Customer Reviews

Nikon Coolpix P2 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3.5x Optical Zoom (Wi-Fi Capable)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I read all these reviews and cannot FOR THE LIFE OF ME understand all the crying and whining about the WiFi mode. I keep hearing how "complicated" and "annoying" it is, but this is just plain WRONG. I actually set my WiFi up yesterday, and do you want to know how long it took me? About a minute. Pop in the setup CD, click "wireless setup only", plug your camera in by the USB cable (you need only do this the first time to set up! The setup CD will give you all the directions, just follow along), install it (takes all of a few seconds), choose your connection mode, name, and icon, and you're DONE. Then unplug the USB cable (you now no longer need it!), rotate the click-wheel at the top of the camera to wifi-mode, click "ok" and VOILA (you'll see the WiFi antenna flash blue). Easy as that, and it will download all of the images in your camera at a fast speed without any wires needed. How in God's name are people making this out to be a big deal?

Read your manual and you'll be fine. I did my homework for literally months and ended up choosing this model. I know cameras and this is easily the best deal for the money. Do get familiar with the scene modes, they're absolutely phenomenal and there is something for every shot and angle. Each scene mode has a choice of 3 different effects, which is really nice. The variety of shots you will be able to take is second to none. 5 MP is a perfect compromise for image quality, resolution, and price. Nikon as always is top-rate. Photography is something that seems to run in the family and when my grandfather approved this camera, I knew it was truly great.

The screen on this thing is AMAZING. 2.5 inches! The loss of the viewfinder is something you won't even notice, the LCD is a far more accurate tool anyway. Erasing pictures is simple, operating the zoom is a piece of cake, and the Zoom Nikkor lense is one of the best on the market, (along with the SchneiderKreuznach lenses on the Kodaks and the Carl Zeiss lenses on the Sonys). Nothing against Canon's Elph line because they're amazing, but the lense on the Nikon is better and I honestly feel that the Canon models are overpriced. Ever picked up an SD400 or 450? They feel far too tiny and almost flimsy. The SD500 and 550 are a bit better, but there's virtually NOTHING to grip. Trust me, when you want to really focus on a subject and get the perfect shot, the LAST thing you want is not to have a firm enough grip on your camera and have it slip. This also increases the likelihood of dropping it, which is never a good thing! Some complain that the red-eye reducer takes too long. The flash will go off three times in red-eye-eliminator mode, so if you're taking a picture of your dog, turn it OFF, (because the subject will have moved by then). For people though, it will be fine. The P2 comes with great software and it will take all of 5 seconds to remove red-eye manually once uploaded if the time before the final flash goes off bothers you too much. I've heard whining about the P2's size...why? Pick one up if you can look at one in person. They're wondefully compact yet still have a heft to them, and a very substantial hand grip that doubles as the battery casing. It's all metal and beautifully designed, the worksmanship speaks for itself. Nikon is a great choice, and I also recommend Olympus and Kodak (Kodaks are the king of easy-to-use cameras).

Even full price for this camera is worth it (400 dollars), though you'll see it advertised from between 250-350, which are very fair prices. You're going to love it, it's a very capable little machine that will take you gorgeous pictures. Nothing is off-limits and there is a scene mode for any situation. I have NO regrets. The rechargable battery is good to have and will save you money. I HIGHLYYYY recommend you purchase LCD screen covers to protect your very-large LCD screen. These can be bought on Ebay in packs of 3 for about 10 dollars with shipping.

I bought this camera and returned it before even using it's "revolutionary" wi-fi capability. I have used Nikon professionally for many years and was excited to see their latest consumer camera. Within 2 hours of testing it out at home, I decided to return it. The major problem I encountered was focusing. This camera would hunt from as far as 3 feet before it could reliably gain focus.
Another problem for Parents, or pet owners is the redeye flash, without the rewdeye flash on, it's in every pic, with the redeye active, the preflash is so invasive and long that the moment is long gone before the image is exposed. Exposure was accurate, but color was a bit on the flat and cool side.
For what it's worth I exchanged the P2 for the Canon a620. It was $50 cheaper 7.1 mp and much more reliable and speedy performance. No wi-fi, but your uploaded pics will be in focus and well exposed.

I got this as a gift, an excellent gift at that, but I had been wanting the SD550. This is a little bigger and bulkier, but the display is amazingly large and looks great. It fits in your hand nicely, although when mounting on a tripod, it feels rather lopsided. The wifi doesn't really have any network functionality, only to move pictures to a computer with the software installed on it... and this is one major issue: it doesn't explain how this software works, how it is running, what kind of security it is using (the camera literally just starts uploading pictures to a directory, not notifying the user on the computer, etc.)... and it only works 2/3rds of the time it seems. The antenna is extremely underpowered, apparently.

Beyond being frustrated with the wifi, I really like the p2, and it takes GREAT pictures. It also has some pretty sophisticated features for a small point and shoot, but I never really had a problem using a cable to transfer my photos.

When researching cameras, I was blinded by the glamour of the Coolpix WiFi capability. Upon purchasing the camera, I was sorely disappointed by the camera itself. I found that it does the same things as other, more compact cameras. Why bother with the bigger size? For a small, compact camera, I highly recommend the Canon SD400 or 450. They are much smaller and take even better, sharper pictures than the Coolpix. The cord isn't a hassle so don't make your choice based on whether or not is has WiFi.

Previous to this model, I had the Coolpix S1 and the Coolpix 800. Overall, I do not see much of an improvement over my Coolpix 800 camera. The P2 has some positives with more additional features and flexibility.

I am frustrated with the Wifi. I have spent over 3 days working with getting it setup on my network. I am a very knowledgeable computer/network person but, find this frustrating. The Wifi seems to be a waste of money. I have thought about returning it a couple of times and exchanging it for the Kodak Wifi. The Kodak Wifi is supposed to be much easier to work with. With the Nikon you need to hook it up to the computer and upload profiles to the Nikon which is a real hassle.

An update to my review. Nikon has an 800 number for tech support regarding wireless. They helped me setup the camera so, that it can work with my network some of the time.

I got this for Christmas, I notice the price has dropped a lot since then!

Good points:
- Nice small size; easy in a pocket, lightweight
- easy to use controls. I like adjusting ISO/flash/WB
- automated red eye removal works nicely, as does auto enhance
- new lower price (wish we paid that)

Less good:
- Not sure the pictures are that stellar without editing
- shutter lag slower than I expected, particularly with flash
- wifi transfer difficult with XP firewall on. I've updated
this review. The Owner's manual under Ports gives 2 settings
to the Windows firewall to allow the camera to use wifi
with the firewall on. Works great, but may not be for
someone who doesn't understand these issues.
The documentation does not describe this problem, you
apparently have to understand the issues.
- Must remove battery to charge, flimsy plastic keeping it in
that I'm afraid is going to break.
- Picture organizing software not great. I want to be able to
delete photos, and only can from "some" directory views
of them. I'd also like to easily lighten/darken and change
color tinting. I keep going back to Print Shop poster making
software...

I was agonzing over this vs the Canon A610. I didn't like
the Canon's larger size or 4 AA batteries required. I suspect the pictures may be better however...

I was looking for a snapshot camera to replace a 1.3MP camera function on a Canon video camera. The Coolpix P2 is compact, and takes capable pictures in most settings. Auto red eye reduction works as advertised. Wifi capability helps reduce wire clutter in transferring images. I set up an adhoc or peer to peer wifi connection. I Recommend reading the good techical help section on Nikon's website to help you set it up. It is found at: http://support.nikontech.com/. Screen resolution and size is adequate, if a bit difficult to see under bright outdoors. A helpful feature I found is the built in "help" function. If you can't remember what Effect 1 and Effect 2 accomplish under the Party/Indoor setting, the help button will tell you. Now you don't need to carry around the camera manual. Facial tones seem natural, landscapes pleasant, with blue skies. Great snapshot camera. Prints came out very good to excellent also.

First of all The wifi IS a very cool feature! The only other camera with wifi that I found was a kodak for several hundred dollars more. Works from about anywhere in the house and outside and I love not having to dig around in the drawer to find the cable and hook it up etc.I was looking at the similar cannon models but they were $100 more with no wifi and a half inch smaller screen. The only cons I can see is that you need quicktime to play the videos and it is a little bigger than the cannon models but still fits in your pocket nicely but isnt so tiny that it is hard to hold. I also like the contoured edge that acts as a handle for a good grip. For $239 you cant go wrong.I gave it 5 stars because of the price and the wifi and the overall features.

The P2's overall quality is quite good as one would expect from a Nikon product However, the wi-fi capabilty is poorly done for two reasons:

1) Wireless support software ONLY runs on XP; this bit of info is not listed anywhere I have found including the product's packaging

2) Must upload a profile to the camera from the PC (i.e., one cannot configure the wi-fi in the camera itself)

The only reason I did not return the camera is because even without the wi-fi capability, the camera is still a good value.

i'm in the army and i got this camera as a field camera. i have taken it everywhere with me since then and it has proved to be a very durable camera as well as taking good quality pics and video. I have used it in temps of -30 and 120 and it has worked just fine when other cameras wouldn't. the only reason i'm not giving it five stars is because the wifi feature only works every once in a while. other than that this is a great camera.