Nikon Coolpix S7c review

The Coolpix S7 ($350) is the update to the Coolpix S6, which was one of Nikon's first cameras to support Wi-Fi. The S7c supports Wi-Fi too -- in fact, it's been enhanced over its predecessor. While before you could just transfer photos to your computer wirelessly, the S7c lets you e-mail photos right from your camera, from almost any Wi-Fi access point. It's even preset for T-Mobile Hotspots (usually found at Starbucks), so you can send some photos while sipping your double americano.

Other new features on the S7c include more pixels (7MP vs 6MP on the S6), a slightly different lens (in terms of maximum aperture), a more powerful flash, Electronic Vibration Reduction, and new high ISO options. What hasn't changed? The S7c still has a huge 3-inch LCD, fancy slideshow feature, and VGA movie mode.

Before we start the review, I have to knock Nikon for some rather questionable product labeling. If you're shopping for a camera and look at the S7c or its box, you might be mislead about its Vibration Reduction (image stabilization) capability. Have a look at this:

So, according to the labels on both the camera and the box, the S7c has Vibration Reduction / image stabilization. And that's what I thought for a while, until I started using the camera. I noticed that there was only an "electronic VR" option available. After checking the manual (and confirming with Nikon), it turns out that VR on the S7c is nothing more than some post-shot sharpening. Pretty misleading if you ask me.

Okay, rant over. Read on to find out how the S7c performs in the crowded ultra-compact field!

The Coolpix S7c has an average bundle. Inside the box you'll find:

• The 7.1 Megapixel Coolpix S7c digital camera
• EN-EL8 rechargeable lithium-ion battery
• Battery charger / AC adapter
• Cool-Station camera dock
• Wrist strap
• USB cable
• A/V cable
• CD-ROM featuring Nikon PictureProject / Wireless Camera Setup Utility
• Fold-out Quick Start guide + 185 page camera manual (both printed)

Last year Nikon started building memory into their cameras instead of putting a memory card in the box. And, in one of those "what were they thinking?" moves, Nikon put less memory into the higher resolution Coolpix S7c than they did on the S6. That camera had 20MB, and the S7c has just 14MB. You can fit just four photos at the highest quality setting into that amount of memory, so consider a large memory card to be a required purchase. Since it's 7 Megapixel, I'd recommend getting at least a 512MB memory card for the S7c. The camera can use SD or MMC memory cards, and spending the extra bucks on a high speed card is worth it (no need to go overboard, though).

Nikon Coolpix S10

The Coolpix S10 has an average bundle. Inside the box you'll find:

• The 6.0 Megapixel Coolpix S10 digital camera
• EN-EL5 rechargeable lithium-ion battery
• Battery charger
• Lens cap
• Wrist strap
• USB cable
• A/V cable
• CD-ROM featuring Nikon PictureProject
• Fold-out Quick Start guide + 92 page camera manual (printed)

In 2005 Nikon started building memory into their cameras instead of putting a memory card in the box. The Coolpix S10 has just 16MB of onboard memory, which holds a paltry five photos at the highest quality setting. That means that you'll want a larger memory card right away. The S10 supports Secure Digital cards (though not SDHC cards, as far as I can tell), and I would recommend a 512MB card as a good place to start. I only noticed a performance improvement with a high speed SD card in continuous shooting mode, so if you do a lot of that it may be worth getting one.

Nikon D40X

The Nikon D40X is a DSLR that is sure to be popular with entry level DSLR buyers. It's an update of the previously popular D40 and features a 10.2 megapixel DX CCD sensor (the D40 was 6MP), ISO of 100 to 1600 (extendable to 3200), burst mode of 3 frames per second and a 2.5 inch LCD screen (230,000 pixels).

Apart from the larger megapixel count, extended ISO range and increase burst mode it's largely the same as the D40.

The Nikon D40X measures 126.0 x 94.0 x 64.0mm and weighs 481 grams.

The Nikon D40X will have a retail price of $729.95 USD when it ships in April. Alternatively you can bundle it with a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens for $799.95 USD.

NIKON INTRODUCES THE D40x - A NEW 10.2 MEGAPIXEL VERSION OF ITS SMALLEST AND EASIEST-TO-USE DIGITAL SLR CAMERA

MELVILLE, NY, MARCH 5, 2007 – Nikon today introduced the new D40x digital SLR camera that is designed to allow users to take spectacular photographs with very high-resolution at the touch of a button. The D40x maintains the same compact size, portability and ease-of-use as its already successful sister camera, the D40, and adds features like higher 10.2 megapixel resolution, faster continuous shooting capability and wider ISO sensitivity. Digital SLR cameras are the tool of choice among the majority of professional photographers but some people have found them to be complex or bulky. With the D40x, consumers don’t have to sacrifice the quality of their pictures anymore. The D40x inherits many advanced technologies from Nikon’s professional models, but was designed specifically to make taking outstanding pictures easy and fun for everyone.

Nikon D2X

The D2X has landed, and
with it come the hopes of
a generation of Nikon
devotees keen to see their
company match arch-rival Canon.
Unfortunately for users of
Nikon, the company has
perpetually been a step behind its
competitor in the race for sensor
development. Since early 2003,
Canon users have had the 11MP
EOS 1DS, and Nikon users just
5.9MP with the fl agship D1X (fi rst
introduced in 2001).
While the D2X can’t match the
new 16.7MP EOS 1DS Mark II in
terms of pixel resolution,
knowledge of the post-capture
process has now taught pro and
amateurs alike that megapixels
aren’t everything. A decent 12MP
sensor is suffi cient for most
applications, but a high-quality
12MP camera can be pushed
further than its pixels might
suggest – even to the same ceiling
as the EOS 1DS II.
The most revolutionary and
unprecedented aspect of the D2X is
its High Speed Cropped mode. This
gives users the ability to switch
from fi ve frames per second
shooting and 12.2-megapixels, to a
smaller crop of 6.9-megapixels with
a burst rate to match the D2H
(8fps), even if the buffer’s slightly
reduced from that camera. The
D2H can hold 50 full-quality
JPEGs/40 RAW, while the D2X
manages only 35 JPEGs/29 RAW.
Bearing in mind that Canon’s 8.5fps
EOS 1D II hits just 40 JPEGs/20
RAW, this isn’t too much of a
handicap, and may well make the
D2H redundant for those
photographers who’ve got the cash.
Where the D2X loses out slightly
in terms of resolution to the
1D II in High Speed Cropped, it
makes gains with focal length
multiplication. This becomes 2x
rather than 1.5x, and should
prevent the need for slower, bulkier
lenses, or even the use of
teleconverters (a 300mm lens
becomes 600mm). No user,
professional or otherwise, can
baulk at the chance to get
essentially two cameras in one – a
high-res unit for portraits,
landscapes, architecture and still
life, as well as a lightning fast midres
unit for sports, press, wildlife
and action shots.

Nikon’s D70

Nikon’s new D70s boasts
faster, more accurate AF,
faster image processing
and buffering and a bigger LCD
than the old D70. It’s joined by the
new, budget D50 model, designed
to compete with bargain-basement
models from Canon (the EOS
350D) and Pentax (the *ist Ds).
Let’s take a closer look at the
improvements that have gone
into the D70s. The increased
processing speed means that the
camera’s capable (technically)
of shooting up to 144 shots
consecutively. This is under very
specifi c conditions, however
– namely JPEGs shot at Normal
quality, with specifi c high-speed
memory cards. The quoted
capacity when shooting RAW fi les
or Fine quality JPEGs is far lower,
at four frames and nine frames,
respectively. You may fi nd, then,
that the D70’s as quick in all but
very specifi c circumstances.
The same applies to the
new, speedier, improved AF
system. Some users may fi nd the
improvement obvious; we don’t.
That just leaves the 2-inch LCD
display, up in size from the 1.8-inch
screen on the old camera. Hardly a
big difference, but the larger menu
text may prove more legible for
some users

In use

The D70s is so similar to the D70
that, apart from the badge on the
front, it feels identical. That’s no
bad thing: plastic it may be, but the
D70’s a million miles from the EOS
300D it once competed against,
and it’s still better than the EOS
350D which replaced it. No other
camera in this price range has this
feeling of solidity and quality.
The D70s is a comfortable size.
The *ist Ds and EOS 350D are a
little too short in the shoulder to
offer a really secure grip, leaving
your little fi nger waving about
ineffectively under the base plate.
The grip on the D70s, though, is tall
enough for all your fi ngers to curl
around fi rmly.
This camera uses two control
wheels instead of one. The rear
control wheel handles most shotto-
shot adjustments as well as
shutter speed in Shutter Priority and
Manual modes. The front control
wheel handles a smaller number of
secondary functions, and controls
lens aperture in Aperture Priority
and Manual modes. It’s easy to
remember: rear wheel – shutter
speed, front wheel – aperture.
You’ve got to remember which
wheel does what though, as the
D70s doesn’t drop out of Quick
Review mode when you attempt
to adjust the controls. You’ve got
to half-press the shutter release to
return to Shooting mode before you
can make white balance, ISO and
other adjustments for the next shot.
This is a camera you’ve got to
learn how to use. There’s a full
Auto mode and a small selection of
Scene modes for novices, but it’s
not really aimed at them. It’s aimed
instead at photographers who
know what they want to do and
who’re prepared to make the effort
needed to explore this camera’s
considerable depths.

The results

The old D70 is good but not
perfect. The exposure system is
the biggest issue. In fl at lighting
there are no problems. In bright,
contrasty lighting, however, you
never quite know what the 3D
Color Matrix metering is going to
do. It might produce a perfectly
judged exposure. Or it might – as
often as not – go over-protective
towards the highlights and
underexpose the midtones so that
a super-saturated vibrant subject
comes out distinctly muddy. The
D70s is just the same.
Now if you shoot in RAW mode,
this isn’t going to bother you. It’s
a simple matter to tweak the tonal
distribution to restore the colours
and midtone brightness, and you
have the advantage of nicelypreserved
highlights.
But while the RAW fi les
produced by the D70s are compact
(5-6MB), you don’t get proper
RAW conversion software with
the camera. All that the bundled
Picture Project software can do is
carry out a basic no-frills conversion
that leaves you little better off than
shooting JPEGs in the fi rst place.
And you’ll want to shoot RAW
fi les with this camera. Its JPEG
images aren’t bad, but they lack
the dynamic range and sharpness
of well-converted RAW fi les.
Using only what’s in the box, the
D70s’s performance is distinctly
unremarkable, even against £700
budget DSLRs. It’s only its RAW
fi les that do this camera justice.
This won’t be an issue for those
people who use Photoshop CS and
its Camera RAW plug-in. Provided
you don’t mind waiting for an
update, which includes support for
the D70s, that is.
This remains a very good camera.
Its superiority to the original D70 is
so marginal that you realise all over
again just how good that camera is.
Until the dealers have cleared their
shelves, the D70s’s biggest rival
could be the D70..

Nikon CoolPix 3700

ikon’s digital camera range covers the full
spectrum, from entry-level snapshot cameras
for beginners to high-end semi-pro models
like the 5-megapixel CoolPix 5400 and 5700. The
CoolPix 3700 falls somewhere in the middle, boasting a
comparatively modest resolution of 3 megapixels, but
with an up-market metal finish and design and a
number of handy photographic options.
For example, there are no fewer than 15 different
‘scene’ modes, where the camera’s settings are
precisely set for portraits, landscapes and other specific
types of picture. It can shoot short movie clips, too, and
at a higher resolution and frame rate than most other
digital cameras – 640 x 480 pixels and at 30fps.
The CoolPix 3700 can record sound with movies and,
indeed, it can record voice memos on their own, up to a
total of five hours. It’s not just a digital camera, but a
handy executive accessory. Add in a time-lapse feature,
a good macro mode that lets the camera focus right
down to 4cm, and the compact and stylish metal finish,
and you’ve got a neat little gadget. On the other hand,
the ISO range is comparatively limited at ISO 50-200, a
sign that the Nikon’s not altogether perfect.
Note also that the 3700 is a Dixons exclusive, so you
won’t find it in any other stores for now.
First impressions
The CoolPix is quite small and neat, highly pocketable
and with a smart metal finish. But then this isn’t the
only super-small, super-slick digital camera around these
days – the Nikon’s got lots of very good competition,
like the Panasonic Lumix F1, Pentax Optio S and S4 and
(with similar dimensions but a different shape) the
Olympus Mju 300 and 400 models.
The power switch is positioned around the shutter
release, and the 3700’s start-up time is barely a
second. These super-fast start-up times are becoming
more commonplace now, and they’re a welcome
development because a lot of the shots you want to
take of family and friends, for example, appear and
disappear in an instant.
This is a small camera and both the optical
viewfinder and the LCD are pretty small, too. The LCD
measures 1.5 inches across the diagonal, which is par
for the course, but a lot of the display is obscured by
status and shooting information, particularly in the info
strip running across the bottom of the frame. You can
press the display button to choose an alternative with
the information strip hidden and another displaying
compositional guides. You can also switch the LCD off
altogether and rely on the optical ‘finder, but it’s rather
small and suffers from pretty severe barrel distortion.
The AF works well at the wide-angle end of the
zooming range, taking around half a second to ‘lock on’.
At the telephoto end, things are a bit more sluggish. In
fact, indoor shots can leave it hunting around for a
second or so or even failing to find a focus point
altogether. Out of doors, though, you won’t find
anything to complain about. There’s no audible AF
confirmation – just a green lamp next to the viewfinder
eyepiece or a green ‘lamp’ icon on the LCD.

Coolpix 2200

The Coolpix family gets
two new members
this spring, with the
release of the 2MP
Coolpix 2200 and the 3.2MP
Coolpix 3200. Following on from last
year’s 3700 camera, both pocketfriendly
models use Secure Digital
cards to keep their size and weight
down. Both have a 3x optical zoom,
1.6-inch LCD and 15 scene modes. A
new waterproof case is available as
an optional accessory and
safeguards the cameras as far down
as 40 metres underwater.
The 2200 will have an RRP of
£149.99 and the 3200 will be
£229.99. Find more information at
www.nikon.co.uk and watch out for
reviews coming soon.