Nikon Coolpix S610c

In our extensive lab testing of the Nikon Coolpix S610c, the results were a mixed bag. Resolution and white balance were both a disappointments, but the camera did very well for dynamic range and manual noise.

Color (7.62)
The first round of our testing is for color accuracy, where we shoot the industry standard GretagMacbeth color chart under 1700 lux illumination, and run the results through Imatest, an image testing program that can tell us how close the captured photos are to the original chart colors. In the Imatest chart below you can see the results, where the outer ring of color is what the camera recorded, the inner square is the ideal color adjusted for luminance, and the inset rectangle is the original ideal color.

The captured vs. ideal colors

You can also see the same information in the graph below, which shows the ideal color in the square, the captured color in the circle, and the difference between the two as a vector. You can see that the Nikon did well with pinks and blues, but had some trouble in the yellow area.

The camera did very well with pinks and greens

Resolution (6.01)
There's more to resolution than just megapixels, it's also about how the camera records the information, and how it compresses it down into a JPEG. We measure this as a count of line widths per pixel height (lw/ph), based on Imatest analysis of alternating black and white lines over a specific area.

A segment of the industry-standard resolution chart that we use for testing

The S610x grabbed an unimpressive 1575 lw/ph horizontally and 1451 lw/ph vertically, and as you can see from the 100% crop chart above, this isn't exactly tack-sharp. It's a slight improvement over the older Nikon,  but not really up to scratch with some of the other cameras on the market.

White Balance (5.23)
Cameras use white balance adjustment to account for the different colors of illumination cast by different light sources: light from tungsten bulbs, for example, is more yellow than fluorescent illumination. We test two of the camera's ways of handling differing white balances. We shoot on Auto white balance under flash, fluorescent, indirect daylight and tungsten light, and then do the same using the presets for each source. The Imatest charts you see below are significantly exaggerated to show the color shift, and you won't see this level of difference in your own photos.

Auto White Balance (4.68)
The S610c did very well under tungsten illumination on automatic white balance setting, but hit a brick wall for the others. It delivered average performance under flash and fluorescent illumination, but the poor flash result is very surprising, as you would expect a camera to be able to correctly accommodate its own flash. The real letdown was shaded daylight, where the S610c results were abysmal. .

Preset (5.78)
There was some overall improvement while shooting on presets, with major enhancement on flash and shade settings, but a minor drop under fluorescent and tungsten light sources.

Exaggerated White Balance Errors (Presets)

Flash Preset WB - Flash Illumination

Fluorescent Preset WB - Fluorescent Illumination

Cloudy Daylight preset WB - Daylight illumination

Tungsten preset WB - Tungsten illumination

Overall, this was an unimpressive result from this new Coolpix. For important shots, we we recommend usual the manual white balance system to take a live reading under current lighting conditions.