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!

Please view my images in the image gallery here under customer images. This camera is AMAZING. I have never experienced a better point and shoot camera in my life. For the money, it is a no brainer on purchasing it.

First huge pro, I can take pictures so quick! There is almost no lag time between shots no matter what my image size or quality is set on. The only time there is real lag is in really really low light conditions when special flash and lighting is required. But it is not that bad even then.

Second huge pro, this little bundle is STURDY and very easy to grip onto. To be on the safe side, it does come with a little wrist wrap to hang onto your hand incase of an accidental drop.

The zoom on this thing is AMAZING! I was able to take pictures from a fifth floor building down onto a baseball field and capture actual detail of the players like you would NOT believe. And it is clear! It doesn't look like it will be clear when you first take it - but on playback, it will shock you how it turned out!

The electric viewfinder. No more squinting and shielding the screen out of the sunlight to see your subject(s). One click of a button on the back of the camera and you have a viewfinder which helps IMMENSELY - I can't even tell you how many times I used it in even one day. It is wonderful to have that feature. No more surprise mis-shots or cropped out images because you were guessing at the image being in the picture due to not being able to see that little screen!

More control over shutter speeds and aperture and lighting. This gives you so many more customizable options than I have ever experienced. I feel like the camera is more "mine." I can make the pictures look the way I want them too, not the way some company thought they should look. :) Playing with shadows and light can be much more exciting with the manual customizations you can make on this camera.

I have ALWAYS loved the image quality of Nikon and this is no exception. The pictures are BREATHTAKING. I keep getting "ooohs and ahhhs" with all of my images. The detail is so crisp. And there are so many options - that this camera has literally endless possibilities.

Nikon is a wonderful company that (in my opinion) has ALWAYS lived up to their good name. And this is a price you can not beat. The SRP is I believe somewhere in the 230 range. (In my opinion, it's worth way more.) And Amazon is selling it for a steal. GRAB IT. Check out those pictures I uploaded here and see for yourself, keeping in mind those are pictures taken within the first 24 hours of my owning the camera. When I learn all the tricks of this little beauty, I imagine those images will get even better. And I can't wait to see that! :)

P.S. The Vibration feature is BRILLIANT btw. It's not 100 percent proof - still hold the camera still, but it sure helps out like you wouldn't believe!! :)

My purchase was based on the following criteria:

1. Price - Under $200.
2. Features - 8MP, 5X optical zoom with stabilizer, EVF, AA batteries.
3. Design - Compact, easy to read buttons, flex grip handle.

Nikon is a well known brand in the photography field. The Coolpix P60 keeps the brand competitive by offering quality features and design at a low price. Most compact point-and-shoot cameras in this category are well above $200. Uploading pictures on the included software is easy. The black matte color gives the camera a professional and distinctive look. Overall, 4 stars. Five stars if the weight was a bit lighter.

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.