Nikon Coolpix S2

Viewfinder (0.0)
The 2.5-inch LCD screen acts as the viewfinder, as there is no optical viewing window included. There is 97 percent field coverage while shooting, which is just okay. The worst part of this setup is the poor resolution of the screen: 110,000 pixels.

LCD Screen (7.0)
The Nikon S2 is equipped with a 2.5-inch LCD screen with 110,000 pixels. The size is impressive, but the resolution is poor. When recording, the screen shows 97 percent of what the lens sees. This is substandard, as most LCDs will give you 100 percent coverage. In playback mode, the screen does show 100 percent of an image. In both modes, image information and selected features’ icons clutter the sides of the picture. This information can be hidden, but it’s all or nothing. The brightness of the monitor can also be adjusted in the setup menu. The menu shows a picture of a girl in a yellow hat. Next to her is a five-step control that can be scrolled up or down to brighten or darken the image.

Flash (5.5)
Nikon included a fairly weak flash unit that is only effective to about 8 feet. It lights the field evenly unless you use it in the macro mode (then it blows the picture out). The following flash modes are available: Auto, Flash On, Flash Off, Flash with Red-eye Reduction, and Slow Sync Flash. The flash mode is selectable in most shooting modes, although the camera does have defaults for some of the scene modes. For example, the indoor scene mode automatically selects the red-eye reduction flash, but still allows the photographer to overrule the system and select a different mode. In general, the flash was not as strong as it should be and slightly too concentrated. For close range portraits, the harsh light will illuminate every pore on the subject’s skin and may not product the flattering result desired.

Zoom Lens (6.5)
The Nikon Coolpix S2’s metallic door protects its 3x optical zoom lens from the elements. However, the lens could probably do without the door given its flat position on the camera. The Nikkor 5.8-17.4mm, f/3.0-f/5.4 zoom lens is constructed from 12 elements in 10 groups – and stays within the camera body at all times. The outside cover slides down to reveal the lens, but watch your fingers when you handle it; several times I slid my fingers right over the lens and left smudges on it. The lens is controlled by a tiny toggle on the back of the S2. The zoom is fairly responsive; it’s not the stickiest I’ve handled, but certainly not as smooth as butter. It would have also been nice if Nikon had been able to open the lens a bit more at its max aperture to f/2.6 or f/2.8, to help out in low light conditions.