Buying Nikon Coolpix S4000 12 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3.0-Inch Touch-Panel LCD (Red)

I just purchased this camera on a Nikon promotion for Mothers Day. It included a case and a Sand Dish 2g card. I would like to tell you of some issues I had with this camera and have since cleared it up with a call to Nikon.

Charging the battery:

First, is how to charge the battery. You must plug the a/c charger into a electrical outlet.....THEN.....plug the adapter into the charge port of the camera. If you try it any other way, it won't charge. The quick start, manual on CD and the downloadable manual from Nikon............spell it out the wrong way.

Firmware update:

My camera came with version 1.0. If you go to [...] you will find a new version is waiting for you to download. They also have an illustrated file to download to help you do the update. The SD card is formatted by the camera........... .......a PC will not read the card. My XP pro did not read the card. Therefore, you cannot copy the firmware to the SD disk. My Windows 7 machine did read it, copied it and I made an update to my camera. So your XP machine might not be able to do the update.

Another issue is how to power the camera during the update. The instructions were not clear to me and a call to Nikon approves of this approach. Use a fully charged battery as the only power source and you will be able to complete the update.

The update will change the HD video from 24 to 30fps.

If you buy a SD card...check with the 200 page manual to see what cards are approved. Write times vary with manufacture. The Sand Disk, I felt, had a rapid write time.

I am pleased with the camera. It is packed with features that Amazon points out during camera description. It should be noted that in AUTO, the camera picks out what it likes to make your shot. AUTO is a place to START making your perfect photo. The camera has many features to fine tune that shot into a family treasure. Spend some time and try ALL the features and see what happens to the same photo shot. Its part of the fun of digital cameras. I don't mind saying, I resisted digital and stayed with film for many years. This camera will allow you to be creative in a much faster pace. Is it going to replace a 650$ SLR. No way. It will allow you to carry a very cool pocket camera to get those "grab me shots" or just really get into digital photography.

Nikon can be reached at 1 800 645 6689 7days a week from 8am to 2am Eastern time. They were very patient and helpful to me during my two calls to them. Also try their web site for answers on consumer questions on this camera. There was an answer on XP problems during transfer from camera to pc. I need to look that one over next
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