Review: Nikon Coolpix S10 digital camera

At the dawn of consumer digital photography – that is to say, the late 1990s – Nikon cameras sported bodies on which the lens and screen sections could be independently rotated to achieve a variety of shooting angles.

They were acclaimed, before camera design that made a credit card look chunky became standard.

A decade on, Nikon has revived the format with the six-megapixel S10 snapshot. It may look odd, but that blocky body, just larger than a compact video camera, incorporates a better-than-average 10x optical zoom. Its 38-380mm equivalent focus range is still a rarity on a stills compact.

Admittedly it means paying £100 more than for a conventional 3x zoom camera, but aspiring paparazzi will love the ability to twist the 230k pixel, 2.5-in screen through 270° for shooting over the heads of crowds.

However, pick the camera up and a flaw becomes apparent; the user's thumb partly obscures the right side of the screen when shooting and there’s no optical viewfinder to fall back on.

Photographing at the extremity of your reach and its zoom also raises the possibility of camera shake and blurred images, something Nikon has attempted to avoid by including Vibration Reduction (or anti shake, which shifts the actual sensor to compensate), plus light sensitivity up to ISO800.

The S10 powers up within a couple of seconds and has built-in face recognition technology to ensure portraits are sharp. You also get 15 scene modes, in-camera redeye fix and D-Lighting, the creatively named feature whereby underexposed images are given a lift. But with a mere 16MB internal memory, you’ll have to budget for a removable SD card.

Although sharp results are achievable with the S10, you have to work for them. It’s frustrating that it struggles to find focus in less than bright light, the lens ‘hunting’ around a lot and going on to take a blurred shot regardless. Colours are coolly naturalistic, and benefit from the ‘vivid’ colour option. Night shots reveal image noise (grain-like flecks) at ISO400 and above.

Bucking recent design trends, the hip-swivelling S10 is not for everyone. Those who value flexibility may find it a draw, but performance falls short.

Also Consider
Kodak Easyshare V610
A six-megapixel resolution and 10x zoom stylishly hidden within a sliver and black slim-line casing, but not without operational compromise