Customer Reviews

Nikon Coolpix S550 10 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Graphite Black)

5 star:		(115)
4 star:		(51)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

As a fairly cheap point-and-shoot camera, the Nikon Coolpix S550 is a pretty neat piece of hardware. It's certainly not a high-end DSLR, but it's good at what it does, and it offers some nice pluses over other cameras in its price range.

The good:
-5x optical zoom is very good for a little camera like this, and is tops in this camera's class. I would like to remind readers that "digital zoom" really just crops out part of a picture to make it look bigger in the viewfinder while destroying actual shot quality, so please disregard the "digital zoom" on this or any camera.
-10megapixel resolution is pretty phenominal, especially in this camera's price range, especially coupled with the 5x zoom. Dollar-for-dollar, you're getting a lot.
-Shutter and record speeds seem great. Note that with megapixels this high, you're going to need a high-speed SDHC memory card if you don't want to see too much of the hourglass.
-The high resolution and zoom really combine for wow power when you take movies with the camera. Although the mic is terrible and you'll probably just want to mute it, you can take movies of a pet where you can see every individual hair from a respectable distance if you so choose. On a one-gig card, I can shoot a half-hour of movies at this quality.
-The camera's overall size is very comfortable. Not much taller and wider than a credit card, not much thicker than a thin paperback, and compeletely flat when it's powered down. Yet it's still roomy- I'm a 6'+ guy with stubby fingers, and I've never fumbled a button yet.
-Tons of modes. The camera can take widescreen pictures or regular format, PAL or NTSC, and resolutions from standard tv (640x480) through the roof (over 3,000 vertical pixels). It has smile recognition, stabilization, various compensation filters including red-eye. It has Portrait, Outdoor, Indoor, and even Copy for taking pictures of documents just in case you're a secret agent on a budget. The basic Shoot and Smile modes seem wholly satisfactory, but this camera offers plenty of room to grow. Yesterday I took some very clear photos of moths in flight, with no adjustments other than setting the camera to high ISO.

The not-so-good:
-No optical viewfinder, only the digital screen. It's a very good and very big screen though, so this is mostly just for nostalgia's sake.
-The camera doesn't have a dial for the various settings. Instead of just clicking over to Portrait or Outdoor, you have to hit a menu button and look around. This is a pretty small complaint overall, but I would have still preferred a wheel.
-I've noticed that with a lot of low-end digital cameras like this, you can see that as the camera auto-adjusts it will show a perfectly sharp picture in the viewfinder, but keep adjusting until the picture becomes a bit blurry. Maybe this is just something about the way I take pictures, but I know this camera is capable of clearer shots. This is especially evident in extreme close-ups, such as under a foot away. The camera will adjust right up to a perfectly crisp photo for a moment, then keep going to a blurry mess before it snaps the shot. If I could just cut out the last few moments of zooming, I'd have gotten a perfect photo. I saw this same thing with a number of comparable cameras while doing in-store tests, and I'm puzzled as to what causes it (maybe I need to turn off the assist beam sometimes, I don't know). I'll have to check the camera's official site and such to see if I can find tips.
-5x zoom, while really wonderful for the price range, still seems a bit stifling. Maybe I'm just at the point in my life where I need to own up to the truth and save up for a high-end SLR. 5x optical is certainly much better than the 3x zoom that comes with most comparable cameras.

Overall, I really got this camera because it was time to upgrade from my old Canon A60. The A60 took really great photos in the right conditions, but it couldn't adapt to conditions well, and it had a very big delay between pressing the button and getting a shot. The Coolpix has already paid for itself with smile recognition- I'm a "psychic blinker" who manages to always shut his eyes the moment a photo is taken, and I haven't gotten a single photo of myself with my eyes closed, even doing close-ups with flash.

If you're just starting out in the digital world, this camera has all the best features with a clear interface and instant point-and-shoot modes that require no calibration. If you're like me and you just need to find a smarter digital camera, you could do a lot worse than this one for the same money. If this camera suits your price range, you simply must put it at the top of your list. The only reason I'd suggest passing on this camera is if you've got significantly more money to spend on a higher class of camera.

I did quite a bit of research before deciding on this camera. The majority of the reviews were excellent. There were a few that were scary. Now i realize why. This camera is a great camera if you are willing to put the time in to learn all it has to offer and how to use it. It comes in cool, fresh colors which may be one of the reasons that people felt mislead. Although cool looking this camera is a sophisticated piece of equiptment capable of producing some great pictures for the average person, but it does require you to read certain portions of the manual or you will not be satisfied with the results.
One criticism i read related to the fact that it did not take great low light pictures. Well if you don't adjust the camera to suit those lighting conditions then you won't be happy. However push two buttons and get into the right mode and you will find that you can take some of the best low light pictures around. You can't just drag the camera from the beach, to the museum and then to a house party and expect that the one setting is going to give great all around pictures. Although it's cool looking it is not an instamatic!!
This is a great camera if you are willing to learn, otherwise you won't be happy.
I am not a professional photographer and I found it very easy to go through the manual and learn what I needed to get great pictures all the time.
This is a great camera, just not for everyone.

I like the camera and the photos. The zoom is good and unheard of for a camera this size. easy to use even without reading the manual. One problem, it comes with a rechargeable battery# Li-ion EN-EL11 but...I can't find anyone who sells it yet (I like a backup battery). The screen is large but I do miss the option of using a view finder, which helps in bright light. Photo colors look real.

The camera is small, light, highly portable and easy to use. It takes nice pictures under good lighting situations, and particularly outdoor situations. However, I've found a few issues with it:

1. ISO noise seems excessive. The noise at ISO levels 400+ is really among the worst I have seen, even for a point and shoot. As a result, it's really not my first (or second) choice for low lighting (often indoor) shots without using a flash. It works well enough with a flash, but so do most cameras. Trying to take non-flash pictures indoors with this camera is a chore because of the high level of noise at even moderate ISO settings.

2. Odd juxtapositions in the design. For example, the camera cannot both date stamp and use its electronic vibration reduction function at once -- that's a very odd trade-off, and smacks of some very odd engineering decision.

3. Limited on-screen information. While shooting it will at least provide your aperture and shutter speed, but it doesn't on playback, and there is no option for controlling that display information. Other cameras (like Panasonic's DMC-FS3) display aperture, shutter speed, ISO and WB all on the playback screen. I like to review these things when looking at an exposure to determine whether I want to adjust anything for the next one, and not being able to see this information on the review display is quite annoying on a camera that has been recently released.

In all, this is a fine camera for quick outdoor shooting. For virtually anything else I plan to do with a point and shoot, my first choice is Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FS3. I'm not happy to say that, because I am generally a fan of Nikon equipment, and my digital SLR equipment is all Nikon ... but the Panasonic beats this camera pretty much across the board, I'm afraid, while also being slightly cheaper.

Pros: Tiny, light, has lots of features, but easy enough for my mother to use.
Cons: No rechargeing cradle (yet?)

"I've been using digital camera's since many years ago when Apple made a ginormous creation that was just the most awesome thing ever. I've passed for years (about 12 of them now) on buying a digital camera as I have a very nice SLR 35mm, and wanted a camera with high quality, good durability, but be tiny, light and offer me a lot of the macro's I enjoy on my SLR.
Nikon has created (at last!) the camera that meets my demands. Additionally, it is idiot-proof (turn on, push button, camera will handle everything else in basic mode), has built-in red-eye reduction, blink indicator (yes it tells you if your subject blinked!), a respectable LiIon battery, and besides its 50-some meg of on board memory, it has a SDIO slot for memory cards. For those who don't chase technology like others of us, SDIO is a newer-faster version of SD-card. SDIO is backward compatible with SD, mini-sd and micro-sd (if you have the necessary size-changing adapters). SDIO is FAST, and allows for much larger storage capacities than SD. Don't cheat yourself, buy a SDIO card to go with the camera. The camera is already fast enough, and doesn't lag from button to shutter, so give it the memory speed it is designed for!! My 4gb SDIO card gives the camera capacity for just over 800 pictures, but more importantly, I can fire off those pictures faster than I could with my SLR.
The ONLY thing this camera doesn't have (or maybe I've just not found it yet!) is a recharging cradle. To recharge the battery, it has to be removed and placed in a charger. I'd rather have a nice cradle that charges the camera while downloading my pictures to my PC.
Even with that one missing feature, the camera is a super-hit in my book. I paid street-price for the camera, which was a good deal to me. It can ONLY get better in price! But why wait, the camera is worth its MSRP...if you are in the market go grab one before the store sells out!"

In short, I love this camera. One reviewer mentioned blurry pictures taken inside his house. I haven't experienced that at all. In fact, I recently bought a FujiFinepix as well, but this little camera put the Fuji to shame. The colors were much brighter and more vivid than those of the Fuji. It's the lightest camera I own, and it's very sleek and easy to use (the EASIEST to use). It's the smallest 10 MP camera on the market right now, and I highly recommend it!

I bought this camera to use as an inexpensive back up to my Nikon D80. It
is pocket sized and is 10MP, same as the $1,000 D80. The only two criticisms I have are that it doesn't shoot in RAW (not important to most folks) and it is difficult to see the viewing screen if you're wearing polarized glasses. Other than that, I love it. Simple to use and really handy. You can't beat the price for Nikon quality! We used it indoors at the Johnson Space Center and got great results with the flash. We took it on our boat while doing some salt water fishing (that's where I don't take the D80) and got the same great results! Image stabilization was a big plus on a rocking boat. Rechargeable battery lasts quite a long time. I'm glad I bought it.

I bought the Nikon Coolpix S550 after doing fairly extensive research online and talking to multiple salespeople at camera stores. I had narrowed my selection down to the Nikon or a Canon Powershot Elph. When I walked in to the store and asked the salesman what point and shoot digital camera he would recommend, he immediately said "Nikon", so I bought it. Thank goodness the store has a 10 day return policy. If you use the camera for a few days and do not like it, you can return it (along with the box and everything that came in it) for a full refund within 10 days of the date of purchase. There is no restocking fee like many of the other local retailers.

After using the Nikon Coolpix S550 for one day, I knew I hated it. The shutter speed was slow, especially when using it indoors with a flash. The red eye reduction flash was even worse...it flashed about 12 times before taking the picture and then would not focus (or didn't think it was focused), so it would flash and beep at me before the shutter would actually go off. That made for a good 5 - 10 second lag between pushing the shutter and actually capturing the image. Meanwhile, because the flash went off so many times, people were moving or talking by the time the picture was actually taken. I really didn't want to have to say "this is going to flash a bunch of times before the picture is taken, so just stay still and I'll tell you when the picture is done" for the rest of the camera's life ( I had to do that with an old film camera of mine for years, it's not fun!). The camera is equipped with red eye recognition and will supposedly correct red eye within the digital image after the picture is taken...doesn't that eliminate the need for the crazy multi flash? It was bad enough that I hated that aspect of it, but the subjects who I was taking pictures of complained as well.

Not only was the shutter speed slow, but the recovery time between pictures was long. I knew going into it that the Nikon shutter speed was a bit slower than other digital cameras, but that in addition to the long lag time between pictures is unbearable.

As for the facial recognition, it is non-existent. Not once in all the pictures I took did the camera recognize and lock onto anybody's face. I was taking pictures of people facing fully toward the camera too. Now, I don't need facial recognition, but if the camera has it, it certainly should work.

Also, the menus on this camera are difficult to maneuver through. I think I would have had to carry the instruction book along with me at all times just in case I ever wanted to do anything other than auto focus! The good news is the instruction book is very informative and easy to follow.

I really wanted to like the Nikon, but I knew after that first night that I would be miserable with it. I brought the camera back and purchased the Panasonic Lumix DCM-TZ4. The Lumix is 200x better than the Nikon Coolpix! It has 8MP, 10x optical zoom and up to 40x digital zoom. It always recognizes faces even if it is only a picture of a face. The images are sharp and beautiful! The camera is a little larger and heavier than other compact digitals but I am thrilled with it. I am sad to say that this experience with the Nikon has turned me off to their product completely. It would take some major improvements in their product line to make me try a Nikon again.

I absolutely love this camera. It is my first (personal) digital camera. I got the plum as pictured above. It's absolutely beautiful!!! It is so sleek and small. It could fit in your pocket. It's very easy to use. The controls are simple and straight forward.

The camera takes great pictures. I especially love the "macro mode", which allows you take pics as close as 3.9" from your object. The zoom is great as well. The color is great. Pics are very very clear. I've only had it a few days, so I haven't really tested how long the battery lasts. My mom loved mine so much, she got her own.

I am very please with this purchase.

I bought this to replace my Lumix DMC-LZ7 (horrible) which replaced a Sony DSC-W55 (great camera). I wanted something with a decent zoom, that was small. This camera has not disappointed. It is sturdy, weighs nothing, tiny, and fast. It starts fast, and there is very little lag between shots. Picture quality is excellent. I would agree with the comment about the battery door, it can be difficult to close. The macro modes are a little hard to find too, but then I haven't read the manual yet..