42 out of 42 people found this review helpful.
Nikon Coolpix S210: Is it a Plum of a Camera?
Date of Review: Aug 3, 2008
The Bottom Line: The Nikon Coolpix S210 will perform quite well for average users, but enthusiasts will probably want to look for something more... expensive
A hoary techie joke says that there 10 kinds of people out there: those who understand binary and those who don't (rimshot). In this age of digital photography, some say that there are 10 kinds of photographers as well: those who want a point-and-shoot camera to just point and shoot, and those who want something more akin to an SLR. That's probably an oversimplification, though, since many digital photographers are happy with point-and-shoot some of the time, yet want to be able to override the black-box aspects of all the circuitry in their cameras on others. That latter group would include yours truly... the owner of a plum-colored Nikon Coolpix S210, my first Nikon.
It's a point-and-shoot: Nikon's little point and shoot digital (at 2.2 x 3.5 inches, it's just slightly larger than a standard business card, it's less than ¾ inch thick and weighs under eight ounces) comes with pretty much what you'd expect for the class of camera. We're talking autofocus, self-timer, built-in auto flash, a 2.5-inch (diagonal) LCD display, a dozen or so preset "scenes" for different situations (landscape, portrait, sports, etc.), multi-language support, and the rest. There's the usual on-screen setup, including context-sensitive menus depending on the shooting mode; some computationally-intensive trickery like face recognition software and vibration-resistance (anti-shake) correction.
The menu system is straightforward and fairly intuitive (after you've adjusted your intuition to match the camera, of course). Controls comprise a four-position rocker button with an enter button in the bullseye; four small pushbuttons are arranged around the rocker to control mode choice, shift the camera into display mode, trash photos, and enter the menu mode. A two-position rocker sitting in the upper right-hand corner (under the thumb) controls zoom; there's an on-off switch on the top next to the shutter release; like most P&S cameras the release can be pressed partway to lock focus. Most of the buttons are, as programmers say, overloaded - they have different functions depending on what's going on at the moment (the zoom button takes you to help screens, for instance).
It's a little more: This is our third digital camera, in five or six years, and I'm continually amazed at how many features manufacturers pack into such a small package. Our other two are a full SLR-sized Panasonic Lumix and a "mini-SLR" Fuji Finepix; the two between them add up to about 8 megapixels - the nominal resolution of the Coolpix S210. The eensy little zoom lens corresponds to a range of 38mm-114mm on 35mm cameras (3X optical zoom), and covers a range of apertures from f3.1 to f5.9 (according to Nikon). The software automatically adjusts "film sensitivity" to shutter speed and aperture range, up to ISO 2000; with an available high-sensitivity mode as well.
If the user is so inclined, you can shift into macro mode, manually direct the autofocus process, digitally zoom (10X software zoom) and pan pictures, nudge the exposure compensation by a couple of notches in either direction, or shift into a panorama-assist mode. Like most digital cameras there's a "burst" mode, in which you can shoot several shots in rapid succession, though there isn't a "bracket" mode like most SLR-type cameras have (not that you need it with so small an aperture range). And, of course, there are the familiar technological miracles - red-eye correction, vibration reduction, and the like. Oh, and movies, too - an absolute necessity for the YouTube generation. Movie size (with sound) is limited only by storage space - and the camera can connect directly to a television to display movies.
Internal processing gimmickry includes automatic red-eye reduction software, and several functions that create a copy of a selected image - rotation, resizing to "small" size, and D-Lighting, which enhances detail in dark areas of the image (sort of digital dodging, for those who've worked in darkrooms). Though nominally an eight megapixel camera, image resolution can be set to two eight megapixel resolutions, five megapixels, or two three-megapixel image modes; plus a wide-screen (16:9 aspect ratio) mode, and sizes for PC and television screens.
For those who are interested, the Coolpix S210 is available with its aluminum skin anodized in one of four colors: plum, black, silver, and bronze. Plum is widely available in retail stores; the other colors seem to be reserved for on-line. The camera is delivered with a strap, a battery and charger, a USB cable for hookup to computers, an AV cable for connection to televisions, and Nikon's photo management software. The S210 comes with 52MB of on-board flash memory, which is used only if there is no SD chip slotted in.
Living with the Coolpix S210: This is a tiny little camera, one that just barely fits in my hands (while I have long fingers, they're not particularly thick). It takes some getting used to for one-handed operation, and I find that the controls other than the shutter release are pretty much useless unless the other hand gets in the act. I definitely keep the strap on my wrist if operating one-handed! The LCD screen measures a medium-sized 2.5 inches diagonally, actually about the same size as on my SLR-sized digital (a Panasonic Lumix). On-screen menuing is reasonably intuitive, and some simple help screens are accessible while in the menu system. The LCD has five brightness settings, and I've found that the default (middle) setting works well in all but bright light - then, even the top setting tends to wash out.
The S210 goes from shutdown to full ready quickly - one second or so - but then requires about 1 second to autofocus and shoot (1.5 seconds with flash), a shutter lag that's long compared to the state of the art. If pre-focused (the shutter release is pressed halfway), shutter lag approaches zero. Problem being, of course, that if you are shooting something moving quickly enough that a longish shutter lag will bother you, you probably can't pre-focus. In burst mode, the camera can collect five shots in about eleven seconds, thirteen seconds if the flash is active.
Images are crisp and clear at the center, though with a maximum effective aperture of f5.9, depth of field becomes an issue for shots with a defined foreground and background. Images, especially those shot at 8 megapixels, have more than enough resolution for 8"x10" photographs without noticeable graininess; though larger images may appear grainy at the edges. Color reproduction appears very good, without chromatic aberration. Shooting in macro mode yields crisp images, though I find them slightly bluish for some reason. As for the on-board firmware, it's hard to test vibration-reduction... how are you going to know, eh? But as far as the internal software goes, automatic red-eye reduction has yet to be defeated (though I haven't tested it against the green-eye problem you get with dogs), and the panorama mode works flawlessly - except for the little surprise (not unwelcome) of depositing the panorama shots in a separate folder in storage.
Movie mode yields surprisingly good, though rather large, images and acceptable sound. There's also a time-lapse movie feature that allows creation of a movie from stills captured at regular intervals, from thirty seconds to one hour - the autoflash can be programmed into the process. Autofocus in face-recognition mode seems to be very slow, which doesn't much bother me: I prefer to pre-focus and then recompose a photograph, anyway.
What's good: The S210 packs a friendly user interface and some good features into a compact and high-tech looking body. Photographs, both still and movies, are of good - though not extraordinary - quality, more than acceptable for enlarging to 5"x7" and 8"x10" prints. Plenty of options for a point-and-shoot enthusiast, and quite a bit of versatility for "outside-the-box" shooting.
What's average A rather slow shutter makes this a camera that's better-suited to photos of landscapes and low-intensity activities; otherwise you'll have to try to pre-focus to get a shot of a moving target. Not a particularly good choice for those with larger hands.
What's not so good: It's never going to compete head-to-head with a more expensive or larger camera, though that should come as no surprise.
Overall: If you're in the market for an tiny entry-level, quick(ish)-snap camera, the Coolpix S210 should be one of the ones on your "to-be-tested" list. The price is right, especially if substantially discounted from an MSRP of $179.95 (I got mine - in Plum - for $159.95 with a 1GB SD chip thrown in). It'll likely be more than sufficient for your snapshots at parties and on that quick trip to the beach - it beats the heck out of cell-phone photos, for sure. For that once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Amazon rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, or Antarctica, however; you would be well-advised to look for a more expensive camera and perhaps take this along as a backup.
