Nikon Coolpix L110 12.1MP Digital Camera with 15x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Black)

This is an awesome little point and shoot camera.
I purchased it because I needed something that would take really nice photos but could be easily slipped into my handbag whilst on vacation. My DSLR and lenses are a little bulky to be lugging around all day.

My first choice after reading tons of reviews was the Canon SX20, mainly because I really didn't want to sacrifice a viewfinder, plus it had the HD video capability. But I have to get a hands on the product first and no stores in our area had one in stock.

When I found the L110 was just being released I decided to give it a go....I have to admit I am impressed....this is a neat little camera. I've read some reviews where people are dissapointed that there aren't any manual settings, but the many preset features are really good for just about all conditions.

One feature that I really like is the smart portrait setting - the camera will automatically shoot the pic when it detects a smile. This feature helped me get some of the cutest photos of our baby nephew. When I was trying on plain auto mode I missed the smile every time. Theres also a setting that will let you know if someone blinked with a pop up on screen warning. This certainly helps avoid those *would've been a great pic if only you hadn't blinked* photos that you notice hours after the event.

As for digital zoom...I don't really like it on any camera...so chances are I won't use it unless absolutely necessary. But, I did try it out and found that using the full zoom capabilities you can get a pretty impressive photo of the moon, craters and all :o) (I'll post a photo I took of the moon with the L110) I did need to use a tripod though, because at that power zoom the camera shake was pretty bad. But it could be just me, I don't have the steadiest of hands.

I also love that I can record HD video, even indoors in low light it's not really that bad when played on a HD TV. Outdoors in natural light it is pretty impressive. However, its not intended to replace a stand alone video camera so don't expect Hollywood results. Oh and the mic isn't ideally placed, but thats probably to minimize the recording of the lens movement when zooming (it already picks up on it so avoid zooming if possible)

All in all its a great camera and I didn't really find any real cons to it. It definitely isn't a *pocket* camera, but its not bulky either, somewhere in the middle I'd say.
Oh and as for battery life.....using either the optional recommended Nikon rechargeables, or the included energizer ultimates you won't be dissapointed, I just can't seem to get either of them to run out of power.