The pictures are sharp and very clear. I love the huge LCD screen. It makes reviewing pictures really easy. The Wi-FI upload takes a little getting used to and a little while to set up but it works well. Great camera overall!

This has been my most unhappy purchase from Amazon to-date. And only because I shipped this to an address in the USA when I visited and now live outside the USA, I cannot return it. If I bought it from a store directly it would have definitely been returned for another brand.

For the past two years I have been using my CASIO EX-Z750 7.2mp and loved everything bout it: Shooting modes, picture quality, body durability and most importantly superb battery life. But after its been battered around in my travels I though I would get new one. Since I have previously purchased via Amazon ( gift received) a Nikon D200, I thought I would stick to the same brand......BAD IDEA

The Body of the Nikon S51C seems fairly fragile and is extremely sensitive. The battery/Card lid underneath seems insecure, the shooting modes are limited, have not figured out the WiFi features as it is time-consuming nd I am constantly on the move and the battery-life is pathetic. I no sooner get out at night, take 10 shots and the "Exhausted battery" signal comes on and that is it! So much so, that I hve just hd to spend extra money to buy an additional battery and charged (via Amazon)

I cant wait to get rid of this camera and find a suitable replacement. Sorry Nikon, I thought I was being loyal and have purchase endless lenses and other accessories for my D200 which I absolutely love and more recently purchase the Nikon SLR/LAPTOP nap-sack as my loyalty to the brand, but this product has disappointed me.

I previously had a cony cybershot that took grat ourdoor photos, however inside in dark situations the pictures would never come out. I was tired of not being able to take good pictures of my children's concerts or school activities that were indoors.
I got this camera last night and turned off the lights and snapped a picture in pitch blackness. The picture came our clear and bright as day. The small size is great.

This camera is great for someone who just wants to take pictures of family or vacations.

I love this camera. I went up to Mt. Rainer in WA and it was snowing. The different scene options are so useful. I have caught some orbs upon taking pictures at night at my local graveyard. I mother has a Kodak, and I had to use it for the longest time. I HATED it. But this camera is definatly an improvement. The pictures are so clear. In Vibrant color mode it's even better. Now, I have a very unsteady hand. But this camera does a very good job of NOt showing it. The videos are really nice and I just love this camera. Hope this helps you decide to get this.

Nikon Coolpix S51c 8.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Vibration Reduction Zoom (Silver) My family has used over six point and shoot digitals. This camera takes the best picture by far. It takes clear clean shots even if you shake the camera while taking the picture. It really is a fantastic camera. I plan on buying three more for other family membersl.

The view screen is very large and makes it much easier to see what you want. The actual sequence of taking a picture is a little long. In other words after you press the button it takes a few seconds to complete the snap especially when using the flash.

The S51c Coolpix camera is a very well thought out camera. It has some features that my D70 could use. I just wish that the battery had a longer life between charges. But , since the battery is so small, that can not be helped. Just charge more often. I really like the internal lens. nothing extends from the camera. The flash works well.

When I received a baby chair for my requested camera I bacame crazy. But fortunally I received my camera before an important travel. Thank you

Its a good camera. Not as good at the Nikon D80 but it does the job. I hate the short battery life though!!!! AUGH!! I am takin pictures and than the thing dies on me. So I end up with half on my camera and half on my phone. The pictures are good. I have not ordered any of them yet So I hope that they print out well.

This is a great camera, easy to use, the wireless is really slick.

All around nice package--big viewing screen and good controls.

I have old guy eyes, so the big screen and easy to read menu and prompts are very helpful.

We got this camera about 3 months ago. We really like the features and quality - both of the camera and images. But here is the problem. Take 20 pictures of someone (especially children) and guarenteed 19 of them will be with the subjects eyes closed! This is because the camera has NO flash mode where there is not an INCREDIBLY ANNOYING "pre" flash. Call it red eye reduction, call it background fill-flash, whatever you want to call it, 99% of your subjects will blink. Then when the real flash comes, their eyes are closed. The only option without this is to turn the flash off.

The 2nd problem with the camera is it is slow. Slow to focus, slow to snap. Just annoying.

The 3rd problem is the cameras tendancy to get "orbs" in the pictures. Some people think these are ghosts, they are not, they are dust, pollen, dirt, bugs - whatever - lit up by the flash and appear as orbs in the picture. This is especially prevelant with cameras where the flash is close to the lense; it could not be any closer on this camera!

A lot of digitals have these problems so check them all out and return them until you find one that you are happy with!

If it was not too late to return this camera, I would.

The camera arrived sooner than I expected, in perfect condition. It is one of the easiest camera's that I have ever used and has features that are great. The screen is large making the images easier to see in most any light and the camera adjusts itself to make picture quality better. It can be hooked up to a TV and view the pictures there and of course they can be e-mailed and downloaded quickly. Great buy. Good price.

We have now had this camera for four months and it replaced our Kodak V530. I can honestly say that the Kodak was better. Here's why:

1. The Nikon (compared to the Kodak) produced pictures that were grainy,dark, had poor color saturation, and caused people to blink. The outdoor pictures were flat but otherwise okay.

2. The movie mode is at best terrible. Even on low resolution, there were frame skips, and poor sound. The Kodak never had this problem.

3. The shutter release is very slow. Even if pre-focused, it is slow. Do not use this camera for taking pictures and children's birthday parties.

4. The controls (for a point and shoot) are poorly laid out, and complicated.

I have always thought highly of Nikon but this is a clear miss on their part. Look elsewhere for a point and shoot camera.

a great camera ... beautiful still photos and nice video as well.
the screen is amazing and looks great. It would be nice if wifi was easier to work but once you get the hang of it, uploading wirelessly is pretty awesome!

overall a great camera ... highly recommended.

Are you looking for a quality digital camera that takes great high-resolution snapshots? One that easily slides into your pocket? One that is reasonably priced? Well, there are lots to choose from, these days. Give the Nikon Coolpix S51 or S52 consideration.

I am a bit picky and I was looking for something more than simple point and shoot for a recent sightseeing trip to Italy. My days of film cameras are over, but the versatility of an interchangeable-lens 35-mm SLR was on my mind. I loved the Nikon FS2S I used for over 30 years. Yet, the bulk of camera and several lenses?and the cost?was of major concern. What if I dropped an $800 camera or worst, it was stolen? I decided to forego the advantages of a new digital SLR and try getting by with the much cheaper and smaller Coolpix S51C. The model with the "C" has Wi-Fi capability. I'm not a professional photographer, so really good "snapshots" with a bit of creativity better categorized my style this trip.

Here are the things I really like:

First, the picture quality is wonderful for such a camera. The high-resolution setting yields sharp pictures suitable for prints 8"x10" and beyond. Regrettably, there is no RAW format, but the dynamic range has pleased so far. Second, the size and weight. I can't say enough about how great it was to slip the camera into my shirt pocket?a bit heavy there?or pants pocket. Here are some more things I like about this camera:
- The settings are easy to make with the thumbwheel control and built-in settings software.
- There are a variety of pre-set modes: landscapes, sunsets, museums, etc.
- Vibration reduction works surprisingly well.
- Almost always, exposures are right on. I did find that manually increasing or decreasing exposure helped in a few unusual lighting situations. This is quick and easy to set.
- The pre-set mode I really like, one you won't find in most other cameras, is panorama assist. This is really neat. Set it and take the first picture. Then one-third edge of that picture appears in the LCD screen, transparent so that you can line up and overlap the next picture. By taking a series of pictures this way you can later create an ultra-wide panorama photo, or if you go all the way around, a 360-degree panorama. Software is provided for stitching pictures together to create the panorama from the individual shots. Traditionally, such pics require a better camera, tripod, and patience. I made several panoramas, even handheld. Works great!
- Battery life is pretty good. I bought two extras so I would never run out. Since I shot mostly without flash, one fresh battery charge would last much of the day, maybe 100 or more pictures. I'd recommend carrying at least one extra battery and recharging at night. I got a cheap, compact recharger and extra batteries before my trip.

Some so-so features:

- The lens is of fairly typical zoom range. It works well for most shots. There were a few times I wished the telephoto was longer. The digital zoom that goes beyond optical zoom adds lots of pixel noise and is unsatisfactory. I won't use it again unless I see Big Foot or a UFO. As for the wide end, it is just okay; not wide enough for great interiors. I just love really a true wide-angle lens, something comparable to a 21mm on a 35mm film camera, but that is unavailable in this type of camera. Again, the zoom range is average, but the quality is very good?it's a Nikon lens.
- Memory card. The memory card that comes with the camera is just too small unless you want to shoot just a few pictures at a time or only shoot medium- or low-resolution. I bought a 4 GB high-speed card and am glad I did. It stored almost a thousand hi-res pictures. I did swap out to a second 2 GB card after two weeks and came home with over 1400 photos, never having to offload images to a computer.

And here are a few dislikes:

- The polished metal case is slippery. Use the hand strap or risk dropping it.
- The lens is in the corner. If you are not careful, you can get your finger in the field when shooting. You will learn how to hold the camera after a number of fumbles.
- Even when selecting one of the pre-set modes like landscape, the auto-focus takes a moment to adjust itself. The lag between pressing the shutter and taking the picture might be a fraction of a second, but a fraction too late for that great shot. I wish I could turn off auto-focus and have several presets from which to choose.
- Wireless Wi-Fi. I thought I would be able to transfer pics through my home wireless network to my desktop computer. Not so, or at least I haven't gotten that to work and can't find anything in any manual. I was able to send several pics to the Nikon server called Picturetown. But, that transfer choked because the wireless is just too slow to handle hi-res pictures. Don't count on sending anything but a few low-resolution pictures to grandma via the direct wireless feature. If you don't absolutely need the Wi-Fi feature, save the money and get the cheaper S51 or S52 model that has everything else and is a tad smaller and lighter.

Now, one day, perhaps soon, I'm going to buy a digital SLR?a Nikon, of course. I like looking through a viewfinder and setting focus myself. Most of all I want a great wide-angle lens. But I am very happy with my Coolpix S51C and will continue to use it on many occasions.

Seeing Italy? I know you will be happy. I think you will be happy carrying along a Nikon Coolpix S51 or S52 too.