The Coolpix S200 is a solid entry in the compact digital field. It's sleek good looks and solid construction make it very appealing. However, it's the first Coolpix to use the VR designation that uses "digital" VR instead of the proven and preferable lens shift and CCD shift VR.

On the positive side, it uses a reliable lithium-ion battery system, and Nikon is much more reasonable than many brands on accessories such as batteries. The SD card choice makes it a bit easier to find cards at reasonalbe prices and in remote locations than some of its competitors.

A solid camera, but nothing you can't get for less in other brands.

I loved this camera very handy and small, I'm a photographer and it was great to have on hand for fun shooting. (that is till I lost it two weeks later on a flight!) Don't leave things on your seat you won't get them back!

I bought one from Costco and already returned it after one week. 50% of the pictures taken outdoor were blurred, maybe from handshake. The VR is probably not effective per Hiram's review. Otherwise, it is pretty nice and solid camera. The video quality is pretty good. Interface is good. I just found out another colleague had bought one too and he is complaining about the blurred image issue. I am now considering the Nikon S50.

This is my second digital camera and I'm so happy to have it! I looked at a few others, but the size, picture quality and LCD screen are phenomonal! Keep in mind there is no viewer on this camera, but with the quality of the screen, you don't need one. Definitely recommend this camera to someone who is interested in having memories but not using professionally.

Great camera. Perfect slim size, and i love the brushed steel. Cant get any better than a nikon coolpix

This is a great camera for the money!!!! It is powerful and lightweight. It is actually smaller than i expected and fits very easily in your pocket for easy use. I would absolutly recommend this to anyone who needs a good inexpensive camera!!!

Great pictures and easy to use. I researched and played with tons of cameras before finally deciding on the Nikon S200. The choice was that it carried similar features of high-end/high-expense cameras on the market. It was only natural to choose this camera as it gave me great quality at a poor man's budget. And if something ever happens to it such as getting lost or stolen while on trips, it won't put me in the hole. I also have early Parkinson's disease. It has a stabilizing feature that allows me to take the pictures despite my shaking. Believe me, it is a nice feeling to be able to take a picture and not have it blurred or smeared. Other cameras on the market didn't help with this and left me overwhelmed and frustrated. With the Nikon S200, I had renewed confidence in taking quality pictures.

I purchased this camera for my daughter in 09/2007.

It seems like a pretty good camera.

I've not been too impressed with the image quality considering the higher resolution of this camera. I've gotten much better pictures from my old Olympus 2.1 MP digital camera. Guess it's just a matter of the Olympus having a better lens.

Now (01/2008) the S200 has stopped functioning. All I get is a 'lens error'.

I sent the camera to Nikon for warranty repair. They are voiding the warranty due to damage to the camera case. This camera is extremely susceptible to scratches and dents on the exterior due to the aluminum case.

I was going to purchase one of these cameras for myself, now I don't think I will.

I expected more for Nikon. I won't make that mistake again.

It only took 6 months for the camera to break itself, reporting "lens error" when turned on. Brought it to the Nikon repair shop in NYC and paid them $17.50 (mandatory) to give me an estimate.

Amazed that they kept a straight face when they said $194 to repair it.

Bought it new from J&R in August 2007 for $199, and now it sells for $129. I think they had to drop the price since the manufacturing quality is poor.

As others have commented the picture quality is poor, so I'm going to try Canon or HP as the replacement.

Really like the Nikon camera. Love the size. It fits in a shirt pocket. Real easy to use and best of all am real satisfied with quality of the photos. The video feature is also real nice and the down load of pictures to the computer is real simnple.

A glitch in the design of this camera is that for every shot, the lens pops out to some degree. I was taking a photo of my toddler, and my other child bumped me, and the camera fell on the floor. The lens would not retract. Camera was about 5 mos old. We contacted the company who would not repair for less than $135.00, although the camera was in the 6 mos window. They said "impact" is the reason. They rep suggested I buy the camera again, new to save money, since prices are going down.
I asked if that would mean if I drop it or bump it again, I will have to throw it away and buy ANOTHER camera. He said that this would be entirely possible.
Don't buy this camera if you have children, or any disorder in which something ever slips out of your hands. Our Kodak camera is much sturdier.

Nikon Coolpix S200 7.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
I bought Nikon S200 because of the brand and my past experience. I got worse camera and service I ever had!!
Pros:
1) good design
2) Nikon brand
Cons:
1) All blurry pictures from day one.
2) Awful colors
3) Grainy pictures
4) Extremely blurry in-door pictures
5) Horrible service: I sent camera to the Nikon repair (it is under warranty) in late December - after seven weeks - no camera and no news. I rang 5 times - I had never got clear answers from the service center. It seems for me the Nikon has absolutely unreliable, hostile and incompetent service I have ever come across!!
6) Guess what? I rang on the sixth time - the Nikon had system down and no help as usual.
Try to avoid this camera. And stay away from this brand at least for a while.

I tried to like this camera. It takes nice photos. Images are in focus and have accurate color. It's light and small enough to fit nicely in my shirt pocket. It starts and focuses quickly. It has a fair macro feature. The price is very reasonable. But after using it for a week I returned it.

I won't rate the camera way down for the little disappointments it offered, as I know that what I didn't like is mostly a matter of preference, but I do want to list my considerations.

The shutter and power buttons are both fairly flat and near each other on the top of the camera. When taking photos on a cold day I couldn't feel them and a couple of times turned the camera off instead of taking a shot.

I don't like the zoom rocker position on the back of the camera. It forces the use of two hands to zoom in or out. It's a little awkward to use and the zoom itself is not smooth, seeming to have preset values that weren't always what I wanted.

The doors for the battery/memory card and the I/O ports were both very cheap and fragile seeming. They are attached by little rubbery cords rather than hinges. I don't trust them to hold up.

A couple of times between shots the screen went black and wouldn't come back on when I pressed any button. The lens was still extended so the camera hadn't powered down. I had to turn it of then on again to regain functionality. I don't know if the camera was a fault or I didn't understand it but I don't have that problem on my other two cameras or with my wife's camera.

Because the camera takes nice photos and is inexpensive and light it might work well for some, but I would recommend actually handling it, trying the zoom and opening the doors before buying.

I bought this camera after I gave away a Sony one. In all fairness, the one I purchased through Amazon is really a better choice in terms of price and quality. How easy to use this camera is really beyond my expectations, and so my wife and I now shoot a lot with it. In short, you won't complain about this camera.

While I found the camera easy to use, the image quality is completely unacceptable. Unless you're in full sunlight, the image is grainy and the colors wash out to a miserable grey. I tried various settings and could not get it to take a decent picture indoors, even with the flash.

In some cases I was able to compensate by reducing resolution of the final picture, but if I tried to do any cropping or enlargement, the results were disappointing. This 7 MP camera is far worse than my previous 3 MP Kodak model. I thought that buying Nikon would guarantee decent quality, but I was mistaken.

Excelent price cuality camera. Great for taking it anywhere one goes, very slim and comfortable. Great pictures to share with your friends.

This item (which I bought over a dozen of) came in a very timely fashion and at a very competitive price. While the camera looks a lot like the Casios and the HPs and Kodaks of the world, the optics are remarkable. The same pic I have taken of birds at a feeder 15 yards away, suddenly was clear and printable. Its menus are clear and it has a TV mode for taking pics for lower resolutions like website ads.

I am very happy with Nikon and Amazon for a great product and excellent delivery. I not only got the product WHEN I wanted but the content was fully all and more than was advertised. I am a happy customer.

I purchased this Camera 6 months ago, pimarly for it's size and features. After less than 300 pictures the LCD screen puked. I sent it to Nikon, and they said it was due to a VERY HIGH impact. Well if sliding it into the INCLUDED case is high impact I guess they are right. They will NOT honor the warranty and the repair with shipping is $110.00. Keep in mind the Camera only cost $159.00 new. I own 4 other Digital Camera's (All Kodak) had one problem which they handled promptly and professionally. I was WRONG to assume I would get the same treatment from Nikon

I bought this camera December 31, 2007. I had received some money for Christmas and decided to buy a camera with it. I went shopping and after about 2 hours, I finally picked this camera. While traveling through California on a recent roadtrip, I got my camera out to take a landscape picture and I got a "Lens Error". I had this camera for less than 7 months and it broke on me. I have read other reviews and it appears this is a common problem for this make and model. I take very good care of my cameras and I usually replace them after 3+ years because of technology, not because they stop working. DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA!

The first thing I want from any camera is the "good photo quality". But this camera gives bad indoor photo quality, outdoor photos are okay; but you won't always go outside to take pictures. I am very disappointed with this camera and do not understand how other reviewers have given 5 star ratings. Could anyone tell me how to get better photo quality for indoor pictures from this camera?

I bought this camera last October and this August when I was taking pictures of my toddler, all of a sudden the camera started making noises and then 'lens error' appeared on the lcd screen and the camera would no longer work. I sent it in to Nikon for a warranty repair and they said that there was evidence of sand inside. What! I take EXTREMELY good care of my camera. They would not cover the repair and were going to charge me around $100.00 plus shipping to mail it back. Now I see that this is a very common problem. I am going to look into formal complaint on Nikon. I think that Nikon has a bad product and is not honoring their warranty!!!