Compact, excellent photo quality, easy to use

Author's Rating:

Pros: Great photos, easy to use, small

Cons: Pricey, some buttons malplaced, non-threaded lense

The Bottom Line: 
I would recommend this camera for anyone who wants to grow into their camera. While it is expensive, it delivers quality in build and function. Well worth the money.

Author's Review
I originally started out with the Minolta Dimage A2, but sent it back when I found the colors to be a little off and the pictures soft. I ordered the Nikon 8700 because I had heard they fixed the problem of focusing in low light conditions from the 5700.

I ordered the verticle grip/battery pack with the camera and I'm very glad I did. I have shot hundreds of photos so far on the same battery pack. It's well worth the extra $100 or so and also gives you more to hold on to since this camera is small. I also ordered several adapters and a set of Raynox High Definition lenses in Telephoto, Wide angle, and close up lense.

Right away I found the camera easy to use. I am new to the digital camera, and so I wanted a good camera I could grow in to, but that would take pictures now without too much fuss. The pictures are vibrant, accurate in colors, very clear, and required very little post processing. One of my first photos was a close up of a bee on my wisteria. I was amazed at the detail caught that I could not see. I saw every hair, every vein in the wings.....beautiful macro photography! There are enough features for any enthusiast, but a point and shoot for us novices.

I did find on the down side, that the buttons on the side of the lense can be easily pushed while framing your shot. I found several times I changed the picture size without realizing it. Hopefully, Nikon will have a lock out feature on the upgrades in the future. Another down side to this camera is the lack of a threaded lense. Using the adapters is inconvenient and can be a hassle to find the right step down rings for. There is help however at this website:

http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/

This site offers great solutions to the adapter problem and other ideas for this camera. I have used the site extensively, and all of the suggestions have worked so far.

One of the best features of the 8700 is the fully articulated LCD. It is so useful when holding the camera over your head, or down low. For those of us old people, this is a real plus. The monitor is easy to see even in bright light and is great for reviewing your shots. The EVF is clear and accurate. The viewfinder can be adjusted for poor eyes like mine with the dioptic adjustment.

I have found that there is no fixed lense digital that is perfect. Each one has something I didn't care for. However the Nikon Coolpix 8700 is a winner for me. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in a high end prosumer camera.

UPDATE!!!

Since this review was written, my 8700 has gone back into the shop for repair. It seems that when you put your CF card into the slot, it may bend the pins if not inserted just right. That causes a short which causes you to have no power to the camera at all. Nikon did warranty the problem and had my camera back to me in about 10 days. I remove my card frequently to download my photos with a hotwire CF reader and am very careful now with re-inserting the card back into the camera.

However, on the bright side I have taken hundreds more frames and am very pleased with the photo quality. I am beginning to learn more of the features and settings, to create more choices in my photography. My son, who is a semi-professional photographer, was really amazed at the quality of the photos I took. We displayed them on the television with the included adapter. The color was right on, the photos very crisp and clear, and the macros were exceptional.

My son had the Canon 300 digital rebel, which was huge and heavy compared to my Nikon. I would still recommend this camera to anyone who loves great photos and wants to be able to do more than point and shoot. Two thumbs up!

Update June 07
I am still using my camera and have gotten to know the features a lot better. I really enjoy being creative with this camera. I have had no breakdown issues since the beginning. I did purchase the addon handhold, which uses 6 AA batteries, but lasts a long time. It also gives me an additional handhold and and extra shutter button for those vertical shots. All in all, I recommend this camera to anyone wishing to have a reliable digital, and wanting very crisp and clear shots.