The Nikon Coolpix S52 9MP Digital Camera Zoom with 3x Optical Vibration Reduction Zoom (Red) is as close to perfect as you can get in a point and shoot camera. Canon seems to get all the attention in this space, but I like the Coolpix family of cameras best out of point and shoot models in this price range. For $200, you get a great camera with quality pictures and an awesome interface.
The screen on this camera is GREAT. This camera has the nicest screen out of a point and shoot out there. I mean it is BIG. If you're anal like me, you'll want to get a screen protector. But careful handling of my S50 has proven to me that the glass is very durable and not easily scratched.
The control wheel lets you scroll through your photos when displaying them on the screen for review. Only one button to delete a picture and easy access to all the menu functions.
There are some interesting functions, included red-eye correction and image cropping. Once again, most people will be loading their pics on their computers and then dealing with those edits. Still, it's nice to be able to do them.
The zoom on this camera, as with all S5x models, is internal. That means no waiting for the lense to zoom in and out, ad no worries about the mechanical issues with those external lense extension cameras. This is a huge plus for this camera, and helps to maintain the slim profile.
There are thinner cameras, but none of them are as affordable and as packed with features as this one.
For those that want increased digital zoom, I would caution you that that feature is usually a gimmick. The 3X optical zoom is more than enough for point and shoot use and yields clear pictures even at full zoom. Digital zoom just uses software to zoom in to the already captured image, but technically it doesn't zoom at all. So with that in mind, I can live with 3X optical zoom.
This is an update to the S50 and S51 versions and adds more megapixels (9M!) so that you can produce prints up to 16X20. Just keep in mind, almost nobody buying this camera is trying to produce prints that large! But more megapixels never hurt anybody. :)
The only real cons you should be aware of is that your battery will need to be recharged after a few full days of use. That is pretty normal, but it did annoy me at first that I didn't have a spare battery. So get yourself a spare battery and keep it charged. Probably good advice for any camera. The other con is that you have to buy a little case for this camera, which seems like something that should be included.
Bottom line, get yourself this camera if you want to have a nice camera for everyday general use. This camera is durable, easy to use and loaded with features.
Enjoy!
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Update: Testing of video quality and ease of use
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It truly has taken me quite a while to upload a video sample. While I have been travelling without access to all my computer stuff, I can say honestly I know why I never used this feature much with them before. The files are saved as Quicktime (mov) files. I still have to see if there is any way to change that. With my Mac at home, I didn't have the native software on my Vista computer and I had to load it. Long story short: video is better and easier with either my Canon or Sony point and shoot cameras. Obviously this wasn't a deal breaker for me, I still bought this camera (and have even given one of them as a gift to somebody too). But needless to say, if video is a key desire for you, this really isn't it. On the bright side, this video was shot late at night under very difficult circumstances from 40 feet away. Also, in order to meet Amazon's size requirements I had to convert it to WMV, so there might have been quality loss there (not sure). I will repost a better video now that I've set up all the software I need in order to access it.
Hope this helps those who asked for this. Sorry for the delay.
The screen on this camera is GREAT. This camera has the nicest screen out of a point and shoot out there. I mean it is BIG. If you're anal like me, you'll want to get a screen protector. But careful handling of my S50 has proven to me that the glass is very durable and not easily scratched.
The control wheel lets you scroll through your photos when displaying them on the screen for review. Only one button to delete a picture and easy access to all the menu functions.
There are some interesting functions, included red-eye correction and image cropping. Once again, most people will be loading their pics on their computers and then dealing with those edits. Still, it's nice to be able to do them.
The zoom on this camera, as with all S5x models, is internal. That means no waiting for the lense to zoom in and out, ad no worries about the mechanical issues with those external lense extension cameras. This is a huge plus for this camera, and helps to maintain the slim profile.
There are thinner cameras, but none of them are as affordable and as packed with features as this one.
For those that want increased digital zoom, I would caution you that that feature is usually a gimmick. The 3X optical zoom is more than enough for point and shoot use and yields clear pictures even at full zoom. Digital zoom just uses software to zoom in to the already captured image, but technically it doesn't zoom at all. So with that in mind, I can live with 3X optical zoom.
This is an update to the S50 and S51 versions and adds more megapixels (9M!) so that you can produce prints up to 16X20. Just keep in mind, almost nobody buying this camera is trying to produce prints that large! But more megapixels never hurt anybody. :)
The only real cons you should be aware of is that your battery will need to be recharged after a few full days of use. That is pretty normal, but it did annoy me at first that I didn't have a spare battery. So get yourself a spare battery and keep it charged. Probably good advice for any camera. The other con is that you have to buy a little case for this camera, which seems like something that should be included.
Bottom line, get yourself this camera if you want to have a nice camera for everyday general use. This camera is durable, easy to use and loaded with features.
Enjoy!
******** Update: Testing of video quality and ease of use ********
It truly has taken me quite a while to upload a video sample. While I have been travelling without access to all my computer stuff, I can say honestly I know why I never used this feature much with them before. The files are saved as Quicktime (mov) files. I still have to see if there is any way to change that. With my Mac at home, I didn't have the native software on my Vista computer and I had to load it. Long story short: video is better and easier with either my Canon or Sony point and shoot cameras. Obviously this wasn't a deal breaker for me, I still bought this camera (and have even given one of them as a gift to somebody too). But needless to say, if video is a key desire for you, this really isn't it. On the bright side, this video was shot late at night under very difficult circumstances from 40 feet away. Also, in order to meet Amazon's size requirements I had to convert it to WMV, so there might have been quality loss there (not sure). I will repost a better video now that I've set up all the software I need in order to access it.
Hope this helps those who asked for this. Sorry for the delay.
honestly I don't really use it for that feature. I find that it is very serviceable for the video quality although there are few options in terms of improving the sound recording. Others may disagree, but for me that feature isn't a highlight of this camera. I also noticed that there is very little noticable improvement when compared to the original S50, which I bought when it first came out.
Are you looking for a camera with a really good video recording function?
Hi. Yes I was hoping to find something with good video quality, although I know that's not what these tiny cameras are for. I have a Sony P-150 which is pretty good @ it, so I was considering the T300, but I've read too many bad things about it, that the pic quality was subpar. I was hoping it would be good on the S52 as I really want a ultracompact camera.
Tell you what, I think it might be possible for me to post a sample video up here. I am going to try to figure that out and hopefully that will give you a good idea.
Honestly, even though I prefer the S52 or the Nikon S600 to it, the T300 is a nice compact camera as well. Once again, I prefer these, but there are some reasons to go that route too. Surprised to hear that you've heard so many knocks against it, as the main cons I have noted on that guy are related to cost. You can pretty much manually adjust just about anything on it, which is a rare feature for a compact and one that some people demand. You can also adjust the Nikon well enough too, so it's still a pretty close call.
Thanks! I will be looking forward to the video if you are able to post it. I read so many bad reviews about the picture Quality of the T300. I went to Flicker.com and used the camera finder feature and looked at some of the pics, many of them are either muddy, blurry or grainy. I looked at the Nikon prior model s51 pics and they appear to be much better overall. I could only hope that the S52 would be even better with the new Expeed.
I will definitely be able to have this video up by the weekend, so come back Saturday or Sunday and you will see it. I already recorded it, just left my adapter in my office so I will have to get it before I can upload. :)
I've updated the review but it may take a little while to show. I am going to try to get better samples, but I think I've only confirmed my initial thoughts that video is not the strong suit of this camera. I have other video hardware, but other people may want to research this carefully if they need high quality video in their point and shoot camera.
Hi, You sound very knowledgeable and I am hoping you can help. I bought this camera but had to return it. I loved everything about it but in all the flash pictures there would be these white round spots. Sometimes not very noticeable without glasses you couldn't see them, some very very visable in dark spots of the photo. I went to 4 different camera experts and showed them the picutures. I got 3 different answers, 1. Dust on the lens, they blew it out and cleaned it (it actually seemed worse after that) 2. Dust in the air because the flash is too close to the lens and the lens doesn't extend out 3. A sensor issue, as in a sensor is malfunctioning. I can not believe that this is anything anyone would tolerate in their pictures and that Nikon certainly wouldn't make a camera that this is a characteristic of the camera because the lens is too close to the flash. I plan to get another one as soon as it goes on sale somewhere, I wasn't able to exchange it because the store I bought it at didn't have anymore and wasn't getting anymore in. So I am waiting for a sale, I figure if the 2nd one does it too, then it is a characteritic of the camera and I will promptly return it. Unfortuneatey I had bought a spare battery and 2 large sd cards. Any ideas or feed back? Is so you could also email me at Bonnie.weller@anoka.k12.mn.us. I appreciate your opinion. Thanks
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