cap or other stuff that comes off and gets lost since it folds up.

3x optical zoom -- especially in such a small camera.
Close and tight macro.

Lots of Scene selections available that work well (outdoor, indoor, macro, indoors no flash, night, landscape, portrait, sports, etc.)

Takes CF cards -- which are not too expensive and available locally.

No trouble with compatibility on multiple computers.

Good sharp details/colors come out good most of the time (see below about white balance)

Simple menus that are easy to use.

Cons:
Expensive battery/charger -- oddball proprietary size. Try to buy one of those batteries at the local WalMart or camera store.... No dice.

Needs a few more manual controls:
Ability to manual focus
White balance options when using scene selections,
Flash power control -- sometimes the flash blows out details on shiny things up close.

Hand-shake can be a problem up close when not using flash (because of reason listed above.)

No focus indicator crosshairs or little box in the display to show you what the camera is focusing on.

Nikon Coolpix 2500 is a great compact camera. I wanted to buy a camera that can work in an easy to use automatic mode for point & click situations like parties, casual travel; and also provides manual mode for experimenting & control. My choice was mainly between Coolpix 2500, Coolpix 995 & Canon Elph Series. I just fell for the cool styling of 2500 and the ability to carry it in my shirt pocket.

I just took it out to Australia for a week long trip. It has performed well under different lighting conditions. All I needed to do was change the "SCENE".The camera allows me to identify the type of scene I am going to photograph. It has a bunch of "SCENE" that I can select from. Some of them are - Beach, Landscape, Party, Portrait, Night Landscape, Backlight to name a few. I was also able to take night shots of the Opera house & the Harbor Bridge in the "night landscape" mode. They came out pretty well. I was happy to see the result in about 2 seconds - the duration of the exposure. Pictures taken in bright daylight like that on a beach also came of well. What disappointed was the photgraphs that I took at a night Bar-be-Q party. In most photographs, the people close to the camera looked bright and those away by more than 7-8 feet away from the camera looked dark. Another "scene" that I found useful was "Close Up". I wanted to note down a recepie from a local magazine. Instead of taking notes I just photographed the page in the "Close Up" mode. Now, I do not have to write them down ! I just read the recepie off the picture stored on my computer. It is not much of a "Manual" camera. So if you want to control everything, I recommend look else where.

I found the controls easy to use. There are a bunch of on-screen menu items, buttons & knobs. They are well layed out and are intitutive to use. Let me add - I am a techie. I can handle complexity. I had my first picture in about 10 minutes opening the box and charging the batteries. It took me about 1 hour to understand all the controls & install the software.

You got to buy a memory card unless you intend to save your pictures in a very basic picture format (like 640 X??). I bought a 128 MB card. It stores about 140 pictures in best quality mode (called "FINE"). The camera can be put on a tripod. That is a big plus for night photography. It is very easy to put my fingers on the lens. So I have to worry about it all the time, specially while opening or closing the lens. A price for this cool design!

In a nutshell I find Nikon Coolpix 2500 a fun, easy to use camera for easy going photography.

I researched several cameras, including the Canon PowerShot and greater and lesser Nikon Coolpix, before deciding on the Coolpix 2500.

Things I like about it:

1. The size is great. I carry it in my purse or around my neck at all times. You can't get the shot unless the camera is with you! This is one camera you CAN have with you all the time. The swivel lens helps make it more compact because there are no protruding parts once you close the lens, no lens cap to worry about, and the lens is totally protected. I slide mine in an inexpensive zippered makeup bag and throw the strap around my neck. Wha-la! - instant [inexpensive] camera bag.

2. The quality of the pictures is amazing! The resolution is fantastic, much better than I needed or expected. It does a good job in low light situations too, which was something I was looking for.

3. Scene modes: These are very useful for someone like me who wants to be creative and get good shots, but doesn't have the time or patience to figure out the correct shutter speed and what-not.

I don't have any negatives that are bad enough that I would take the camera back, but just so you know...

Things I don't like:

1. People have complained that the flash is too bright. For this reason, I usually rely on natural lighting when photographing people. Fortunately, the camera is usually able to handle this. You have to hold it steady because the shutter speed is slower. I'm usually able to get one that is clear if I snap several. The nice thing is that it is digital, so you can see what you are getting, and retake if necessary.

2. Buy a 128 MB or at least 64 MB memery card the same day you buy the camera. I have not even messed with the starter card they give you. Way too small.

3. This is just an oddity, not really a problem. When you are in close-up mode, the lens is constantly refocusing and/or resetting the lighting, not quite sure. Consequently, it makes a lot of clicking and buzzing sounds. Not so great if you are trying to sneak up on a butterfly or something. Hasn't really bothered me, except that I thought my camera was broken. I decided it wasn't when my replacement camera did the same thing.

4. If you can afford it, buy a second battery. It lasts a decent amount of time, but it would be nice to have an extra.

So, these are minor problems, with solutions. I'm very pleased with the camera. It's great to have a digital. My photographic skills have improved just by buying this camera because 1. I can take as many pictures as I want, without worrying about wasting film 2. I can re-take until I get the shot. 3. I always have it with me, so I rarely miss that awesome photo-op. 4. It's a Nikon!

Let me preface this review by saying that this is my first digital camera.

Being a longtime Nikon film camera user I began researching digital cameras. Using Consumer Reports, E-pinions, megapixel.net, and the reviews that I read here, it was clear that a 2-3 MP camera would suffice for my needs as they would any person whose prints rarely exceed 5X7 or 8X10. Don't be wooed by the store salesmen, some of them are honest and knowledgable but not all. Do the research and figure out what equipment will best suit your needs.

I found this camera and a 256MB SD memory card for two-hundred and ten dollars (including rebates.)
The camera is quite small and fits neatly in my backpack (in a carrying case), uses AA batteries (rechargeable recommended) and the memory card can be purchased almost anywhere. I've had the camera for a week and have taken it everywhere I go. The detail and picture quality are superb. I went to a Butterfly Conservatory and the pictures are just awesome, the color, clarity and detail can rival some of my friends 'high-end' cameras. As a few other reviewers have indicated Nikon has packed the camera with tons of extras. Take the time and read the manual. You'll be a better picture taker because of it.

All in all, without plunking down loads of cash, this is an excellent entry-level digital camera that makes learning the ins and outs lots of fun!

I received this camera in the mail today after about 3 months of researching for the right one. I finally decided to get this one along with the Viking secure digital card for a total of about $150 (including the rebate). It truly does help to skim through the manual to get a hang of the camera. The CD-ROM will cover the rest!

Here are some specs:
Pros:
> Scene selection allows you to choose the specific function for specific occasions (museum, party, sunset, etc.)
> Warnings for if the picture might get blurry or if lighting is poor
> Ergonomic design allows easy handling
> Great CD-ROM that gives a good rundown on the camera and the program it comes with
> Battery power is quite impressive, I've spent all day taking pictures and it's still going strong
> Relatively light and compact

Cons:
> Functions may be a little overwhelming for a first-timer
> Nowadays, 2 MP may not be enough even for the average amateur photographer
> LCD screen gets a little grainy sometimes

Overall, this is a good digital camera for recreational purposes. For me, I found the camera was a good deal for the price. I was especially pleased by the "panorama" option that lets you take a series of pictures and arrange them into a 360 degree panorama in the Nikon View program. There are definitely lots of possibilities with this little camera!

I Bought this camera to upgrade my one-year old Olympus D520. Compared to D520, coolpix 2200 gives more options for exposure, which produces more realistic color picture. I like the design and color of the camera body. Most importantly, the quality of photo is amazing in most cases. It is truly good product from Nikon name.
Two minor things that I do not like are: there is no botton to turn on/off LCD (2100 has it). And transferring photos from camera to PC is not easy as Olympus D520. The software included needs to be improved. But these are minors and I can live on.

Pro's
1. Has all the desirable features like video out, only 2 AA batteries etc.
2. Nice looking and very small in size with good grip. Light weight too.
3. Uses inexpensive CF cards, not expensive sticks!
4. Easy menus and scene modes to use.
5. Competitively priced.
6. Superb macro pictures and good low light/night shots. It could focus in pretty low light without any AF assist light, because of a bright lens.
7. Good battery life on just 2 AA's. (unlike 4 on some models from Canon, HP and others)
8. Inexpensive accessory kit is available right here on Amazon! It has a very fast world charger, 2 NiMH AA's and a custom case.

Con's
1. Reliability is doubtful and battery door is very flimsy.
2. Movie mode is bad, no sound and movie sizes very small.
3. A bit on thick, making it slightly tougher to pocket.
4. No rechargeable batteries or charger in the box.
5. Need to read & remember manual for proper use of so many scene modes like "museum"!
6. Weak flash and redeye.
7. Worst of all it doesn't work reliably with anything other than Sandisk and Lexar CF cards. Weren't these cards made to a standard?

Its not the best but for its price its definitely worth considering. Esp if you like its its picture quality.

I really offer this for someone who wants to buy a party-recording device, or a tiny automatic machine. No manual focus, no manual aperture, but easy-to-use, handy machine. There are some good pre-programmed modes available also. 40-50 pictures can be made with well charged batteries. Good and user-friendly sw also included.

I just bought the camera today and I'm really happy with it.
Few weeks earlier, I bought the Sony DSCP52, played around with it, and then decided to return it. Sony does have a lot of features (and SOUND with the movie), but there are 3 important factors: the cost of the memory card, the size, and weight.

PROS for Nikon 2100:
===================

1) Supports compact flash memory cards.
-This makes a HUGE difference as it will save you a lot of money.

2) Small compact camera.

-Unlike the Sony DSCP52 that makes your hand feel tired after holding it for too long with one hand.

3) Weight.
-Very light

4) Doesn't use a proprietary battery like other small cameras.
-Mine came with the nikon coolpix rechargeable Ni-Mh70 batteries (these ones are really good ).

5) So many modes to choose from depending on your situation.
-I don't know which other camera in this class comes with this many modes (like ones for fireworks, sunset/sunrise, beaches, etc.)

6) Image transfer.
-This was pretty quick and easy. Installing the software doesn't take too long either.

CONS:
====

1) The manual is just way too confusing. It's kind of hard to follow, and I'm eager to discover all the wonderful things and features that I can use with the camera. I guess it takes a lot of time.

2) No sound with the movie.

3) Gets scratched easily + not very solid built (I'm always scared of damaging the battery door).

4) When turning LCD mon on, it takes a few secs (though this is tolerable).

Overall:
=======
Note: I'm a beginner at taking digital pictures; this will be my first digital camera! But as a beginner, I find this camera to satisfy more than enough for my basic demands. I have yet to try out the sunrise mode, but so far the ones I've taken in my room look really good. I compared the pictures to the ones my friend took (Sony DSCP72) and they do look relatively the same. So unless you really need to print out huge pictures, 2.0MP is adequate.

Esta camara es muy buena para amateurs - la calidad de las fotos es alta de día o en ambientes cerrados con buena iluminación - el problema es cuando tomas fotos de noche o en lugares con poco iluminación, la foto no tiene buena resolución y por ende poca nitidez. El otro drawback es el doble flash - cuando predeterminas para que la camara utilice el doble flash, estas salen movidas y no hay manera de corregir este problema.
Pero en general es una buena camara y por el precio es muy recomendable.

This is my first digital camera but I had the chance to compare this against other cams owned by friends & family. I've been using it for a little more than a month now, here are my "results" ;)

Positive notes go to...

Picture quality:
Great. Details are crisp & colors are natural.
Ok pictures are a little overexposed when the flash goes on in a mildly lit environment, but I had this problem with my old-fashioned "analog" camera as well and advanced photographers can use the exposure settings to minimize this.

Features:
Great. This camera has every feature I need. It has a wide variety of settings & option, you can record "animations" (no sound), etc... In addition the user interface is clear & user-friendly.

Design:
Looks ok, handles great. A little bulky but not oversized.

Negative aspects...

Battery:
Battery life is low. This is the main drawback: as you can't switch the TFT view off (no optical viewfinder), batteries die rather quickly. They don't last more than 1-2 days under moderate use. Maybe using rechargeable lithium batteries might help, but I haven't tried it yet. So if you use this while traveling, be sure to bring in 2 sets of 4 rechargeable batteries with you. You'll probably have to change batteries every day. Because of this, you'll have to carry spare batteries everywhere you go... Grrrr...

Software included:
Nikon's software was really lame. My brother's Sony has much better software. I uninstalled everything and now I'm only using XP's built in features.

Overall...

This is a great camera if you don't mind the battery life that might fall a little short. But my brother's Sony doesn't last much longer either. This is maybe a common problem among all digital cameras. But it's worse here because you don't have the alternative to use an optical viewfinder...

Still if you don't want to spend much and if excellent quality pictures are more important than long battery life, give it a try!

The Coolpix 2000 is my first digital camera. For the money, I can't imagine a better camera out there. I bought it at Amazon.com, and with the low price they have on it (then figure in the rebate from Nikon) how can you beat it? It is a Nikon product, and has their usual quality.
If you go through the manual, and view the info CD that comes with it, you will be taking superb pictures in no time.
I had a little trouble with blurriness when taking pictures in low light at first, but all you need to do is use the correct setting, and use a tripod. There is a little "hand shake" symbol that pops up in the display whenever you run into a situation that a steady hand is required to achieve a sharp picture. I found that a tripod is the ticket for those situations. Tripods are a cheap and wise investment.
As for the battery life...no big deal. It will accept an external power pack plug-in if you need to use it for extended periods. I bought a 7.5 volt Digicom model and it works great. You can take a TON of pictures on it without fear of it going dead. You will still need to pick up a charger and a couple of sets of rechargable AA batteries for the times where you use it for only an hour or two at a time. Forget about using any non-rechargable batteries. You would go broke in a hurry!
Just set it so that it will automatically shut itself off after 30 seconds or one minute (there are a few settings for different auto shut off durations available).
Compared to the way we used to go about it (buy film, pay for development, then sort through and save only the "good" shots), this is a far better way to go.
If you want to view the pictures on your tv (like the old projector slide shows we used to sit through as kids) you can just plug it into the TV, and run through any shots stored on a card. We find ourselves doing this a lot after family outings to help determine which pictures we want to print out. There is never a shortage of opinion!
By the way, You will want to pick up a bigger capacity CF card or two. I went with a 128 mb card, and that is enough for my usage. You can take about 132 pictures in the highest quality settings with it. It will store well over 200 on the second highest quality settings (still extremely good quality for 5 X 7 photos).
I suppose there are a few flaws as expressed in some of the other reviews, but why worry? This a great camera from a great company for a great price. In its price range, I doubt if you can touch it (and I shopped). Buy one!

Unfortunately, Nikon made the Nikon Coolpix 5000 with a non-threaded lens front, and this adapter tube is required for several accessories. The metal tube is accurately made and well-crafted, and works well for its intended purposes. But I can't imagine Nikon engineers and designers could not find a simpler, more elegant solution to accessory lenses and macro lights.