Nikon Coolpix S10 6MP Digital Camera with 10x Vibration Reduction Zoom

by Nikon

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000I1VJHO
• Item model number: 25555
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,544 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 24, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Packing powerful imaging performance, 10x zoom capability and a stylish swivel design into compact dimensions, the Coolpix S10 makes it easy to take great-looking shots from more imaginative angles.

With a distinctive wave-surface design and a high-quality finish, the Coolpix S10 is as attractive as the images it achieves. The camera body incorporates a swivel design for the lens, enabling users to take photos from dynamic angles, such as holding the camera overhead to capture action over the crowd or composing from down low to get a different perspective. The large, bright 2.5-inch LCD with a 170-degree viewing angle allows the user to accurately frame shots, while the VR (Vibration Reduction) function overcomes camera shake to take sharper, more stable pictures in a range of shooting situations. The camera offers increased light sensitivity up to an impressive ISO 800, so users can get great-looking results in lower light without the need for an extended exposure and select much faster shutter speeds when taking pictures of fast-moving subjects.

The Coolpix S10 features a handy one-touch portrait button that provides direct access to three unique in-camera Nikon image innovations--Face Priority AF that automatically detects and achieves sharp focus on people's faces wherever they are in the frame, In-Camera Red-Eye Fix that can overcome the red-eye effect sometimes caused by flash, and Nikon's D-Lighting that can rescue underexposed images or shots with too much back-light. (Face recognition capability may be limited in some shooting conditions.)

The Coolpix S10 also adds new entertainment to photography with Nikon's Pictmotion function that lets users combine images, movies, music, and visual styles for automatically produced in-camera audiovisual shows that can be enjoyed on the large built-in LCD with wide viewing angle of 170 degrees.

Nikon prides itself on creating user-friendly cameras. PictBridge compatibility that means there's no need to use a computer at all when printing--just connect the Coolpix S10 straight to a PictBridge-compatible printer and print directly without delay, while the supplied lithium battery can conveniently take hundreds of shots on a single charge.

The Coolpix S10 makes it simple to take high-quality photographs. The user simply has to select which one of 15 scene modes most resembles the conditions at hand, and the camera automatically selects the settings that will achieve the optimum results.

Like all other cameras in the highly popular Coolpix range, the Coolpix S10 also comes complete with Nikon's exclusive PictureProject software. Powerful, yet exceptionally user-friendly, PictureProject makes it simple to transfer, organize, edit, and share photos with family and friends.

The Nikon Coolpix S10 is a feature-rich and easy-to-use model, offering the user the chance to take pictures as flexible and dynamic as their own imaginations.

What's in the box
Nikon Coolpix S10 digital camera, neck strap, USB cable UC-E6, audio-video cable EG-CP14, rechargeable EN-EL5 Lithium-ion battery, battery charger MH-61, lens cap, PictureProject CD-ROM

Product Description

Nikon s easy-to-use Coolpix S10 combines 6 effective megapixels with an amazing 10X optical Zoom-Nikkor glass lens to get you close to the action. Vibration Reduction (VR) technology minimizes the effect of camera shake, which is especially useful when shooting at longer, telephoto settings. The incredible, bright 2.5 LCD makes it easy to compose and share pictures. Incorporating the Nikon In-Camera Innovations, the S10 has in-Camera Red-Eye Fix that removes most instances of red-eye, Face-Priority AF to find and focus on faces in your pictures, and D-Lighting to rescue overly dark images, all of which makes taking great pictures easy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

99 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Low light issues, October 20, 2006

By 

Lissa Oros (Menlo Park, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nikon Coolpix S10 6MP Digital Camera with 10x Vibration Reduction Zoom (Electronics)

I'm a rabid photographer of scenery, wildlife, friends, families and pets. I take pictures with tripods, while walking, from horseback, from the car, during parties, indoors, outdoors...whenever it strikes me to take a photo. I would estimate that I take at least 300 photos a month. I currently have an olympus 740 so I bought the nikon looking to get a little smaller camera with the same zoom capabilities but with image stabilization. I read the manual to this camera from cover to cover and it has lots of options to tinker with. I took more than 1000 photos in every situation I could think of and eventually ended up returning the camera because of the medium indoor low light issues.

The good:
The camera has a NICE brushed metal feel to it. Looks like it would hold up well and not show scratches easily and feels quite sturdy.
It's really comfortable and easy to hold the camera and either telescope the lens or press the shutter without straining your hand.
The LCD has great resolution and colors. Some people don't like that it doesn't have a viewfinder but I hardly use a viewfinder.
Rechargable battery (although the initial charging time is something like 8 or 10 hours, the later chargings are less).
The lens cap just flips back with an easy touch, no pulling it off and having it dangle and bounce into action shots.
The camera worked great for scenery shots during the day.
I took some great moonlight shots without the use of a tripod with this camera using some of the many, many features. My other camera could never take these shots.
I liked that there wasn't an external telescoping lens and the lens did all its telescoping inside the cylinder.
I was impressed with the shutter speed and zoom capabilities.
Image stabilization was awesome in sunlight.

What I didn't like:
I found that ANY dust on the lens created an orb in the photo and I had to keep cleaning the lens because dust would easily get into the cool snap cover.
Low indoor light made for blurry (or sometimes grainy images), even with image stabilization and I had to tinker with a lot of the settings to get half way decent photos and even then they weren't great.
If I used a flash in low light, it often whited out people's faces. My friends thought that the flash was too blinding but I can't speak for this because I didn't see it. I used tons of settings (much to my friends' frustration) to try to find a good setting and I didn't find one.
Direct sunlight caused lots of sunspots (I think because of the lens angle because the same exact shot with my olympus had no sunspot and it was seconds between shots)but you could use polarizing sunglasses over the lens for a super easy fix.
The light from the flash doesn't always bounce as one would expect. I'm not sure if it's because of the angle of the turned lens cylinder or what but it the light didn't seem to spread naturally and would end up either too focused or weirdly casted shadows would appear. Again I'd take the same photo with my olympus which has a different flash placement and the photos would turn out fine.
I took some shots of my pets indoors and they didn't like the flashing red light the camera uses for measuring/focus in low light.
I had a lot of color issues (mostly a yellowing of the images) under flourescent lights in a lot of low light photos but I could fix them Adobe photoshop.

This could have been a bad camera but just in case you buy this and have the same issues, you'll know it's not just you :)

68 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great optical zoom for a compact; plastic feel to it (though metal in front), October 5, 2006

By 

Mitchell Malpartida "some guy" (Jersey City, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nikon Coolpix S10 6MP Digital Camera with 10x Vibration Reduction Zoom (Electronics)

I bought the S10 mainly because it reminded of my much loved Coolpix 990. The camera body is very light save for the lens which will tip the camera on its side when set facing forward. The body feels kinda hollow and cheap though it is metal (feels like plastic on the back). The LCD is great with nice brightness, actually too bright for my normal viewing pleasure. What annoys me at the moment is the menu system. It takes a few steps to choose between mode and custom scene settings, compared to my Canon Sd700IS which is very simple to switch modes and make selections. With some practice Im sure the menus will become second nature. I simply love the clarity and details I have been getting with this camera.
When set to Auto White Balance, it takes maybe a minute or two to calibrate which is not good when you need to whip out the camera and take some quick snaps indoors. Suggestion is to plan ahead; if you are going to be under any type of artificial lighting change the setting to fit the environment and youll be snapping great pics quickly. Vibration reduction works without a hitch although I havent tried running and taking pictures at the same time yet. The portrait modes are really cool and easy for a novice to use. There is an interesting slideshow mode which will allow you to do some nice Ken Burns effects (pan and zoom) to the music of your choice.
The thing that disappointed me was the lack of a full manual mode which I was really hoping for like my old 990. To compensate you need to study the various scene modes to get the desired results so experiment and read the manual.
A screen protector is a must as your right thumb has a tendancy to touch the LCD. Id go with a fellowes screen protector as you get more than one per pack unlike some of these other lame companies which only give you one per pack and charge the same price.

All in all, despite the body issue (plastic), you get excellent photo quality and 10x optical zoom in a small body. (Man-purse necessary to carry as it doesnt fit in pocket)

Update: Its soo light on the body side that to me it feels like the whole thing is plastic but its actually just the back where the lcd is and VR/Portrait buttons are. Thanks for the comments!

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great camera - surprised by LCD screen, January 11, 2007

By 

Michael Janocik "mikesuej" (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nikon Coolpix S10 6MP Digital Camera with 10x Vibration Reduction Zoom (Electronics)

I owned a Nikon Coolpix 950 with swivel design and foolishly sold it for a Sony Cybershot. I really missed the 950. My wife bought me a Nikon S10 for Christmas and it is a wonderful little camera. I read somewhere a complaint about no view finder, but when I read this it was about 2:00 pm and clear and sunny here, so I took it out in a Best Buy parking lot and was shocked at how well I could see the LCD screen - no problem whatsoever. Plus teh LCD was set only on 3 of 5. Don't let the no-view finder turn you off this camera. Pictures are great. It's a great little camera and the swivel is the reason I returned to it after having owned teh Nikon 950. After having the flexibility of the swivel body, it's hard to go back. Plus this camera takes better pictures than the Sony 6.0 megapixel Cybershot with Carl Zeiss lens. A camera that is too small is very difficult to hold steady. This Nikon s10 has a confortable feel and is easy to hold steady. 5 stars