I finally worn out my poor Canon Powershot SX200 (I'm not a photographer but I take up to 200-300 pix a week as part of my work, plus nature photos at weekends, so I need something I can stuff into pockets, backpacks, handbags and briefcases). Convinced by the reviews on this site, I decided to give the S8200 a go.
I've given it 4 stars rather than 5 because the first one I received locked up when on full optical zoom - the entire camera froze, and the only way I could release it was to take the battery out. Nikon help line were great, and Amazon despatched the replacement before I'd managed to put the old one in the post to them! Then, the second one did it as well! But it's such a great camera, I decided to persevere, and with Nikon's help we managed to fix it by resetting the factory settings, and it's been fine ever since.
I don't much like Nikon's software for downloading and viewing - it's a cluttered screen and far more complicated to download than it needs to be, so I just use my old Canon software for that, but the Nikon software is very much better for editing.
But as for the camera itself, all I can do is echo some of the other reviews. The photos I've had from it so far are just stunning - I can't believe it was me that took them! I tested it out at a zoo, and even photos taken zoomed through grubby glass were awesome - it focused past the muck really well! The clarity and colour are amazing, and even I've found the settings and menus easy to work through. The macro shots are incredibly clear as well.
I'm not techie enough to go into the fine details of what the camera can do, and other reviewers have covered that really well, so read their comments and buy this camera. Despite the false start, this is the best compact camera I've owned, and I really do ask a lot of them.
Don't take too much notice of some people's comments about the flash popping up where you hold it. I've not had a problem with it. I guess it just depends on how much you need to grab your camera, but it's so light I often use it one handed anyway.
But do get a spare battery - it gets through them really quickly when reviewing on the monitor. The downloading using the USB cable is a bit hit and miss as well, so best get a card reader for that.
So, a great camera, despite a false start, and I'm glad I persevered with it.