Fantastic experience with this camera in real world conditions
340037
I spent many hours researching small cameras. I went back and forth between feeling as though I was taking too much of a chance on this and I would be disappointed, while at the same time marveling at its price point and high-end specs, including the 16 MP Sony CMOS sensor and the Ambarella chip used on the GoPro Hero3+, and other cameras.

Would it perform?

It arrived today and I have been so pleased in my testing so far, I dropped what I was doing to write this and refute the reviews that were either incomplete, clearly influenced by a free or discounted product, or simply wrong.

First, the US version came in a very nice, though simple box, and included instructions and warranty card in ENGLISH.

After a quick read I turned the camera on, turned on the wi-fi and began connecting with my iPhone 6. I had previously downloaded the app in anticipation of its arrival. Anyone who has researched this camera already knows that there is no LCD display to change settings, and that this is done though a dedicated app. That's the trade off for a much more affordable camera -- one I was willing to make.

Camera boot up takes about 7 seconds, and wi-fi boot up takes anywhere between 10-13 seconds. People have complained about this, but honestly, a few seconds are no big deal. What matters is, it works. Not only was I able to seamlessly connect to my iPhone 6, but I was also able to connect to my Android-enabled Moto G. Both phones allowed me to change any setting needed and I have to say, the apps were intuitive and easy to use.

Once your settings are where you like them, it's time to take some photos and videos. The camera is remarkably easy to use once you understand the logic of how it's set up. The power button on the front is also responsible to change modes, which are indicated by the LED lights. Taking a photo and video can be confirmed both by an audio beep, and a light pattern. Really, it couldn't be much easier. And because Xiaomi has taken the trouble to put LEDs on four different sides of the camera, you always know what mode you're in.

I took a few video and photo samples. I didn't notice any blurred spots or distortions. I took photos with the lens correction function both on and off, and have to say I prefer the view with no barrel distortion. You only lose about 5% of the photo anyway. Photo quality is remarkable. Photos of my desk top showed extreme detail.

Video was sharp, but you're going to want to use some sort of stabilization mechanism, either in the form of a gimbal, a handheld bracket or a mount. Your frame rate will also influence the perceived shakiness.

That's my short update. So far this has exceeded expectations.

I will be going on a SCUBA dive trip within two weeks, the primary purpose for purchasing this camera, and will report back on its performance afterwards.
1121340
This camera is the first DSLR type I have ever purchased.  As a novice, I did some extensive research and determined that it would likely ease me into the photography that I'm interested in exploring.  The first and most appreciated quality of this camera was the fact that I took it out of the box and immediately could take photos - I was not intimidated by the many functions, dials and buttons.  There was no "learning curve" involved to take that first picture. The auto-focus had my photos coming out fail-safe!

That having been said, the features on this camera are remarkable and have me learning more and more about the ease in which this camera operates under many different conditions to achieve the effects my imagination is wishing to realize.  The camera is allowing me to grow into many facets of photography.  The longer lens provided many new and incredible options for my photos.  While there is still an amazing amount to learn with this camera, it has become fun and has lent itself to a great new hobby.  Recently on vacation, I took approximately 1000 photos and, save for a few photos that were not well-thought out, they all presented me with an incredible recount of my time away.

The bundle package was a nice deal and, as I continue to shop and evaluate pricing, it allows me to feel good about getting a great deal.
770195
It is more than I expected, in one word I rated this camera a 5 star
1814463
this is a great Camera (I ended up purchasing elsewhere because I wanted the purple version personally).

i have been using this Camera for a couple of months now and it has been great. recently purchased some rechargeable batteries for it so I will post about battery life at a later time as use the camera more. This camera was purchased for a trip i am planning in a few months.

currently i am using a 64GB lexar SD card and 3500mah Ni-MH batteries. I have not had any problems with focus or poor quality pictures (I am a complete amateur when it comes to photography but i try)

One of the main reasons I chose this camera over others is the vibration reduction. even with shaky hands the pictures one this camera come out awesome. the zoom on this is one of the best in this camera's category along with being very quite. it also allows you to zoom while recording video so that you don't have to stay at the same distance for the entire recording. Another good thing is the adjustable screen which gives you a wide rage of viewing angles.

over all this is a very good camera, I have enjoyed using it so far and will update this review as needed.

update: I have had to change the rechargeable Batteries i am using with the Camera as after testing the batteries there were not holding a charge. i have since purchased some Energizer 2300mAh Ni-MH  which seem to be working wonderfully, i do know that it is a drop in mAh but it is worth it for the reliability. these one seem to be lasting a lot longer.
4220
After using the camera for about one week I am impressed at the picture quality, both still images and video. The construction feels vey solid and the weather resistant construction ensures that you can take it to a long walk in a dense jungle (as I did just recently). Many options for taking pictures (still learning about them), particularly impressed with the High Dynamic Range function.
3800021
I got this camera as a Christmas gift from my husband, I've only had  it for a few days, and I don't like writing reviews this early in the game, but there are so many positives so far, I just had to because there are things I'm finding with this camera that I hadn't seen reviewed yet. So here it goes!!!

I've only had it 4 days because the first one out of the box on Christmas day was defective. We discussed getting a different model, but this one has so many good reviews (on many different outlets) we decided to try again, I'm so glad we did! I'm not going to go into the toughness or compact features, they have been talked about at great length in other reviews.

First, if you have owned an Olympus digital before, you know how complicated the menu options can be. We had a 3030zoom for about 16 years and it finally died, it took AMAZING pictures even at only 3.3 megapixals because of the lens quality, but the menu options were almost impossible to figure out. We knew  the quality of pictures was probably a no brainer with the TG-2, again, because of Olympus lens quality and I was willing to take on the menu again.

To my surprise the menu, though still pretty involved, has a VERY cool feature!! It has a cheater window at the bottom of each option to tell you EXACTLY what that feature does. (you can turn that off if you want, but who would want to? :-})  With the 3030 I always had to refer back to the owners manual which was also daunting. But with the TG-2 I only have to look at the manual occasionally because of the newness yet. So if you are worried about the reputation Olympus has with the menus fear not, they have listened to the consumer about this one!

Another really cool feature is that you can make "folders" for grouping pictures which is very cool if you are going to be on trips at various locations, you won't have to try and organize once you download to the computer, a lot of the work will already be done for you.

The pictures I have taken so far are AMAZINGLY clear and detailed (even in some not so good lighting) and the colors just pop! It has even out done my Cannon EOS Rebel at only 2 more megapixels. I love all of the special effects features, I'm having a lot of fun playing around with them. (it's in the "magic" menu) I also took a video of my cats playing, very clear and defined. I like that you can just hit the red button to start recording, no more switching modes to do so.

The one and only drawback I have found is that if you zoom during video recording you can hear the motor very clearly in the video itself. So make sure you are zoomed in and out before you start recording. Or a person could possibly cover it with music? Not sure about that yet.

If you are on the fence about this one, I highly recommend giving it a try. If I find other things about it, I will update my review as needed.
2278650
Got this camera over the holidays, and I have to say that everything good that has been said about it is true. Powerful zoom, powerful image stabilization that goes along with it and allows you to easily snap 30x shots freehand (albeit more blurry than wide angle shots but that's inevitable), fully auto and fully manual exposure, focus, and aperture, loads and loads and loads of features that you'd normally expect on a DSLR. Image quality is great (there is some very fine grain, however, but it has that "actual photo" feel to it rather than the square JPEG-y stuff or color noise common with digital cams), and with all the features you can get great shots in any situation. I've been able to resolve individual cells on flower petals in super macro, take super-zoom shots of details you'd need a telescope to see, and take nighttime photos that look like daylight. In short, you can definitely push the limits with this camera.

Of course, everything comes at a cost, and here the main cost is speed (and battery life, but more on that later). It's certainly not the best camera for capturing extremely spontaneous/unexpected moments, but 98% of the time this has not been an issue for me. Actually my camera does something odd and I don't know if this is a common problem, but it gets progressively slower the more full the card is (reaching downright unbearable levels on a full card). I don't know why this happens, or if it can be fixed with a faster card. Frequent image dumping to the computer keeps this issue to a minimum for me. Anyhow, on an empty card I find the camera's speed perfectly acceptable. Keep in mind you can press the shutter button to get right back to shooting after taking a pic.

As for layout design, it works pretty well for the most part. I love the quick access to options by using the slider wheel. The one thing I have a gripe with is that you cannot access focus modes directly but have to cycle through them. This wouldn't be so bad were it not for the fact that every time you pass "super macro" you have to wait for the lens to reach its preset zoom level, and then wait again for it to go back to the previous zoom once you leave that mode. This can make going from macro all the way back to auto a bit of a pain. I am very puzzled as to why the focus wasn't placed as one on the scroll wheel options.

Now as for the batteries. Yeah, it's a fairly big camera with serious features; don't expect it to run on mist. I'm very confused about people's comments bashing the choice of AA batteries versus bulit-in, however. Lithium ion isn't gonna get you that much farther per charge than NiMH will, but if you are out somewhere where there is no electricity and you run out of juice in that one battery, you are *DONE*. On the other hand, you can carry an arbitrarily large arsenal of AA batteries with you, reload, and keep shooting. If you're into the whole hiking and nature photography thing, you most definitely do not want an irreplaceable battery. I also didn't notice it chewing through a set THAT quickly; I guess it depends on flash use, which I almost never do.

If you're a shutterbug who just wants a camera that you can whip out and snap shots and put away, which works with no fussing or any effort to understand its functioning, this camera is probably not for you. If, on the other hand, you are serious about taking good pictures but don't want a serious price tag, this is definitely the best or one of the best cameras for you. If you are the type who can handle technology with a few small quirks rather than flipping out at them, if you don't mind taking the time to understand how everything works, this camera will be a formidable tool in your hands.
1516564
This camera will never take the quality of photos that DSLRs are capable of. But it's not a DSLR; it's a travel companion that you can keep in your coat pocket or on your belt in a case. For a camera this size, it has the best of everything: The EVF is very sharp and a joy to use; the Intel Auto will adjust to pretty much any shooting condition; the LCD display is incredibly sharp; the video quality is exceptional for a point and shoot camera; the battery life is surprisingly good considering how much I've enjoyed playing with the powerful zoom; the wifi function (which requires the Panasonic Image app to be installed on your smart phone) is very impressive once you figure out how to use it (you get a full function remote control which includes wirelessly viewing the image on your device-great for macro shots, and the ability to transfer any picture to the device wirelessly); and of course, the zoom capability combined with the OIS works very well. Using home wifi network (the camera gives you a few choices), I was able to view pics directly on my wifi enabled Panasonic TV wirelessly. Pretty cool technology.

I moved up from a Panny TZ5, and it's several iterations better. The decision to get the ZS50 rather than the NikonS9900 (great articulating screen), or the comparable Sony was because of the EVF and quite frankly, build quality. It just seems so solid compared to the other two cameras. The artistic function works great and is fun to play with, and the manual settings work well enough for a camera this size. Low light pictures turn out surprisingly well, thanks no doubt in part to Panasonic reducing the MP count. The flash, which is weirdly positioned and my only gripe with the camera does well in close shots (will the next version have a hot shoe perhaps?), but struggles a bit in more distance of fast moving subjects indoors. The reality is that it is expected so these slight shortfalls do not change my impression of the camera. With decent indoor light, the forced flash off (on non-moving objects) gives you more accurate colours reproduction. I have and would highly recommend this camera to anyone whom I know would not expect DSLR quality in a point and shoot.

On a side note, it was purchased through Amazon but from Cardinal Camera. Although a small private store, their customer service was amazing (had one minor issue to deal with which was resolved beyond what I expected) and the camera was shipped rapidly.
1908103
Here's my story...

I purchased my first DSLR, an Olympus E-420, in May this year, and really caught the photography bug. The great thing about the Olympus, especially with the 25mm pancake lens, is that it is as easy to carry as a point and shoot, but takes GREAT pictures, **as long as there is plenty of natural light**.

When I read the introductory preview of the Pentax K-R on dpreview.com, it got my attention because it was noted for great performance in low light / high iso conditions, such as shooting indoors without a flash, or shooting your daughter/son playing basketball in a gymnasium, where built-in flashes do not have the range. This, plus in-camera image stabilization and very usable 18-55 and 55-300 kit lenses, sounded worth trying. So I found a great deal through Amazon, and bought the Pentax K-R right around Thanksgiving.

The first thing I noticed about the Pentax when I unpacked it was that it felt much more robust than the Nikon D5000 or Canon Rebel that I had checked out at Costco; but it also sounded like it was broken. There was something flopping around inside when I tipped the camera back and forth. This was disconcerting next to my rock solid Olympus. The second thing I noticed was that after I charged the battery and powered up for the first time, the display glitched. I fooled around and took a few shots, and they came out really great, but I was still concerned, so the next day I called Pentax. Pentax tech support was very helpful, and explained that the part moving inside is the sensor, which floats on a magnetic field so that it can compensate for camera movement when taking pictures. The glitch on startup, however, was not normal, and they suggested I return the camera for a replacement.

So I contacted Amazon, and there was only one problem setting up the return/replacement: They were out of stock. So I waited, and kept reading the K-R booklet and reviews online... I wondered if I should wait for the replacement, or just return it and get something else.

Then, earlier today I received an email from Costco that the new Rebel x2ti was available at a substantial discount with an 18-55 and a 55-250 kit. I picked one up on the way home, and when I walked in the door my wife was ready to kill me. The replacement K-R had come from Amazon, so I now had two Pentaxes, the Canon, and the original Olympus...

Long story short, comparing the Pentax and the Canon side by side, the Pentax was the hands down, no contest winner. It is a much more substantial feeling camera, with better buttons, and a much more professional "feel." The lenses seem more solid, and the front element does NOT turn the way that it does on the Canon when focusing, which is important if you use a polarizing filter. It's also nice to have the flexibility of 18-55 and 55-300mm lenses with the Pentax kit versus 18-55 and 55-250mm with Canon. And the Pentax SR image stabilization system works great. I'm taking pictures indoors with the 18-55 f3.5 lens without any flash, and getting perfect exposures without blur. Much better results than I can get with the 25mm f2.8 Zuiko on the Olympus with the same light. I'm sure that once I can afford a higher speed prime lens from Pentax, I will be even happier.

In summary, if you value excellent build quality, lens design, and low light / high iso performance, you will be very happy with the Pentax K-R.
3161696
I have had this camera for 3 weeks now and have taken it on flights all over the Asia region - the form factor means it slips into my briefcase easily and is truly portable. The images taken in bright sunlight are truly STUNNING - clear, sharp and with fantastic color. The lens is especially good showing sharpness from edge to edge. The sensor obviously delivers smoothly graduated and vibrant color - the results speak for themselves. However it is not all good. The fixed lens while good is a little too wide for general use IMHO, so it forces some real discipline onto your photos. Maybe a 50mm would have been better. It is a little slow to focus and sometimes just seems to get confused into doing nothing - which is strange. The low light results actually seem quite pedestrian compared to the truly spectacular bright light results. Added to all of this, it seems that the "non-Bayer" sensor means that few RAW converters (in my case Apple Aperture)can work with the RAW files it makes - so you need to use the very odd SPP software that comes with the camera. So in summary I will use this when the light is good and the colors work well, and just work around it's limitations. I recommend this as an alternative to an SLR. The results is produces can be and are amazing, once you work within its capabilities.
3243893
The camera arrived two days ago, and while I haven't taken it out for a shoot yet, I've been playing with it and testing it indoors.

As soon as you pick it up, you're rewarded with the feel of a beautifully designed device, with great craftsmanship, finish and weight. Just like my iPhone 4. The optical viewfinder is crystal clear, taking you back to the film days, with the HUGE added bonus of digitally overlaying useful information, such as exposure configuration, histogram, etc. I was surprised by how quiet the shutter is! The camera came loaded with the latest firmware (1.11 as of this writing), so I've proceeded with formatting my memory card (which is recommended for best performance), and started going through the setup.

Without reading the manual, I've cycled through all the menu options, and seemed pretty straight forward. Within an hour or two I had a pretty good understanding of the configuration options, and had the camera configured to my liking. I was pleasantly surprised that the menu is nowhere near as bad as most reviewers on the Internet make it out to be. Once you use it a few times, you're familiar enough to be able to quickly get to a setting if needed.

Regarding the manual focus so many complain about: yes, it is unusable as a conventional manual focus ring as it's very slow. However, as many pointed out, you can hit the AFL/AEL button on the back in manual focus mode, and the camera will auto focus for you. Where the manual focus ring with it's slow response comes in handy is TWEAKING your focus. Once you've focused with the AFL/AEL button, you can click the middle of the Command dial (above the AFL/AEL button), which in Electronic Viewfinder Mode will give you a 100% magnification of you focus point. You can then fine tune focus with the manual ring. This can be useful at close focusing distances, or difficult lighting situations.

Auto focus speed is more than adequate. The image quality tests indoors seem very good. I will be testing it outdoors in the coming days & weeks.

I have only touched on the few main points criticized the most on the Internet based on my research. I was happy to learn that they are all negligible (and I've been researching this camera for the past two weeks pretty much on a daily basis). There are tons of other detailed reviews out there that give you a full report. I agree with them on the positives: great image quality, great build, excellent viewfinder, amazingly quiet shutter, great manual control dials, a large DSLR sized sensor, packed in a durable but conveniently sized package. Yes, it's on the pricey side, but quality always is.

If you're like me, a bit apprehensive about some of the reviews, don't be. This camera is a joy to use with very good image quality. I am not a professional, just a hobbyist. I do own a Canon 30d & a Canon 5d, along with a Canon S95 point and shoot, which I'll now be selling :).

Hope this helps.
1123549
First of all, this camera has lots of pluses. It is fully PoE compatible, I plugged it into my TrendNET PoE switch and it just worked. Camera powered up, and I was able to configure it quickly & easily. It's also fully compatible with Blue Iris software, if you're wondering. The vandal-proof dome is a great feature, I love that I don't have to worry about anyone messing with the camera itself. Finally, the resolution is phenomenal. All my other IP cams are 2MP/1080p, and the step up to 3 megapixels is amazing. I can make out facial details and read license plates of cars in my driveway at much longer distances. And the infrared performance is amazing - I can see people & critters just fine out to a few dozen yards from the camera at night.

The only complaints I have with the camera are with its installation and its adjustability. Physically mounting this one can be a little more fussy than with other Amcrest cams - the camera has to be disassembled and putting it all back together once it's mounted (up on a ladder, trying to deal with Allen wrenches and tiny screws, etc...) can be a bit of a challenge. That said, this may well be the case for all of these dome-type cameras, and I may be unfairly complaining about something endemic to this camera design (i.e. this may well not be just an Amcrest issue, and since the dome was a requirement for me I might better stop...). And it's a minor issue at most.

The adjustability is another issue. It's hard to describe or understand until you have the camera in hand, but this camera is kind of limited as to how & how much you can adjust it. The "eye" of the camera can be rotated around the up/down axis - think of a line going from the bottom of the dome up through the top of the base, as the camera is pictured - the camera can rotate around this line, giving you full left/right adjustability. And there is some adjustability in one other plane, based on the way the camera is bracketed to the base. But that second degree of adjustability is fairly limited. In my installation, I have the camera mounted outside my garage door, monitoring a parking pad outside the garage and my driveway (~80yd long). I adjusted the camera with as much "downward" angle as it will allow, as well as dropped it below the edge of the roof as much as possible (using metal conduit). However, I still get too much sky and too little ground, for my taste (if that makes sense). The only way I can figure out this could be overcome would be to mount the camera body itself at a downward angle, but it's difficult to do that when you're dealing with conduit and junction boxes (i.e. pieces that are pretty much limited to 90deg angles). Another possibility would be to mount the camera "sideways", as the firmware does allow you to rotate the camera feed & image (only possible hitch I can see here is whether or not that would mess up the infrared performance, as the lamps are all clustered on one side of the lens). More range in the up/down adjustment plane would have been much more ideal for me. That, or a ball-type camera with dome - but when I purchased Amcrest didn't offer anything like that. All that said, it's still a great camera.

None of these complaints are deal-breakers, mind you. Given the chance, I'm pretty sure I'd still get this one. But it's the only Amcrest camera I've gotten where I've thought they might have fallen just a bit short of the mark.
763719
After using this camera for a few weeks I am amending my rating and giving it 5 stars. This camera is truly incredible. The intelligent automatic is amazing---I only move it to manual for a few special situations. The only real complaint is that I occasionally inadvertently hit the video button. Otherwise it is simply amazing.

It handles difficult situations with grace. Sunset with sky and foreground properly exposed. Delivery room newborn with no flash and low ambient lighting. Black and white is fantastic. Couldn't be happier.

This is a great camera for a beginner---Point and shoot. Lots of control for advance photographers. I'm sorry to say I don't lug around a camera bag and tripod anymore. Just slip this in my purse.

I waited a long time to upgrade from the first generation Panasonic Lumix TZ1 (complete with dangling lens cover & 5MP) Glad I did. The best improvements are the quick power-up and lack of a shutter delay for catching fast action. If you leave it in the completely automatic mode it does an impressive job---and if you need control there's plenty and then some. Lots of programs plus aperture and shutter priority or complete control.

Other notable improvements are in the macro end of things where capturing very fine close-ups are greatly improved---my TZ1 was always focusing on the background if I could get it to focus at all. This does an incredible job! Almost too much detail (if that's possible) Every speck on the petal of a flower is exposed. This camera is slightly smaller and has a larger display screen. Most of the functions and dials are similar and I find easy to use but that may be because they are familiar.

Flash is improved over the first generation.
The zoom on the original was 10X. 12X even better. I took incredible photos of bullfrogs 15 feet away. Unbelievable detail.

This camera isn't perfect and no camera will ever be. It would be nice to have a more powerful flash and nice if you could shoot in lower light with less noise without flash and it would be nice if it had a 20X optical zoom and a faster lens but for what it is its an incredible piece of engineering. AND don't forget the Leica lens which is just plain beautiful.

All cameras have limitations and this is no exception. However it will get you a great photo most of the time. The wide angle to long telephoto range is why I bought my first Lumix. This flexibility makes for great travel photos. I did side by side comparisons of a Sony, Canon, Nikon and the first Lumix in the store and then we printed them out on the spot. No comparison. No ghosting, better color correction, better macro. And I like the ergonomics. I always place the wrist band over my wrist and hold onto the camera with fingers and pad of thumb and it feels secure. Some of the ultra small cameras are almost too small for me. (Didn't compare to current models)

What is truly awful about this camera is that the manual is on a disk and covers this camera and its 2 predecessors making it a bit (if Not totally confusing at times). It also does not come with MAC compatible editing software which is really not a big deal for me. One person asked if it is MAC OSX 10.6.3 compatible and it is. The only problem I've encountered is in using Aperture (a MAC program)it doesn't want to import directly into a project that has other images from my other Lumix camera. Make a new project and problem is solved but irritating. (Manual software and downloading from card to MAC is compatible)

Haven't tried uploading video yet.

DO purchase an extra Panasonic Battery DMW-BCG 10PP. Make sure it has the PP (It won't work without it) Also you'll need a SD Card. It's not necessary to go to the Class 6 cards unless you are shooting HD video. A SDHC 4GB card will hold 700+ photos at full MP.For most people this will be more than adequate. I carry two cards in case one goes south. You can always find them on sale for under $20. I also like the Caselogic TBC-302 Ultra Compact Camera Case for under $8.
3502774
Can I please write a glowing review of this amazing camera? As someone who is somewhat of an archivist, who likes to capture life as it happens in both still photography and video-land, I always seem to be acquiring different cameras for different needs, selling some and buying new others to replace them. And every now and then a camera comes along that seems to hop to both the forefront of where technology is at the moment, and seems to imbue all of the needs that I have for a camera of its class perfectly.
For a long time, I carried around the Casio Exilim EX-Z750 everywhere-- the fact was that it was really small, able to get really good quality video just about anywhere, and took really good quality pictures with no hesitation with many user-friendly (read: dummyproof) modes. Then it began to be the age of accessible HD video, and thus my quest then had to move forward.
First thing I tried was the Canon Powershot SD-780IS. And that is a sleek, nice cam, very capable for its size. But many of the stills came out blurry and some of the vid was a bit grainy, and well, it just wasn't the perfect find really.
Eventually after watching a lot of YouTube sample videos and whatnot, I luckily happened upon this cam. Not only was it a direct descendant of the cybershot H1 I already own, able to get great zoom shots with a big nice lens and well-done anti-shake technology, but HD video at a really decent conversion rate, one that could get about a half hour with a 2-gigger card? Nice!
When I got it I was impressed with the big sleek screen, but I have to say I was a good bit worried when I started posturing with it and taking shots. On the screen itself, the views looked pixellated and sub-par. In my brain I was already thinking, ugh, this one may not exactly be a keeper. But thereafter, when I actually flew the stuff down to computer, I stood there completely changed. Beautiful, clear shots, brilliant color, just the right amount of saturation, the whole nine yards. The functionality is great, everything's easy to find like the self-timer and all of that, and the zoom is super-nice.
The video itself is quite pristine-- The only thing I have that gets better video is a 3-chip Panasonic HDC-SD9 and well, that's really stepping into a different class from any point and shoot kind of device.
Anyway, the point is that I feel as though I have found my 'answer-all' camera for the current timeframe, to hold that 'ok, you're going somewhere quick, you can only grab 1 camera, which is it?' kind of space. And that is a tough place to occupy. If you're on the fence and need a great overall cam this size and price-range, I'd say go with this one hands down.
3972584
I have owned this camera for about 15 months; I am just a typical amateur photographer - no special skills. This camera is great. I have probably taken between 1000-1500 pictures with it so far. Here are my impressions:

PROS:
1. Great zoom lens - the 12x optical zoom (48x with digital zoom) is fantastic. Even at 48x, the photo comes out sharp and not grainy. I attended a pro football game recently, and was sitting at the 2nd highest row in the stadium, yet I took some photos with the zoom that amazed people I showed them to - so much so that they became interested in the camera. Even action shots came out very clear, at a high zoom level. And although I haven't used it much for this purpose yet, except at the zoo - the zoom would be great for wildlife photography too.
2. Auto image stabilization - closely related to no. 1 in importance. If the camera did not have this feature, it would be tough to take a clear shot at a high zoom level. With this feature, even 48x photos can be taken clearly without a tripod, as long as you are sitting or bracing against something to hold the camera steady.
3. Long battery life - the longest life comes from rechargeable Canon batteries (between 400-500 shots, I think). The ability to accept regular AA batteries is also a plus in my opinion; you can find them anywhere.
4. Excellent sharpness and color on photos - again I am not a professional, but to me the pics look awesome, whether they are super macros or long-range zoom photos.
5. Nice continuous shooting feature - this camera shoots approx. 2.4 frames/second - a nice feature! At the football game I would focus prior to the snap, then hold the shutter down thru-out the play and I got some amazing shots -- the ball in mid-air after being snapped, and after being thrown by the QB.
6. Enough megapixels. Like you probably have, I've read articles saying that for photo quality results with larger than 8x10 photos, you need much more than 5 megapixels. Don't believe it. I printed an 11x14 from this camera, and it came out wonderfully. Then I got curious to see what a 16x20 would look like -- and it looks fantastic too!! I honestly cannot see any degradation in quality at the 16x20 size - this even surprised me! I liked that size so much that I have now gotten others printed for myself and family members.
7. Enough features/options for probably any amateur enthusiast - many of which I haven't even used yet!
8. Versatility (lens-wise) - to get the same versatility in an SLR, you'd probably have to pay well over $1,000. (probably $2,000 or more for multiple lenses to match what the S2 can do, from super close macros to extra long zoom range..)

CONS:
1. A little bulky/heavy. But this is a small price to pay for all of the features of this camera.
2. I am running out of wall space from all the photos I've printed and framed!

Summary - a great camera. If I were in the market now, I'd probably buy the S3IS, just because it has 1 more megapixel and a few additional features, for only a little more money. But if that extra megapixel and few extra features don't matter to you, I'd say buy the S2 - what a deal! I think you will be very pleased with it.
1217108
This camera was recommended to me by my son and it is absolutely fantastic.  The instant scene recognition is awesome and since I tend to have shaky hands, the fact that I have yet to take a blurry picture is amazing to me!  If you want high quality pictures in the ease of a point and shoot camera, I high recommend this one.  You will not be disappointed.
3857902
I decided to replace my 6-year-old D300 with the D7100 after comparing images and reviews for the D300, D7100, and D610.  The price, focal point coverage across the sensor, number of focal points, and size and weight  of the D610 were always on my negatives list.

I'm not a fan of megapixel wars, and would give up pixels for better noise performance or better over-all image quality.  Comparing high and normal ISO images, I could see the D7100 beat my D300 and came very close to the D610.  I tested actual raw/NEF images from each camera and found that the D7100 images cleaned up very nicely with my current work flow (I'm now using Adobe Creative Cloud).  So, image quality to me was better than what I currently had and very close to the more expensive D610.

The inclusion of the 18-140 lens for a fraction of it's typical $600 was very pleasing.  I used the Nikon 18-135 as my general use lens and loved it, this version with VR is promising to be even better.  The only downside I saw was the FramesPerSecond that couldn't keep up with my old D300 when used with my battery grip.

In general, the machine-gun approach isn't practical for me for more than a second anyway.  But it is handy.  Believe it or not, one trick I used to set people at ease is to shout out "Work with me!" and blast out rapid shots.  They realizing I'm having fun with them, smile, and I get that one good candid shot.

I decided that I like the 1.3x crop feature for the speed benefits and shooting 7fps in JPG cropped mode will probably do me well enough.

I doubt I will ever use the scenes, effects, or even video, because it's just not what I do.  But, it takes great images and I have used ISO upto 6400 without problems (in my D300 I would never go above 3200).  Combined with the 18-140, I am very pleased and expect many years of service from the camera.

UPDATE:
I wanted to add one note regarding the Frames Per Second burst rate: I had a Sony 40ms 16G SDHC card, a SanDisk Extreme 16G card, and purchased a SanDisk Extreme Pro 32G.  I did a test to see how many RAW/NEF images I could shoot in 5 seconds (that seemed like more than my typical burst length).  Each card shot about 6FPS until the buffer filled up, then you could hear the lag as the buffer was written.  In the end, the Sony averaged 12 shots in 5 seconds, the SanDisk Extreme averaged 17, and the SanDisk Extreme Pro averaged 25 shots.  Getting about 5fps on average works fine for me.  So with a really fast ExtemePro card I can see a difference and I'm pleased.  That negates my last negative concern about this camera.