Nikon Coolpix S6

Viewfinder
Once again, probably for design reasons, there’s no optical viewfinder on the S5/S6. Optical viewfinders on stylish slim cameras like these have become a thing of the past.

LCD Screen
The LCD screens on the two models are top-notch. The S5 has a 2.5-inch TFT LCD monitor with 230,000 pixels of resolution. The S6 has a 3-inch TFT LCD also with 230,000 pixels of resolution. Though there are fewer pixels per unit of space overall in the larger screen it’s not noticeably different in clarity from the S5. Both screens have brightness adjustment and nice wide viewing angles which Nikon rates at 170 degrees. Both screens were some of the best we’ve seen in these types of cameras. It’s nice that Nikon backs up the large sizes with significant pixels, unlike some of its competitors.

When using the new Pictmotion “In-Camera Creative Slideshow Entertainment,” as Nikon calls the technology for playing back images, the strengths of the screens are clearly apparent. There has been some discussion about larger screens serving as miniature photo albums. With most embarrassingly bad low-resolution screens, that sort of talk is a lot of hot hair. With the Nikon’s new brilliant new screens, they might not be just blowing smoke.

Flash
The rectangular flash on the front of the camera is right next to the lens, which puts the camera at high risk of producing red-eye. The flash has a reported range of 1’– 8’ 6” /0.3-2.6m (W), 1’ – 4’ 7”/0.3–1.4m/(T). We’ll look at whether this is accurate in a follow up review. Flash modes include Auto, Auto with Red-Eye Reduction (In-Camera Red-Eye Fix), Flash cancel, Anytime flash and Slow sync. We’ll also examine, in a follow-up full review, the effectiveness of Nikon’s Red-Eye fix since the close proximity of lens to flash will likely cause frequent red-eye.

Zoom Lens
The S5 and S6 use a 3x Zoom-Nikkor ED lens with a focal equivalent to 35-105 mm in 35mm format. Aperture on the lens ranges from f/3.0 – f/5.4. It’s nice to see that just because it’s a slim stylish camera, Nikon has not skimped on the quality of the lens. The slight bulge on the left side of the camera is able to house the entire lens even when zoomed out so there’s no protrusion. It’s a neat trick and a plus to the user who can now have the benefits of Nikon ED glass in a slim package.

Normal focal distance ranges from 1’ to infinity and 1.6” to infinity in Macro mode. The lens includes 12 elements in 10 groups. Digital zoom is up to 4x.

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