A kind of mini-review, but completely outdated. Read on only if you are interested in this "antique" camera.
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The Nikon Coolpix 8800 is a compact and versatile tool, as usual with strenghts and weaknesses. I plan to post small galleries addressing major and minor issues. After just about 3000 pictures with this camera, my "experience" is still growing.
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A 10x zoom lens is a great tool. One has to accept some compromises when it comes to quality, of course, but not too many with this Nikon one. Tested side by side (see www.dpreview.com with links to other great sites) it seems to be a tack less sharp than the best 5x 8MP compacts, but it keeps a good level from center to corner. The short end seems to be the weaker part of the range, but after a few test shots I stopped worrying about technical quality. If the pictures aren't good enough, there's only me to blame.
The lens is somewhat let down by the rest of the camera. When prefocussed, there is no delay between pressing the button and exposure worth considering, but the rest of the shooting performance taught me the full meaning of the english word "sluggish". Shooting RAW with the Coolpix 8800 is good practice for Zen masters. The autofocus is what it is, the usual hunting at the longer end when contrast is low. But the "manual focus" solution is a joke, and not a good one. Using ISO 200 and 400 makes pictures look like whole-grain bread. Other 8 MP compacts aren't any better in this respect, but it's no comparison to a DSLR.
These shortcomings are partly compensated by a reassuringly strong body, an effective vibration reduction system and the flexibility of perspective offered by the tilt-and-swivel display missing on most DSLR.
Conclusion: The Nikon 8800 is not equal to a DSLR with an appropriate set of lenses, but probably the best thing to take on a walk when you do not want to haul a bag full of equipment around and would like to avoid lens juggling on location.
Note to Nikon: The next version desperately needs x-times faster in-camera picture processing, a manual focussing ring, ... and a dedicated spot metering button. What couch potato of engineer (or Nikon desk pilot) has banned this vital function to the lower menu levels?!? How about a firmware-update offering spot metering function for the AE/AF-L button? By the way, a less noisy sensor chip would be great too, even if it was just 7 MP.--tinu--
--tinu--