Nikon Coolpix P60

Just bought one of these over weekend and tried it out extensively. Compact, solid design that feels good in your hand. At this price the feature list is superb: Electronic View Finder (EVF), 5x opitcal zoom, 8 megapixel, Auto/Program AND Manual controls. Movie mode that allows zooming while you shoot. Exceptional image quality. Vibration reduction image stabilization works great, too. I also was pleasantly surprised to see that it uses AA batteries--no expensive special purpose lithium batteries. These were all important features for me.

The EVF is very cool and unusual in a camera at this price and, it seems more and more, a viewfinder of ANY kind in a point & shoot camera is becoming unusual. So many of the newer models are eliminating this feature, requiring you to use the large LCD screen. The EVF is better than a traditional optical viewfinder, since it mimics the large preview LCD: it shows any menu options, too. In bright sunlight this makes the camera very easy to use. Without the EVF, I don't know how I would have shot so many of my test photos over this past weekend in the bright sun.

The P60 is fun to use. Its various shooting modes offer real differences in image composition and creation. Lots to experiment with here, but at the same time it is an easy-to-use point and shoot camera for taking snapshots.

If you're in the market for a small digital camera, seriously consider this one.

Over the past 2 years, I have gone through a lot of Nikon Point and Shoot Cameras. I started with the L1, S200, s51, 7900, even a P5000 and briefly had a Canon SD 700IS. I have to say, the P60 is the best out of all of them! Almost absent is Nikon's annoying shutter lag they had in previous models and now it is a fast, responsive little camera. I don't think it will win the award for quickest compared to the Canon's Elphs, but it is a sure improvement. The camera is quiet when zooming and very fast. Image quality from what I can see so far is excellent. Best of all, it takes Double AA batteries back to the days when I had a Nikon 950. It is very light and not heavy. Also it isn't a sub compact camera, so don't expect it to fit in a little girl's pocket. The electronic viewfinder is also very nice to have on a camera this small. It isn't the sharpest when u look through it, but it is a nice option to have. The only drawback is that the P60 does not have the wide angle lens that the P50 had, it makes up for it though in the 5X Zoom. This camera also has less shutter lag than the flagship P5100, which I have used (I had the previous P5000 model). All in all, I think Nikon fixed a lot of flaws on this model. Hopefully, they keep up the good work!

Having been a fan of Nikon cameras for years. I wanted a small camera to take on our upcoming trip to Disney World.

I also own a Nikon D300 but it would be way too difficult to lug around this camera and the many lenses I have for it. Don't get me wrong, my D300 is THE greatest camera I've ever shot with but just not practical on a family vacation like this.

After reading several reviews of the Coolpix P60, I decided to purchase it and am very happy I did. After just a few days with this nice little camera, Nikon really has a winner on their hands for the compact market.

Some of the benefits that are important to me include...

A digital viewfinder - As I normaly use a dSLR camera, I'm just used to composing photos through the lens (viewfinder). It's also great for bright conditions when there may be too much glare on the screen.

The advanced shutter & aperture controls give me more function when needed rather than just letting the camera choose the settings. I never use the AUTO settings on any camera.

Great low light (high ISO) settings which actually produce usable pictures.

A very good image stabilization feature.

I highly recommend this camera.

I bought the Nikon P60 to replace my aging Nikon CoolPix 3700. The 3700 just wasn't getting the job done anymore, so I wanted to upgrade to something better. I briefly considered a low end DLSR, but decided instead I wanted something that was compact yet still adjustable in its settings.

The P60 was the cheapest camera I considered, and the first one that I decided to try out. I was extremely impressed out how well all my pictures turned out, and how customizable all the settings were. It also feels great in the hand, and it is not too heavy.

I have only one complaint, and that is the way the P60 absolutely chews through batteries like none other. I am going to have to get some rechargeable batteries for it, and I would recommend anyone buying one to just automatically buy some rechargeable batteries to go with it.

I'm an active saltwater angler and shoot outside in bright sun a lot so I wanted a point and shoot that let me compose shots in a viewfinder and allowed me to see my subjects clearly even in the brightest conditions. The P60's electronic viewfinder works very well in these conditions and delivers sharp well-composed pictures. Telephoto is also impressive and overall controls are fairly intuitive. My other camera is a high end Nikon SLR and while the P60 is clearly a step down in capability, it is an amazing little camera and I am very happy with it.