Nikon COOLPIX S9100 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 18x NIKKOR ED Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and Full HD 1080p Video (Black) (OLD MODEL)

The best camera is the one you have on you! This is the camera I keep with me where ever I go. It's getting on the large size to just slip in your pocket, but I use a case that clips onto my belt. That gives it better protection anyways. It fits much better to my man-hands than my last Nikon point and shoot and I don't feel like this one will slip out of my hands. It has good grip and a rubberized texture that helps me to hold onto it. I opted for the black which I think looks the sleekest. The S9100 feels solid in the hands, just the right weight. Powering on is fast, it's ready to shoot within a couple of seconds. It is also the quickest focusing camera I've had and in a normal lit room I don't suffer with shutter lag like I did with my old cameras. I've read reviews before I purchase that some were complaining about how fast the zoom is. I actually like that and depending on how much to move the zoom lever controls how fast it zooms. I hate waiting for a camera to decide it's going to zoom after you've held the lever down. I've missed too many shots because of that. It's not a problem with this camera. This is the first camera I've had that has a dedicated video record button. Just hit the button and you'll be recording HD video. There were several modes of video that you could shoot, 1080p, 720p, high speed, VGA, see the specs for complete listing. The high speed was fun to mess with on moving subjects. Just make sure you have reset the video mode once you are done so you'll be ready next time. There are not many manual controls, but that's not what this camera is geared towards. It's a competent point and shoot with some cool extras. You can change the exposure, flash mode and there a macro mode on/off. There are some creative modes the most fun to play with is the selective color. You can choose a color then you will see and take pictures that are black and white except for anything that registers that chosen color. When you rotate the selector dial into the back lighted subject mode there is a HDR mode. The little I've used HDR on this camera, I would recommend using a tripod to steady the camera. I'm still discovering this feature but will probably still use my DSLR for creating HDR photos. The S9100 is a great all around point and shoot camera. It's quick, takes great crisp pictures, packs a 18x zoom lens, shoot HD video, and has some creative modes to play with. I think most users that only want a point and shoot or user that have a DSLR and just want an everyday camera will be happy with the S9100. I've been able to get more clear crisp pictures that I do with my DSLR and if force to only have one camera I would keep the S9100.

I bought this camera before traveling to South Africa in May after considering the Canon SX 230 HS, the Panasonic DMC-ZS10, the Sony HX9V and the Samsung WB210. I have a Panasonic ZS3 and it has served me well, but I wanted a longer zoom. While there were a fair number of reviews of the Panasonic and Canon, there weren't as many of the other cameras, including the Nikon. The Canon had pretty good reviews, but the image quality seems to be worse in the recent Panasonic cameras, and the ZS10 was panned by several sites for this reason. One review highly recommended the Nikon: [...] So I bought the camera and took it to South Africa. It was my backup camera and the one I used when I didn't want to carry around my DSLR camera. I got some very good photos and learned some things in the process. First, 18x is a heckuva zoom in a compact camera. When you go to full zoom, it is hard to keep from shaking the camera when you press the shutter. So for low light shots at full zoom, use the 2 sec timer to separate the pressing of the shutter button from the actual exposure. This really reduces blurring in this situation. Second, I found the auto scene select feature frustrating, and did better using the auto mode or selecting the scene mode myself. Third, yeah, at high iso values there is some noise in low light photos, but no worse than the competition and better in some cases. And I got decent shots even up to 1600 iso as long as I didn't try and blow them up too big (5x7 would be ok). Fourth, there may be a little softness in some shots, but many shots are very sharp, especially when you consider the 18x lens in this compact camera. Of course, several reviews came out after I bought the camera and returned from my trip. But those seem to confirm that this really is an excellent camera and under-rated by many of the reviewers on Amazon. Recommend checking out the photographyblog.com review above and the following: [...] [...] [...] [...] [...]

I am a snapshot dad. I don't know ISO from metering, how to balance my white or choose my AF area. I know how to zoom in and out, point, push the shutter button half way down to let the camera focus and then pull the trigger. I also know what a clear, real-to-life picture looks like. I have 2 other cameras. A Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20 and a Nikon Coolpix S200. I use the Panasonic whenever I know I'm going some place that the size of the camera will not be a hindrance. It's the size and shape of a typical SLR camera. It also takes incredible pictures - even in my hands. Love it. I use the S200 for everything else. It's a nice albeit limited camera. The zoom is only 3x and the flash leaves something to be desired. I purchased the S9100 to replace the S200 and will keep the S200 around in the glove box for times I didn't bring one of the others and to use as a sort of "I don't care what happens to it" camera like when skiing or sailing. For testing purposes I put the S9100 head to head with the Panasonic. I took pictures at various zoom lengths, in different lighting conditions both with and without flash and snapped some moving pictures of kids riding bikes, cars going down the street and people playing with their dogs in the nearby park. I would snap a picture with the Panasonic and then with the S9100. While the moving pictures were impossible to truly replicate I kept things as consistent as I could with zoom length, using or not using flash, etc.. Then, I took them back home, removed the SD cards and looked at the photos on my PC using Picasa. The S9100 consistently took absolutely fabulous pictures. It equaled the Panasonic in clarity and overall true-to-life representation. Plus, it bested the Panasonic in low light situations and the extra zoom length (the Panasonic maxes out at 12x) allowed me to get in a little closer. The S9100 has a personality. You could almost call it an attitude. Sometimes, it couldn't focus perfectly creating a blurry picture. This was solved by either changing the zoom or stepping forwards or back a step. It wasn't often and the Panasonic displayed some of the same behavior. The S9100 seemed to perform flawlessly if what I was photographing was maybe 4 feet away or further. Up closer, it would sometimes have focus difficulty. What you see on the screen is absolutely what you get. When you push the shutter button half way down to let the camera focus it will show you exactly what your picture will look like. Believe the screen. I have large, heavy hands that just don't get along with today's little things. The S200 was often a struggle for me. The S9100 feels comfortable (although I wouldn't complain if it were heavier) and the controls react nicely to my less than deft meat hooks. I had no problems with the zoom ring after a few minutes with the camera and the button you slide down to engage the flash was immediately intuitive and easy to operate. Looking at and deleting pictures was also thumb friendly. No fussing or cursing with this one. I call this one a keeper. The picture quality, even when super-zooming in on the photo in Picasa are crystal clear, the zoom works well without sacrificing picture quality, the flash is basically incredible and I found the entire camera to be easy to use. All that is left to find out is if it holds up over the long haul.

After much researching and contiplating on which camera I should buy I decided on the Nikon S9100. I almost went with a bigger camera but then I realized I could not put it in my pocket or backpack as easily. This camera is super easy to use and the pictures are wonderful. For just a simple point and shoot it does the job impressively! Small and light weight to carry around anywhere. I am pleased with the camera for what I want. Just taking simple pictures easily and having excellent photos to print for scrapbooking. Now my hubby on the other hand has a Nikon 7000. That is just a bit more involved than I want to be when photographing. I like simplicity. There are several options for shooting scenery, portraits, night photos etc. I still have to experiment more with my settings but all in all,,,,,this camera is perfect for me. (it even got 2 thumbs up from my photo geek hubby!)

This travel zoom camera is most comparable to the Panasonic ZS8/10, Canon SX230 HS, and Sony HX9. I did not consider the other similar cameras from Fuji, Pentax or Samsung when looking at what to purchase. After reading reviews on dpreview.com, imagingresource.com and other sites and looking at comparison shots, I settled on the Nikon S9100. Pricewise, it was in the middle of the pack with the Panasonic cheaper, the Canon comparable and the Sony more expensive. I have used Panasonic cameras in the past (FZ18 and FH-20) and thought I'd try a different manufacturer. The 3 main problems discussed in the reviews of the S9100 from various web sites were 1) the zoom sticks open after some period of time and will not retract 2) there is a problem focusing at higher zooms and 3) the little cover does not close all the way when powering down the camera. I have not had any problems with #1 as this does not seem to affect all cameras based on reviews but just a few isolated ones. I have had some challenge focusing at higher zooms (#2). I've solved this by powering down and back on the camera. I think the "intelligence" of the camera tries to remember past focus points and adjust. This has only happened a few times and restarting the camera did the trick both times. Of the 20+ times I powered down the camera, the small lens cover stuck once or twice. A simple tap of my finger and it closed. This camera has a lot of features and scene modes. Plus, while there is no manual focus, there are other manual settings like white balance, saturation, tinting, etc. I find the manual focus of using buttons kind of strange in other similar cameras. These features are great for the somewhat serious amateur photographer. There is a lot packed into this camera. I also truly enjoy the 18x zoom lens which exceeds the others, the sturdy build of the body, the quick startup, burst mode, and other features including an intelligent scene mode for those of us who don't want to think when shooting. The size is a bit heavier and bulkier than my smaller cheaper 8x zoom camera but the feel is sturdy and higher quality. I haven't tried the video yet. I hope this camera lasts me a long time. There is still room for improvement so I'm giving it 4 stars. 1/4/12 Update: I took it out for some planespotting and picture taking in the blue skies. The photos show that there is vignetting issues at the edges. Not sure if this is localized to my camera or a problem with all S9100's. This showed up mostly at extreme zoom. I'll have to take comparison shots. Its not all that bad but perhaps shooting in the direct sunlight made the vignetting worse. The camera still takes great pictures. I shot mostly in manual mode with saturation up a notch (called clarity), white balance on sunlight, and exposure toned down a bit. Battery life seems fine although I've purchased a cheap backup battery and charger port (the camera doesn't come with an external charger). *******UPDATE********** July 10, 2012 Updating my review after 6 months usage. There seems to be some fringing on the edges that most reviews didn't notice, especially at zoomed in resolution. I had the camera on my wrist and it banged into something while I was carrying it. No problems until 2 months later when the flash stopped working. Sent it in for work and Nikon said there was impact damage, even though the flash worked for several months. I'm disappointed that any visible marks on the camera have voided the warranty, especially after I purchased an extended warranty. I suspect that if anything else stops working on it they'll blame it on the impact damage. The service people were cold and wanted to charge me 1/2 the cost fo the camera to fix it. I likely won't buy from Nikon again and this was my first purchase. I have figured out how to use it but the manufacturer does not make these things to last very long, perhaps only long enough until the next version comes out. Oh well. I won't buy from Nikon again unfortunately. *******UPDATE********** November 2013 OK, so I've had the camera about 2 years now. Image quality was maintained but dust appeared inside the lens between the lenses. A quick shake managed to get it to drop but it does appear from time to time. But, now the LCD powers on but there is no picture. As I mentioned above, expect to get about 2 years out of this camera. With the S9300 and S9500 coming out I guess Nikon expects you to only need this for a year before upgrading. Still disappointed and now I have a camera that's only good for parts. Mfr warranty was useless since they claim I dropped the camera (even though I didn't). Still won't buy a Nikon again unfortunately and I've told all my friends this too. Successfully convinced a good friend to buy another brand so he wouldn't waste his money on a different Nikon. Disappointed is the word I associate with Nikon based on my experience with this camera.

This camera has great features and takes excellent photos in daylight and very good ones in low light. The panorama feature works perfectly. However, there are two issues with this unit that caused me to return it. Amazon did not offer an exchange for some reason (out of stock maybe??). Defects: 1. There is a small bubble near the center of every photo in every zoom range. Cleaning the lens did not fix this, so it could either be a defect in the lens glass or the sensor itself. 2. Auto-focus is very poor in Auto mode, as has been mentioned in many other reviews. In order to get good focus, one of the Scene modes must be used. Update 2/29/2012: I was able to exchange instead of returning. The replacement camera had the same issues - a small lens bubble, albeit in a different spot, and poor focus. I even went to a local store and looked at their display model - same problems. The bubble was in yet a different spot, but it was there. None of the other Nikon models in the store had these problems. I even contacted Nikon's tech support. Worthless! Their email response was "Please try a different lens with your camera". Really? On a point-n-shoot? I wound up returning this. It's a shame, because this camera is capable of taking great photos and has nice features and great design. Shame on Nikon for messing up a good product!.

I don't understand why some of the reviewers of this camera are having such a diffcult time producing clear photos. Well I really do know why they cannot....it is because they are not following directions or vey experienced with digital photography. All digital cameras that auto focus need a second or two to catch the image and focus the camera to produce the best results. Once the camera has the image focused, most cameras will continue the same shot over and over. This camera is no different. Don't buy a high quality Nikon digital camera if you do not know how to use one. Buy a Kodak or a lower end model from Nikon as they are usually designed for the novice photographer. All of the web sites that reviewed this camera, rate it very high and I agree with those ratings thus far. Yes it will produce some blurr in some photos depending on light. Other then that it will produce great photos. You will get a red square if the photo does not focus correctly and this seeme to be related soley on light conditions and/or the settings. You can compensate for light conditions. I am still playing with the ISO vs auto settings and this seems to help with blurr on some photos. this is an advanced camera not for the novice or better than novice. You need to be an advanced user to take great shots with this camera.

Camera feel is excellent with the light rubberized coating on front, easy to operate and not at all heavy. Very sleek styling and its ability to take long range telephoto photos is exactly what i needed. Although battery compartment door could be heavier in design and manufacture, if one is gentle it should last for many years. When not in use, the ability to charge battery without its removal is a plus for me, but I also recommend having a minimum of a second battery and its own AC wall charger to go with this camera. Well pleased with this purchase for the price, and recommend that one put the 5 year Mack Warranty on it at time of purchase for cameras of less than 500 dollars. Its ability to take HD movies I recommend a 32Gb memory card as well as they are not that expensive anymore. I plan for this camera to last me at least 10 years minimum by how it is built and its feel.