The Nikon Coolpix S600 is a 10 megapixel, pocket camera. It has a 4x optical zoom lens.
Why Buy the Nikon Coolpix S600?
One of the strong points of the Coolpix S600 is its ease of use. It also has a wide angle lens. This can come in handy for shooting landscapes and groups of people. The camera also performed well in my start up time and shutter lag tests.
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
There are signs of some potential purple fringing problems in my first test shot. This is where the Coolpix S600 adds a thin purple line to the edge of lighter coloured objects. On top of this a lot of the detail in the lighter coloured areas is blown out.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
Many digital cameras with wide angle lenses struggle with picture sharpness when the lens is zoomed all the way out. Even so the picture taken with the Coolpix S600 is noticeably soft.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
Once again sharpness is below average and falls away quickly as you move towards the edges. The corners of the picture also look tike they are darker than they should be.
Outdoor 4 (Building)
The centre of this shot is quite sharp, but as you move away towards the edges the sharpness soon disappears. There are limited focusing options with the Coolpix S600 and this could well be the reason I have found it difficult to produce the levels of sharpness I look for.
Outdoor Portrait
There is plenty of pink in the skin tones with this shot. In fact they look overdone to me. Like other pictures I would like to have seen some more brightness in the shot.
Indoor Portrait without Flash
If I thought the outdoor portrait was too strong when it comes to the pink in the skin tones then with this photo the problem is even more obvious. The whole shot has a pink caste. This would suggest something is fooling the camera.
Indoor Portrait with Flash
Even with the flash turned on I would like to see more brightness in the shot. I think the problem has more to do with the way the Coolpix S600 checks the amount of light that is available rather than an issue with the flash unit.
Colours
I found the colours produced by the Coolpix S600 to be strong. At times I have found blue skies to be over dominant. As mentioned above the pinks in the skin tones are also over powering.
Macro
There are no problems with the sharpness of the close up shot. There is a green caste to the photo this time around though. I am not sure about the way the Coolpix S600 handles colour and brightness.
ISO 400 and 1600
Serious levels of noise creep into the darker areas of my test shots at both ISO 400 and ISO 1600. Once you start to increase ISO levels detail is also lost from the lighter and darker areas of the photos.
Overall
Overall I am disappointed with the picture quality from the Coolpix S600.
Shutter Lag
I was able to take a photo within 0.22 seconds. This is a fast time. Five photos took 10.18 seconds. With flash on times lengthened to 0.37 seconds for a single photo and 14.58 seconds for five. These are still impressive times.
Start up time is also fast. I was able to turn the camera on and take a picture in 1.1 seconds.
Style: This is a standard looking slimline digital camera. It has a typical rectangular shape. The Coolpix S600 is available in black and silver.
Dimensions: 88.5 x 53 x 22.5 mm
Weight: 130g
Batteries: The rechargeable lithium ion battery (EN-EL10) should take around 190 shots before it needs to be charged.
Memory cards: There are around 45mb of memory built into the camera. This should allow you to take around 20 pictures. The Coolpix S600 is also compatible with SD and SDHC cards.
Ease of use rating: Very Good. This is one of the easiest pocket sized cameras around. It is not overloaded with features and the menu system used in many Nikon digital cameras is straightforward.
Points I like: Ease of use - wide angle lens - shutter lag times - camera start up time Where it could improve:
Picture quality
Alternatives
A very good pocket sized camera with a similar specification is the Panasonic DMC FS20.
Verdict:
From time to time I find a digital camera I just cannot get on with. This is the case with the Nikon Coolpix S600. It is a shame because the camera has a number of impressive points such as start up time and shutter lag delay.
Front View Back View Top View Sample Menus
Nikon Coolpix S600 Summary
Description:
10 megapixels and a 4x optical zoom lens
Ease of Use:
9
Features:
8
Colour:
7
Macro:
7
Indoors:
6
Value for Money:
7
Style:
8
Movie Mode:
8
Image Quality:
6
Build Quality:
8
Total:
74
Verdict:
Despite a number of good points such as start up time, ease of use and shutter lag times I felt this camera did not hit the spot when it came to picture quality.
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.
