10.1 megapixels. 18x optical zoom. speedy new image processor. vibration reduction. this thing looks awesome. i want one.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/24/techn ... ref=slogin

A Camera With a Range So Big, No Extra Lenses Are Needed



At first glance, Nikon’s Coolpix P80, due out next month, looks a lot like a digital single-lens reflex camera. Look a little closer and you’ll see that the lens is a lightweight zoom fixed to the compact body.

Look into the owner’s wallet and you will learn that the price was a lightweight $400, less than entry-level S.L.R.’s with interchangeable lenses.

Instead of carrying several of those lenses to cover wide and long ranges — inviting dust and pollen onto the sensor during every lens change — you’ll have just one with this camera. But unlike many fixed zooms, this one has a huge range: it’s wide enough at 27 millimeters to capture a group in a living room, and long enough at 486 millimeters to read a baseball glove’s brand out on the diamond.

The zoom’s range is too big for a regular glass viewfinder, so you compose by looking at a little digital picture through the eyepiece or the 2.7-inch screen on the back. That isn’t for everyone, but if you want the power of this 18X zoom, you’ll have to accept the compromise.

here's the link to the camera on nikon's web site:

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon ... 20P80.html

I don't know a lot about cameras, but $400 seems like a lot for a point-and-shoot camera. 10 megapixels seems like a lot, but it doesn't mean much. it's mostly just a marketing technique camera companies use to fool people into thinking a 10 mgp camera will take sharper images than a 7 mgp camera. it's more important to know the largest image it can take, pixels wide and pixels long, and even that is only important if you're doing work for print, and if you're doing work for print (I'm pretty sure you aren't) you should look into an entry level or used SLR. like i said, i don't know a lot about cameras, but i think there is some truth to what i just wrote, however i don't know if i presented it well. You should do some research on the important of megapixels before you drop $400 on a point-and-shoot camera

isn't it all about the optical zoom though? 18x seems like a lot. most are 3x, and you find a few with 10x

Optical zoom doesn't mean much either. It's all about focal length.

i was told girth is more important than length