Nikon Coolpix L19 Camera

by Channing Thomson
(San Francisco, CA USA)

I got the Nikon Coolpix L19 a couple months back as a friend noted that my Olympus digital camera was way out-of-date and oversized -- kind of like one of those brick cellular phones from the 1980s. I realized I had let my technology get behind me and ordered a Nikon Coolpix digital camera (model L19) through a vendor on Amazon.

It was relatively inexpensive, probably under $150, if I remember correctly. When I received it, I was pleased it was small -- an inch deep, by 2-1/2" x 4". The image LCD screen on the back was much larger than my old one too -- 2-1/2" diagonal. This camera does not have a direct viewfinder so you do have to shoot looking at the digital screen. That can be a drawback if you're used to traditional film camera photograph.

One advantage of the Nikon Coolpix L19 is that it uses only two long-life AA batteries as opposed to the four AAs on my old one. Also, it doesn't seem to use much juice so the batteries last a long time unless you are doing a lot of mechanical actions like zooming.

I like the 1" size 2GB memory card which is also much smaller than my old camera and holds many more images. Basic features include zoom, flash, and close-up mode. One element I do not like is I would describe the auto focus feature as slightly "fussy." Sometimes it works perfectly and at others it's not so automatic and doesn't always focus perfectly.

Another problem with the Nikon Coolpix L19 is you can turn the flash off permanently with a setting but there doesn't seem to be a setting where it stays on without automatically shutting off if there's light directed at the camera's light meter. This is a problem in a darker space where you might want to illuminate a person's face in the dark while the background behind them is light.

The self-timer mechanism is a real boon on this camera and I've used it several times to time to shoot when I don't want to hold the camera. I have had one problem with the self-timer in that the exposure settings can be weird in that mode.

Overall, I'd give the Nikon Coolpix L19 digital camera 4 out of 5 stars. I like it's small size and versatility with many features I find useful. The few problems I have may have more to do with my own inexperience with digital cameras in general.