The Nikon Coolpix S1000pj is the first digital camera to have a built in projector. This gives you the opportunity to show a slideshow of your holiday snaps. It can also be used to good effect at a party too. The projector can work at a maximum distance of 6 and a half feet. Images displayed are a maximum size of 40 inches. Nikon estimates a fully charged battery can run the projector for one hour.

Aside from this feature the Coolpix S1000pj has 12 megapixels and a 5x wide angle lens. It also has a 2.7 inch LCD screen and image stabilisation. It is capable of shooting standard definition movies.

If you like the idea of a digital camera with a built in projector then this is the only camera around with this capability as at November 2009.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
This photo highlights the fact I found it quite hard to control the amount of zoom I was using with the Coolpix S1000pj. This made it difficult for me to frame the scene exactly how I wanted to. The sharpness of this photo is below average and the camera also found it hard coping with the glare from the sun.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
Digital cameras with wide angle lenses have a tendency to produce softer images when the lens is zoomed out, as in this picture. This is the case with the Coolpix S1000pj. There is also a degree of fringing in the shot. Of greater concern to me is the darkness that creeps into the corners of the photo.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
I normally like the amount of brightness Nikon digital cameras manage to inject into a photo, but in this case I think it is overdone. The picture looks too light and some detail is lost from the scene. Focusing also slips away as you move towards the edges of the photo.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
The brightness has been toned down in this picture, giving a much better result. Sharpness also fades in this photo and darker patches also show in the top corners. All of these problems are masked to a large degree if you go with a small print size, but large scale prints will start to highlight these problems more.

Outdoor Portrait
This portrait shot works really well. To my eyes the colouring of the photo is spot on. Focusing is crisp too.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
The flash light looks a little harsh, but it does generate plenty of light, giving a bright picture. It is very difficult for smaller compact cameras to balance the light perfectly in this type of shot.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
On the day this photo was taken there was not a great deal of light available. Therefore light was provided by a typical incandescent, household light. Although this has generated enough light for the Coolpix S1000pj to control noise fairly well it has produced a purple tinge to side of the face and neck.

Colours
Aside from one over bright photo I was pleased with the colours produced by this camera. They were vivid when they needed to be and at other times lent a warm feel to my test photos.

Macro
I think the macro shot is the best photo I have taken with the Coolpix S1000pj. There is a high level of definition in the shot and it works very well.

Overall
To be honest I was a little disappointed with the quality of the photos I captured with this camera. The picture quality should not be too much of an issue with smaller prints or indeed if you are planning to set up a slideshow, but larger sized prints may begin to highlight one or two problems.

Shutter lag times without flash were standard. A single photo took 0.32 seconds and five took 13.37 seconds. The time for five shots would have been faster, but the camera buffer was full after four shots. This meant the camera paused to copy my photos from memory to the memory card. Times with flash were good. It took 0.45 seconds for the first photo and 12.45 seconds for five shots.

To turn the camera on and take the first shot took 2.58 seconds. This is one of the most common times.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

The projector produces a good quality slideshow. With nothing really to compare it with it is difficult to come up with a definitive answer as to exactly how good it is. The projector itself is quite small, so obviously you are not going to be able to set up a film show with it, but it does a decent job none the less.

The Coolpix S1000pj has a very rectangular look. The projector sits in the middle of the camera on the front. To facilitate this, the lens has been situated in the top left hand corner of the camera.

62.5 x 99.5 x 23mm

155g

The Coolpix S1000pj runs on lithium ion batteries. Nikon estimates you should be able to take around 200 shots in between charges.

The Coolpix S1000pj is compatible with SD and SDHC memory cards. To get you started Nikon has built 36mb of memory into the camera. This is enough for around 13 shots.

Click here to save money on SD cards..

Very good. There are not that many buttons to get to grips with. The menu system is fairly simple too. It is also very easy to read.

Ease of use - colours - picture quality - projector

Darkness can creep into corners when the lens is zoomed out - loss of picture sharpness in places

There are no direct competitors with a projector. I am really struggling to find a camera to compare this one with as the projector adds a fair premium to the price. A camera I really like that is roughly the same size as the Coolpix S1000pj is the Canon IXUS 990 IS.

As you would expect the inclusion of the projector really does add a considerable premium to the price of the Nikon Coolpix S1000pj. So this is a case of buy this camera if you would like a digital camera with a projector, but buy a different model if you think you are unlikely to make good use of this feature.

Front View

Back View

Top View

Sample Menu

Description:	12 megapixels and a 5x optical zoom lens
Ease of Use:	9
Features:	8
Colour:	8
Macro:	9
Indoors:	8
Value for Money:	8
Style:	8
Movie Mode:	8
Image Quality:	7
Build Quality:	8
Total:	81
Verdict:	The projector works well and I can see it being a big hit at parties and for showing good old holiday snaps. It does add a premium to the price of the camera, so you will need to decide whether or not it is right for you. Picture quality is average and aside from the projector this is a standard point and shoot camera.
Review Date:	November 2009
Related Pages:	Nikon Coolpix S1000pj Specification Nikon Coolpix S1000pj Sample Images Nikon Coolpix S1000pj Features
Comparisons:	Nikon Coolpix S1000pj vs Samsung ST550

	GBP 279.99
	GBP 289.9
	GBP 296.00
	GBP 321.99
	GBP 349
Click a flag for prices from other countries:

Camera	Rating
Panasonic DMC FX60	86
Canon IXUS 120 IS	86
Sony DSC TX1	86
Canon IXUS 110 IS	86
Canon IXUS 100 IS	86
Panasonic DMC FS62	85
Samsung ST550	85
Nikon Coolpix S570	85

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Nikon Coolpix S1000pj