Nikon Coolpix S610c

The Nikon Coolpix S610c is a well constructed version of an incredibly familiar design. It's a look we've seen a thousand times before, but with a few distinctive visual accents, like a brushed-metal body, and a concave area on the camera's rear. While not the world's most original design, it struck us as well crafted and good looking, even if the controls are on the cramped side.

Front (7.50)
The front of the Nikon Coolpix S610c looks like the vast majority of point-and-shoot cameras on the market. It's not an entirely boring iteration of a familiar design, as it has some nice beveled edges and a mock-brushed-metal facade, but it's hardly groundbreaking. The lens, flash and auto focus assist bulb are all on the right half of the camera, and the microphone is just to the bottom left of the lens.

 

Back (7.75)
Most of this side of the camera is taken up by the three inch LCD, with the rest devoted to the thin strip of controls on the right. This strip is concave, which makes it easier to hold, though the controls are cramped.  The primary method of navigating menus is a scroll wheel, which you can use to breeze through menus, or else click in one of the four primary directions (Up for flash, left for timer, Down for macro and Right for exposure compensation). The two buttons above the wheel are Mode (on the left) and Playback (on the right). Beneath the wheel is the Menu button and Delete. You can see in the image below that the white icons for the push-button wheel functions are present for Up, Left and Down. The one for the Right button is actually tucked away on the right side of the camera. At the top right of this area is the zoom control, and just below that some raised dots to give you a little extra grip.

The controls are on the cramped side.

Right Side (5.00)
Half-way up the camera's right side is a small loop for the lanyard, and up near the top is the rather flimsy protection for the proprietary USB/AV/AC port. You can also see the icon for the exposure compensation button, which has been squeezed over onto this side.

Bottom (4.50)
The most interesting feature down here is the tripod mount, flush against one side of the camera rather than being centered under the body or the lens, which would be more common. The other feature of note on the camera's bottom is the door to the battery and memory card compartment.

The tripod mount is squashed against one side

 

Intro	Page 2 of 15		Color and Resolution
Nikon Coolpix S610c Digital Camera Review Navigation
Intro	Physical Tour	Color and Resolution	Noise and Video
Speed and Timing	Components	Design / Layout	Modes
Control Options	Image Parameters	Connectivity / Extras	Overall Impressions
Conclusion	Sample Photos	Specs / Ratings