The Nikon S8000 - Don't Buy It!

[kirbyultra]

I bought the S8000 point and shoot at best buy after playing around with a bunch of cameras in the store. When I took it home one of the first things I noticed was that the mic recorded a terrible high pitches noise throughout all my videos. Playing back the file on my computer was so bad that it frightened my bunny.

I've tried the internal memory, different sd cards, different settings both indoor and outdoor, and all of them result in the same squealy noise. Plus, I went back to best buy to exchange it for another S8000, thinking it was just my unit. Nope. The exchanged unit squealed too. I went back to the store again and tried the one they had on display. Squeals also.

Best buy gave me a hard time with it (claimed i had to take it up with Nikon) but I twisted their arm into giving me my money back. I am hugely disappointed that Nikon would put out a product like this as the newest camera in their strong S line. I bought the S8000 for it's HD video capability, stunning 3" LCD screen and 10X optical zoom. The horrible sound on the video made it a deal breaker for me.

So I probably will try to email nikon to tell them that I've had no luck with their microphone on 3 different S8000 units, maybe they'll issue a recall. For $299, it should be perfect, but it isn't

I just wanted to post this so other members are aware of this particular defect.

Helen

 

[YukonDaisy]

My camera started doing the same thing once I got my new computer with Vista. I find it only does it when you play back the videos through the window that pops up when you first download them from your camera. But if you go into "my documents" then the folder the videos are in and open them that way, the sound is normal. I have a Kodak EasyShare. Maybe it was the same thing with the S8000?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

we have sony cameras--both the still ones and a dvd and a mini cassette and have never had any problem. Check with Nikon and ask them about it--might just be a simple fix. Besides, the people at Best Buy aren't always the best.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

I haven't been much of a fan for any p/s camera. Seems like they pack so many features into a tiny body, that it is a wonder how it works. (Like they say, the more things you have, the more things that could go wrong). I may favor Canons or Panasonic or others over a Nikon, but I would not buy any p/s for myself. I am seeing the Nikon rep at a trade show tonight, maybe I'll ask him about the S8000.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

kirbyultra wrote:

I noticed was that the mic recorded a terrible high pitches noise throughout all my videos.

Do you think thesquealing is from the zoom lens when you zoom in and out?

 

[kirbyultra]

That would be great if you can mention the s8000 just to see if I'm the only lunatic who happened to encounter 3 bad ones. It wasn't just my ears (I really did suspect it was after the 3rd one). The best buy geek squad played it on his PC and boy did it squeal!

It's true, the p/s have so muh in them that it's hard to believe they don't also cook my dinner and wash my laundry. I have never owned a canon p/s but I had a cheap Panasonic Lumix and I have to say, for what it was, it performed wonderfully.

 

[undergunfire]

I always tell people to just wait and save up the money and spend it on a DSLR - I have a Canon Xsi and it is the best thing I have ever bought (next to my Macbook, LOL). I think my camera and lens kit cost around $700....so much more worth it then a point & shoot. You can get really good deals around Black Friday. Just think...for an extra $400 you can have a quality camera that takes wonderful pictures (catch every binky!).

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Pet_Bunny wrote:

I am seeing the Nikon rep at a trade show tonight, maybe I'll ask him about the S8000.

I spoke to the Nikon Rep, andtold him aboutthe noise you got on your playback,and that it happened on three different cameras. He haven't heard about it before, so he didn't have an answer for me.

Nikon S8000

 

[kirbyultra]

undergunfire wrote:

I always tell people to just wait and save up the money and spend it on a DSLR - I have a Canon Xsi and it is the best thing I have ever bought (next to my Macbook, LOL). I think my camera and lens kit cost around $700....so much more worth it then a point & shoot. You can get really good deals around Black Friday. Just think...for an extra $400 you can have a quality camera that takes wonderful pictures (catch every binky!).

I actually do own a DSLR, Nikon D5000. It is very awkward to use for video shooting though, and sometimes bringing a clunky DSLR just isn't an option. For photographing my bunnies at home, I would always pick up the D5000 though. The quality is just loads better. I bought my camera and lens refurbed for $525, and I think it was a great deal!

The reason I went looking for a point and shoot was to supplement those times when I know I just won't be bringing my DSLR, or if I want to take a good video.

 

[kirbyultra]

Pet_Bunny wrote:

Pet_Bunny wrote:

I am seeing the Nikon rep at a trade show tonight, maybe I'll ask him about the S8000.

I spoke to the Nikon Rep, andtold him aboutthe noise you got on your playback,and that it happened on three different cameras. He haven't heard about it before, so he didn't have an answer for me.

Nikon S8000

Thanks for bringing it up, Stan! Did the display you saw there have any mic problems? Depending on the environment the high pitch noise does vary, but it's completely audible when you listen to it on the built in speaker if you put it up to your ear.

I'm told by friends that it is clearly a case of an oversensitive microphone. I tend to agree with that assessment.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

kirbyultra wrote:

The reason I went looking for a point and shoot was to supplement those times when I know I just won't be bringing my DSLR, or if I want to take a good video.

If you want to take really good videos, youshould usea video camera. You couldfind a small compact video camera that records videos and takes pictures too.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

kirbyultra wrote:

Did the display you saw there have any mic problems?

I didn't have a chance to take it out and try it out. I was distracted by the other toys.

This is the new 300mm f2.8 VRIItelephoto ... $5900.00

 

[kirbyultra]

Pet_Bunny wrote:

kirbyultra wrote:

The reason I went looking for a point and shoot was to supplement those times when I know I just won't be bringing my DSLR, or if I want to take a good video. 

If you want to take really good videos,  you should use a video camera.  You could find a small compact video camera that records videos and takes pictures too.

The purpose was not so much to get a machine that does great video. The purpose was to get a device that could multitask as a decent camera and capture decent video in a fairly compact package. The "casual" vacationer would like an easy all-in-one. For me, this just fell short. 

In my opinion if a device like the S8000 is marketed as a camera that shoots HD video, it should fundamentally be able to capture picture and sound. I'm not saying it should have excellent quality or focus in the video but for it to botch up sound recording at that basic level indicates to me that the product is defective.