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Viewfinder (0.0)
Some digital cameras are still including an optical viewfinder, but are doing so more for nostalgia than anything else. The Nikon Coolpix S5 avoids the classic feature altogether and opts for the modern approach: a 2.5-inch LCD screen. The screen has great resolution and a 170-degree viewing angle, so it can be seen when held over the head or at the hip. Its refresh rate is good enough to keep moving subjects from blurring, which can’t be said of all LCDs on compact digital cameras. The drawback to the nice view is the coverage: the S5 only shows 97 percent of the live view on the LCD.
LCD Screen (8.5)
 Besides a smooth refresh rate and great viewing angle, the Nikon Coolpix S5 has 230,000 pixels on its 2.5-inch screen. While the size of the screen is smaller than the S6’s 3-inch feature, the resolution is the same. The pixels are packed tighter on the S5, so the image looks a little smoother – even if it is a bit smaller. The low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCD screen’s brightness can be adjusted from 1-5; a sample image view helps users choose which brightness setting they will need. These settings will need to be adjusted when shooting outdoors. There is 97 percent coverage of the recorded image in the live view, but playback shows the entire picture. Picture information can be shown or hidden on the screen. Framing grids can be added, as well, in the Monitor Settings portion of the setup menu. The S5 model we received already had a dead pixel on its LCD screen that showed up purple. Although the user manual assures that this is normal and won’t affect the recorded image (which it doesn’t; the downloaded picture looks fine), it still sticks out and is bothersome to the eyes.
Flash (5.75)
 Like the S6, the Nikon S5 has an incredibly weak built-in flash. It reaches only 8.5 ft at best. When users zoom in on subjects and use the flash, it is only effective to 4 ft 7 inches – hardly enough for subjects that require zooming. The flash light itself is stronger on the left side of the frame, so subjects on the right side will be a little darker. The uneven flash produced plenty of red eyes, even when the camera’s one-touch portrait button and red-eye reduction modes were used (which supposedly includes in-camera red-eye fix). The camera uses three distinct pre-flashes to shrink the capillaries in the back of the eye when the red-eye reduction is activated, but this doesn’t seem to work. The following modes can be selected by pushing the top of the multi-selector: Auto, Auto with Red-Eye, Off, On, and Slow Sync. The poor coverage, limited options, and abundance of red eyes make the built-in flash one of the least desirable features on the Coolpix S5.
Zoom Lens (6.5)
 The Nikon Coolpix S5 has a 3x optical zoom lens that does not telescope outwards but remains inside the metal camera body at all times. This makes the lens more durable, although I wouldn’t recommend pitching it against the wall or anything. The Nikkor lens is small and has an even smaller control. It is perhaps the tiniest zoom control on a digital camera and will drive large-fingered folks absolutely nuts. No one really has fingers small enough to comfortably handle this zoom switch. Once users sharpen their nails and move the control, the lens can zoom from 5.8-17.4 mm or 35-105 mm in 35 mm format. The control can stop at about six focal lengths within the zoom range, which is average for a compact digital camera’s 3x lens. The Nikkor lens itself, which is constructed from 12 elements in 10 groups, makes some motor noise as it zooms in and out. As it zooms, its position is visible on a bar across the top of the LCD screen. On one end of the bar is a “W” and on the other is a “T.” Just right of the center of this bar is a line that separates the optical zoom range on the left from the 4x digital zoom on the right. The lens stops at that line; users must then re-push the zoom switch toward the “T” to enter the digital zoom realm. The S5 has a macro mode that focuses as close as 1.6 inches, although sometimes the lens acts a bit finicky.
Several times, the camera had trouble focusing on close subjects and displayed the following message on the display screen: “Initializing lens cannot focus!” That strange phenomenon is a drawback to this lens, as is its tiny control and its positioning. The lens is located in the top right corner of the front, which is just where the left fingers naturally wander. Another disappointing aspect of the lens is its relatively small aperture range. The camera’s maximum aperture is f/3.0 in wide and f/5.4 in telephoto, with its smallest offering being f/8.5. Still, the Nikkor lens has hardly any barrel distortion and is a sturdy element of this camera.
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