Ask Gadling: Best point and shoot camera with HD video for under $250?

One of our readers took advantage of our “Ask Gadling” feature to ask for tips on picking the best point and shoot digital camera. Her requirements are pretty simple – under $250, good HD video and a decent zoom reach.

Cameras are always a tough area to find the perfect option, but there are a couple of shooters out there that have everything in this shortlist.

From all the available cameras on the market right now, the Nikon Coolpix S8100 is probably the one we’d recommend without any hesitation. The Coolpix S8100 is the followup to the Coolpix S8000 we reviewed last year.

The S8100 shoots photos in 12.1 megapixels with a 10x wide Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens, covering 30-300mm. The camera shoots Full HD video in 1080p with stereo audio. Video can be output with its built-in MiniHDMI connector.

Controls are easy to use, images are bright and crisp, and even turn out quite well in the dark.

But perhaps the best part of the Nikon Coolpix S8100 is the price – It’s MSRP is $299.99, but you’ll find it at retailers like Amazon for just $228. This price-point makes it one heck of a bargain.


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