Customer Reviews

Nikon Coolpix S4000 12 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3.0-Inch Touch-Panel LCD (Pink)

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I found the last generation of coolpix cameras to be disappointing at best. This one however has received some massive improvements.

1. It's very very fast

It is speedy in all ways possible. The shutter response time in almost instantaneous. As soon as you click the button the photo takes... give 1 additional second in poor lighting at worst. Best of all is the photo navigation. Remember those old coolpix commercials where Ashton Kutcher would flick his finger and all the photos would scroll by fast? That never worked before, but it actually does on this one. There is no lag whatsoever on photo viewing or changing settings.

2. Excellent photo quality

I was playing with this in best buy and it took very noticeably clearer photos than the other camera in the same price range... including the Canon powershots. Its actually what made me decide to buy one before I learned all the other good stuff.

3. Functionality

It doesn't allow manual exposure and aperture controls because of its size. However they give you a ton of different scene modes to play around with. Some are a little too niche to matter, but all the main ones are there. Also you can do lots of adjustments to a photo that has already been taken. These are made even easier by using the little included stylus which hangs off your camera strap. The camera has a very good feature which allows you to choose the focus of your picture simply by tapping it on the screen. Finally a purpose to using a touch screen besides flashiness.

4. Looks

Its slim and the screen is large and clear. It's very minimalistic with only 2 buttons on the back. The camera looks very traditional and minimalistic, like most of the coolpix range. It doesn't look or feel cheap by all means, but you're not gonna turn heads when you use it... unless of course you're caught scrolling your library (which does feel pretty cool).

The Bad Parts

This camera only has a couple of negative issues. First off, the lens does not retract into the body when you're viewing photos. It means you can switch to shooting really fast, but it also burdens the way in which you can hold your camera. I would have liked to have been able to hold it flat in my palm while looking at my photos. Another problem is that it doesn't use a battery charger, it charges with a usb cable that plugs directly into the camera. It comes with an AC power adapter that you can plug the cable into if you want... kind of like what an ipod uses. I guess it makes everything simpler and you can carry less stuff when you travel, but I like to charge extra batteries while I'm using my camera.

The touchscreen has a slightly matte surface. Which means it gets very dirty very fast. I put a surface shield on this immediately and it has eliminated that problem completely... but it also makes the touch controls slightly less responsive. If you do this, you can still control the camera well with your finger, but it's faster and easier to navigate photos with the stylus.

I HIGHLY recommend this camera to anyone needing a good point and shoot, especially if speed is important to you.

Summary: A great everyday camera. Very good quality pictures, simple to use and very stylish. Small enough that can easily fit in a shirt or pant pocket. Gives you more options in terms of color and exposure manipulations than similarly priced cameras. You can even do basic photo editing using the included stylus. It also has the cool factor of having a touch screen for all controls.

Hi-def video:
720p, 24 frames per second. Does not include an HDMI port, so movies have to be downloaded into a computer to be seen.

Picture sharing:
You get 2GB free online storage to share pictures on the web.

Hardware:
Touch screen: this is the camera's main control mechanism, and it delivers. Bright screen that can easily be seen in bright light. Large virtual buttons that make navigating the options quite easy. Ok responsiveness, not the fastest, but certainly adequate.

Flash: It is tiny. Adequate only for filling in shadows, but in a dimly lit, indoor setting you get some noise on the pictures (as the camera automatically adjusts the ISO). Indoor images tended to be well focused despite the small flash.

Battery: I took 425 pictures (no flash) without needing to recharge.

Ease of use: Once you get used to the idea that there are no buttons readily available (all buttons and commands go through the touch screen on the back) it is quite easy to use. There are some settings (such as BBS) which require a quick review of the manual to know what they are for.

Burst mode: Contrary to other cameras in this group (i.e. Canon A3100) this one includes a burst mode which allows to take up to 16 images in rapid succession.

Pre-set scene mode: Gives you the common ones (portrait, landscape, children running, etc.) and some new ones, such as fireworks and dawn. There are 16 different scenes to choose from there are as many options as higher end models.

I have a few cameras: Olympus DLSR, Canon Powershot S3IS, and Panasonic Lumix (compact). I've also owned Kodak digital easyshares and Pentax film camers.

I've been power shopping the last few days for a good point and shoot for an upcoming trip I'm taking to CA. I'll be taking my Olympus DSLR, put need a pocket camera for those times a DLSR isn't appropriate due to size.

Having owned a Canon Powershot S3IS and an Olympus DLSR, I'm pretty picky about image quality. So I brought home a Canon 1300 and a Nikon s4000 and compared photos in Photoshop. Hands down, Nikon s4000 won everytime. Indoor, outdoor, flash, speed, ease of use, etc.

This is an easty, point and shoot with great color and picture quality.

I'd recommend it.

The reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the way you have to charge the battery. The battery has to be charged while in the camera.

It's interesting how Amazon has divided up the reviews for the Coolpix S4000 based on the color of the camera (at least as of this writing). Moving on: This is a nice little camera, it's the third in my collection of compacts, the only one with a touch screen. I have posted photos taken with it, both post-processed and straight out of the camera. My notes:

There is an issue with charging the battery. This has been mentioned in at least one other review, don't remember the color of that camera (doesn't matter). Recharging is not done as described in the quick start guide. Put the USB connector in the wall plug-in part, and plug it into your outlet, THEN attach the other end to the camera. This is the only way that the camera will be triggered to turn on and recharge. Wall first, camera second.

The guide says charging a fully discharged battery can take up to two hours and 10 minutes, or thereabouts. After three and a half hours, though the light was still blinking, I unplugged mine during its first charge. The battery icon did not show up in the display, meaning it was charged.

The default should not be for digital zoom to be turned on. Make your first menu adjustment turning that off!

Another reviewer got the best results with a setting of 3m for the images. I set mine at 8 and they seem fine; unless you are going to print very large posters, you also may want to cut back from the 12m.

Flash settings aren't sticky, so if you turned it off and then turned the camera off, the flash will be back on auto when you turn it back on.

I found the color to be good, white balance to be fairly accurate, exposure to be so-so, all in auto scene mode. The touch screen works well but it does pick up fingerprints--scrolling and selecting worked better for me using my fingernail; they provide a stylus that can be attached to the strap and would also help reduce greasiness on the screen.

The red version looks just plain cool. It's very small, even for a compact, and very lightweight. It's a camera for snapshots, and with that limitation in mind, I think it does very well. (Don't over-expect.) I noticed that it sometimes found more than one focus spot in a scene, and that worked well. Mine came with a carrying case included in the box. It comes with the full manual on a CD. The card readers built into both my laptop and desktop computers (both Windows 7, a Dell and an HP) were able to read the card with no problem, so I did not install any of the software that came with it.

Summary: A great everyday camera. Very good quality pictures, simple to use and very stylish. Small enough that can easily fit in a shirt or pant pocket. Gives you more options in terms of color and exposure manipulations than similarly priced cameras. You can even do basic photo editing using the included stylus. It also has the cool factor of having a touch screen for all controls.

Hi-def video:
720p, 24 frames per second. Does not include an HDMI port, so movies have to be downloaded into a computer to be seen.

Picture sharing:
You get 2GB free online storage to share pictures on the web.

Hardware:
Touch screen: this is the camera's main control mechanism, and it delivers. Bright screen that can easily be seen in bright light. Large virtual buttons that make navigating the options quite easy. Ok responsiveness, not the fastest, but certainly adequate.

Flash: It is tiny. Adequate only for filling in shadows, but in a dimly lit, indoor setting you get some noise on the pictures (as the camera automatically adjusts the ISO). Indoor images tended to be well focused despite the small flash.

Battery: I took 425 pictures (no flash) without needing to recharge.

Ease of use: Once you get used to the idea that there are no buttons readily available (all buttons and commands go through the touch screen on the back) it is quite easy to use. There are some settings (such as BBS) which require a quick review of the manual to know what they are for.

Burst mode: Contrary to other cameras in this group (i.e. Canon A3100) this one includes a burst mode which allows to take up to 16 images in rapid succession.

Pre-set scene mode: Gives you the common ones (portrait, landscape, children running, etc.) and some new ones, such as fireworks and dawn. There are 16 different scenes to choose from there are as many options as higher end models.

I just purchased this camera on a Nikon promotion for Mothers Day. It included a case and a Sand Dish 2g card. I would like to tell you of some issues I had with this camera and have since cleared it up with a call to Nikon.

Charging the battery:

First, is how to charge the battery. You must plug the a/c charger into a electrical outlet.....THEN.....plug the adapter into the charge port of the camera. If you try it any other way, it won't charge. The quick start, manual on CD and the downloadable manual from Nikon............spell it out the wrong way.

Firmware update:

My camera came with version 1.0. If you go to [...] you will find a new version is waiting for you to download. They also have an illustrated file to download to help you do the update. The SD card is formatted by the camera........... .......a PC will not read the card. My XP pro did not read the card. Therefore, you cannot copy the firmware to the SD disk. My Windows 7 machine did read it, copied it and I made an update to my camera. So your XP machine might not be able to do the update.

Another issue is how to power the camera during the update. The instructions were not clear to me and a call to Nikon approves of this approach. Use a fully charged battery as the only power source and you will be able to complete the update.

The update will change the HD video from 24 to 30fps.

If you buy a SD card...check with the 200 page manual to see what cards are approved. Write times vary with manufacture. The Sand Disk, I felt, had a rapid write time.

I am pleased with the camera. It is packed with features that Amazon points out during camera description. It should be noted that in AUTO, the camera picks out what it likes to make your shot. AUTO is a place to START making your perfect photo. The camera has many features to fine tune that shot into a family treasure. Spend some time and try ALL the features and see what happens to the same photo shot. Its part of the fun of digital cameras. I don't mind saying, I resisted digital and stayed with film for many years. This camera will allow you to be creative in a much faster pace. Is it going to replace a 650$ SLR. No way. It will allow you to carry a very cool pocket camera to get those "grab me shots" or just really get into digital photography.

Nikon can be reached at 1 800 645 6689 7days a week from 8am to 2am Eastern time. They were very patient and helpful to me during my two calls to them. Also try their web site for answers on consumer questions on this camera. There was an answer on XP problems during transfer from camera to pc. I need to look that one over next

I was looking for a camera with a rechargeable battery that takes good quality high-resolution pics along with HD video with zoom available during video taking. This camera's touchscreen interface was great. I really enjoyed the options available along with having the ability to press a button for preview and some settings (not 100% touchscreen), but was disappointed with the quality of the photos and video. The video was nowhere near HD. I played with the settings and used it outside with plenty of light and it was choppy and noisy. I installed the included photo software and that just made it play without breaking up every second, but it was still not HD. I took some photos in low light indoors and played with the ISO settings along with the auto setting and none of them proved to be adequate. You get fuzzy photos without the flash too. In good lighting I found the photos to be too soft around the edges of faces and routinely took blurry pics too. I had to try a couple times just to get a solid photo of my toddler...not enough of a stabilizing feature for me.

I returned it with regret and am looking into Canon compact digital cameras because the Canon Powershot SX20IS that we have now we are very happy with.

Summary: A great everyday camera. Very good quality pictures, simple to use and very stylish. Small enough that can easily fit in a shirt or pant pocket. Gives you more options in terms of color and exposure manipulations than similarly priced cameras. You can even do basic photo editing using the included stylus. It also has the cool factor of having a touch screen for all controls.

Positives:
Compact, easy to use, great picture quality, hi-def video capture.

Negatives:
No HDMI port.

Details:
Hi-def video:
720p, 24 frames per second. Does not include an HDMI port, so movies have to be downloaded into a computer to be seen.

Picture sharing:
You get 2GB free online storage to share pictures on the web.

Hardware:
Touch screen: this is the camera's main control mechanism, and it delivers. Bright screen that can easily be seen in bright light. Large virtual buttons that make navigating the options quite easy. Ok responsiveness, not the fastest, but certainly adequate.

Flash: It is tiny. Adequate only for filling in shadows, but in a dimly lit, indoor setting you get some noise on the pictures (as the camera automatically adjusts the ISO). Indoor images tended to be well focused despite the small flash.

Battery: I took 425 pictures (no flash) without needing to recharge.

Ease of use: Once you get used to the idea that there are no buttons readily available (all buttons and commands go through the touch screen on the back) it is quite easy to use. There are some settings (such as BBS) which require a quick review of the manual to know what they are for.

Burst mode: Contrary to other cameras in this group (i.e. Canon A3100) this one includes a burst mode which allows to take up to 16 images in rapid succession.

Pre-set scene mode: Gives you the common ones (portrait, landscape, children running, etc.) and some new ones, such as fireworks and dawn. There are 16 different scenes to choose from there are as many options as higher end models.

I was hesitant to buy a nikon digital camera because i just loved my canon but when i received my nikon digital camera i loved how it's very easy to use, loved the itouch screen and the video are great as well, the only thing that bother's me is when i take pictures at night the flash is too bright and so my kids doesn't like it when i take their pictures at night, other than that i just loved them. i did my research and amazon has the cheapest price and they shipped pretty fast.

I absolutely love this camera. It takes awesome pictures and great videos. The touch-panel is a great bonus as well. At this price and with this quality, you can't beat it. Highly recommended.