Nikon's entry 5MP compact from 2006 — 3x 38-116mm zoom, AA power, CCD colour on a budget
The Coolpix L3 was an entry-level digital compact in Nikon's L (Lifestyle) series, announced in February 2006 alongside the L2 and L4. It sat in the middle of Nikon's budget AA-powered trio at around $200, wearing a slim, curved gun-metal grey body that looked more expensive than it was.
It used a 5.1-megapixel 1/2.5-inch CCD behind a 3x Zoom-Nikkor covering 38-116mm equivalent at f/3.2-5.3. The 2-inch LCD had a modest 86,000-pixel resolution and there was no viewfinder. Sensitivity was fixed at ISO 50 with automatic gain to ISO 200 only, shutter speeds ran from 4s to 1/1500s, and it recorded 640x480 QuickTime movies at 30fps. Storage was 23MB of internal memory plus SD cards, with power from two AA batteries.
Aimed squarely at beginners, it paired near-total automation with Nikon's Feature System: D-Lighting shadow correction, Face-Priority AF, in-camera red-eye fix and 15 scene modes. Image quality in good light was strong for the class with good dynamic range, but the zoom was slow and audible, shot-to-shot times lagged rivals and the capped ISO 200 ceiling made low light difficult.
Used examples are cheap CCD-era snapshooters. AA power makes them easy to run today, though the camera predates SDHC so a small-capacity SD card is the safe choice. Check the LCD for bright spots or bleed, listen for the zoom completing its full travel, and inspect the battery compartment for corrosion from leaked alkalines.