Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great Camera!!
Comment: I got this camera in December of '06, and I love it. I always take great pictures. It is very compact, and seems to hold together very well. Of couse mine stays in the case when not in use. Which, I've learned, is an important key. I just love the camera.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great
Comment: I've had my camera since Chirstmas '06, and I like it, but it goes through batteries way too fast. I buy the digital batteries, and even those are wasted within taking 50 or so pictures. The quality isn't bad for a such a simple camera, but if you plan on taking a ton of pictures, be prepared to change your batteries every week. I'm going to buy some rechargeables and see if those hold out better.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A good buy
Comment: I waited to review this camera until I'd really put it through the paces on a 10-day trip to Paris, where I used it in pretty much every conceivable scenario: indoor, outdoor, sunny, cloudy, closeup (macro), high zoom, videos in the day and night, etc. I've explored all of its features at this point, including all of the scene modes (panorama included).
This is a good camera. To my thinking, the single best feature is the "D-Lighting" option. This feature is an automatic color/lighting adjustment tool that one accesses when in "play mode" (viewing previously-taken pictures). It's a very smart feature that will compensate for poor lighting situations. I used this on almost every picture I took. The panorama feature is also nice--it's used in conjunction with the bundled software Nikon includes with the camera. Video mode is quite good--with a 2GB card, and tuned to a lower quality (smaller) video mode, you can actually get a couple hours of video on this thing.
I'd recommend this camera for amateur/casual use--it's very intuitive, and will suit those not inclined to gadgetry and technology. Also a VERY good first camera for a teen. It's certainly not the best thing out there, but it's inexpensive and takes excellent pictures at 5.1 MP. Also, the AA battery life is long, and makes it easy to keep the camera powered, even in a foreign country using a different voltage (no recharging necessary, just replace the batteries). Very lightweight, and can be tucked into a pant pocket.
Some shortcomings: the biggest flaw is that the camera has no HOLD function--that is, there's no way to disable the on/off button without removing the batteries. Thus, if you put the camera in your pocket and the power button is unintentionally pressed, the camera will turn on, and the lens will try to open. This may lead to the "lens jamming" other reviewers have complained of. This was an annoyance, though one I easily overcame by removing one battery in situations where I thought it might be an issue. Also, if the lens tries to open but can't, the camera will shut down and display a "lens error" message. This might drain the battery, but, in my experience, won't seriously hurt the camera. Another shortcoming, though one shared by most cameras in this price-range, is that it lacks the aperture to take really good sharp pictures in low-lighting situations, without a tripod. The small lens simply can't gather enough light fast enough to get detailed nighttime city-scapes, for instance. Anything beyond the range of the flash (which is good) will be dark or blurry. The same problem might confront a user in a museum where flash is prohibitied. Unless you have a tripod or a very steady hand, the pictures are likely to turn out blurry. Finally, several users have complained that the memory-writing process is slow--that is, after taking a picture you have to wait several seconds while the camera saves the picture before you can take another one. This is true. My understanding is that some of this has to do with the write-speed of the memory card you purchase, but some of it also has to do with the camera itself. Not recommended for situations in which you'll want to snap off several pictures in quick succession.
On the whole, I think this camera is an excellent value that will suit most needs. I'm glad I got it, but I also know that it won't satisfy more demanding users.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excelent!
Comment: I saved a great amount of money. The product is working great and I received it very quickly.
Customer Rating:
Summary: hate it
Comment: This camera takes decent pictures but it has a lot of problems. I have two small kids and it's hard to get a picture of them unless they are standing completely still. The shutter speed isn't fast enough, reload is too long after the flash goes off, don't even try to take a picture with the flash off it just comes out totally blurred. Like the other reviewers that have had problems with the lens jamming, mine has done that too, I've only had the camera maybe 6 months and it's already broken, not very sturdy for someone on the go with little kids. I'm very dissappointed in this camera.
Summary: Great Camera!!
Comment: I got this camera in December of '06, and I love it. I always take great pictures. It is very compact, and seems to hold together very well. Of couse mine stays in the case when not in use. Which, I've learned, is an important key. I just love the camera.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great
Comment: I've had my camera since Chirstmas '06, and I like it, but it goes through batteries way too fast. I buy the digital batteries, and even those are wasted within taking 50 or so pictures. The quality isn't bad for a such a simple camera, but if you plan on taking a ton of pictures, be prepared to change your batteries every week. I'm going to buy some rechargeables and see if those hold out better.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A good buy
Comment: I waited to review this camera until I'd really put it through the paces on a 10-day trip to Paris, where I used it in pretty much every conceivable scenario: indoor, outdoor, sunny, cloudy, closeup (macro), high zoom, videos in the day and night, etc. I've explored all of its features at this point, including all of the scene modes (panorama included).
This is a good camera. To my thinking, the single best feature is the "D-Lighting" option. This feature is an automatic color/lighting adjustment tool that one accesses when in "play mode" (viewing previously-taken pictures). It's a very smart feature that will compensate for poor lighting situations. I used this on almost every picture I took. The panorama feature is also nice--it's used in conjunction with the bundled software Nikon includes with the camera. Video mode is quite good--with a 2GB card, and tuned to a lower quality (smaller) video mode, you can actually get a couple hours of video on this thing.
I'd recommend this camera for amateur/casual use--it's very intuitive, and will suit those not inclined to gadgetry and technology. Also a VERY good first camera for a teen. It's certainly not the best thing out there, but it's inexpensive and takes excellent pictures at 5.1 MP. Also, the AA battery life is long, and makes it easy to keep the camera powered, even in a foreign country using a different voltage (no recharging necessary, just replace the batteries). Very lightweight, and can be tucked into a pant pocket.
Some shortcomings: the biggest flaw is that the camera has no HOLD function--that is, there's no way to disable the on/off button without removing the batteries. Thus, if you put the camera in your pocket and the power button is unintentionally pressed, the camera will turn on, and the lens will try to open. This may lead to the "lens jamming" other reviewers have complained of. This was an annoyance, though one I easily overcame by removing one battery in situations where I thought it might be an issue. Also, if the lens tries to open but can't, the camera will shut down and display a "lens error" message. This might drain the battery, but, in my experience, won't seriously hurt the camera. Another shortcoming, though one shared by most cameras in this price-range, is that it lacks the aperture to take really good sharp pictures in low-lighting situations, without a tripod. The small lens simply can't gather enough light fast enough to get detailed nighttime city-scapes, for instance. Anything beyond the range of the flash (which is good) will be dark or blurry. The same problem might confront a user in a museum where flash is prohibitied. Unless you have a tripod or a very steady hand, the pictures are likely to turn out blurry. Finally, several users have complained that the memory-writing process is slow--that is, after taking a picture you have to wait several seconds while the camera saves the picture before you can take another one. This is true. My understanding is that some of this has to do with the write-speed of the memory card you purchase, but some of it also has to do with the camera itself. Not recommended for situations in which you'll want to snap off several pictures in quick succession.
On the whole, I think this camera is an excellent value that will suit most needs. I'm glad I got it, but I also know that it won't satisfy more demanding users.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excelent!
Comment: I saved a great amount of money. The product is working great and I received it very quickly.
Customer Rating:
Summary: hate it
Comment: This camera takes decent pictures but it has a lot of problems. I have two small kids and it's hard to get a picture of them unless they are standing completely still. The shutter speed isn't fast enough, reload is too long after the flash goes off, don't even try to take a picture with the flash off it just comes out totally blurred. Like the other reviewers that have had problems with the lens jamming, mine has done that too, I've only had the camera maybe 6 months and it's already broken, not very sturdy for someone on the go with little kids. I'm very dissappointed in this camera.