Overview
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.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
10
4x
2.7 inches
88.5 x 52.7 x 22.5mm
130g
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
No
No
Lithium ion
SD/SDHC
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Portraits
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.
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.
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.
Macro, Colours and Noise
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.
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.
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.
Summary
Overall I am disappointed with the picture quality from the Coolpix S600.
Style
This is a standard looking slimline digital camera. It has a typical rectangular shape. The Coolpix S600 is available in black and silver.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.22 seconds
10.18 seconds
0.37 seconds
14.58 seconds
1.1 seconds
Ease of Use
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
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.
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
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Related Pages
Nikon Coolpix S600 Review Nikon Coolpix S600 Specification Nikon Coolpix S600 Sample Images Nikon Coolpix S600 Features
Review Date
July 2008
