Nikon Coolpix S3 6MP Slim-Design Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Includes Dock)

Other products by Nikon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9 x 9 x 9 inches ; 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000B8Y08E
• Item model number: S3
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,801 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 22, 2006

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description As one of the smaller digital cameras on the market, the Coolpix S3 combines a high-quality optical zoom lens with a range of automatic and preset shooting modes that will satisfy the most discerning of point-and-shoot photographers. Featuring a 6.0-megapixel CCD, a high quality 3x Optical Zoom-Nikkor 35-105mm ED Glass Lens, plus a 4x digital zoom for a total zoom of 12x, the Coolpix S3 delivers stunning prints up to 16 x 20 inches prints simply and easily.

The included Coolstation MV-11 cradle makes it easy to transfer and manage your photos, while charging the internal battery.

All controls are designed for ease of use, right next to the large, 2.5-inch LCD display. View larger.

Super slim! View larger.

A 3x optical zoom makes it easy to get close to the action. View larger.

Weighing just over six ounces with the battery and memory card loaded, the Coolpix 5600 is truly a "take anywhere" camera. With over 17 Scene Modes, you'll always be sure to get the precise shot you're looking for. An incredibly bright, 2.5-inch color LCD display and user-friendly interface means that you don't have to take the extra effort to get up to speed with the camera's functionality. Just power it up, and you'll be ready to go in no time.

Not to be outdone, the Coolpix S3 can also record high-quality movies at a rate of up to 15 frames per second. Other advanced features include Nikon's In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, which takes "red-eye reduction" a step further by remove red-eye directly in the camera; Face Priority AF, which automatically focus on faces for great portraits; and a D-Lighting feature that offers in-camera repair of dark images. In short, the Coolpix S3 is perfect for novice users or anyone looking for a point-and-shoot camera that produces sharp, colorful photos with great ease of use.

What's in the Box
Nikon Coolpix S3, Coolstation dock MV-11/MV-11B, strap, USB cable UC-E10, audio-video cable EG-E5000, AC adapter EH-63, rechargeable li-ion battery EN-EL8, and PictureProject CD-ROM.

Product Description

A smart-looking, easy-to-use camera with style and performance, the Coolpix S3 is built to travel. The slim, 19.7mm aluminum body is ultra-portable, but in this sleek body is a sharp 35-105mm 3x Zoom-Nikkor ED lens (35mm equivalent). With 6 megapixels of effective resolution the Coolpix S3 gives you enough detail to enlarge your images up to 16" x 20" and more. There's a large, bright 2.5-inch LCD monitor, eliminating the need for a viewfinder. Select functions by name or icon on the intuitive Graphic User Interface (GUI) and use the handy HELP button for easy-to-understand explanations of menu functions, in your choice of twelve languages. The Coolpix S3 is loaded with Nikon's famous in-camera features. D-Lighting to rescue insufficiently exposed shots; Face-priority AF to automatically focus on human faces for better portraits; In-Camera Red-Eye Fix to eliminate the dreaded red eyes; and Blur Warning to alert you when a shot has been compromised by camera shake, so you can shoot it again for better results. Seventeen Scene Modes make shooting fun and rewarding in many common shooting scenarios, including Underwater (with optional Waterproof Case). Just select the Scene Mode for the shot you want, and the camera automatically picks the optimal settings. Four Scene Modes feature Scene Assist, to help you compose your shots for best effects. You can shoot high-quality movies in four different movie modes, three with sound, plus a Time-lapse mode.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It can take photos that others likely won't, March 4, 2006

By	Carlgo (Carmel Valley, CA) - See all my reviews

This is a tiny camera that fits pockets, purses and center consoles easily. As such, you are more likely to have this with you than, say, your digital Hasselblad and ten lenses. If aliens land on the street in front of you, you will get the shot on your S3, not on the big camera that is at home.

A small camera is also discreet. People tend to react when you point a big impressive looking camera at them, but hardly notice the small S3 rectangle. It does not attract too much attention to itself or me and that is a good thing.

There are two ways to use this camera:

One is to simply keep it on automatic, shoot lots of shots of well-lit scenes and delete the bad ones. This is a very effective technique used even by many professionals. The automation is hard to beat.

Or, one can actually read and understand the manual and practice all the functions again and again until it all becomes second nature. There are lots of modes like portrait and landscape, and even exotic ones for fireworks and such. Each mode has specific automatic settings that optimize the results.

Full automatic is just fine for most subjects, but if you want something special, a shot that could really be something, then it is worth the time to get into the proper mode. That is how I have been using the S3 and the results have been fine.

Some reviewers complain about blurry shots. No modern camera blurs anything that is still and well-lit. Blur results from slow shutter speeds relative to camera shake or subject movement. The S3's little lens requires a slower shutter speed to compensate, to allow all the light that is needed by the sensors to capture an image. Handheld shots with slow shutter speeds are blurry with any camera.

We are used to seeing big serious cameras on tripods and little carefree cameras being used handheld. Actually, it is more likely that the little camera should be the one on the tripod. In addition to their small lenses, their light weight and small size make them harder to hold still. Note, too, that flash freezes movement and eliminates blur. However, tiny cameras have small flashes that do not have much range and so do not work to prevent blur at longer ranges.

My first twilight photos with the S3 were attempted with me holding it against trees, pressed to car roofs, etc. The only good results came when I used a tripod and fired it off using the self timer so that human hands were not at all involved.

The usual daylight shots of people, scenes and things are not a problem

Most of my prints are 4X6 and are really very sharp and well exposed in either the automatic or manual modes. I avoid shots that are not well lit or too far away for flash. The prints are generally much better than what I used to get from 35mm. It is reasonably fast with little lag time or waiting for images to be loaded. The camera itself is metal and very solid and precise.

The S3 comes with a little dock with an ac plug to charge it and a usb cable for downloads to your computer. Some people do not like the idea that you have to take the dock with you to recharge and download on the road. To me this is not a problem in that the dock is very small anyway and it is better to have all those connections on the dock rather than on a tiny camera.

I have had perfect luck so far with Nikon photographic products and tend to trust that brand, so I bought the S3 over some other very compelling models. Nikon also does a very good job with programming exposure, focus, white balance, etc.

I thought about maybe 4 stars because a little light camera can use vibration reduction in all modes, but a really effective and full time VR would likely cost more and I have not missed it anyway.

If you need what this camera lacks, then you have to step up to a bigger and much more expensive DSLR. You can spend more, carry more and get more. It works that way with film and it does with digital as well. I would like a DSLR also, but the S3 is an excellent camera with a lot of options to make great photos and it would get a lot of use, even if I had that elusive digital Hasselblad, just because it would always be with me.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars pretty good so far, December 5, 2005

By	Ronnie Anderson (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

Just got this camera a few days ago. I've taken several types of pictures so far and don't have any complaints (closeup, scenes, and portraits).

I gave the camera to my wife to take a few pictures and like the other reviewer, she too had a problem with blurry shots. The problem was that the camera didn't reset itself from macro lens mode after turning it off and back on (I just assumed it did). I changed that and haven't had any more problems.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For a point and shoot - near perfect, January 16, 2006

By	S550 (Westfield, MA USA) - See all my reviews

My main camera is a Canon 20D, and the Nikon S3's pictures aren't quite up to that standard. But they are better than any point-and-shoot that I've seen. Far better than the Sony 7.2 MP P150 that I sold to get the Nikon. Focus is always dead on, and resolution is excellent given the small lens. Battery life is very good, the small size is most convenient, and the docking station makes life much, much easier. The only negative that I've noticed is that the black surfaces show fingerprints; but the camera is available in silver, white and red. The professional reviews are indeed correct; Nikon has a winner here.