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Nikon Coolpix L2

Manufacturer: Nikon Inc. Part number: 25543

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Compare with most popular

$288.00 at 1 online store

CNET Editor rating:
3.0 stars Good
Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 6 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Accessories; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: The no-frills Nikon Coolpix L2 is slow, but its pictures are quite good.
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Amazon.com Marketplace	See store profile	In stock	Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price	$288.00 Shop now as of 07/04/2009

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*Total price for the Nikon Coolpix L2 are estimated and may vary slightly based on exact tax, shipping, manufacturer rebate or any sale/promotion on the merchant site.

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CNET editors' review

Nikon Coolpix L2

price range: $288.00

Reviewed by: Theano Nikitas
Edited by: Will Greenwald
Reviewed on: 05/22/2006
Released on: 02/27/2006

The good: Easy to use; excellent image quality for an inexpensive camera; useful macro mode; effective D-Lighting feature; attractive design.

The bad: Extremely limited image options; average performance.

The bottom line: The no-frills Nikon Coolpix L2 is slow, but its pictures are quite good.

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The 6-megapixel Nikon Coolpix L2 offers only the bare necessities for picture taking but, for its class, delivers excellent photos that require minimal effort. The Coolpix L2 squarely targets snapshooters, and more experienced users may be frustrated by the camera's lack of controls. Cash-strapped entry-level photographers may want to check out the L2's cheaper siblings: the 5-megapixel Coolpix L3 or the 4-megapixel Coolpix L4.

The Nikon Coolpix L2's battleship-gray plastic body is slender and lightweight at 6 ounces when loaded with two AA batteries and an SD card. This attractively designed camera will fit easily in larger pockets and feels comfortable worn around the neck on a lanyard.

Although the camera's 2-inch LCD seems small in comparison with other models' 2.5-inch screens, it's bright and viewable in almost all conditions--an important characteristic since the Coolpix L2 lacks an optical viewfinder. Under low light, the display takes longer than usual to brighten, but the control layout is roomy and comfortable to use.

To the right of the LCD sits a rocker for the camera's 38mm-to-118mm (35mm equivalent) 3X zoom lens, plus menu, playback and delete buttons. A four-way controller near the bottom edge of the camera switches between automatic shooting, the 15 scene modes, and a VGA movie mode.

Nikon equipped the Coolpix L2 with several useful features, such as Face-Priority autofocus, scene assist, D-lighting, automatic red-eye removal, and Best Shot Selector. D-Lighting is extremely handy, allowing you to automatically brighten underexposed images in playback and to save the adjusted picture as a copy.

Besides preset white-balance options and exposure compensation, the Coolpix L2 has no manual controls. Picture-quality options are limited to size (in megapixels), with no choice of compression, ISO sensitivity, shutter speed, or aperture, nor does the camera indicate the settings it's chosen.

Despite the Coolpix L2's simplicity, image quality is surprisingly good. Shots have pleasing colors, although automatic white balance bleaches beige walls and curtains white. Test images are mostly sharp and crisp. The Nikon L2 has solid macro capabilities, although it's tricky to get the subject in focus; at wide angles, the camera is frequently unable to focus. We noticed occasional purple halos along high-contrast edges, but the camera did a decent job of preserving highlights and shadows.

Performance dulls the Coolpix L2's overall glow, however. It requires 4.5 seconds to wake up and inflicts a shutter lag of 0.9 second in the best of conditions. Under the worst, it can take up to 2 seconds between shutter press and image capture. And with the flash active, it hesitates almost 7 seconds between shots.

The extremely bare-bones Nikon Coolpix L2 is a sluggish performer that takes some very good pictures for a budget model. If you want extremely simple, one-button shooting, the Coolpix L2 might be for you. Just don't plan on shooting the kids or pets.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 6 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 6 out of 6

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3 stars

Waste of money

by aalmuhannadi on November 2, 2007

Pros: Simple point and shoot

Cons: Captures moving objects as very blurred pictures

Summary: My opinion is that I've wasted a lot of money on this piece of crap, even when you want to capture a monitor screen, there are black slides that ...

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Summary: My opinion is that I've wasted a lot of money on this piece of crap, even when you want to capture a monitor screen, there are black slides that appear. When capturing a video, there are additional sounds added. I recommend the HP Photosmart R742 Digital Camera.

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7 stars

Great camera for the price

by cuhacpeter on February 19, 2007

Pros: Compact size, sturdy design

Cons: No viewfinder

Summary: I bought 6 of these for our office to take on site visits. I must say these guys are pretty hard on cameras, some I had to teach to even ...

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Summary: I bought 6 of these for our office to take on site visits. I must say these guys are pretty hard on cameras, some I had to teach to even use a digital. They have been through a lot of wear and tear and the only problem I have had on *one* of them was that the telescope lens will not fully close.

These are great cameras for the inexperienced point and shoot types. I love them, and am very happy with the purchase.

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8 stars

Great Price, Great Pictures, Easy to use!

by princessdi232 on July 23, 2006

Pros: Great image quality, Amazing battery life

Cons: Slow flash recharge, no manual ISO

Summary: I have looked everywhere for a great point and shoot camera at a good price. This camera is a great value. Easy to use, really clear images even in low ...

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Summary: I have looked everywhere for a great point and shoot camera at a good price. This camera is a great value. Easy to use, really clear images even in low light situations. It takes 2 AA batteries and with the rechargable ones the battery life is really exceptional! I cant believe how long I could go without changing them! The software, Picture Project is really good also to edit red-eye etc...I love this camera! I wish it was a little faster in between pictures when flash is on but other than that, I would recommend it to anyone looking for great pictures, at a great price. Not really recommended for advanced digital camera user. Not enough manual controls.

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7 stars

Coolpix L2 perfect for my purpose: point and shoot with some [limited] options

by larkbird on June 3, 2006

Pros: Nice yet low-key design, takes AA batteries, compact, takes great pictures, easy to use

Cons: A bit slow, not something people will necessarily be impressed by

Summary: I bought this camera to use for a summer traveling in Colorado and Europe (this summer). I've been experimenting with the options and found that as an basic digital ...

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Summary: I bought this camera to use for a summer traveling in Colorado and Europe (this summer). I've been experimenting with the options and found that as an basic digital camera user, this digital has PLENTY of non-automatic options for me, including different types of flash (auto, auto with red eye, night flash, and flash off), plenty of versatile scene modes, and a better-than-decent macro mode. Let's be honest: the majority of people will only ever use the auto mode anyway. Nikon presents a really solid option for me, especially as a 16-year-old, and it's cheap: I got it for $191 at buydig.com. It is a bit slow--the flash takes a decent time to recharge--but overall this is a fantastic budget camera. I recommend it.

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7 stars

I sell cameras and this is one of my favorites

by crash6190 on June 1, 2006

Pros: good quality pictures and easy to use

Cons: doesn't have the same options as some more expensive camera
8 stars

Packs a punch - not flashy, but good price, quick response, and small

by jediaz on March 29, 2006

Pros: value, 6.0 MP, small camera, 2 AA batteries, crisp digital pictures

Cons: Batteries do add a little bit of weight, not great in low-light

Summary: I just got this camera 2 days ago, so I haven't seen how they come out developed. I had an older model Nikon and enjoyed it, but needed an ...

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Summary: I just got this camera 2 days ago, so I haven't seen how they come out developed. I had an older model Nikon and enjoyed it, but needed an upgrade. So much smaller and lighter, and only takes 2 AA batteries. I don't go for the rechargable cameras else I get stuck somewhere without an outlet when the batteries go dead. Outdoor pictures with the L2 look so crisp and fabulous. I am working out the bugs, and will know more about how these work out in a few weeks
- On close-up I couldn't get too close, else it auto-focuses on the background.
- Indoor pictures looked a bit dark - this was the same as its predecessor, so I knew this going in, but I am mostly an outdoor enthusiast
- When transferring pictures using their software, it corrupted 2 files. when the kit included an image recovery program, I should have known. Fortunately you don't need to use their program to transfer files. I decided to go back and use Nikon View which came with my older camera, and it worked well from there on out.

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Showing opinion 1 to 6 out of 6

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Nikon Inc.
Part number: 25543
Description: Behind the smooth, elegant design of the COOLPIX L2 is a range of sophisticated features designed to preserve the moment perfectly. With a generous 6 megapixel resolution, this camera delivers instantly recognizable quality. The 3x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens puts everything from group portraits to expansive landscapes within easy reach and the bright 2.0-inch LCD monitor simplifies composition and playback, leaving you free to enjoy your special moments. 15 different Scene Modes - 4 with Scene Assist - improve your results by automatically providing appropriate settings for everything from party portraits to fireworks at night. Movies may be recorded in three modes - TV size (640), Small size (320) and Smaller-size (160) - so you can capture and share so much more through the TV, computer screen and e-mail.

General
Product Type Digital camera
Point-and-shoot highlights A panoramic assist function is provided in this camera, making it ideal for vacation pictures. Video capture ability makes this camera ideal for social functions or vacation shots.
Width 3.6 in
Depth 1 in
Height 2.4 in
Weight 0.2 lbs
Enclosure Color Gray
Main Features
Resolution 6 megapixels
Color Support Color
Optical Sensor Type CCD
Total Pixels 6,180,000 pixels
Effective Sensor Resolution 6,000,000 pixels
Optical Sensor Size 1/2.5 in
Digital Zoom 4 x
Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
Shooting Programs Copy, Museum, Sunset, Close-up, Dawn/dusk, Fireworks, Landscape, Back light, Beach/snow, Sports mode, Party/indoor, Portrait mode, Night portrait, Night landscape, Panorama assist
Special Effects Sepia, Vivid, Cyanotype, Black & White
Max Shutter Speed 1/1500 sec
Min Shutter Speed 4 sec
Exposure Metering Matrix
Exposure Modes Program, Automatic
Exposure Metering Zones 256
Face Detection Yes
White Balance Presets, Automatic
White Balance Presets Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Flash
Digital Video Format QuickTime
Still Image Format JPEG
Continuous Shooting Speed 1.7 frames per second
Remote Control None
TV Tuner None
Video Capture QuickTime - 640 x 480, QuickTime - 640 x 480, QuickTime - 320 x 240, QuickTime - 320 x 240, QuickTime - 160 x 120
Memory / Storage
Flash Memory 23 MB
Supported Flash Memory SD Memory Card
Integrated Memory 23 MB
Floppy Drive None
Image Storage Fine JPEG 2816 x 2112 : 8 - With 23MB built-in memory, Normal JPEG 2816 x 2112 : 16 - With 23MB built-in memory, JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 29 - With 23MB built-in memory, JPEG 1024 x 768, JPEG 640 x 480
Camera Flash
Camera Flash Built-in flash
Flash Modes Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
Red Eye Reduction Yes
Effective Flash Range 1 ft - 10 ft
Lens System
Type Zoom lens - 6.3 mm - 19.2 mm - F/3.2-5.3
Special Functions Zoom
Focal Length 6.3 mm - 19.2 mm
Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 38 - 116 mm
Focus Adjustment Automatic
Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
Min Focus Range 11.8 in
Macro Focus Range 10-30cm
Lens Aperture F/3.2-5.3
Optical Zoom 3 x
Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
Lens Construction 5 group(s) / 5 element(s)
Features Built-in lens shield
Additional Features
Self Timer Yes
Self Timer Delay 10 sec
Additional Features Blur warning, Direct print, Audio recording, Auto power save, Date/time stamp, Cropping an image, PictBridge support, In-camera red-eye fix, Face-priority AF function, Display brightness control
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Type None
Display
Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2 in - Color
Display Form Factor Built-in
Display Format 86,000 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
Type None

Microphone
Type Microphone - Built-in
Connections
Connector Type 1 x Composite video/audio output, 1 x USB
Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Software
Software Drivers & Utilities, Nikon PictureProject
System Requirements for PC Connection
Operating System Support MS Windows ME, MS Windows XP, MS Windows 2000, MS Windows 98 SE, Apple Mac OS X 10.1.5 or later
Peripheral Devices USB port, CD-ROM drive, SVGA monitor
System Requirements Details MacOS X 10.1.5 or later - 64 MB - 60 MB, Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP - 64 MB - 60 MB
Miscellaneous
Included Accessories Wrist strap
Cables Included 1 x USB cable, 1 x A/V cable
Power
Power Device Battery charger
Battery
Supported Battery AA
Supported Battery 2 x AA Alkaline battery ( Included )
CNET Labs' Benchmarks
Labs information All values are expressed in seconds. Please visit our labs information page for information on how digital cameras are tested.
CNET Labs Flash shot to shot time 6.7
CNET Labs Shot to shot time typical 2.0
CNET Labs Shutter lag bright 0.9
CNET Labs Shutter lag dim 2.0
CNET Labs Typical burst speed 1.1
CNET Labs Wake up time 4.5

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Nikon Coolpix L2

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