Taking pics of moving boats - What to buy? I want to be able to take preferably videos, or at least still photos of boats that are driving recklessly. It would be nice to capture a boat's registration number at, say, 1/4 mile. I have little photo experience & would only want a point & shoot. The Nikon Coolpix S9100, for example, has impressive specs. Will this camera do what I want? Do I have realistic expectations? Thanks for your help. Taking pics of moving boats - What to buy? I want to be able to take preferably videos, or at least still photos of boats that are driving recklessly. It would be nice to capture a boat's... » Read More Taking pics of moving boats - What to buy? I want to be able to take preferably videos, or at least still photos of boats that are driving recklessly. It would be nice to capture a boat's registration number at, say, 1/4 mile. I have little photo experience & would only want a point & shoot. The Nikon Coolpix S9100, for example, has impressive specs. Will this camera do what I want? Do I have realistic expectations? Thanks for your help. « Show Less
1820223
Just purchased the Canon SX40. It is truly amazing. There are not too many boats out on the ice right now, but I think it will do what I want. The picture quality is fantastic. Shortcomings? Since I'm a newbie I don't understand why some pics are blurry and others not; but that is probably more my inexperience than the camera. Also, it shoots 1080 video only at 24 fps. This is still pretty good, but there are some situations where a moving video is less crisp. But I could always switch to non HD if I choose, and have 30 fps that way. Thanks for your help.
1657028
Canon sx40 has 32x zoom and video and burst shooting. About $400. It has auto mode, too, so you don't have to be an expert. At the longest zoom, you need bright light, but this is standard for zooms. Not that small compared to the compacts but not too bulky. I like the specs of this camera, the s9100, but it sounds like there are a lot of lemons coming out, which is too bad. The s8100 only has 10x zoom, so that wouldn't be for you.
1820224
The Nikon Coolpix p500 also has impressive zoom, 35x, the burst shooting works differently, but that might not be an issue for you. At $349, it's running about $50 less than the Canon sx40 right now.
1810699
Yeah this is a really cool camera, its sorta like getting a new cell phone, its a little complicated at first but as you keep messing with it it gets really easy, i learned pretty much how to do everything on this camera in 3 days. I'd say "absolutely" its a good model, may even be willing to bet you'd want to take pictures with it.
1471222
Hi Julie. Yes this is an awesome camera. I have taken pictures in the car driving 70 miles an hour and they were perfect.
609060
It takes fine pictures at night. It isn't SLR quality, and occasionally even my iPhone does as well, but where it really shines is under water. We dropped ours in 36ft off of the bow of our sailboat and it did fine, even after spending several hours down there until we could recover it (no dive gear on the boat and that is beyond my free diving capability). It is still a point and shoot with a small lens. I am happy with it, but it is far from a perfect camera. Our Canon SLR is superior, but that is to be expected. Its a great travel camera for those active moments where you can't take an SLR.
1503023
I'm a sailor as well. I haven't taken these on a boat, but I've used my older Nikons (1970's) on a boat for years with no problem. That said, if I were paranoid about it and could afford it, I'd buy a waterproof pair.
1406690
I have used it for over a month. Amazing video quality and great underwater shots - very clear and vivid colors! But I dont recommend this cam if you are intending to use it on a regular basis - landscape shots, portraits and other "upwater" shooting. http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Compact-Digital-Cameras/26461/COOLPIX-S32.html
1254696
The shutter speed of this camera (look for ISO number) is very good for a point & click...one of the best. The 16 mp has a much slower shutter speed (lower ISO) and from what I read, takes horrible pictures.SIZE ISN'T EVERYTHING! (megapixels, that is)
392883
Hi, Douglas! I saw what you discussed about the lances and the whole camera and I want to ask you if you have any experiance with Nikon Coolpix 5700 (I have that one) and how is it against Canon DigitalRebel XT? Is it much more I'll "earn" if I switch to Canon? Thank you in advance!Ivan Hristov, Houston, TX
900440
Hi, I recently bought a Nikon S9100 and it brought a small paper starting guide, but the real manual came as a PDF 200-page document in a CD, so I printed it both sides at home and now I have a very complete and well designed manual which I'm reading slowly chapter by chapter in order to take most advantage of this camera. I owned a Sony Cybershot P-73 for 7 years and now I have a lot of new functions to learn (face detection, focus moving subjects, 18X optical zoom, stabilizing image, and so on). Regarding the functions, this camera is in the midway between a small P&S; cameras and it's worth to carefully read the manual and practice, practice and practice a lot!! Hi, I recently bought a Nikon S9100 and it brought a small paper starting guide, but the real manual came as a PDF 200-page document in a CD, so I printed it both sides at home and now I have a very complete and well designed manual which I'm reading slowly chapter by chapter in order to take most advantage of this camera. I owned a Sony Cybershot P-73 for 7 years and now I have a lot of new functions to learn (face detection, focus moving subjects, 18X optical zoom, stabilizing image, and so on). Regarding the functions, this camera is in the midway between a small P&S; cameras and it's... » Read More Hi, I recently bought a Nikon S9100 and it brought a small paper starting guide, but the real manual came as a PDF 200-page document in a CD, so I printed it both sides at home and now I have a very complete and well designed manual which I'm reading slowly chapter by chapter in order to take most advantage of this camera. I owned a Sony Cybershot P-73 for 7 years and now I have a lot of new functions to learn (face detection, focus moving subjects, 18X optical zoom, stabilizing image, and so on). Regarding the functions, this camera is in the midway between a small P&S; cameras and it's worth to carefully read the manual and practice, practice and practice a lot!! « Show Less
1049773
This camera is now obsolete, so if you want to buy it, check Ebay. I sold mine last year. Sorry.
2157471
I heard Nikons were very nice cameras. This one is small, portable, easy to carry in my purse, pocket or the baby bag. It takes awesome pictures. I liked the fact that I was getting 20 MP for less than $150. I wanted something that would take awesome photos but at the same time, not cost me an arm and leg like some of the more expensive Nikons... not that they aren't worth the money. I don't think you'd regret purchasing this camera, I haven't in the four months I've had it. :)
1295918
I looked in my camera but someone switched sd cards. I believe I had the fast sdhc cards 64 GB. Just to let you know, this camera is amazing... I have the battery charging right to use tomorrow. I bought this camera for a surfing trip in Nicaragua. I was in the water taking picture and set it at its highest resolution and It is GREAT. I have a Lumix camera and this beats it. Plus I can take this one in the water. Hope it helps
1451684
I can't say it would be perfect as a video blog camera but I have found it to be entirely useful and would recommend it to anybody for a pocket camera, still and video. I have always used a Canon pocket for point and shoot and the only time I went off-brand with a Nikon I was extremely disappointed.
537059
If you were on a moving taxi on a bright sunny day and taking wide shots you should be happy. You can go snapping away. I've taken a lot of moving (the subject moving) outdoor shots and I like the output -- much better than my old P&S camera. If you were on a moving taxi at night you will not be happy with the quality of shots. Maybe a camera with better sensor might be better for you.
1030213
I believe you can already find reviews on the coolpix P100. Cnet.com has a review posted, and I was dissappointed with what they came back with. It could be that people are expecting too much of these tiny sensor, super zoom compacts.
850157
The biggest problem I've had with binoculars and looking through a camera viewfinder from my kayak on reasonably calm seas (3-4 foot swell 13 seconds) is rapid onset sea sickness. I would like like to try image stabilized (IS) binocs, but the waterproof ones are very pricey. If your boat is bigger and you're not getting regular splash, you might try the non-waterproof ones (they don't seem to make IS monoculars).
1819837
See DP Review on SX230 @ http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q311travelzoomgrouptest/3 In continuous mode it takes 3 pics/second. Since it has Shutter Priority (Tv) and takes very good pics @ISO400 or lower you can set it for a fast shutter (1/1000 or higher) and fire away at 3+ fps in outdoor lighting. If using a flash you're limited by the flash recharge time, as in all cameras of this type. If you're shooting in single shot mode it's ready to shoot again in a second or less. BTW, don't fret about "fast" SD cards. You won't see any increase in shot to shot speed as you go above Class 4, no need to waste money on faster cards. See DP Review on SX230 @ http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q311travelzoomgrouptest/3 In continuous mode it takes 3 pics/second. Since it has Shutter Priority (Tv) and takes very good pics @ISO400 or lower you can set it for a fast shutter (1/1000 or higher) and fire away at 3+ fps in outdoor lighting. If using a flash you're limited by the flash recharge time, as in all cameras of this type. If you're shooting in single shot mode it's ready to shoot again in a second or less. BTW, don't fret about "fast" SD cards. You won't see any increase in shot to shot speed as you go above... » Read More See DP Review on SX230 @ http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q311travelzoomgrouptest/3 In continuous mode it takes 3 pics/second. Since it has Shutter Priority (Tv) and takes very good pics @ISO400 or lower you can set it for a fast shutter (1/1000 or higher) and fire away at 3+ fps in outdoor lighting. If using a flash you're limited by the flash recharge time, as in all cameras of this type. If you're shooting in single shot mode it's ready to shoot again in a second or less. BTW, don't fret about "fast" SD cards. You won't see any increase in shot to shot speed as you go above Class 4, no need to waste money on faster cards. « Show Less