Good to average speed for a consumer camera. Unusually slow shutdown, however.

The Nikon Coolpix P3's performance ranges from quick to just average, depending on what you're trying to do. Startup and shutdown are average and autofocus shutter lag is longer than average. But if you prefocus the camera by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure, shutter delay is better than average, with a lag of only 0.15 second. Shot-to-shot cycle times are average as is continuous-mode speed, at a bit under two frames/second, for up to three shots in succession. The flash takes about eight seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, but its got a better than average range. Connected to a computer, download speeds are reasonably fast, so plugging the camera in will probably be adequate if you don't want to wait for WiFi at about six seconds an image. Overall, the Nikon Coolpix P3 should be responsive enough for typical consumer needs, but its shutter lag is long by current standards and would likely cause you to miss the cute expression on Baby's face if you weren't pre-focusing. Though the Continuous shooting mode is a little slower than average, it should be sufficient for family snapshots and the average little league game.

Battery
Good battery life except when using WiFi.

The Nikon P3 uses a custom rechargeable Li-ion battery for power.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions. We normally always recommend picking up a spare battery and keeping it freshly charged and on-hand for long outings, and that's especially true for the Nikon Coolpix P3 if you plan to use WiFi much.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
No card is included with the Nikon Coolpix P3, although it accepts Secure Digital cards; 23MB RAM is built into the camera.

The Nikon Coolpix P3 stores its photos on Secure Digital memory cards or in approximately 23MB of internal memory. No card is included with the camera.

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SD/MMC memory card at least a 256MB card, preferably a 512MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)