Is the Nikon L320 worth it for what I'm looking for?

So the Nikon L320 is going to be $99 at target on black friday. I have been wanting a camera for a long time (The only thing now I use for any sort of picture taking is my iphone 4s on ios7)

The only time I ever really take a mass amount of pictures is on family vacations, at concerts, and at hockey games.

Obviously on vacation, I'm looking for something good at mostly still shots.

Concerts are obviously dark, and I will be a little bit shaky.

And hockey, I'm usually pretty close, and I want something that will really capture the detail of the players, the puck and their movements.

I realize that since this camera is so cheap, it might not be the greatest. I'm looking for something basic and really user friendly since I'm far from a professonal and I'm not looking for A+ super great photos, just something I can be proud of considering my lack of skill, but I don't want to bother with something that is not going to meet my needs and only get it because it is a good price. Any thoughts if this will camera will get the job done for me? AND if not what decent priced cameras do you recommend for me?

It is decent at that price point, and is good for what you are wanting. It's only real claim to fame is the extreme zoom range of the lens, but that typically also comes with some image quality loss, especially at the extremes of the zoom range, but probably acceptable to you in the real world. Other than the zoom, it is actually just a typical point and shoot camera. It can't even be called a "bridge" camera because it gives you no full manual control, but it sounds like you do not want / need that anyway. You are going to pretty much be stuck with letting the camera make all decisions on it's own. If you get it, read and study the owners manual thoroughly. There will likely be some "scene modes" available in the camera that will help to get you better photos under various conditions. Do not expect greatness in a concert or any dim light situation. The camera has the same tiny sensor as any pocket point and shoot camera, and thus will not give clean photos at elevated ISO speeds. Likely, anything at ISO 400 and above would have lots of digital noise. But again, for your desires, and especially at a $99 price point, yes, it is not a bad camera at all, and will most certainly be a big step up from a telephone "camera".

If it fits your budget it should be a fine camera to start your photographic career.

But remember that the camera is just a tool. The skills of the user are the key to great photos.

Study art, composition and lighting to get the most out of any camera.

It'll be fine for most of your needs, and certainly much better than a phone camera.

As long as you don't expect too much. In low light conditions at concerts or night time sports events you are probably pushing it though.

The only minus I can really see is that it has no manual mode. Which could be extremely limiting for creative photography. But if you don't need that and are happy taking snaps, then it's fine.