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The Nikon Coolpix S7c tries to be the ultimate ultra-compact camera. Offering a 7.1 Megapixel CCD, 3X Nikkor lens, a huge 3-inch LCD, Wi-Fi, and the two gimmicks du jour (face detection and high sensitivity mode), it does just about everything. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do them terribly well. The S7c is mediocre at best, especially with the tough competition out there. While the S7c has some nice features, there are better cameras out there for the money.

Nikon’s D40 is not only an awesome little dSLR that captures great photos with robust performance, it also has a very pleasing price tag of $600 or less (and remember this is for the body and the lens.) In fact, we bought our D40 from B&H Photo for about $572 shipped! The only annoyances I had with the D40 was that you have to enter the Setup menu to “unlock” the rest of the available settings… That said, I feel this model will make an excellent camera for any user who wants a more versatile camera over their consumer digicam, and don’t feel like breaking the bank in the process. 

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Overall, I was pleased with the Nikon Coolpix S7c.  The image quality was very good and the wireless features worked well.  The camera is also very stylish and thin - you’re sure to turn some heads.  If the looks aren’t enough, then just flash the large 3 inch screen and that should just about do it… The Nikon Coolpix S7c is perfectly suited to the “gadget freak” that is looking for an ultra-compact camera and wants to take advantage of the wireless capabilities of the camera.  The camera’s style will also appeal to a broader cross section of users.

The Nikon D40 is an attempt to make DSLR photography accessible to more people than ever before, making it one of the most important models in the company’s history. Crucially Nikon haven’t simply concentrated on reducing the price by reducing the features. Cost is obviously a key factor in this market, but accessibility also plays a large part, and Nikon have achieved both of these aims. 

The Nikon Coolpix L5 is a light compact camera with a bundle of nice features that offers novice shooters a quick and easy way to shoot digital photos under a wide variety of conditions with relative ease, as well as do some simple processing and image correction in-camera. The camera would benefit from an in-camera adjustment to sharpen the images somewhat.