Nikon Coolpix S52 ReviewBy Shaun Marin | |
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We clicked with:
Style and design
Portrait mode
Crisp and bright colours
Ease of use
Shots in the dark:
High ISO isn't much use
Buttons can be unresponsive
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Nikon is justly renowned for its impressive range of entry level Digital SLR cameras that bring the world of serious digital imaging into the reach of, well, most of us. However, not everyone wants to carry a bulky black camera around with them, no matter how impressive the images it produces are. So Nikon also focuses on producing an attractive range of highly desirable, incredibly compact cameras, of which the Nikon Coolpix S52 is the latest installment.
The Camera
It's actually part of a double bill of S52 cameras, the other being the Coolpix S52C, where, we assume, the C stands for 'connectivity'. This is because the other, more expensive, camera offers pretty much the same specification but adds Wi-Fi connectivity into the mix. Which is nice, but if instantly sharing images over a network isn't your thing, this camera is a much better bet, especially as it's a tad slimmer.
And slim it is. The Nikon Coolpix S52 is one of the nicest looking cameras we've seen from the company, with a smart silver front piece benefiting from a subtle curve, and a polished black back end, most of which is taken up by the large three-inch LCD screen. As is often the case on compacts now, there's no room for an optical viewfinder, so all this visual acreage will come in handy.
All the menus and options are accessed via the closely-grouped but easily accessible collection of controls that sit to the right of the screen. The only other button of note is the smiley face icon on the top lip of the Nikon Coolpix S52. This provides you instant access to 'portrait' mode, which lets the camera know you are about to take a picture of a person's face, and brace itself accordingly.
The face recognition is capable of recognizing 12 people - so it's great for family portraits, with bags of detail on show and a real ability to grab people's expressions. The fact that the Nikon Coolpix S52 is also pretty nippy helps. Reaction times seem smart in the extreme, and the portrait mode here continues that trend.
This nice feature displays the depth of thought that Nikon has put into this camera, and the menu system continues that theme because it's simple to use, but also deep enough so that more experienced snappers will find it useful. The controls themselves are a little bit on the unresponsive side at times, but in general the Nikon Coolpix S52 is a very neat little camera to use, and has just the right blend of style and features to appeal.
Talking of features, beyond the face recognition, the other feature of note is its ultra high ISO setting, obviously designed for shooting in low light with the need to resort to the rather weedy flash. Nikon makes a big deal of this camera's high ISO setting, and at 3200 it's pretty much as high as you currently get in a compact camera.
However, as is often the case, the usefulness of this feature is sometimes debatable. Yes, it gets you an image in an unfriendly situation, but unless you are a private eye we're not entirely sure we would want to print it!
Picture Quality
ISO 200
ISO 800
ISO 3200
A look at the images here, all taken on a foggy Cornish morning, is a case in point. Yes, there's more light in the images taken with higher ISOs, but the noise quickly becomes unworkable, and certainly unprintable. In more clement circumstances though, the Nikon Coolpix S52 seems to love the sunshine, and is capable of delivering bright and natural hues that really grab your attention. It also delivers bags of detail, with nice crisp edges that are really appealing.
It also steers pretty clear of those compact camera bugbears of barrel distortion and chromatic aberration. Yes, theirs is a little bit of distortion right at the edges of the image when shooting in wide angle lens, but it tends to be on a par with the competition, and certainly no worse.
Conclusion
So, the Nikon Coolpix S52 turns out to be a very neat little camera, even without the new-fangled addition of wireless communication. It's easy to use, and capable of some very clear, crisp images, particularly if you are the kind of person who is constantly shooting friends and family.
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Sensor
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9.0 megapixel (effective) on 1/2.5” CCD
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LCD monitor
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3” (230,000 pixel resolution)
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Zoom
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3x Optical Zoom (38-114mm 35mm equiv.) f/3.3-4.2, 4x Digital Zoom
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Sensitivity
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ISO100-3200 (Auto ISO100-800)
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Picture Modes
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11 modes + 5 image optimisation settings |
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White balance
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Auto, daylight, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent, flash, WB preset |
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Stabilisation
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Yes (optical)
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Continuous shooting
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16 frames in Multi-shot mode
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Storage
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SD/SDHC (38MB internal memory)
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Battery
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EN-EL8 Li-ion rechargeable
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Other / Key features
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Picmotion photo sharing
In camera D-Lighting enhancement
Face recognition
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Price: £220
Info: www.nikon.co.uk
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| Discuss this article, 1 of 3 messages, read more: |  Frank Stanton | |
| Posted: 27/08/08 07:21:55 55 | | Your review is too brief and not helpful. I mean, you established that the camera takes nice pictures on a bright clear day and has good face detection. But for the point and shoot crowd (aka family event shooters) that is just half the equation. The other half is can it record nice pictures indoors at a pub or a family to-do. What the hell is "weedy"? Come on, guy. Get off your butt and take a few more pictures for heaven sakes. This review must have taken you all of about 2 hours. Incredible what passes for a camera review today! |
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