Nikon Coolpix 2500 2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

I bought this as my first digital camera five months ago, largely on the strength of the Amazon reviews. I intended to use it for routine snapshots. I can't state how well it stacks up against other digital cameras, of which I know nothing. But I can say I was surprised by deficiencies it has, when compared against my $100 Olympus 35mm film camera.First, the indoor exposure quality is pretty poor. Its sensitivity reminds me of ASA 100 speed film. A flash is always required indoors. The flash is quite anemic: anything 8 feet or more away will be dark. In photographing a kids' soccer team two rows deep, the front row was slightly overexposed while the rear was underexposed. The line was about 3 feet deep total. There is very little exposure latitude with the flash.Second, I have never seen such red eye in my life! The flash is about 3/4" from the lens in the same horizontal plane. I have to spend a couple minutes in Photoshop to clean up every single shot. I'm used to seeing eyes like this on flash photos of cats, not humans.Third, the battery is tiny, proprietary and very expensive. This probably explains the weak flash - there's very little power and Nikon needs to preserve it. Plus, after about 30 seconds idle time, the camera hibernates to save the battery. One has to press the shutter and wait about 5 seconds for it to revive each time.Fourth, while outdoor exposure has been good, the LED screen is too weakly backlit to view at the beach or ski slope. And there's no optical viewfinder, so you often can't see what you're photographing in these circumstances.Fifth, one must swivel the lens assembly open in order to use the camera. When doing this, it's very easy to put a fingerprint over the fixed transparent lens cover. And a little bit of smudge on that cover gives plenty of artifact on the pictures.Finally, while I shoot at the unit's maximum resolution, it's still not acceptable to press the shutter button and wait two seconds before it takes the shot - and then wait another 3 or 4 seconds for it to be ready for the next. And if the flash is involved, that adds another 2 seconds before the picture is taken. Like I said, I was looking for family snapshots; but far too many pictures have the subject moved out of the frame because of these delays.So, this camera is okay for some things - especially outdoor daylight shots that are not too bright. But my 35mm performs a lot better in many circumstances. And its Costco-developed pictures are about 30% the cost of those from a digital camera. And I don't have to spend hours engineering Photoshop corrections, or burning the images to archival CD.If I had it to do over again, I'd be more fussy about cycle time, battery capacity, flash distance from lens and exposure latitude. Live and learn.

This camera is wonderful - the only con with this product is that it has a small LCD screen to view your images- however this is probably the main reason that it has extremely long battery life. For a 2MP camera it takes very detailed images, and incredible pictures in "close-up" mode- Nikon is known for quality lenses. Very simple to operate, but low on extra features. No digital zoom, etc. I recommend using at least a 512mb memory card and taking pictures at the highest quality/resolution.

They call it 'point and click'. Well, maybe that's true after you spend a day or two with the owner's manual. Maybe all digital cameras are like this, but understanding all the options and setup is difficult for me. Then, transferring the pictures to my pc and actually producing prints is not trivial (to me).Someone else remarked that the LCD can't be read in the sun. I wish I'd listened before I bought this camera. It is IMPOSSIBLE to see. The camera has no veiwfinder. Nikon should have at least included the LCD hood with the camera. And, AMAZON, should at least sell it! I ordered one from another online retailer. Maybe I should just return this hard to use toy?

I just returned from a trip to Alaska where I took 450 images with a new Nikon Coolpix 2500. While riding my bike (fast!) down a packed dirt trail, the camera fell out of my vest pocket. It hit so hard, the battery popped out while the compartment was still locked. It continues to work flawlessly. I've owned Nikon cameras (35mm) for 30+ years and I'm glad they're still making them as rugged as ever.I would give it 5 stars, but the camera comes with only an 8MB memory card. I had to pay [more money] for a 256MB card, plus [more]for a spare battery.Also, I was nervous that 2 megapixels would be be enough, but it works great for 8x10s.The swivel lens for self-portraiture is nifty, too, for capturing a shot with a fish you will soon release.

This camera has worked fine for me. I bought it used, and have used it for 2 months now. I takes good pictures, is a solid camera, and easy to operate. The lens swivels open-and-close (actually you have to do it manually) to protect the camera. The zoom is good, and the keys are easy to understand and use. The menus are easy to navigate as well.

This is great little camera. A little slow to actually take the photo but otherwise very user friendly.

I'm shocked this is still for sale - I first bought mine in 2003. I loved the option to turn the lens, especially before the age of the selfie.However, this is an incredibly high cost for a 13 (at least) year old camera. Most likely, your phone takes better pictures than this. If you don't have a phone camera, look for a more updated model around the same price.

excellent photo imagining