Nikon Coolpix L12 7MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Vibration Reduction Zoom

I bought this camera to complement a trip to Europe. It accompanied me constantly in a pants or coat pocket when on the go, and proved rugged, simple, and reliable. I used the auto setting 80% of the time - low light, bright light, cloudy days, rainy days, dark caves. Of the 600 or so pics I took, about 75% of them were keepers (mostly because I refused to use the flash and instead relied on the camera's auto ISO, high sensitivity, and slowed down shutter speed). My friends had $250+ cameras and this thing took pictures that looked virtually identical to theirs and at a $100 discount, PLUS with anti-shake (grainy pics), AND with a cheap looking design (less risk of theft). I used the fully automatic pic feature to good effect, captured a couple videos, took close ups and landscapes, and got one audio recording. Fast draw and shoot capability a big plus. Burned through about 3.5 sets of Alkaline batteries. The one complaint I have is the low-ish frame rate on the medium video setting. My friends' $250+ cameras (sony, cannon pocket cameras) took camcorder-like videos while mine was a bit choppy on this setting. To be fair, on the highest quality setting the video looks just fine. I dropped the camera twice from about a meter up and it doesn't even have a scratch, just some pocket wear from being toted around so much. I highly reccomend this camera as a cheap all purpose pocket camera for people who don't want to mess around with ISO/shutter settings themselves. It's not only a good all around camera, but stacks up well against more expensive pocket cameras, with a bigger screen than them, and it takes better night time photos.

I purchased a Nikon Coolpix L12 to give as a gift to a dear friend who is not electronically-savvy. I had originaly given this friend a Nikon Coolpix P-1 and she NEVER used it because all of the features and functions intimidated her. I gave her the Nikon L12 and now she regularly uses it (she also gave me back the P1). The simplicity of operating the L12 made her feel free to use it and she gets great pictures. At 7MP this little camera produces great images. I purchased it "Refurbished" and the camera appeared to have never been taken out of the box. It uses two AA batteries and this is a big plus also. For someone wanting an easy to use camera at a very low price you can't go wrong with a Nikon L12. It is older technology but works perfectly. No complaints at all!

I bought the L12 because I saw my son's L11 and I liked the camera. Both my son and I have problems with the lens that make the camera useless at this time. The lens went out and is stuck in that position (don't tell me to change the batteries, we tried). The screen says lens error, but it will not retract and will not work other than to tell us there is a lens error. This happened the second time I used the camera. My son used his a little more, but they were both essentially new cameras that died.

died within a year

Nikon is made in China. What a shame. This could be a fine little camera, but the quality of the case is "cheap" and the lens covers stopped working two weeks after I bought it. The camera is now in the mail to the Nikon service center. We'll see what kind of service it gets, and how quickly I get it back -- either fixed or a replacement.

I bought this camera to replace my Olympus c720 Ultra Zoom (very disappointed with its performance, only 3 yrs old). I wanted a small camera that could take great pictures of children who DO NOT stop for the camera. This camera handles those situations perfectly and the size you cannot beat. I love the long movie time it gives you and the large viewing screen. The modes are easy and the menu is a breeze to navigate with just enough to add features and simple enough to change on the fly without losing precious moments. The vibration reduction I have used only a couple times, not the best pictures-they come out VERY GRAINY!! I thought I would need it more to take pictures of the kids, I have better luck on the Auto mode or Indoor mode. The delay between pictures is slower than others, but the picture quality is great. Overall, very happy. Would give it 5 stars but the delay between pictures and the hype of the vibration reduction mode disappoints me. I would buy another again despite these facts and am actually waiting to get some more in the slush fund to buy my husband one so we each have one!! Very easy, light and user friendly for the beginner to slight advanced photographer!!

This is a very nice camera, it take very nice pictures, better pictures than my canon A560 that I used to have. It's very light, small, with a big screen, and high quality The only thing that I don't like is that it takes its time to get ready for the next picture once you take one, the video takes some time to come back again on the screen.

I could not be more pleased with this camera. It makes great pictures, is easy to operate, has everything I need to create great photos. The developed photos are just as crisp and clear as they appear on the LCD Screen.