Nikon COOLPIX S4000 12 MP Point & Shoot Digital Camera, Black

This was for my wife. She just needs a point and shoot for her vacation in Europe, family gatherings etc. and this fits the bill.This camera packs a lot of features and I am very surprised how robust the features are. This will even take videos!Do make sure you you get the best SD card you can. I got SanDisk SDHC Class 10 High Performance memory card. You need to get Class 6 or higher if you want to use Video Mode.I got the little case to hold the camera in her bag safely. I also got an extra battery for this the Nikon EN-EL10 Rechargeable Battery.You need to hold the camera while the picture is written to the card to avoid blur. I hope a higher end SD card will write a little faster. If you shoot and hold you won't have any issues.All in all it takes great pictures, easy to operate, more features than I expected and an easy interface to figure it all out. This is a nice camera to have conveniently packed in a pocket or purse for those times you are not carrying around your DSLR or Video camera. All at a competitive price.

The Nikon S4000 is apparently a camera, which, in addition to being pretty much automatic, gives the user a host of options to experiment with the settings. I'll never know because Nikon DOES NOT supply the 190 page written manual with the camera, but rather a CD which the buyer can print themselves. I did take a few pictures before returning the camera to Amazon. I don't know if all cameras in this price range hold back on a written manual. As a replacement, I purchased the less expensive Nikon S570 at a closeout sale, which came with two 150+/- page written manuals, one in English and one in another language.When I called Nikon directly, I was informed they no longer supplied written manuals because of the added expense. Added expense ???.The Nikon consumer rep said they were saving me money by no longer supplying a printed manual with their cameras. Really? The manuals are printed in China on paper that is just a notch above bathroom tissue, so the cost of printing 200 pages, is what, 25 to 50 cents. I'd be quite happy to fork over another dollar or two for a written manual that I could take along on trips.Nikon does include a 20 page QUICK START guide, which consistently refers to a page in the CD manual for more detailed information. So now if you want to try different settings at the beach, or the park, or anywhere else, bring your computer for suggestions and instructions. I did look into printing the manual at Staples, but if would have cost about $20.00 (no discount for double sided printing).Because I find it easier to thumb thru pages, rather than scan a CD, I would not recommend this or any multi-function camera which does not include a real manual.

First, the camera seemed "way cool" and amazon's description has told you all the great things about it. (High picture quality, HD video, touch screen and so on). But after a few weeks and months with the camera, the love affair comes to a screeching halt.When taking pictures one after another the camera is very slow. You wait a good 3-4 seconds before a second picture can be taken.The touch screen is a great tool but is somewhat unresponsive. This definitely is not your "iPhone" multi-touch glass. The screen has a somewhat rough texture and gets fingerprints way too easy. It kind of reminds me of a credit card reader at the super market. Sometimes you have to tap multiple times to get it to recognize your input.Lastly, The SD card goes in smooth but doesn't "spring" out very well. Even after you push down to release the spring on the SD card it doesn't come out without some prying.iPhoto USERS!!! Beware! This camera will not automatically orient your pictures to "portrait" if you take a picture with the camera sideways... It is a pain to have to manually rotate each one of your pictures especially when you take as many as my wife does (nearly 50 pics every few days). Please!! Save yourself the hassle and go with a Kodak Easyshare instead. Totally worth your while.I kept this camera for a few months but I couldn't stand to put up with the daily "little hangups" that just make this camera a total nightmare. I just replaced it with a Kodak Easyshare(Kodak EasyShare M575 14MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom and 3.0 Inch LCD (Midnight Black)) and couldn't be happier to be back in Kodak Wonderland!