Nikon Coolpix S51 8.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Vibration Reduction Zoom (Matte Black) by Nikon
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Digital camera reviews of Nikon Coolpix S51 8.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Vibration Reduction Zoom (Matte Black)
Digital camera Review: Great Point and shoot
Summary: 5 Stars
Love the set up and ease of use of this great little camera. Great size for taking out on the town, with proven Nikon performance. Only complaint would be lag time between shots.Digital camera Review: Great budget camera
Summary: 4 Stars
I use a Nikon DSLR and wanted an inexpensive pocket camera to complement it. Nikon seems less popular than Canon in the P&S market and it's easy to find this camera with a healthy discount.
The camera features a huge LCD, a fast start-up time, very intuitive controls and menus, optical vibration reduction (VR), and high light sensitivity (ISO). The last two features in particular set it apart from earlier Nikon models like the S1, which could not take a clean picture without the flash anywhere short of a professionally-lit studio. Of course, the picture gets grainy fast if you use the higher ISO settings.
The camera does have several faults mentioned by other reviewers: the response time is terrible, especially if you do not partially press the shutter button to pre-meter and focus. The power button is too easy to hit accidentally. It is easy to cover the lens with a finger because of the lens's location.
All in all, I would recommend this a good, inexpensive pocket camera for anyone EXCEPT for those who mainly take candid action snapshots of their kids or friends. Those users should look for a faster camera.
Digital camera Review: Great compact camera, especially for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
I wanted to replace my aging P&S digital camera and wanted something that was compact and easy to carry in a small handbag, that would still take good pictures. I specifically wanted a non-retracting lens camera - simply because I wanted the most compact camera I could get (and didn't want to risk having someone knock over the camera if the lens was partly open). Oh - and I wanted something on the cheap. This fits the bill. If you are willing to spend more money, I think you can probably get a better camera -- but for what I wanted, I couldn't find another ultra-compact in the sub $250 range that I liked as much. For $225, I was able to get a camera, a 2 GB SD card (free thanks to some promo Amazon was running a few weeks ago) and an extra battery. Can't beat that.
The LCD screen is gorgeous, works great in a variety of lighting conditions (including bright sunlight) and is HUGE. Although I'm a big fan of looking through the lens on DSLRs, I'm of the opinion that most of the viewfinders on compact P&S cameras are less reliable than a LCD, so I would rather have a high resolution, bright LCD that works outdoors. The one downside of having a 3" LCD is that the battery life is less than some other cameras. I picked up an extra battery when I purchased my camera and would recommend potential buyers to do the same thing. The battery does not charge in the camera - something I personally prefer - but know that you will need to buy a separate AC adaptor if you want to do that.
The build quality of the camera is fine. It's mostly plastic, with some pieces of metal - and it's lightweight, but if you are used to a heavier metal camera (like Sony features on their higher-end ultra compacts), I'm not going to lie, this feels kind of cheap in comparison. But at $200, I really don't expect it to feel like a camera that costs $160 more.
This is not the fasted digital camera that I have ever used, nor is it the slowest. I had fewer issues with the speed than some of the reviews that I have read, mostly because it's the result of the auto-focus system doing its thing. You press and hold the shot button, wait for the AF sensor to turn green and then press again. The auto-focus is VERY good (even if you aren't using the facial recognition mode), so I'm fine with waiting another tenth of a second to take a shot. It's really not a huge thing.
The image quality on the camera is quite good, once you become familiar with the controls. The macro mode is amazing -- for such an inexpensive camera, I was blown away. Fantastic. The flash is pretty bright, be weary of that when taking indoor shots, as it can often wash out the entire shot. The autofocus is great and the scene modes/white balance work as they should. Red eye is a problem - as it is for almost all compact digital camera. Fix that on your computer after the fact - but yes, it's definitely there.
Straight out of the camera, the pictures and colors look very good. After some tweaking in Aperture or Lightroom (or iPhoto or the included Nikon photo software if you want to get less fancy), they look amazing. I put up some pictures from Thanksgiving on my Flickr page and someone was able to make out the photographs in the background of the original, even though it was partially obstructed by plant leaves, to know that it was an older picture of me.
I can't speak for Windows (haven't used it with a Windows PC yet), but the camera works flawlessly with a Mac (I'm running OS X 10.5.1). I didn't install the Nikon software, preferring to use my other photo apps instead. Connecting the camera via USB is a breeze and the transfer from the SD card to the computer is very fast. I got a 2 GB SD card, but it supports up to a 4 GB card, and supports high-speed cards (well, it's been tested with certain brands, see the owner's manual).
All in all, for the price - the camera can't be beat if you want something ultra-compact and with a large LCD. I only give it 4 stars because of the battery life and the fact that the build quality is on the plasticy side. Honestly though, for $200 - this is awesome.
Digital camera Review: Great features but terrible results
Summary: 1 Stars
I recently bought this product after a lot research and was very upset with the results I got with it. Before anyone says, "well the camera is only as good as its operator" I would like to add that I am a professional photographer that was looking for a compact camera to take with me on family trips. The exposure of my pix were perfect, the focus however was not. Even though it looked perfect in the LCD screen they came out only partially in focus, either the foreground or the background or just part of my subject was actually in focus. I have always bought Nikon cameras, for about ten years now, but this one was not worth the money. I would suggest getting the Smasung NV3. This camera has most of the same features the coolpix has and takes way better pictures.Digital camera Review: Great little camera for those unexpected moments
Summary: 5 Stars
Don't expect it to be everything and know it's limitations. It can produce fantastic results.