Nikon Coolpix P500

Looking for a camera that was cost effective and ease of use I had no idea that I was going to purchase this one. I have been a Cannon man from an early age and this camera surprised me. It was initially for a backup camera for the Duran Duran concert but ended up as the main camera as the Cannon was not allowed in. The quality and HD facilities made this an excellant choise for anyone looking to travel and have a good quality camera in their pocket

great camera to upgrade to when you want to step up from compact but don't want full SLR

Good intermediate camera, step up from point-add-shot and not quite a SLR. Zoom is fantastic.

Compared to Canon's equivalent Powershot SX40 HS, it has a larger screen, the scroll wheel was on a better position, is lighter, and is generally an easier camera to use (plus it has the classic Nikon camera look!). Unfortunately the extremely short battery life and slow and noisy autofocus made me have it exchanged with the Powershot.

Nikon has announced the Coolpix P510, so I would wait until it comes out...

Absolutely delighted with my new camera purchase. I did a lot of research as I was buying it as a present for my sons trip to Africa. I have been using it and it provides both superb shots for my local family use and the shots that my son took on his trip are unbelievable for a camera at such a price.
It is both compact and extremely multi functional.

This camera is a whole world of fun, big zoom and lots of other features, make this feel like a lot more than a point and click. It's a great quality camera, takes beautiful photos, and the zoom is just amazing. Loving the flip screen and viewfinder in the bright Aussie sun.
However the default out of the box settings are not the best. Fortunately it's easy to set up and save a programmed auto mode, with some better settings for everyday use; such as fine quality image and vivid color.
To get the best battery life, set 'charge by computer' to off, this is what drains the battery when it is sitting in the bag.
Automatic enough to capture those important snaps, while featured enough to experiment and learn, make the P500 is the last stop before you go to an SLR.

The Nikon Coolpix P500 is annoying - annoyingly good. Why? Let me explain - I've had SLR cameras for decades which I lug on bushwalks with extra lenses, a tripod & various other bits & prices. My wife had always had a compact - very lightweight, very sensible. But she always missed having a decent zoom for all the distant landscapes, shots of shy animals as well as small flowers etc. So when her last compact emitted masses of smoke (not kidding) she bought a Nikon Coolpix P500 from Ted's.

I had a "play" with it. Annoying! Very annoying. A "large compact" package that not only has a SUPER zoom (36X optical) but will also snap the "hairs" on the legs of spiders (well somebody has to like spiders). It also has most of the features and manual adjustments / controls a good SLR has and yet in a small-ish package with very good automatic everything (if that's what you want).

The zoom is up to 800mm (36X optical) and very sharp (of course you need a tripod or steadying tree trunk when near max. zoom), and down to a wide 22mm. The automatic macro setting ("closeup") is very good but does usually require some experience and some fiddling. You really can take sharp photos of spider leg hairs, flower stamen etc. but auto focus won't always work (i.e. you will need to lock focus and move the camera in and out to optimise sharpness sometimes).

The auto everything setting works well most of time, but the P500 also has the familiar SLR dial for selecting Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Programme mode etc. (note - no Depth of Field Optimisation setting). Their are also intermediate settings (i.e. automatics similar to most smaller compacts) such as Closeup, Sport, Portrait, Landscape etc. - haven't tried it but I think the manual even says one portrait setting will only snap the pic if all (most?) of the target people are smiling (assuming they all have sparkling white teeth???) ).

The P500 comes in a nice package with straps, battery, USB cable etc. The Lowenpro bag "Adventura TLZ 15" happens to fit the camera nicely.

This camera has the quality and features of a good SLR, but will require a bit of nouce / practice to make the best of all your shots. Ideal if you want something way way better than the average compact but still easy to use.

Easy to carry, quick to use, with quality results. Zoom is great particularly for Macro shots with excellent results. Lots of features for the camera enthusiast.

Coolpix P500 is great for beginners like myself who want a little more option and control when taking quick snaps. Ill be taking my camera overseas with me as it has fantastic options for scenery AND night capabilities.

Great camera. Took amazing photos on my cruise. Everything is just what I wanted in a camera.

I am delighted with the move to a Nikon, have not found it cumbersome or bulky. I am also pleased with the move back to the option of either a viewfinder or screen.

refer above

I am very happy with the camera overall, the 36x zoom is amazing but you need to be very careful when it is fully extended as there is huge camera shake, need to use a tripod if available. The battery is very slow to charge I will get a 2nd one when they are available, especially if you take a lot of video, it runs down quickly. I still have much to learn about the camera & I am going to do a course to help me but so far it is amazing.

As a newcomer to photography i found the Nikon coolpix camera very esy to use. My favourite features include the large screen that flips out in line with the viewing eye as oppossed to the side where some cameras have their display. An additional bonus is the second zoom control located on the side. Overall a very happy purchaser :)

We purchased a Nikon Coolpix P500 about 4 months ago to give us a camera with good zoom without buying a SLR as we are photographic novices. The camera has been exactly what we were after with a range of features that are everything and more a novice could want. The image quality is excellent, particularly when using the zoom.

While the camera is larger than the digital camera we were used to, it is still relatively small and light, and not needing accessories such as different lens and an external flash, it is easy to use, carry and store – even the kids aged 11 and 9 are taking high quality photos.

The LCD monitor is large and clear and can be tilted up and down which is great in different lights and situations. The menu and controls are easy to understand for both the kids and us camera novice parents, and it has a wide range of image sizes. There are plenty of autofocus shooting and scene modes as well as manual setting options which have been easy and fun to experiment with. The pop up flash is strong and reliable. The camera also provides HD video recording, though we haven’t tried this out yet. The only downside we have noticed is a drop off in image quality in low light without the flash.

Overall, the whole family loves this camera and we would recommend it to anyone who wants more features and zoom that a standard digital camera without the cost and accessories of a SLR.

I had no problems other than getting used to the different type of camera because I was only used a heavier film camera. My children were able to use it easily, light weight , a little bulky but overall the size and weight was quite good, and it travelled well because we took it to the UK

Love everything about it. Had Nikons years ago and sold cameras in those days. Swapped to Canon Eos and stayed that way for years. Decided to choose this Nikon for its incredible zoom and will stay with Nikon from now on again. The Battery gives no warning of going flat, but then I am no expert and I take a lot of photos of my and my students Art Work.

Overall a great camera, easy to use, compact for it's size great value for money, only problem I had was battery life. I have already recommended this camera to other firends.

EASY TO USE. LOOKS TERRIFIC. CAN TAKE GREAT ACTION SHOTS. DOES NEED TO HAVE GOOD LIGHT OTHERWISE VERY SLOW AND FRUSTRATING, UNLESS I'M NOT USING IT CORRECTLY. ANYWAY, I'M HAPPY.

This camera is good for a beggining in photography. It is quite easy to use once you get tthe hang of it.
It does have a few disadvantages like the poor battery life which only last about 2-3 hours! One of the many things i DO love about this camera is that the screen can rotate so you are able to take pictures from almost every angle! It is also quite a small camera that is easy to carry around.
The zoom is very strong and powerful even though this camera is not an SLR! You would expect it to be blurry and unstable when taking a picture but I have actually found myself taking some beautiful zoomed in pictures.
This camera also brings out coulours, it enhances then. The pictures of the moment you are trying to capture instantly look 10 times better!

This camera is just what I was looking for to replace a small compact that I found difficult to use outside. The Nikon Coolpix P500 with the optical viewfinder was exactly what I was looking for and having both viewfinder options is very good. The amazing zoom takes very good images and the camera controls are easy to use. I love this camera and use it all the time. It makes me feel like a real photographer.

VERY HAPPY WITH CAMERA. GOOD QUALITY PHOTOS AND VIDEO FUNCTION. IS VERY EASY TO USE. JUST BEEN TO USA AND GOT SOME FANTASTIC SHOTS AND VIDEO

I needed something digital, easy to use with a good size window for reviewing photos 'on the spot'. Nikon Coolpix 500 ticked all the boxes for me.

I am finding it really good although I am still endeavouring to be a lot better from my part will take time from the cameras part it will have to be patient with me

The red coloured version, appears to be the most beautiful and elegant looking bridge camera around.

A manufacturing drawback.
Lens cap must be taken off prior to accessing all electronic camera functions.

It could be said, that it may not produce the most optimum picture quality of any bridge camera available. However, an individual who's prime concern is exclusively picture quality, should opt for a DSLR.

Realtive to other bridge cameras, it has greater handeling qualities enabeling taking standard pictures with only one hand. Comparatively light, with arguably the best and safest camera handle grip available. Excellent LCD screen qualities. Likely to posses the broadest focal range of any bridge camera on the market.

A very practical all-round camera.

Have had a P500 for 4 months. Takes beautiful photos. Still learning to use the different functions but getting there. The only problem is the battery is liable to flatten itself while the camera is left switched off in the bag. I have since turned off "computer charging" and it hasn't happened again.

The only issue I had during my recent trip overseas was the camera decided to suddenly freeze with the zoom all the way out, the only way of fixing was to take out the battery. I have not experienced any other problems since. Very happy with it & considering my sister-in-law is a professional photographer, she was extremely impressed with the photos this camera produced.

Bought the Nikon P500 a month ago. Best thing I ever bought there. Highly recommended.