Nikon COOLPIX L310 Compact Digital Camera - Black (14.1MP, 21x Optical Zoom) 3 inch LCD

Because this camera looks like a bridge camera, it's natural to assume it should have lots of controls, and then be disappointed when it doesn't. If you turn that thought on its head, you begin to see that this is actually a very good all-automatic compact camera, but with such a good lens that it couldn't fit into the compact shape. It can manage pretty good wide-angle shooting for indoors, and has a long 21x zoom, which is very good for taking pictures of birds on the birdfeeder in the garden.

The downside is that the big lens means it doesn't really fit into most pockets. The up side is that this camera takes astonishingly good pictures for this sort of camera, and you don't need to be an expert to use it. It uses 4 x AA batteries, which I actually prefer to rechargeables as it's easy to carry spares and there's no worry about recharging when you're out and about. You get your first set of batteries in the box, but you need to buy yourself an SDHC card (such as Transcend 8GB SDHC Class 10 Memory Card), which fits in to the camera beside the batteries. A strap, and a lens cap are provided, together with a manual and some CDs that I haven't looked at.

Best resolution is 4320 x 3240. Choose the resolution with the star beside it, because that gives a higher-quality result. You can also take HD video, but note that this is at 720 pixels, not the higher 1080 standard.

I bought this camera from Argos, not Amazon, because it was cheaper at the time. Actually, I tried to buy a Nikon Coolpix L120 Digital Camera - Black (14MP, 21x Optical Zoom) 3-inch LCD, a Which? Best Buy, but Argos swapped it for the L310 without telling me. As it happens, the only differences (and I have read through the specifications very carefully) is that the viewing screen on the back of the camera has a lower resolution (it's the same size, just with fewer dots, and you probably wouldn't notice the difference), and that the battery life is a fair bit better.

The only real downside I can see (if we accept that this is a camera for people who want to be able to point and shoot) is that there's no optical viewfinder, so it can get a bit hard to hold the camera still when it's on it maximum zoom.

I purchased this for my girlfriend, who hasn't got time to learn a dslr, aswell as messing with all those lens changes etc. We both went out to give it a test shoot, and i also took along, my D7000 and 55-300mm lens. No joke, the L310 bridge camera zooms in further, and the quality of the images are 100% on par. Shocked to be honest, and i'm now looking to get one myself, as a back-up camera. Just switch it on, point, and the auto functions do the rest. Impressive, and enough said!

I recently bought this camera from the Argos in a sale I paid £119, well I didnt I ordered the NIKON L120 camera but was given this as a replacement. However this does not matter as the camera is great. The camera produces the best images from a cheap camera that I have seen, the colours are really bright and vivid and knocks the socks off any compact camera for the same price.

The images are best viewed on a USB through a HD TV as the HD brings out the best of the images. As for the video again is miles better than any compact I have ever owned or seen, when I recorded a 720p video on my last camera every time you zoomed in or out the sound wasn't there like it couldnt capture sound when it was zooming, this is no problem for this camera. I have to say I created a video straight after initial set up and played back through TV and I was amazed how detailed the video was and I was even more amazed by how clear the audio on playback was, it is so clear and crisp.
I am no camera expert and I dont pretend to be but from an average user then I would say this camera would be a great purchase for a beginner like myself. If you want more professional kit then I would look else where, but if you want a sub £200 camera that takes amazing shots and captures great video then I would say give it a go. I have only had the camera a few weeks and I havent messed with any of the settings too much but I think if I edit the settings then I could achieve even better images from it.

Now to the one issue I have with the camera, that is the screen quality is not very great at all. You can clearly see what you are taking an image or video of but it is not good quality. However if you look past this small issue then it is a great camera for the money.
I would give this camera 4.7 / 5 but amazon only allows either four or five then its far closer to a five star camera than a four star one.
I will update this review after a few months to see if my opinions change but I would say give it a go from my experience so far.