Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic digicam, you can't go wrong with this one., April 6, 2004
I purchased the Nikon CoolPix 3700 after much research and chose it over the Canon S400. I've been extremely satisfied with the quality of the pictures and videos. This camera was rated #1 Best Buy by PC World and for good reason.Pros: -rediculously light and very sturdy -has a long, narrow shape that is more natural in your hand and your pocket as compared with the more square Canon S400 and other Nikon Coolpix cameras -almost NO SHUTTER LAG, a big plus when photographing people who don't like to hold still for too long. -EXCELLENT PICTURE QUALITY, 3MP is PLENTY for most uses. -takes such great videos (with sound) that it might just replace your video camera. -easy to set up and fairly straightforward menus -uses SD memory which is generally better than CF. -pretty good battery life, recharges fast, most users probably won't need an extra battery. -if you need it, Nikon's tech support line is very helpful (toll-free and 24/7!) Cons: -Performance in low-light isn't great, but that is the case with most other cameras of this type. -No case included and only comes with 16MB SD card. A leather case and 256MB SD card will set you back about a hundred bucks. (256MB is the ideal size, I recommend Panasonic SD cards because they record at 10MB/s) -on/off switch and zoom buttons are awkwardly placed/shaped, should be switched, takes some getting used to. -included USB cord is a bit fragile, I had to get a replacement from tech support -3x optical zoom isn't much. If you want a lot of zoom go 10x. Overall a great camera with the best performance in this price range. Highly recommended, it's really a hidden gem. Perfect as a first digicam or for someone who wants to upgrade.
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Picture quality second to none, January 15, 2004
By A Customer
Had previously bought a Canon SD10 to replace a Coolpix 4300 since I needed a faster and smaller camera. Was confident of good picture quality after reading reviews on Amazon and CNET.Much to my horror, no matter what settings I changed, the picture quality was blurry when compared with my old Nikon. So I returned the Canon and, with much trepidation, bought the 3700 even though it offered a megapixel LESS than the Canon, and for more money too. In this case, it is obvious that you get what you pay for. Sharpness of photographs are amazing despite being a megapixel less. Definitely superior to the Canon and comparable to my old Nikon 4300. Upon reading the manual, discovered that Nikon has specifically built a algorithm to ensure sharpness in its digital processor. Makes a world of difference. Responsiveness is great too with imperceptible shutter lag. Would recommend to all looking for a compact camera. Just make sure that 3 megapixels are enough for your purposes. I eventually returned this camera to wait for Nikon to release a compact, fast, 4 megapixel camera. The extra megapixel is important if you crop your photos or otherwise want to be able to print larger than 4x6 genuine photo-quality prints.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works real good, September 1, 2004
I am no camera buff. I know nothing about the workings of a camera or how to manually render wonderful picures. Thankfully, the Coolpix 3700 is totally automatic, no need for me to adjust or fool around with obscure settings to get a decent pic. Still, the camera does offer a number of different "environments" you can choose from, such as indoor party, portrait, night landscape, panorama, closeup, etc. But the beauty of it is you only need to choose the appropriate setting to match the environment, no need to configure the f-stop or shutter speed or all that other crazy stuff. I agree with the other reviewers, I think this camera is awesome, especially for the price after rebate.
What I like best are this camera is 1. The rechargable battery lasts a really long time, 2. The macro shots are amazing, the close up detail is really exceptional, 3. The size is a mere 4.6 ounces, there are smaller cameras out there like the optio 4si, but the 3700 is still smaller than the canon elphs, 4. the build has a solid feel with a brushed aluminum finish, no cheap plastic, and 5. the overall picture quality is first rate, in my opinion, it's just really crisp and bright.
That said, I would've liked a 4 megapixel camera, but I realize that this 3.2 mp is more than sufficient for my needs. I'm not going into the photo development business anytime soon, so oversized prints are not necessary for me. The manual also states that this camera is best suited for up to 7x5 prints, it can certainly go higher, but this size is optimal for quality.
I think it's strange that this camera is not very popular, I have yet to see a camera match the 3700's picture quality in the point and shoot category. The closest rival is of course the Canon Elph, but that's too rich for my blood. Plus, I think a case can be made that the 3700 is arguably a better point and shoot camera than the elphs, not to mention the smaller size. So, if you're on a budget, I highly recommend this camera to really get your money's worth.
One other note on memory cards: this camera comes with a 16 mb SD card. I recommend a high speed card, perhaps a 256 mb. Check out newegg for the kingmax sd card, it's 60x speed (up to 10mb/sec transfer) and it's incredibly cheap. Also, if you're into name brands, outpost has the 256 panasonic SD (also 10mb/sec transfer) for a mere 45, (...), but it won't last long. Happy shopping!
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