Best Reviewed
Cheap Digital Cameras
- Best budget digital camera Canon PowerShot Elph 100 HS *Est. $160
- Budget digital camera with longer zoom Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH25 *Est. $155
- Best of the cheapest cameras Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 *Est. $110
Get info about new reports and updates
- 15x wide-angle zoom lens
- Easy for novices to use
- 3-inch LCD display
- Image quality unimpressive
- Few manual controls
- Limited ISO control for low-light shots
- No viewfinder
The 10-megapixel Nikon Coolpix L100 is a point-and-shoot digital camera with a wide-angle 15x optical zoom lens, but reviewers disagree about whether that lens is an especially good one. Professional reviewers say the Nikon Coolpix L100 is easy to use, but if you are a more advanced photographer, there are few manual options and limited exposure control.
Professional- and owner-written reviews say there's nothing special about the image quality, and there is no viewfinder. Instead, you'll have to use the 3-inch LCD display screen, and some reviews say it's hard to do so in bright light. Most reviews say the shutter speed is a bit slow, and one reviewer notes that there's no audio cue to tell you when a shot's been completed in continuous mode. If you don't need a 15x zoom lens, reviews call the 4x Canon PowerShot A1100 IS (Discontinued) the best cheap digital camera, with top-notch image quality.
CNET has the best coverage of the Nikon Coolpix L100, updating its review when Nikon tweaked the L100 to allow use of a rechargeable nickel-metal hydride battery instead of four AAs. We found good coverage at TrustedReviews.com and EPhotoZine.com, plus about 200 owner reviews spread among CNET, Staples.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Newegg.com.
| Nikon Coolpix L100 10 MP Digital Camera with 15x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom | |
(159 reviews) In Stock. |
|
Our Sources
1. CNET
CNET boosted its good rating of the Nikon Coolpix L100 after Nikon updated the camera with a rechargeable nickel-metal hydride battery that it says will take 600 photos on a charge. Still, reviewer Joshua Goldman notes that the photo quality isn't impressive, and there's "almost no control over ISO."
Review: Nikon Coolpix L100, Joshua Goldman, June 2, 2009
Reviewer Cliff Smith says the Nikon Coolpix L100 is well made -- small but heavy (with four AA batteries in it) -- with a "very good" lens. He says it delivers image quality that's "very good under almost all circumstances," but the color is oversaturated in standard mode and "eye-searingly lurid" in vivid mode.
Review: Nikon Coolpix L100 Review, Cliff Smith, April 25, 2009
3. ePhotoZine
Reviewer Matt Grayson gives an essentially positive review to the Nikon Coolpix L100 and provides some helpful photo samples. Unfortunately, although he compares the L100's features against those of the Olympus SP565 UZ and the Sony DSC-H50, he doesn't tell us which we should buy.
Review: Nikon Coolpix L100 Digital Camera Review, Matt Grayson, May 6, 2009
4. Amazon.com
The vast majority of the 125-plus owner-written reviews give the Nikon Coolpix L100 a rating of 4 stars or better. Even some less-than-satisfied owners say it's OK for the money, but some complain about image quality and lack of manual and ISO adjustments.
Review: Nikon Coolpix L100 10MP Digital Camera, Contributors to Amazon.com
5. NewEgg.com
The handful of owner reviews here is worth reading because just about everyone lists detailed pros and cons. Note that some reviews were written before Nikon tweaked the L100 to allow use of a rechargeable battery.
Review: Nikon Coolpix L100, Contributors to Newegg.com
Cheap Digital Cameras Runners Up:
3 picks including: Amazon.com…
2 picks including: Amazon.com, PC World…
2 picks including: Amazon.com…
2 picks by top review sites.
