Nikon Coolpix S4 Digital Camera Review

Nikon Coolpix S4

Digital Camera Review

Dec 16, 2005 - By Patrick Singleton
1.5 Nikon returned to the pivoting-lens design of its Coolpix 900 series for their latest ultra zoom camera, the 6 megapixel Coolpix S4. Built around a 6.3 to 63mm lens (equivalent to a 38-380mm zoom on a 35mm camera) and a 1/2.5-inch imaging chip, the 4.4 x 2.7 x 1.4-inch S4 offers shooting versatility in a portable package. While many ultra zoom cameras strive to imitate the styling of DSLRs, the design of 10x optical zoom Nikon Coolpix S4 suggests that it is really more of a compact point-and-shoot at heart. Available online for about $320, the price of the S4 places it in the company of higher-end point-and-shoots.
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Nikon Coolpix S4
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Nikon Coolpix S4
 
Likes
– Cool shape and pivoting lens
– Well-built and compact
– Face-priority focus really works
– Autofocus is accurate and handles low light           
Dislikes
– No manual exposure controls
– No image stabilization
– Lousy LCD
– Noisy images
– Flash is absurdly close to the lens
– Video mode only shoots at 15 frames per second         

   
Conclusion
The Coolpix S4 is clearly a snapshooter’s camera, though one with an extended lens. It's not a DSLR replacement – there's no pretense that the S4 is a viable alternative to a Nikon D50 or a Canon Digital Rebel. It lacks the speed, image quality, and control of those cameras, and it doesn't offer the stuff strong ultra zoom cameras can lord over DSLRs: image stabilization and a useful video mode.
 
The problem is, the S4 doesn't deliver, even as a compact camera. It doesn't compete well with short-zoom compacts on image quality, video quality, or manual control. With very poor noise performance at ISO 200 and 400, and no image stabilization, it's hard to make a case that the 10x zoom lens will serve snapshooters well at all. Even the LCD is a disappointment, with its low resolution.
 
We'd like to see the S4's innovative features on a more capable camera, but we can't recommend the camera itself.
Overall Impressions Page 11 of 13 Specs / Ratings
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