The S10 adopts a swivel format which was popular with Nikon's early digital cameras

Review: Nikon Coolpix S10 digital camera

Let’s twist again with Nikon’s 10x zoom digital ‘compact’

Written by Gavin Stoker, Computeractive

Larger Image

Verdict:

Good points

  • 10x zoom is a real boon for candid snapping
  • Rotating body and lens allows for greater shooting flexibility

Bad points

  • The S10 is bulkier than most compact cameras.
  • Screen location means that the LCD is easily obscured
  • Blurred and noisy images in less than bright conditions

Overall This twist-and-turn retro beast has a certain charm, but although the S10 certainly stands out, the images it takes are below par given the outlay and Nikon’s usually sterling reputation. To sum up: a brave throwback, but not altogether successful.

Rating:

3

Price:

£299

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.

Advertisement

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

Manufacturer: Nikon

See more Digital Cameras

Reader comments

More from Computeractive

News

The latest home computing news

Downloads

The best PC tools, applications and more

Reviews

Independent opinions on new hardware and software

Step-by-step guides

Easy-to-follow projects with pictures

PC Help

Solve PC problems with our Q&A

Videos

PC projects demonstrated and product reviews

Articles

An in-depth look at how to get the best from your PC

Magazine

What's coming up in Computeractive

Forums

Get help with your PC problems from our readers

Competitions

Your chance to win computing prizes

Shopping

Great deals on products, services and more

NEW! Computeractive CD Rom 11
All 26 issues of Computeractive from 2008 on one CD-Rom.

Ultimate Guide to Disc Burning
Everything you need to know about creating your own discs.

Create your own calendars softwareCreate your own Calendars
The fun and easy way to create your own calendars!

Computeractive - Issue 280Computeractive Back Issues
Missed an issue? Click here to find a back issue

Find the Best Prices

Save money on hardware and software with our price comparison service: Best Prices

Advertisement

Free email newsletters

Techno babble demystified...

[Display all definitions]

Or type in any computer-related word and click "Go"

Blogs

Windows Watch

Windows Watch

Keeping an eye on the latest XP and Vista news

Outlook 2007 email controversy

One of the major changes in Outlook 2007 had nothing to do with the Ribbon but that Word was used to display...

Download Junkie

Download Junkie

Your daily dose of download discussion

Backup important data with SyncBack SE

Keeping certain files backed up helps to keep items safe in case anything disastrous happens to your computer, but although most of...

The test bed

The test bed

The hottest products, news and gossip from PCW's Labs

Why we may never see a Core i7 Apple machine

With the recent crop of new Apple desktop hardware - The Mac Pro , iMac and Mac Mini (all of which we...

Primary Navigation

© Incisive Media Ltd. 2009. Incisive Media Limited, Haymarket House, 28-29 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4RX, is a company registered in England and Wales with company registration number 04038503

Search computeractive.co.uk