The L2 and L3 models are twins with a shared instruction manual. For some the more expensive L2 will be the better choice.

At a camera store I made several identical shots with both cameras and the L2 produced consistently sharper images when zoomed in on the fine detail of ordinary shots. (Using readability of distant text to judge sharpness of jpg images saved in the largest file size.)

With simpler menus than higher priced cameras these seem to be a good choice for the less determined photographer in your family. I am going to use mine as a backup for an older pocket digital on a trip and ultimately as a spouse's camera. While she likes 4X6 prints, for which the L3 would be fine, I will keep her files and view them on computer and so chose the extra sharpness.

This is a very likeable little camera that is significantly smaller than my older digital. To keep that size advantage I found a Tamrac slip in case with Velcro closure flap at a photo chain store with many cases to choose from.

I just recieved this camera and took it for a test outside my garden. Eventhough it was getting dark outside the pictures came out great. When they were slightly underexposed, the cameras D-lighting feature fixed it perfectly. There were 3 reasons that I picked up this camera: 1) It was inexpensive, compared to others in this category. 2) I realy liked the d-lighting feature. 3) It used 2 AA batteries, so in a pinch I can just pick up spares anywhere. The battery life seems very good compared to my other camera. I also recorded a video clip about 5 minutes long and it seamed to be in good quality. There are two drawbacks that I see in this camera. 1) You can't zoom during video recording. 2) The lag time between shoots is quite long. Between 2-4 seconds when using any type of flash.
Overall I would rate this camera ****. To add a final word, if you are looking for a inexpensive sub-compact camera with good picture quality and can overlook its lag time, this is the camera for you.

Flash system isn't up to the job. Indoor pics over ten feet are dark(black even) & all are mostly red. Maybe i got a bad one, seemed like the shutter and flash don't work together. Outdoor pics are fine.

I had the unfortunate experience of having a problem with my camera. For the most part, it took great pictures. However, if I took a picture of a light object, a white wall for instance, there was a dark circular spot in the center. It looked like a dark shadow. So I had to return the camera and I bought another one and it works fine. It takes great pictures and love it. It's easy for a beginner. Good luck!

I have been using this camera in every outdoor situation imaginable save for underwater and pouring rain, and it has performed admirably. The 1 gig card gave me over 330 exposures on high mode and 660ish on normal mode. A quick turn around in the stands at the Tigers game last night produced a real sharp and lovely photo of my friends in Sepia.
The lag time between shots could be improved, as the LCD screen darkens briefly right after the shot. For 200 bucks including the price of the card and a case, I have made a fine purchase. The camera with all the bells and whistles had come down 160 bucks since January, so it was obvious that the technology in digitals is moving so fast that a camera with a price that nearly matched the price reduction on the top models was an easy purchase.

I am a novice when it comes to pictures but I got input from someone with more experience before selecting this camera. I like the way the camera works and I like the fact that the lens folds back in and is covered when the camera is turned off. I am still learning all the features but it does take good pictures out of the box. From my experience this would not be a good camera for someone who wants to take repeated fast shots unless I just haven't learned the way to make it go from one shot to the next more quickly. I have fun with the auto focus with never knowing what I will get if people move between the flash and the actual picture recording. I like this because I get more "candid" posed shots but I am sure the autofocus could be turned off for people who want more control. My advisor felt is was a plus to have replaceable batteries rather than a rechargeable battery so that is what this camera has. I make sure to keep backup batteries with me but so far I have only changed batteries once after taking a number of pictures so I am satisfied. Great camera for the person who takes pictures for fun. I am having a great time with it.

I loved my old coolpix and hoped to replace it with something similar and inexpensive. After a week, I thought I was doing okay with this camera until it stopped taking pictures. It wouldn't focus when turned on, gave me an error message and then turned off. I took it back to the store because I had purchased a warranty package on it, and it's been 8+ weeks now and no camera. Being a picture fanatic, it's upsetting to have to "steal" cameras at weddings and family gatherings and then beg for the owner to email me the pics. I miss my little coolpix 2500.

What I like:
Size, simplicity, SD card, AA batterys, movie capablity, outdoor picture quality,

What I don't like:
Flash system is weak, red eye reduction doesn't work well, low light picture quality, length of time for flash recharge, outdoor fill flash

The biggest problem with this camera is the flash. Previously I owned Sonys and was expecting similiar performance but was very disappointed. I've tried serveral settings and still can not take good indoor or outdoor pictures where fill flash is required.

the only comlaint is that it is a little slow on focusing and sometimes needs to be focused twice, other than it is a great product, I though I might have wanted one that has a rechargable battery, but the AA's work great and if they run low I carry extra with me, rechargable AA's too. All in all I'm happy with my camera.

Easy to use. Sharp pictures. I love being able to use AA batteries. I can use rechargable batteries. No battery packs to worry about.

I loved this camera from the moment I got it. So easy to use and
understand. Being very unsophisticated in the ways new technology,
it was amazing to me how quickly I figured it out. The pictures
are great. Taking the memory card in an making prints is fun and
not all that expensive. (Wal-Mart is .28 for each 4X6) I was running
around work taking pictures of everyone and making them a bid crazy.
The only trait I find a bit troubling is the time span from the
time you hit the button to take the picture and the time the picture
is taken. It is a couple of second but seems longer.
I don't think you will be disappointed. Enjoy:)

like the product but not all the hassel I went through to get it!
had it ordered then it never came,had to wait & then it went to a even later shipping date. Well my fault is i went below the cost on my online account & then had to reorder from another CO. They finally took care of me, again product was great... 1st shipper sux but The Co I got it from really helped out. AMAZON did nothing to help but I did not bother to keep following up, It was went better just going to another shipper for the same item & at a better price & faster & better service.

I've had this camera for 2 weeks now. In well lit scenarios pictures are perfect, no complaints in this, even in cloudy days the pictures are awesome, very well detailed. But at night, this is where it's a bit disappointing , the flash is not good at distances greater than 6 feet. Faces look too dark, sometimes you only get to see fuzzy circle instead. I guess this is where they save the money. Other than this it's a highly recommended camera for the outdoors, and indoor during the day.

Well, at first I was impressed I got my new snappy camera with all the cool features and wow I could use AA batteries.. wait a sec.. 25 pics and I need to change batteries?!?! omg! You sooooo need rechargable batteries for this one or you will go broke!

There is sluggish focus on zoom, although it does zoom tight you have to wait for it ... wait for it.. wait for it.. I got the camera because I needed to photograph small jewelry items for my eBay store.. yikes.. this one is horrible in low lighting situations either you get flash glair or the image is too dark...
Print out and monitor displays ok.

Guess what it's 8 months after I bought this and the thing will not focus at all, the lens won't open and it is useless to me now.. Granted I use it daily.. Maybe let it rest on Sundays..

SO now I am searching for a new camera.. I'll just go pluck some more 100.00 bills off my tree...

PASS ON THIS ONE!

I bought this camera right before a trip to Hawaii, and i was incredibly happy with the results for the price. Now that i've used the camera on more of a regular basis, i'm in the market for a new one.

While outdoor shots, regardless of the lighting look wonderful, the indoor shots are consistently poor. There are settings on the camera for different types of indoor lighting, but i've never used them because it's too tedious to get to them through the menu.

While usually not bad at all, the lag time after the flash is used is very long. Whenever people want to see their photos right after they're taken, i have to make them wait a couple of seconds for the display to come back on.

If you're looking for an inexpensive camera and most of your shots will be outdoors, this camera is great. Otherwise, there are (hopefully) better cameras out there.

I purchased the L2 prior to a trip to Rome, due to the fact it was small, and easy to carry. It's also easy to operate, and not too expensive, so I can hand it over to another tourist and they can snap away at me in front of old stuff. In the store, it took some nice pics in the right light, so I bought it, and thought it would be fine.
I got some nice photos in Italy, but I would say over half the pics I took ( over 4 Gig) turned out either too dark, black or blurry.
The shutter, flash speed is way too slow, if your subject moves at all,even on sports mode, it's a blur. If the lighting is wrong, it's a blur. The flash is basically worthless after about 5 feet.
I mostly used the default setting on the whole trip with a few exceptions, and I know it has many options.
But a camera should be able to point and click and give you an acceptable shot,...you should not have to access the menu every time to get something useable.
Actually, I wish I had never bought it, it's just too unpredictable...maybe I got a bad one, but after 2 previous quirky Nikon cameras, I think I'll go back to a Canon.

I've had this camera for about two years now and find myself so often frustrated with it that I have taken many fewer photos with it than I had planned. The biggest problem is one stated by a few others - for each shot you basically need to choose a setting, which means going to the menu and switching each time you take a different type photo. I took pictures at my daughter's indoor pool party and wanted to tear out my hair - if I took a close up of a few of the kids, I would then need to quickly change the setting (to which one?) for a group splashing in the water, then change again for a group photo far away, and then go the menu again to figure out which setting to use for kids sliding down the big slide - do I use indoor party? Fireworks? sports? the results would be so different each time I ended up spending too much time deciding on the correct setting and not enough time taking pictures that I didn't need to erase. Many photos were blurry, or dark and it took too much time between shooting photos. Meanwhile my husband was busy taking closeups, action shots and group photos with his small canon and his pictures were great.
I really can't recommend this camera for an adult - I am going to give it to my 10 year old to use and buy myself something else.

I've had this camera for 18 months now, and no matter how I set it up, regardless of the situation... 90% of the pics are terrible! Always blurry, always dark. I have fiddled around with the settings trying to find the right balance, and there isn't one! After reading other reviews, I presume that I purchased a faulty one! Shame on me for not taking it back sooner! I do not recommend this POS and simply suggest spending a little extra money for a D-SLR. Trust me, you will be much happier in the end. (Sorry Nikon... I love my D200, but this thing stinks!)