Nikon Coolpix S3100 Review

The Nikon Coolpix S3100 is one of the cheaper pocket sized digital cameras. It has 14 megapixels and a 5x zoom lens. Nikon have a history of producing digital cameras that are straightforward and easy to use. The Coolpix S3100 upholds that reputation. You should find it very simple to operate.

There are seven different coloured versions you can choose from. These are silver, black, red, yellow, purple, blue and pink.

To be really honest with you based on my tests I can't suggest you buy this camera. In my view the picture quality it produces is amongst the worst I have ever seen.

Ease of Use 9
Features 7
Movie Mode 8
Build Quality8
Colours 8

Photo Quality 5
Style 8
Lowlight 9
Macro 6
Value for Money 6

The 5x angle zoom lens has wide angle capabilities. The LCD screen is 2.7 inches in size.

This camera gives you fully automatic operation. You can also choose from the 19 scene modes that Nikon have included. These include portrait, landscape, sports and night portrait. When you place the camera in movie mode you can fire off High Definition movies.

You can also add different effects to your photos by choosing different colour options. These are vivid, black and white, sepia and cyanotype.

Nikon have included a portrait system. Features in the portrait system include a smile shutter that fires off a photo when the Coolpix S3100 detects someone is smiling, a face detection mode that can focus on up to 12 faces and skin softening for more flattering portraits. There is also a warning available to you if someone blinks when you take a photo. Another element of the portrait system fixes red eye in a portrait photo taken with flash.

New this year from Nikon is a Pet mode. This can detect the face of a cat or dog, before focusing on your pet and automatically taking a picture.

There are very few more advanced features, but you can change white balance and ISO settings. White balance helps you to fine tune the colours in your shots. ISO has a number of uses including helping you to freeze any motion in your shots. There is also a continuous shooting mode for when you want to reel off a few consecutive shots.

I like the way the Coolpix S3100 handles. For such a small digital camera Nikon have done well to create plenty of room on the back of the camera to place your thumb. This helps you to get a firm hold. The camera is fast to turn on and take the first picture. Once up and running I did find it to be on the slow side to focus and capture a picture after the shutter button had been pressed.

One of the reasons why there is some extra room on the back of the camera is that Nikon have placed a ring for zooming in and out on the top of the camera. The shutter button sits inside the zoom ring. The only other button on the top of the camera is the power button.

Near the top on the back of the camera is a button that records movie footage. Beneath this sits two further buttons. One controls the shooting mode. The other places the Coolpix S3100 in review mode so you can see the photos you have already captured.

Moving further down is a rocker. The rocker has four controls. These are for setting flash, using exposure compensation, placing the camera in macro mode and setting the self timer. In the centre of the rocker is a further button for confirming a setting.

Finally there are two further buttons for accessing the menu system and deleting images.

The buttons on the back of the camera are quite dark and it is not always easy to see what each button does with a quick glance.

The main menu is a single page with seven options. There is also a page for movie controls with three options. The set up menu runs to two pages with a total of 10 options.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 1

This is a worrying start. Focusing throughout the shot is not good, but as you move away from the centre most of the detail is lost under a haze. I am certainly not used to seeing this level of noise in a shot.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 2

I tried different settings to improve results, but to no avail. This picture was taken with the Coolpix S3100 in Landscape mode. It made little difference. The resulting picture is of poor quality compared to what other digital cameras can produce. There is a lack of sharpness away from the centre of the photo. In places definition is very poor.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 3

The result does not greatly improve as you zoom in. Again there is a haze overshadowing the photo.

Outdoor Building

In terms of definition this is easily the best outdoor shot. Even though the result is an improvement on the previous test shots it has problems. The right third of the shot suffers from the hazy look as the previous photos have done. The sky looks blotchy in places too.

Outdoor Portrait

This is the most straightforward test. Lighting is natural, but not too bright. With the camera close into the subject it is much easy to focus sharply as well. Working closer in eliminates the haze too. The Coolpix S3100 produces a sharp photo, but the pink in the skin tones are slightly overdone.

Indoor Portrait With Flash

The level of light in this picture is good. The light is evenly spread and issues that other cameras can struggle with are not a problem to the Coolpix S3100. For example the hair is well lit with no dark areas. Skin tone levels are about right too. In fact when it comes to lighting a picture with flash the Coolpix S3100 outperforms a lot of small compacts.

Indoor Portrait Without Flash

Without flash the shot takes on a warmer look. The Coolpix S3100 performed well in the indoor test. It manages to keep noise levels low. This helps to improve the definition.

Macro

Close up shots are not a strong point of this camera. You will need to be around 10cm away from your subject before the Coolpix S3100 is able to focus. That is more than three times the distance some cameras in this category can manage. As long as you are at that distance the camera is able to produce an impressive level of detail, but without cropping your shots will look a lot more distant than with most digital camera macro shots.

Colours

This is one area where the Coolpix S3100 performs well.

Noise

Noise is a major problem for the Coolpix S3100. It reduces definition and clarity from shots taken at a distance.

Picture Quality Summary

Based on these tests the Coolpix S3100 struggles as soon as you try to take a picture where the subject is any distance from the camera. Could this camera be too bad to be true? Well it is always possible I had a faulty model, but having reviewed its predecessor that too suffered from quality problems. It is true that if you only ever make snapshot sized prints you may get away with shots that look acceptable, but if you try to increase print size of shots taken at distance you are likely to see quality issues appearing.

Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time

0.57 seconds
22.36 seconds
0.79 seconds
22.85 seconds
2.33 seconds

Shutter Lag Table

There are no problems when it comes to ease of use. In fact with a limited set of features on offer it is very easy to find your way around. The menu is very clear and easy to read.

Ease of Use - Clear Menu Screens - Photos with Flash

Picture quality for more distant subjects

The Nikon Coolpix S3100 may be a budget digital camera, but that is no excuse for the lack of quality in the pictures it produces. There are plenty of digital cameras to choose from if you are looking for a basic pocket digital camera. This one is best avoided.

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Nikon Coolpix S3100 Review Nikon Coolpix S3100 Specification Nikon Coolpix S3100 Sample Images

April 2011

Nikon Coolpix S80 Review

The Nikon Coolpix S80 has a number of plus points. These include stylish looks, a very slim design that means the Coolpix S80 can fit into just about any pocket and a large 3.5 inch, touch controlled LCD screen. Standard features include 14 megapixels and a 5x zoom lens.

Nikon offer a choice of colours to suit most people's taste. This camera comes in red, black, silver, blue, pink and gold.

The main attraction is the large touch controlled LCD screen. The Coolpix S80 also sports a highly attractive, slimline design.

Ease of Use 7
Features 8
Movie Mode 8
Build Quality9
Colours 8

Photo Quality 7
Style 9
Lowlight 8
Macro 7
Value for Money 7

Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:

14
5x
3.5 inches
62.6 x 98.8 x 16.5mm
133g

Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:

7cm
Yes
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD/SDHC/SDXC

Looking through the features on offer this is a fairly standard pocket camera aside from the touch controlled LCD screen. It has 14 megapixels and a 5x zoom lens. Other features include image stabilisation and as is now becoming the norm on cameras in this price bracket it has the ability to shoot High Definition movies.

There is a macro mode that allows you to get within 7cm on your subject. This is slightly further away than a lot of similar cameras can manage.

As with other Nikon digital cameras an emphasis has been placed on features that can help you to improve the quality of your portrait photos. Features specifically related to portrait photos include a smile shutter to automatically fire off a shot if the camera detects someone is smiling, a warning if someone is blinking when a photo is taken and a blink proof feature. The blink proof feature fires off two photos and keeps one where nobody in the picture has blinked. There is also a skin softening setting for more flattering portrait photos.

A feature that appears to be unique to Nikon is a Best Shot Selector. In this mode the camera will fire off up to 10 shots retaining only the picture it considers to be the sharpest.

Although the Coolpix S80 operates as a simple point and shoot camera you do have access to a number of built in scene modes. These include special settings for portrait, landscape and sports and night portraits.

The Coolpix S80 is a camera with a single button. This is the shutter button on top of the camera. Every other control is set via the touch controlled LCD screen. This even includes zooming in and out. In fact you also have the option to take a picture by touching the LCD screen if you prefer to use that method instead of pressing the shutter button.

There is no on / off button. To turn the camera on you slide back the lens cover.

I found the LCD screen to lack sensitivity. This can be very frustrating if you are trying to change a setting and you are getting no response. I have read a number of user reviews and this problem has been reported a number of times.

The LCD screen does have a couple of plus points. To start with as there are no other controls on the back of the camera it has enough space to be a large 3.5 inches in size. The quality of the screen is excellent when it comes to viewing scenes and photos you have already taken. In fact it is one of the best quality LCD screens I have seen in terms of clarity.

The camera body is very slim indeed. To make room for the sliding lens cover the bottom of the camera is not as wide as the rest of the camera body. This means you have to be very careful how you put down the camera. Otherwise you are likely to find the camera overbalancing and falling over.

Based on my tests the Coolpix S80 is on the slow side to turn on and take the first photo, but once it is up and running I had no real problems with shutter lag delaying picture taking.

There are not a great number of features to get to grips with. There are only seven options on the main menu and 17 in the set up section.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 1

As soon as I saw this photo I was concerned about the corners looking darker than the rest of the photo. This is a problem that used to blight a fair few digital cameras, but it is not something I see very often now. To my eye this is a significant problem. Levels of detail showing in the lightest areas of the shot are quite good with the Coolpix S80 appearing to handle sun glare well.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 2

When the lens is zoomed out the Coolpix S80 performs better than a lot of small digital cameras. This mainly relates to the sharpness of the photo. Part of the reason for this is that the lens is not a wide angle lens. By avoiding pushing technology to its limits Nikon have been rewarded by a bit of extra overall quality.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 3

The quality of this picture is below what I would expect to see from a renowned company like Nikon. There is a degree of haze that becomes quickly apparent if you increase the size of the photo. This clearly takes the edge off the definition of the shot.

Outdoor Building

This is another example of clarity being lost away from the centre. The problem seems to be caused where parts of a scene are more distant than others. This is a much better effort than the previous test shot, but even then quality is no better than average.

Outdoor Portrait

Although the overall look of this photo is about right in terms of colours the skin tones look too pink. They certainly do not have a natural look to them. In fact they take on a tinge of orange in some places.

Indoor Portrait With Flash

There is not a great deal of difference between the photos taken with and without flash. This is because the Coolpix S80 does a very good job of controlling the amount of light it needs to light a photo and doesn't just emit a strong blast of light regardless of the conditions.

Indoor Portrait Without Flash

This photo has a warm look to it. The level of definition is impressive and the Coolpix S80 has focused sharply on the eyes. As with the out two other portrait test shots the level of pink showing in the skin tones is overdone for my tastes.

Macro

In macro mode the Coolpix S80 is found wanting compared to some of the best pocket cameras. For a start you are not able to get in quite as close to your subject as other cameras can. Even then the shot lacks the sharp definition that the better cameras produce.

Colours

The Coolpix S80 has a fairly light touch when it comes to the colour it injects into the shots it takes. You can see this if you look at the skies in some of the scenic shots. The blue skies are not as vivid as most digital cameras produce. This is not necessarily a weakness. It depends on how strong you like the colours of your pictures to be. I was concerned by the lack of colour accuracy in the skin tones of all three of the portrait test shots.

Noise

Areas of the sky take on a hazy look once you decide to make larger prints. This is also true for shady areas of a photo.

Picture Quality Summary

The darkness appearing in the corners of the majority of my test shots is a concern. There are some picture quality problems that you can find a way to work around, but this is much harder when you are using a simple point and shoot camera. Overall the picture quality is mid rank.

Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time

0.29 seconds
13.22 seconds
0.54 seconds
15.97 seconds
3.92 seconds

Shutter Lag Table

In theory being able to control the Coolpix S80 completely through the LCD screen should make this camera very easy to use, especially when couple to a fairly small set of features. The unresponsive screen tends to scupper ease of use and left me feeling somewhat frustrated every time I used this camera.

Ease of Use - Clarity of LCD screen - Small size - Very stylish looks

Dark corners to photos - LCD screen unresponsive

I like the idea of the Nikon Coolpix S80. It is an extremely slim and stylish digital camera. The fact that the LCD screen can control every single function also sets this camera apart from the majority of touch controlled compact digital cameras. Overall picture quality is very mid division though. The problems of the dark corners and the unresponsive LCD screen means that there are other touch controlled digital cameras I would suggest buying ahead of this one.

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Nikon Coolpix S80 Review Nikon Coolpix S80 Specification Nikon Coolpix S80 Sample Images

April 2011

Panasonic DMC FS18 Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC FS18 is a small pocket digital camera. It has 16 megapixels and a 4x optical zoom lens. It scores well for ease of use and appears to be a well made digital camera. The Lumix DMC FS18 is a good choice if you are looking for a more basic and therefore cheaper pocket camera.

There are a couple of features that you may not expect to see at this price point. These include the ability to shoot High Definition movies.

Panasonic have produced 3 different coloured versions with the camera available in black, silver and violet.

The Lumix DMC FS18 offers great value for money.

Ease of Use 8
Features 8
Movie Mode 8
Build Quality8
Colours 8

Photo Quality 9
Style 8
Lowlight 9
Macro 9
Value for Money 9

Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:

16
4x
2.7 inches
94.3 x 53.5 x 18.8mm
121g

Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:

5cm
Yes
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD/SDHC/SDXC

Megapixels and Zoom

The Lumix DMC FS18 has 16 megapixels and a 4x zoom lens. The focal length of the lens is equivalent to 28mm to 112mm in 35mm format. A minimum focal length of 28mm gives you the ability to squeeze wider scenes into your shots.

How to Increase the Amount of Zoom Available to You

One of the advantages of having 16 megapixels at your disposal is that you can opt to decrease the number of megapixels you are shooting at and still be able to produce a print. When you do this the amount of zoom available to you also increases. A maximum of 9x zoom can be used when you decrease the resolution to 3 megapixels or below.

Image Stabilisation for Sharper Photos

Image stabilisation gives your photos that bit of extra clarity when handholding your camera. This feature comes into its own when the light is low.

LCD Screen

The 2.7 inch LCD screen is about standard in this price range. If you shop around you may be able to find a few similar cameras with a larger 3 inch LCD screen. One feature of the screen you may find useful from time to time is the High Angle mode. When you switch the camera into this mode you are able to see the screen more easily if you need to hold the camera above eye level when taking a picture. This could be if you are holding the camera over a crowd.

High Definition movies

Although a lot of cameras now offer the ability to shoot High Definition movies you often need to pay that bit more than you need to do for the Lumix DMC FS18. Therefore you could look on this feature as a nice little bonus.

Macro Mode for Your Close In Shots

You can focus from 5cm away from your subject. That compares well with other small, snapshot digital cameras.

Select Your Ideal Picture Shape

Panasonic offer 3 picture dimensions with most of their digital cameras. The reason why this could be important to you is because you can avoid parts of a picture being cut off when it is viewed or printed. The 4:3 aspect ratio is ideal for viewing images on an old fashioned computer screen or television set. The 16:9 ratio matches the aspect ratio of a widescreen television set. The final ratio of 3:2 is your best bet for 6 x 4 inch prints.

Intelligent Scenes and Scene Modes

Digital cameras come with a range of built in scene modes. When you select a scene mode the camera knows the type of scene you are photographing. It can then select what it considers to be the optimum settings to give you the best result for your photograph. The Lumix DMC FS18 also has a small set of intelligent scenes that it can automatically scan a scene for. The automatic scenes are Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Sunset and Macro. The built in predefined scenes are Portrait, Soft Skin, Transform, Self-Portrait, Scenery, Panorama Assist, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Food, Party, Candle Light, Baby1, Baby2, / Pet, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Hi-Speed Burst, Flash Burst, Starry Sky, Fireworks, Beach, Snow, Aerial Photo, Pin Hole, Film Grain, High Dynamic(Standard, Art, B&W) and Photo Frame.

More Advanced Setting When You Need Them

Although the Lumix DMC FS18 operates primarily as a point and shoot digital camera there may be times when you would like to take a little extra control over the way your photos look. When this happens you have access to more advanced features such as White Balance, ISO and Exposure Compensation.

General Handling

As with any small digital camera with a smooth finish, it is not as easy to hold the camera as still as when you have more bulk to get a really firm hold. Having said the Panasonic have made it as easy as possible to get a good grip. With this in mind they have created plenty of room on the back of the camera for you to place your thumb. The thumb area has also been dimpled to help that little bit more. The downside of making that extra thumb room is that some of the buttons are small. If you have larger hands you may find them fiddly.

Lens and Flash Unit Position

The lens unit and its surround occupy a large area on the front of the camera. The lens protrudes from the camera when the Lumix DMC FS18 is turned on. The lens is placed well out the way of any stray fingers.

The flash unit is also positioned well away from any stray fingers that may block light.

Fast Response Ensures You Capture the Picture

This camera has fast turn on and shutter delay times. In fact the response times are faster than you might expect to see from more expensive models.

Controls on Top of the Camera

There are three controls on the top of the camera. These are a switch to turn the camera on, the shutter button and a ring for zooming in and out.

Controls on the Back of The Camera

The first control on the back of the camera is a switch for reviewing photos you have already taken. Next to this is a button for selecting the shooting mode. Further down is the main control area. This circular section incorporates controls for exposure compensation, setting flash, placing the Lumix DMC FS18 in macro mode and setting the self timer. In the centre of these controls is a button for accessing the menu system and confirming a setting. Two further buttons allow you to change the information displayed on the LCD screen and to access a menu containing key settings you may wish to change on a regular basis.

What's in the Menu System?

The menu system is divided into two distinct areas. These are the recording settings and the general camera set up section. In the recordings settings area are 14 menu items. The setup area contains 16 items. Help text runs along the bottom of the menu screen in a ticker to explain an option you have highlighted.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 1

The first point worth mentioning is that the Lumix DMC FS18 copes well with the brightest areas of the shot. Many cameras struggle in bright conditions where there are large expanses of white coloured objects. In this test shot the camera is able to show a high level of detail on the boats and also on the white wooden slats under the roof of the building.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 2

Focusing for this shot is sharper than you might expect to see from a camera in this price bracket. There is a slight loss of crispness as you move towards the edges of the shot, but this is not enough to detract from the overall quality. There is a touch of purple fringing in places. Again this is unlikely to be much of a problem to you unless you are planning to make super sized prints.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 3

Picture quality again compares well against other smaller compact digital cameras. There is a small loss of clarity in the most distant part of the shot on the right hand side. Detail levels are good in the lighter and darker areas of the shot.

Outdoor Building

This is another credible effort. The levels of sharpness and detail are impressive. As in the previous shot there is a slight loss of definition towards the right hand side of the picture.

Outdoor Portrait

Panasonic include an extra white balance setting of shady. As this picture was taken in the shade the shady white balance setting was used. This gives the shot a warmer glow than it would have otherwise. There are no problems with focusing. You should have little problem taking pleasing portrait snapshots.

Indoor Portrait With Flash

The flash unit emits more or less the perfect amount of light. This ensures an even spread of light with potential problem areas like the hair being well lit. Colours in the skin tones take on a natural look too.

Indoor Portrait Without Flash

With the flash turned off the camera adds a warmer look to the picture. Noise is kept under control. This leads to extra detail showing in the shot. This is a very good effort for a relatively inexpensive pocket camera.

Macro

This is about as good as it gets at this price point. The Lumix DMC FS18 is able to get in close enough. Sharpness of the main subject is excellent and the camera is also able to throw more distant parts of the shot out of focus. There is also added depth to the colours.

Colours

Just like other Panasonic digital cameras the Lumix DMC FS18 is capable of adding some extra warmth to the colours it produces. This is in evidence in some of the portrait shots and also the macro shot.

Noise

Noise levels are controlled well. Typical problem areas such as areas of light shade and indoor shots show relatively low noise levels.

Picture Quality Summary

Picture quality is very good for this type of camera. The Lumix DMC FS18 manages very well with a variety of photo opportunities.

Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time

0.25 seconds
11.1 seconds
0.7 seconds
20.9 seconds
1.81 seconds

Shutter Lag Table

This camera operates as a simple point and shoot model. The menu system is easy to read and does not overload you with options.

Turn on and shutter lag times, picture quality, value for money

Very minor purple fringing

The Panasonic Lumix DMC FS18 is a great little camera. If you are looking for a reasonably priced, pocket sized camera that can take a good quality snapshot then this is one of the best cameras around. In terms of value for money this camera is hard to beat. Recommended.

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Panasonic DMC FS18 Review Panasonic DMC FS18 Specification Panasonic DMC FS18 Sample Images

May 2011