Reviewed by
jorger101 , Intermediate

Price Paid
$399.00 at Samy's Camera

Photography Experience
21+ years , Outdoor

Summary
I purchased this camera with the intention to use it in places where my digital SLR draws too much attention. I have had the experience to be told by security in several places not to take photographs. With a point and shoot camera I am not noticed as much. I choosed this camera because it has the option to use it manually and the picture quality is just as good as my larger DSLR ( I own a Nikon D80). After using the camera for several months, I can honestly say that I am impressed with its features. I have not been dissapointed with its operation and the results that I have obtained with it.

I love the ability of the lens to focus at macro distances. I took some macro shots that I can only describe as breathtaking. Pictures that I have taken of people are a different story. The camera has a shutter lag which is most obvious when shooting indoors with flash. I purchased the SB400 flash unit to see if it made a difference, but the lag is still there. The shutter lag is very annoying at times, but if you are aware of it, then it is not much of a problem. Sometimes you lose a shot because of the lag. Some people are impatient when I am taking their photograph with this camera.

In the first few days that I owned the camera, I had difficulty with the auto focus system. It seemed that at times, the camera would focus in the closest object that it found. After some doing, I trained myself to make sure that I had the right focus before I shoot. The camera has a manual focus adjustment that I find confusing. I cannot focus with the manual focusing system yet.

Overall the features of the camera are so many for such a small electronic gadget and I find that it could be somewhat overwhelming to a beginner in photography. This is not a camera for the casual point and shooter. In my case I find the features just about right, but I wished that the shutter lag was not there.

The quality of the pictures that I have taken are very impresive. I take pictures at the lowest ISO setting of 64, but there are times that I bumped up to 400. I did not notice a significant amount of noise in my photographs.

Strengths
Plenty of features for such a small package.

Weaknesses
Shutter Lag.
Manual focusing system very confusing.

Similar Products Used
Nikon L11

Customer Service
N/A