It is great as a daily camera. I use it for documenting reports. The macro is more convenient than a field copy machine for copying documents on low or high quality. Shoot, save, transfer to my lap top and I am good to go. It is small and easy to handle. My only complaint is that even with fresh batteries in the cold it seem to take a long time to recharge the flash even when there is no need for the flash. It needs to complete charging or it will not take the next picture. I have had 35mm Nikon cameras for years and had good service. I have had two Nikon Coolpixs, The last Coolpix lasted about a week. The manager of the local dealer at Wolf Camera (at Fox Valley Centre, in Aurora, Illinois), a national camera chain told me I did not know how to use the camera and they needed to send it to their service centre and in 6 to 8 weeks would let me know if they would exchange out the camera, if they decided it was not my fault. In the mean time I could purchase another camera. Since the previous camera lasted only about 6 months I decided to try a different make and maybe even consider a cheaper type of camera. My previous Cannon model died after being used for well over a year in rain, dirt, snow, and being dropped. It finally died from my falling on it while it was open and it still works just very noisy. I could not trust it not to die in the middle of a field inspection. I'm glad I got this one it is even better quality than the older model and cheaper. The old noisy one is now my backup. The other thing High on my requirements is generic batteries and memory, AA batteries and SD memory. I can not allow a priority accessories. I need to be able to pick-up accessories in the field in an emergency. PS: I told the camera store to keep the Nikon and I will not be back to pick it up. My new camera store is called Amazon.