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Photograph: Rick Rizner
Nikon CoolPix 3200 Digital Camera
| Overall rating | 82 |
| Image quality: To gauge picture quality, we take a series of shots, with and without flash, at 640 by 480 resolution and at the camera's highest resolution. We photograph a complex still life and a mannequin to see how well each camera captures details and subtle colorings such as skin tones. A panel of judges reviews the on-screen and printed photos and assigns image-quality scores; we then average those scores. | Very good |
| Ease of use | Good |
| Features | Good |
| Maximum effective pixels/resolution | 3.2 megapixels/2048 by 1536 |
| Bundled media | 14.5MB internal memory plus SD Card slot |
| Focal range (35mm equivalent) | 38mm to 115mm |
| Aperture range (wide/telephoto) | f2.8/f4.9 |
| Shutter speed range (seconds) | 4 seconds to 1/3000 second |
| Viewfinders | Optical viewfinder, 1.6-inch LCD |
| Video/audio recording | 640 by 480 video with audio; clip length limited by size of media |
| Semiautomatic/manual modes | Fifteen scene modes; manual focus |
| Continuous shooting speed | N/A |
| Optional lenses | None |
| Software | Nikon View |
| Other features | Audio notes, Best Shot mode, panorama assist |
| Battery score | Good |
| Battery life | 220 shots, 121 minutes |
| Battery type | Two AA |
| Dimensions (width by depth by height), weight | 3.5 by 1.5 by 2.6 inches, 6.7 ounces |
| Support policy score | Very good |
| Support policies | One-year parts and labor warranty; 24-hour daily toll-free support |
Nikon Coolpix 3200
CoolPix 3200 Digital Camera Review, by Paul Jasper May 27, 2004
Nikon's 3.2-megapixel Coolpix 3200 is compact and light--it weighs just 6.7 ounces--and it's nicely designed for point-and-click simplicity. It has a slightly plastic look, but feels sturdy enough to resist any knocks it may receive on your travels. We found it very easy to grip, and its controls were simple to operate with one hand. In particular, composing our shots with the smooth and precise 3X zoom control was a breeze.
Though the 3200 has a slot for an SD memory card, the camera carries only 14.5MB of available internal memory (enough for about nine shots at the highest setting) is included in its $280 price. The good news is that you won't be left in the cold if you forget to pop in your SD card.
The 3200's menus take a little getting used to. At first we didn't know whether to enter its separate setup mode or just press the menu button for our current mode--but we soon got used to its quirks. The menus are not deeply nested, yet we sometimes felt as though we had scrolled a lot because there were only three options per page. The smallish 1.6-inch LCD screen was extremely difficult to use in bright sunlight. You can reduce the LCD's brightness, but that washes out the colors.
To complement its full-automatic setting, the 3200 offers 15 scene shooting modes to assist in capturing everything from sunsets to beaches to fireworks, plus a setting that lets you use Nikon's included image management software to stitch shots into a panorama. If you want anything more advanced, such as aperture- or shutter-priority automatic, you'll want to look elsewhere.
The 3200 lets you set gridlines on its LCD screen, to frame your shots more accurately. Other framing lines assist in positioning people in portraits, scenery in landscapes, and straight lines in shots of buildings.
By holding down the shutter release, you can take up to ten shots of the same subject, thanks to the Nikon's Best Shot Selector mode. The camera decides which of the images is best and commits only the sharpest to memory. This might help you get a better photo when you're shooting in low light conditions, where slow shutter speeds and a shaky camera tend to yield blurry images--for instance, inside an art museum where using a flash is prohibited.
The 3200 earned high scores in our still life test, which is designed to test color accuracy, sharpness, and detail under daylight lighting. We saw remarkable exposure accuracy and color reproduction. The camera's shot of our outdoor San Francisco rooftop scene (with lots of blue sky) was somewhat less impressive, though not bad: Well exposed; modestly good detail in the shadows; noticeable speckling in the blue sky; and natural, albeit somewhat muted colors.
We took the 3200 along on a stroll through San Francisco's Embarcadero waterfront. Soon we had a nice variety of shots of tugboats working in the bay, skateboarders ignoring the "no skateboarding" signs, and tourists on the terraces in front of the Ferry Building. It was a sunny day and all of our shots displayed bright, vibrant colors and good contrast.
Powered by two AA alkaline batteries, the 3200 lasted just over two hours or 220 shots--an average lifespan. Alternatively, it can take rechargeable AA batteries or a CR-V3 disposable lithium battery, which has an exceptionally long life.
Upshot: Easy to carry and easy to use, the Nikon Coolpix 3200 is an excellent choice for informal photographers who couldn't care less about fine-art imaging but who want to take great-looking snapshots.
Paul Jasper
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User Reviews
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User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: Rich1313
Strengths: Compact size is convenient
Weaknesses: Poor picture quality
Overall: I have owned this camera for one year and the performance has been awful. I get better pictures with a $10 35mm camera I bought to keep on my boat in case it got wet. I first experienced problems when I tried to download pictures onto my computer. The camera would not download. I called Nikon and they told me to buy a card reader. Not much help there. I bought the card reader and was able to download. Unfortunatly the pictures were grainy and dull. I recently used the camera to take pictures on a vacation and the results were terrible. Don't buy this camera. I will never buy another Nikon product after this rip off.
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Reviewed by: mk770
Strengths: Small & Cute
Weaknesses: Very little battery life, Breaks down all the time, Zero customer service
Overall: Nice cute camera, but everone I know thats had one, only had problems. There is terrible customer service, which makes their gurantee worth almost nothing.
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Reviewed by: evilkenieval_15
Strengths: clear, vivid sharp pictures, beautiful close ups with macro, excellent camera in all! THE ONE U WANT!
Weaknesses: LCD gets a bit dim in sunlight but no biggy, and write is is sorta slow bout 3-5 secs.
Overall: EXCELLENT CAMERA! u get what u want in a compact design! GREAT PHOTOS, excellent quality, i have to say it is one of the best, everything about it is great, i love the 15 scene modes and the uploading also the superb picture quailty, they look like they were taken with a pro, better than that crap sony which gives u washed out colors(not ur choice), this one gives u stndard or vivid colors (ur choice), just choose a setting. Shutter is speed is great, playback is quick and i love the way u can crop and zoom in on already taken photos on the cam. I RECOMEND THIS 2 EVERYONE!!!
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Reviewed by: jhwebster
Strengths: small... nice grip... user friendly... excellent price gr8 images... movie mode is super.. best buy for the money i bought (2) .. love this camera
Weaknesses: none to amount to anything
Overall: highly recommended to anyone... a awesome camera... i will buy another after Christmas... i like it as well as my fuji s-5000 , which is a gr8 camera as well... U want be sorry in the nikon 3200...
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Reviewed by: JeffSilva
Strengths: Good battery life, scene assist modes are great for quick shots, good manual features, takes beautiful macro.
Weaknesses: Sometimes the flash takes a little long to recharge.
Overall: This is a great camera, I bought it because of the 15 scene modes, the fact that it is a Nikon, and its high ratings everywhere. People complain a lot about the battery life, but I get a long time off of some 1960 maH nimh batteries, even when I am using the flash. Sd cards are cheap I got a 256 MB sd card for 25$ and it holds around 170 highest resolution pictures. Great outdoor photos, really good indoor, and the macro is truly stunning. No wonder more pro photographers use Nikon than all the other brands combined!
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