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September 21, 2005
[ NIKON COOLPIX S2 ]
Price: $699
Rating: 4 stars
The goods: The Nikon Coolpix S2 is a 5 megapixel fashion accessory camera, advertised by Nikon as being “Surprisingly slim, exceptionally stylish.”
The face area of the camera is about the same as a credit card and it is 25mm thick. It is made of aluminium and feels durable. There is no optical viewfinder but there is a large 65mm LCD screen that has one remarkable feature – it is actually visible in sunlight. Most of these cameras without viewfinders are impossible to use outdoors on a sunny day, but Nikon seem to have solved the problem.
The camera starts up when the metal slide covering the lens is pulled down. The zoom lens (35–105mm film equivalent) does not extend but uses what Nikon calls a “right angle optics system”. It seems almost too good to be true, but the results are impressive. Resolution – a function of the lens and sensor combination – is excellent. Enlargements up to A3 are possible.
White balance is acceptable but not as good as some other Nikon cameras. Focus is quick and precise.
The S2 has a rechargeable battery with good capacity.
Like this: The S2 has a clever little trick up its sleeve called “D Lighting”. When you take the once-in-a-lifetime picture and it is underexposed the camera can process the shot to bring out lost detail in a selective way so that lightening the shadows, for instance, doesn’t blow out the highlights. The results can be quite remarkable, akin to using auto levels in Photoshop.
Dislike that: There are no manual controls at all in the S2, apart from ISO sensitivity, white balance and exposure compensation. This level of simplicity will appeal to some but deter a serious photographer.
Parting shot: The fashion accessory camera is a crowded sector of the market and the latest generation of cameras has, to some extent, overcome the problems that occur when there is no viewfinder. The quality of images from these little point-and-shoot cameras is very good and the Nikon Coolpix S2 is one of the best examples of the breed. It is expensive -- the excellent 7mp Nikon 7900 is $50 dearer and worth it.
THERE ARE A FEW SAMPLE PICTURES FROM THE NIKON COOLPIX S2 IN THE GALLERY.
Posted by terry at September 21, 2005 08:09 PM
