Nikon COOLPIX S30 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Zoom Nikkor Glass Lens and 2.7-inch LCD (White)

by Nikon

• 10.1 Megapixel CCD sensor
• 3x Zoom-NIKKOR glass lens
• 2.7-inch Bright LCD Monitor
• HD (720p) Movies

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6 x 8 x 8 inches ; 1.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0073HSJGU
• Item model number: 26317
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (103 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #334 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
  • #19 in Electronics > Camera & Photo > Underwater Photography > Cameras
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 31, 2012

Product Description

Color: White

From the Manufacturer

Families now have a camera to take wherever they go. Waterproof and shockproof, the COOLPIX S30 is ideal for everything from poolside fun to playground action. A 10.1 MP sensor produces top quality images, ideal for printing and sharing. The 3x wide-angle lens frames clear memories of all the important people and moments in your life.

Ready for action

Waterproof, shockproof

Drop it, toss it, throw it in the pool. The S30 survives and lives to take the photo! Go underwater to create photos and movies at depths down to 9.8 feet (3 meters). It's also shockproof to withstand drops of up to about 2.6 feet.

Super simple to use

Easier than riding a bike!

Get super simple camera operation with the S30. You'll love the oversized buttons designed to make it easy to create photos and movies. And an easy-to-understand menu makes photography a breeze.

Fun for all

Creative touches that inspire

Have fun personalizing the photos you take. There are a number of creative options such as Selective Color that will inspire your creativity. The best part, immediately see how the chosen effect alters an image! View it all on the large and sharp 2.7-inch LCD monitor.

Movie making made easy

HD (720p) movies with sound

A simple press of the movie record button and cue the action. You will love playing director and recording the action! Touch a button and start recording. Memorable moments are saved in HD (720p). Show the family what you just filmed by viewing on the 2.7-inch LCD monitor, or save for later and gather around to watch on an HDTV or computer. Best yet, upload to the Web to share.

Share the magic

In-camera slideshows with music

Instantly review and laugh over the pictures and movies of the day with the easy slideshow mode. Select playback effects and built-in music to accompany your show—fun to share with friends and family. Connects easily to an HDTV via the HDMI port. Share the sights and sounds of your adventure.

Portraits made easy!

When your subject smiles the camera automatically takes the shot...easy!

Images are sharp and clear

Electronic VR Image Stabilization minimizes the effects of camera shake for sharper, clearer images.

Product Description

The Nikon COOLPIX S30 Digital Camera guarantees you excellent picture quality in every shot with its amazing 1/3" CCD Sensor. This point-and-shoot camera allows you to capture the fine details and accurate colors of your subjects, even under dim lighting, as it is fully equipped with 3x optical zoom and 4x Digital zoom. Have fun preserving all of your important life events by taking 10MP still shots and recording 720p HD videos with this nifty camera. And have it all captured without breaking a sweat, thanks to its easy-to-use 2.7” LCD display.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 83 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Choice for Families April 27, 2012

By L. Howard

Color Name:Blue|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is the second Nikon waterproof camera we've purchased. The first was the AW100, and I like both cameras for different reasons. I bought the AW100 for me to use while scuba diving in shallow water, and I got the S30 for the kids to use in the pool. It's perfect for them. The buttons are large and easy to use, and I like the setup - the shutter button and video record button are both on top, separated by the on/off button, and all the menu, feature and playback buttons are on the back. I think this is a great design for kids.

Many of the "fun" options in the camera are definitely designed to appeal to kids, but I'm looking forward to trying some of them, too, such as the time lapse and fireworks modes.

In terms of images, the HD videos are very sharp, and the photos are also good, as long as you make sure to set the camera to the highest resolution. Note that if you select the option to add an in-camera frame to your images, the camera seems to default to the lowest resolution - 2 MP - so I would avoid this setting if you want good quality photos. You can always add a digital frame later with photo editing software.

I think this is a great camera if you just want something to take to the pool or the beach and you don't want to worry about the kids dropping it in the water or on the ground. It's easy to use, takes good photos, and you can't go wrong with a Nikon. The only things I don't like about this camera are the AA batteries (I wish it used the same rechargeable as my AW100) and the battery/memory card door; I have to use both hands to slide the lock one way and slide the door the other way. You won't have to worry about the kids accidentally opening it, which is a good thing, but I much prefer the design of the AW100. Other than that, however, I think this is a great camera for the price.

89 of 94 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice idea for kids, but not quite there April 21, 2012

By S. Christiansen

Color Name:Pink|Amazon Verified Purchase

My daughter was excited to receive this camera from me. There are several kid friendly elements to the camera like the placement of the shutter button, power button, and video button. Also, the flash is centered, so it is much less likely she will cover the flash with her fingers. She likes the camera and the LCD screen is fine. I can attest that it is rugged and waterproof since it was both dropped on vacation and used underwater at the pool.

There a few things I don't like about the camera. The shutter button is difficult for her to press. There is no way to disable the digital zoom. She likes taking closeup pictures of things, but the S30 doesn't do well unless set in macro mode. However, the macro setting is only available after a few button clicks in the menu instead of a dedicated button. Also, my daughter likes to use the Decorate option to frame her photos as she takes them, but using decorations fixes the photos at small 2 megapixel shots. Low light performance isn't great for focusing or photo quality.

She still enjoys the camera and picture quality is fine in good light. Much better than the typical "toy" child's camera.

Note: Twice the camera has became stuck which prevented me from changing any settings or turning on the flash. This was fixed by choosing to Reset All in the camera settings.

66 of 69 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Kid-Focused Camera May 5, 2012

By Ryzeldorf

Color Name:Blue

I purchased this camera approx. 2 weeks ago and wanted my 4 year old son to get some use before rating. I feel I can provide a pretty fair summation now.

So far he likes the camera a lot but there are a couple items that annoy me as the parent supervising said 4 year old.
So...
First the Gripes
Number 1- The constant clock and date reset when changing batteries drives me nuts. If you skip it you get an annoying flashing warning!
Number 2- Picture quality in lower light is poor to say the least. The camera has to be held very still and then it's a gamble. When the image does come out it looks like VGA phone cam quality. The auto-flash works when it wants, most times its out to lunch.
Number 3- The resolution of the screen is marginal so its hard to see if the shot is ok or poor.
Number 4- As another reviewer wrote, it would be great to disable the digital zoom. It blows right through optical and into the digital very easily.
Number 5- It tends to make very vibrant colors look fake. See Hibiscus of the pictures I have attached...

Now the Positive Stuff
Number 1- The flash is in the center so the little guy won't cover it with either hand.
Number 2- Battery life is outrageous- I got 532 outdoor shots out of a single pair of rechargeable Sanyo Eneloops and had battery life to spare but it was time to go home.
Number 3- In outdoor use, in direct sunlight, the pictures are very vibrant.
Number 4- There is virtually no delay when hitting the button for pictures. This makes a 4 year old very happy.
Number 5- We spent 4 hours plus with the camera directly in water and often submerged. We were merciless as we're still within the return period.
Number 6- Underwater shots are terrific and fun!

My initial impressions when my son used the camera in our home were very bad mostly due to poor, blurry indoor images. Had we not given it a thorough tryout at a water park yesterday this review would look very different. The great pictures this camera created yesterday really helped me like the camera much more.

In summary, this camera is good for a 4 year old with little adult assistance. This is not, however, a "Family Cam" as people old enough to use a more advanced camera will insist on doing so.

Update 9/16/12
We went swimming this weekend and after a few shots underwater I noticed condensation in the lense and display... Will contact Nikon this week. Only the third time in water and less than 5 feet deep. Hope to resolve soon.

Update 9/18/12
Called Nikon. Connected with a rep very quickly but sound quality and accent made it difficult to communicate. Rep said camera should not have been taken in the water and the camera is not waterproof!!! WOW!!!
I stated the body of the camera, packaging and manual said otherwise. He said maybe he was wrong. Asked for my name and email and is supposed to be sending me a link with warranty info etc.

Update 9/21/12
Reviewed emails sent by tech. These aren't even form letter type emails. They are just links to the Nikon help website. In the email I was directed to an automated form to setup return. Guess what? The camera I am trying to return for service is not on the list. So called tech support again. "Estimated hold time is 2 minutes..." Took 13 minutes to connect. I mentioned the camera model is not on the service site. He informed me just to type up a note, print it and drop in the box. He then provided the address and recommended I ship with UPS. As I live next to a Fedex facility I asked if I could use FedEx. He mentioned he only recommends UPS as they give you a tracking number...hummm...

Update 10/15/12
Received camera back from Nikon. Everything was exactly as I sent it. I received a $0 invoice for cleaning and testing. There were no notes about anything found, just a poor photocopy of a page from the owners manual about the possibility of lens/ display moisture. I assume this means moisture in the body is normal? The phenomenon described in the paper was similar to what I experienced so I will try to use again and see what happens...