Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Wow. This is a truly amazing little camera. I bought this to replace my Nikon Coolpix. I had my coolpix for just over 12 months when it broke, due to no fault of my own, and it was going to cost $150 to repair. Rather than repair a camera that I liked but didn't love, I decided to make a new purchase. My initial intention was to purchase a Canon Rebel, I have used my mom's in the past and really love that camera. I loved using the interchangeable lenses and the ability to manually focus. Seeing the cost though ($500+,) plus the cost of additional lenses, it just wasn't in my price range at the moment and I needed a new camera urgently. If you're looking for a DSLR, do not expect this to function the same. It's a powerful little camera, but it is NOT a DSLR. If you're an amateur photographer and have no intention of taking a class to learn how to use the functions of a DSLR, this is a perfect camera for you. So began my research. It became a toss up between the Canon SX510 and the Nikon L820. Reviewers were split between the two, some preferring the Nikon, some preferring the Canon. They seemed to come out about even except in a few minor categories, and having been very pleased with the Canon Rebel, I decided to go with the Canon despite it costing about $30 more than the Nikon. Pro's- *30x Optical zoom - awesome, no more grainy pictures of kids on stage during performances *Built in wifi - go ahead and upload your pics to facebook, send them to your phone, or directly to your wireless printer. *Manual setting - can do your own iso settings, white balance, shutter speed etc. The auto setting works fabulously in most cases, far better than any camera I've ever owned, but the option is there for those times it's just not adjusting quite how you want it. *CMOS sensor provides for a clearer image, especially on the macro setting, than my own eyes give me. *Zoom assist - for when you use your 30x zoom but lose your subject *Size - for anyone that has gone hiking with a DSLR and multiple lenses, you know what a pain that can be. This lighter camera is perfect for running around and still has a lot of the qualities that you'd look for in a DSLR. So unless you're out taking professional shots, this comes in really handy *Discreet mode - This is a setting on the dial, great for those events when there is no flash allowed. In this mode, the camera doesn't make noise when turning it on, nor does the flash go off. Even if the camera goes off and you turn it back on, because it is set on the dial, it doesn't reset itself. I've accidentally had my flash turned back on so many times that way on previous cameras. Cons - *Very poor manual - A lot of skipping around to get one thing done. IE Looking through the start up manual, it says "for instructions on attaching (the lens cap cord and neck strap) please see the user manual on the canon website" Granted, it wasn't difficult to figure out, but there was no clear spot for the lens cap cord, and it is something that should have been included in a "start-up" manual. Another example of a poor manual, referring to the downloadable pdf manual...say you want to learn how to use the miniature setting...so it says "miniature setting, pg 48" You go to pg 48 and it says to follow steps 1 and 2 on page 46....okay back to page 46, got that down, back to page 48. It seems to be this way when trying to learn how to access any of the features. I can't fault the actual camera for this, but definitely Canon. I actually made up my own cheat sheet for accessing my favorite features until I have it down. *No ability to manually focus - Being that this camera is not a DSLR, I didn't expect or really even hope for this feature. I would have liked it, but for the $$, I definitely can't complain and will upgrade in the future. *Mirrorless - I would definitely prefer to use a viewfinder, I am used to going without though, so it's easy to work around. *No Raw Shooting - this feature doesn't apply to most people, but sometimes I prefer to use it *No Touch Screen - This is taking time for me to get used to, I find myself constantly tapping the screen. My last 2 cameras, going back to 2010, have been touch screen, so I'm surprised to find this camera doesn't have one. Some reviewers have complained about the difficulty of accessing the wifi, this was fairly easy for me and took about 15 minutes max. It's a little more work than it typically takes to connect a device to wifi,and you have to use the computer to do it, but it's still not overly difficult. Despite the cons, I'm still incredibly impressed with this camera and it has definitely earned 5 stars when taking into account the type of camera, the construction, and the value. I'm very happy with this purchase despite the fact that I was hoping for my next camera to be the Rebel. I never imagined I'd get a camera of this level of quality for under $400. (I paid $229, could have bought a slightly cheaper one, but wanted one that was Amazon fulfilled and prime)