Nikon Coolpix S500

Problems: Like all CCD's it has a flare shown on the screen when there is a flood of light. No manual mode if you are set on that feature.

Problems: Some of the pictures were blurly even when VR was in use. Also pictures are not sharp enough for landscape pics. DOP was not good due to AUTO aperture settings.
This camera is just for people who want true P&S camera. If you are interested in this model, also consider S200. Save $50 for useless ISO 2000.

Problems: Three problems with this camera: 1) the lens placement is a bit awkward and seems poorly thought out, at the limits of the upper-left corner (note: the newer S500 looks different than the image of the camera shown above). I have had to re-learn how to hold the camera to avoid getting my thumb in the image. 2) The "Macro" feature is pretty useless from the direct dial, I've found that to get the macro to work the way it's supposed to I have to go into the Scenes menu and select Macro there. It works, but the direct dial feature is pointless. 3) The autofocus is ... slllooowww. And it doesn't seem to find things easliy, making this less than a point-and-shoot camera. The time required to get the focus means ou have to plan shots (at least more than I ever did with my Pentax Optio). Still a good camera ... just a bit overpriced, given these issues.