Customer Reviews

Nikon Coolpix L110 12.1MP Digital Camera with 15x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Black)

5 star:		(127)
4 star:		(63)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(36)

 

 

UPDATE: 1/11/2011 - Because there are so many comments asking the same question I decided I should add this to the beginning to save you agony. This camera is poor in low-light and not the greatest for taking shots of kids running around or in situations where you need to quickly take multiple shots. Having said that, this camera has an absolutely amazing zoom, optics are top notch, macro mode is incredible and great video recording is possible as well. I've taken thousands of beautiful photos with this camera. You need to work with this camera and it will reward you handsomely. But read through as many comments as you can because there is a lot of discussion that may interest you. And now on to my original review...

I have two types of cameras that I generally use, small point & shoots, like the Canon Canon PowerShot SD600 6MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom for "take anywhere" convenience and DSLR's which for me currently is the Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

If you have any questions about the camera, leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer you. Please note that I have updated my review with some additional observations on 3/29/2010 based on my continued experiences with the camera.

I wanted to get a camera that was SDHC compatible (the SD600 is not SDHC compatible, while the D300 uses CF cards) so that I could use the Eye-Fi wireless card Eye-Fi 4GB Share Video SDHC Wireless Flash Memory Card EYE-FI-4SV with it. I've had excellent results with small Canon point & shoot cameras over the years but the Nikon L110 caught my eye and I decided to buy it. It is substantially larger than the svelte Canon SD600, yet much smaller and lighter than my D300. It's called a "bridge" camera by some people since it has some qualities reminiscent of a DSLR at the expense of being as small and pocketable as a typical "point & shoot" camera. Consequently, depending on where you are on the scale of novice to professional photographer and how pocketable you need your camera to be, this camera may either thrill you or leave you wanting something else. I'm somewhere in the middle.

There is a lot to like about this camera. It has a very nice feel in the hand and the rubberized grip makes you feel secure holding the camera. The large 3" LCD display is gorgeous... it is bright, sharp and has excellent dpi not normally found in a camera of this price range. It also works quite well outdoors due to the fact that it has an anti-reflective coating on it. However the camera lacks an optical viewfinder which I do miss as I am more accustomed to using a viewfinder than not. The lack of a viewfinder is not a deal-breaker for me though. 12.1 megapixels gives you ample file size to make huge enlargements or lots of room for cropping. And the awesome zoom, from the 35mm equivalent of 28mm-420mm gives you an amazing range. It's not normally even possible to hand-hold a camera and expect a very sharp image if you are zoomed to 420mm, or even 300mm, but with the great VR and Motion Detection incorporated into the camera, you can actually hand-hold at that extreme and get usable images. I was impressed with that. If you use a tripod at those extremes, then be sure to turn off the VR or you will get poor pictures. This is always the case with electronic VR... you never want to use it when also using a tripod since it is intended to compensate for your hand shake and when you're on a tripod, there is no hand shake to correct so it is not necessary or desirable to have VR on.

The L110 has a minimal number of buttons and control pads which makes it a very approachable camera to use. Of course, the downside to that is you need to delve into the menu to get to some other features or controls that you may want to fiddle with. Again, coming from the D300, I found this a bit frustrating but someone more used to a point & shoot might not mind or even think about that as much.

What I like specifically about the camera is that I can take stunning photographs with little thought. Using the default "easy auto mode" lets you get started taking photos with little to worry about. Just frame your subject and press the shutter button. But you may not want to keep the camera in that mode all the time because it does come with some limitations that you need to be aware of. Easy Auto Mode automatically determines what you are trying to accomplish then sets the "scene" to what the camera thinks is the appropriate setting... it may not always be correct. And I noticed that auto-focus may not always work correctly especially when trying to shoot closeup images in easy auto mode. So in those cases you can switch to "auto mode" or manually select the "scene" to the mode you specifically want, such as "close-up, portrait, landscape, backlight, etc"

The macro mode on this camera is excellent. You can get as close as .4 inches from your subject and this is fantastic if you are into macro photography. I will post some sample photos in the customers images area for you to see.

I like that the camera can be turned on directly in playback mode simply by pressing the playback button instead of the on/off button. The advantage to doing this is that if you just want to view photos/videos on the camera, the lens remains retracted. Otherwise if you turn the camera on using the on/off button, then press the playback button, the lens first extends then goes into playback mode.

The flash does not automatically flip up when needed like some cameras of this style. That's not a bad thing, just something you need to know. If the camera determines that flash is necessary, it does display a message on the LCD screen informing you to "Raise The Flash."

The buttons on the back of the camera only require a very light touch. At first this annoyed me a little bit as they felt overly "touchy". But I quickly grew accustomed to the lighter touch and now must say I like it.

Video quality is very very good, especially in outdoors and well-lit situations. Low light results in more grain than I would like to see, but since this is not a dedicated video camera, nor expensive, it is acceptable. The audio recorded in video mode (stereo by the way) is very good too.

UPDATE: I've been using the movie mode more extensively since my original review and have changed my opinion of the audio and video quality. The low light performance of video recording is not very good at all and results in -very- noisy (grainy) video. I've also noticed a significant muffled quality to the sound that is especially noticeable when just a persons voice is recorded. Recording where the ambient noise levels are high, such as when outside, masks this somewhat. But when recording video in more quiet surroundings, a single sound source such as voice will present the distortion, hiss or whatever you want to call it, at much more noticeable levels and is not what I would call good quality at all. On a scale of 1-10 I'd have to rate the audio quality about a 4. There is no capability to attach an external mic, nor would I expect that for a camera in this price range. The audio quality is quite disappointing to me now though, especially when compared to my Canon SD600 that has extremely clear, distortion free (mono) audio. Finally, I also heard some zoom induced mechanism noise while zooming and recording video.

One feature that really appeals to me is the "small picture" option. If you take a lot of photos that eventually end up on the web, you can have the camera make a smaller sized copy of any photo that you have taken... either 640x480, 320x240 or 160x120. I find this really helpful because if you take your original photo at a lower resolution, then that's what you're stuck with forever. But with this feature you can take your photos at the highest resolution then have the camera make a re-sized copy of the photo at the resolution you specify. I build websites so this is very helpful for me as I don't have to spend as much time in Photoshop resizing photos destined for the web.

There are a slew of other features, such as "blink warning", automatic red-eye fixing, smart-portrait mode, sport continuous mode (pretty cool feature that will take up to 20 continuous photos at 11.1 fps) and even more. Regarding the Sports Continuous Mode; this mode reduces the image quality/size to a maximum of 3Megapixels and is not going to give you razor sharp images that you would get in other modes. But consider it's purpose... to get a shot that would otherwise be nearly impossible using this level of camera. It takes a burst of photos to enable you to hopefully get a decent action shot out of a series of shots taken at a moment in time. The ISO is also increased to 640 in this mode which does inject more noise into the final image. This is common to small sensor cameras such as this. You really want to keep the ISO at as low a value as possible to reduce "noise" in the photo. Increasing the ISO increases the sensitivity of the sensor and this is what causes the increased noise... think of it as distortion when you turn the volume up to high.

I'd have to write a book to cover all the features in detail. But one more feature that I'll mention is Panorama Assist which is handy when composing a series of shots intended to be a panorama. It provides a ghost image of the previous shot to help you align the next shot you want to take in your series of photos destined to be a panorama.

Nikon includes several software titles including Panorama Maker Pro by ArcSoft. I was happy with the results that Panorama Maker Pro produced; it was easy to use and flexible in what you can do with it.

Battery life is quite good. The camera uses 4-AA batteries, either alkaline, Ni-MH, or lithium. That makes it convenient if you have dead batteries since AA batteries can be purchased anywhere. Proprietary batteries often provide longer life, but once they're dead, so are you if you don't have a charger or second charged battery with you.

A few issues for me with the camera is that I am frequently wanting to manually focus the camera and that is not possible. Another issue is that other than setting ISO and exposure compensation, there is little else you can manually do to control the camera. You cannot manually set the shutter speed or aperture. Concerning ISO, when it is set to 3200 or 6400 the image mode settings are limited to 3 megapixels 2048x1536, PC 1024,768 or VGA 640x480.

Overall I like the Nikon L110 quite a bit. The photos are excellent and HD video is a nice extra although you won't be too happy with lower light video quality and the audio capabilities are not the best. It strikes a nice balance between a simple point & shoot camera and a larger and substantially more expensive DSLR. It's a product that because of it's price point, will not meet everyone's expectations. If you desire excellent video from this camera, you'd be better off spending more and getting something that is video-centric. If you view this as predominantly a camera that also has the ability to take video, then you'll probably be OK with this. If you are expecting this under $300 camera to also excel at taking movies with awesome audio, you will not be happy. Concessions will have to made at this price point.

UPDATE: 4/4/2010- Just a brief update regarding battery life using plain old Alkaline batteries. I took over 300 photos plus 20-30 movies of varying length and did quite a bit of viewing before the batteries died. That's not bad for regular Alkaline batteries. Consider also that I am also using the Eye-Fi wireless SDHC card in the camera that automatically uploads any photos or movies through my wireless network so that is also putting a drain on the batteries. Without the card, I would expect even better battery life than what I've reported. You'd get much longer life with Lithium and of course rechargeable NiMH batteries would probably be the best long-term bang for the buck.

UPDATE: 4/22/2010- I've uploaded a few video snippets from the L110 on YouTube. Just search for "Nikon L110 Video Sample". They will not win any Academy Awards for cinematography but just a really quick indication of video quality. Sorry for the wind noise, but it was quite breezy outside.

I bought the L110 for the main purpose of taking pictures of my two kids. They are not still subjects and the L110 is doing a great job in keeping up the pace with them. It pops-up in like 2 seconds and is shooting rounds of pictures at max resolution (12.1). That's for speed.

Wide angle and super-zoom are in the manual. What is impressive is that at max zoom (digital zoom included) - with no tripod - I get to take sharp pictures. That's for image stabilization.

After ~500 pics and ~30 min of HD video, the original AA Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries are still fully functional. No warning yet.
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Later edit. I took around
- 1100 pictures with the original AA Energizer Ultimate Lithium (L91-FR6) batteries ([...]).
- 400 pictures with some alcaline AA Energizer (LR6-E91-AM3) batteries ([...])
- 500 pictures / recharge with some rechargeable Energizer AA 2450 mAh.
All pictures were taken at maximum resolution and the flash fired for about 80% of those pics.
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The stereo HD video recording under the same hood is a treat. The maximum length for one video session is 30 minute (regardless of SD capacity) which is decent for birthday parties and similar.

Unfortunately, this is no camera phone that you can slip into a pocket until you need it. The only draw back I can see.
I test drove both Nikon Coolpix L110 and Canon SX200IS before I decided on Nikon. Size is the only advantage of the compact vs bridge, although price is higher for that particular Canon.

L110 is a stylish piece of equipment and an ergonomic one: I can easily operate it with only one hand.
The menu is really simple and intuitive... even for the feminine intuition... :)

All in all, a great camera and some well spent money.

This is an awesome little point and shoot camera.
I purchased it because I needed something that would take really nice photos but could be easily slipped into my handbag whilst on vacation. My DSLR and lenses are a little bulky to be lugging around all day.

My first choice after reading tons of reviews was the Canon SX20, mainly because I really didn't want to sacrifice a viewfinder, plus it had the HD video capability. But I have to get a hands on the product first and no stores in our area had one in stock.

When I found the L110 was just being released I decided to give it a go....I have to admit I am impressed....this is a neat little camera. I've read some reviews where people are dissapointed that there aren't any manual settings, but the many preset features are really good for just about all conditions.

One feature that I really like is the smart portrait setting - the camera will automatically shoot the pic when it detects a smile. This feature helped me get some of the cutest photos of our baby nephew. When I was trying on plain auto mode I missed the smile every time. Theres also a setting that will let you know if someone blinked with a pop up on screen warning. This certainly helps avoid those *would've been a great pic if only you hadn't blinked* photos that you notice hours after the event.

As for digital zoom...I don't really like it on any camera...so chances are I won't use it unless absolutely necessary. But, I did try it out and found that using the full zoom capabilities you can get a pretty impressive photo of the moon, craters and all :o) (I'll post a photo I took of the moon with the L110) I did need to use a tripod though, because at that power zoom the camera shake was pretty bad. But it could be just me, I don't have the steadiest of hands.

I also love that I can record HD video, even indoors in low light it's not really that bad when played on a HD TV. Outdoors in natural light it is pretty impressive. However, its not intended to replace a stand alone video camera so don't expect Hollywood results. Oh and the mic isn't ideally placed, but thats probably to minimize the recording of the lens movement when zooming (it already picks up on it so avoid zooming if possible)

All in all its a great camera and I didn't really find any real cons to it. It definitely isn't a *pocket* camera, but its not bulky either, somewhere in the middle I'd say.
Oh and as for battery life.....using either the optional recommended Nikon rechargeables, or the included energizer ultimates you won't be dissapointed, I just can't seem to get either of them to run out of power.

If you want to move up from a pocket size point and shoot camera to one with a 15X zoom, this is a good choice. The picture quality equals many point and shoot cameras, and the 15X zoom and anti-shake features allow you a great deal more flexibilty. Without casting any negativity on reviewers who gave unfavorable ratings, I can only assume that they didn't set the camera on 'auto mode' which does permit you to set the flash mode, and allows some white balance compensation. You can also pick Nikon's preset camera modes, but 'auto mode' works best. Does the picture quality equal a digital slr camera? Of course not. Are the quality of pictures equal to my Canon SD1000 point and shoot? Yes. Is it priced like a 15X zoom digital slr? No.

The camera's viewfinder/playback screen is one of the camera's other highlights. It has a very high pixel count and is the same as one used on Nikon's higher priced digital camera. The HD video recording approaches that of a mid priced HD camcorder. I had NO problems playing back HD movies on any of my HD TVs, and I don't understand the complaints about poor picture quality, bad flash pictures, and poor HD video. I can only assume people didn't understand the directions, which aren't the best, left the camera in 'easy mode', which is how it is set out of the box, or they got defective units and simply should have exchanged them. While this camera probably isn't exceptional in any one category, it performs very well across almost all categories and is a steal in the performance vs price segment.

I originally purchased the Nikon 10MP 15x L100. Price was OK at $185 but right from the start the picture quality was poor and camera did not work right. It finally quit working 92 days after purchase. Thankfully, Amazon let me return it as they had none in stock for replacement. I then reviewed the NIKON L110 12MP 15x zoom and even though it was nearly $100 more than the L100 I got it. Let me tell you, the L110 is really a pleasure to use and the pictures are GREAT. I can not believe the differance and although its alittle pricey for a point and shoot its well worth it. From day one I was taking great indoor shots even in low light. The flash works great. The video is cool as camera has stereo speakers. If the L100 ever is avaiable again PLEASE don't buy it. Spend the extra money and get this L110 NIKON and even for a novice like me, it takes great pictures right from the begining.

I've had this camera for about 2 weeks and am very pleased.

It has a host if auto settings suitable for most scenarios (They're not too difficult access or change quickly) but there is no manual mode. I haven't printed out any pictures yet, but everything on my computer monitor looks sharp and colorful.

The battery life is quite respectable and the flash charges up quickly between shots.

The L110 shoots good looking 720p video and you can zoom while recording. You may encounter some mild pumping from the auto focus. Nikon tells you upfront that shoot times are limited and there's a meter on the LCD with the remaining record time.

Having a stereo microphone seems pointless if it's not pointing at the camera's subject - it's mounted on top, aiming upwards. The mic is only suitable for capturing ambient sound or to narrate as you shoot. I cannot recommend this camera for recording an interview, especially if they're more than arms distance away.

I was worried about ordering this camera bc one good review & one bad...so I took a chance. When I first tried it... I got blurry pics & was a little frustrated! I sat down, read the manual, made some adjustments, & now I love it! The pics are super clear and it has alot of features that I haven't gotten to use yet! I keep my manual handy since I'm still learning how to work all the features but I would definately recommend this camera!

My husband recently bought the Nikon CoolPix L110 for me from Amazon and I absolutely LOVE it! I have always had Nikons--over 25 years worth from a manual to an SLR to digital to this one!--and once again I can take pictures straight out of the box. It feels good in your hand, the controls are so easy and the photos are crystal clear. I have only had it for short while, so I have not tried out the video but I didn't buy the camera for video capabilities so I may not ever use it! I have yet to read the book but I will so I can take some creative shots.
I broke the LCD screen on my Nikon CoolPix L15 (don't ever put them in your purse without a case!) so I initially thought I'd get another one like it until I saw the L110. The 15x zoom is absolutely wonderful, esp for taking wildlife shots, which is what I was lacking with the L15's 3x zoom.
I wanted a Nikon L-series camera because it uses regular AA batteries (comes with 4 Energizer Lithiums!) which you can find anywhere, esp on vacation.
The camera strap and lens cap strap that come with it are great--the lens cap strap is threaded with the camera strap so you cannot lose it, which is very nice, yet it is out of the way.
I've taken quite a few macro shots both on the "upclose" setting and on the standard "portrait" setting and both work beautifully.
The absolute ONLY thing I'd change on the camera is to color in that glowing orange dot for the record button--it makes you think the camera is "on".
So far I haven't had any blurry pictures issues like some of the reviews here....

I have had this camera for a little less than a month now, but I use it at least 4 days a week. I use the macro feature to take close ups of my artisan jewelry. It takes great close ups! I also have a Cannon Rebel XT but I prefer my new Nikon coolpix. The transfer software it comes with is easy to use as well. I look forward to trying out the video function in the future.

I really wanted to like this camera. I loved the fact that it was a step in between an SLR and an Instamatic. The 15x Optical Zoom on a camera at this price is tantalizing. But the simple fact is that, like other reviewers, I couldn't get this camera to take a good photo. The pre-set scenes didn't seem sufficiently useful. I didn't like that you had to flip through menus to bring them up which is too time consuming for point-and-shoot. And you pretty much had to be shooting from a tripod to get a non-blurred photo. The color is extremely disappointing. The useability leaves something to be desired. The Vibration Reduction is worthless.

I bought this camera to replace my Canon PowerShot SD780IS. But that camera took way better pictures. The color was brighter and I didn't have to be a robot to get a non-blurred image. So I exchanged the L110 for Canon's version of the same thing, the PowerShot XS130IS. Of course, that camera only has 12x zoom rather than 15x, but the set back in zoom is a worthy price to pay for better photo taking. In fact, the PowerShot XS130IS is much more usable than the L110 - it can go fully manual, it has a setting where you set the aperture and the camera determines the shutter speed or vice versa. Plus it has many more pre-set scenes than the L110. It has better face recognition than the L110. The color is much more vivid, especially when shooting in "vivid" mode. Best of all, Canon's Image Stablizing software actually works and you can take a crystal clear picture. That's what I missed when I went from my SD780 to the L110. The PowerShot XS130IS is a way better camera for $10 less than the L110. Some say the L110 takes good photos if you know what you're doing. Here's the simple facts: (1) I couldn't get the L110 to take a good photo in any condition and I was able to take better photos with my SD780; (2) the PowerShot XS130 has triple the capability (again, it goes fully manual) and yet is still suited for quick, point-and-shoot photography. So, the PowerShot XS130 in my opinion is a true hybrid between the SLR and the Instamatic - I can take my time and have full control over the camera when I have the time and I can go fully instamatic when I'm just wanting everyday photos.