| Likes |
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- Sexy and sophisticated camera body
- Huge LCD screen with wide viewing angle and solid resolution
- WiFi enabled
- All metal body
- Rotary dial
- Pictmotion slide shows
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| Dislikes |
- Limited battery life
- Weak flash
- Wireless setup requires wires
- Tiniest zoom control ever
- Red eye fix doesn’t fix anything
- Short ISO range
- Short shutter speed range |
Conclusion
The Nikon Coolpix S6, with its sexy all-metal body and big screen, offers some very nice features but still has the “small camera syndrome.” Symptoms include poor handling from overall tiny size, automatic modes, blurry pictures, a weak flash, and a body sexier than its true functionality. Indeed, the Nikon S6 has perhaps the smallest zoom control ever included on a digital camera and is sure to break thousands of fingernails. The camera is equipped with automatic modes that work well in bright lighting, but lacks the sensitivity needed to capture decent pictures in lower light: users will end up with plenty of blurry pictures if their subjects are moving. The S6’s tiny flash is powerful in the short range, but can’t reach beyond about 8.5 ft. As with many other small cameras, many pictures from the S6 had red eyes and a harsh flash – despite Nikon’s portraiture technology.
Still, this Coolpix has an incredibly good-looking body that is durable and sophisticated, and the S6 throws a very enticing feature into the mix: WiFi compatibility. The setup isn’t terribly painful if consumers know tech jargon and, once the camera’s hooked up, it is easy to send pictures to the computer or printer. Users can choose to upload after every shot or only when memory is scarce – as long as they are within 20 meters of the network source. This wireless compatibility still comes with strings attached, though.
The Nikon S6 has a weak battery that only gets 200 shots per charge. With that, users will have to park the camera into the dock to charge the battery anyway. They may as well upload photos then too. It’d take less time, as it takes a few minutes for the camera to connect to the network and transfer photos.
Overall, the WiFi-enabled Nikon Coolpix S6 does have a great body and good features, but lacks good image quality. The provocative S6 retails for $399.
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