Nikon Coolpix S1

Reviewed July 2005

Characteristics

The zoom has a focal length of 5.8 to 14.4 mm, equivalent to a 35 to 105 mm with a 35 mm camera. The aperture range starts at f3.0 at the wide angle end, which becomes f5.4 at the telephoto end, and finishes at f8.5 and f15.1 respectively.

This aperture range is coupled with shutter speeds that cover from 1/350 second to 2 seconds (4 seconds when the Fireworks mode is used); and long exposures are automatically processed for noise reduction.

In addition to its optical zoom, the Coolpix S1 has a 4X digital zoom which takes over once the maximum magnification of the the optical zoom is reached. The digital zoom interpolates the central portion of the image to the currently selected image size, usually engendering a noticeable loss of image quality (for more information about digital zooms please read our article).

The Coolpix S1 is capable of capturing images at any of four sizes:

• 5M: 2592 x 1944 pixels;
• 3M: 2048 x 1536 pixels;
• PC: 1024 x 768 pixels; and
• VGA: 640 x 480 pixels.

With the exception of the largest image size, all sizes are associated with a preset compression level. With the 5M size however, two compression levels are available: 5M* (High) which uses a lesser compression and offers the highest image quality, or 5M (Normal) which has a stronger compression.

The selection of image size and quality is made in the S1's menu, and the Auto shooting mode offers the greatest amount of options:

• Setup: is the access to the Setup menu, which is detailed in the Interface and Software section of the review.
• Image Mode: serves to select the image size and compression, as outlined above.
• White Balance: Auto, White Balance Preset (allows setting the white point under ambient light), Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, and Speedlight (Flash).
• Exposure Compensation: allows increasing or decreasing the brightness of the exposure over ±2 EV in 1/3 EV increments.

• Continuous:
  • Single: captures one image each time the shutter release is pressed.
  • Continuous: captures up to 30 images at 1.8 frames per second and at the 5M* image size and quality until the buffer is full.
  • Multi-Shot 16: captures sixteen 648 x 486 pixel images at approximately 2 frames per second and stores them contiguously into a single 2592 x 1944 pixel image (5M normal).
  • Interval Timer Shooting: allows capturing images at a preset interval of 30 seconds, 1, 5, 20, 30 or 60 minutes, while either retaining the exposure parameters set at the first frame or not for up to 1800 images.
• BSS (Best Shot Selector) provides three options:
  • BBS Off.
  • BBS On: the camera captures up to 10 images while the shutter release is pressed, but only records the sharpest image — based on contrast — of those that were captured.
  • AE Exposure BSS: works as above, but offers the choice to record:
    • Highlight BSS: the picture with the smallest area of overexposure.
    • Shadow BSS: the picture with the smallest area of underexposure.
    • Histogram BSS: the image with the least over or underexposure.
• Sensitivity decides the CCD sensitivity and is only available with the Auto shooting mode: Auto (lets the camera choose the appropriate sensitivity between 50 and 200 ISO), 50, 100, 200 or 400 ISO.
• Colour Options: Standard (default), Vivid (increases saturation), Black and White, Sepia (brown tone image), Cyanotype (blue tone image).

Set to the Movie mode, only 2 options are shown in the menu:

• Movie Options decides the type of movie to be recorded: TV Movie 640, Small Size 320, Smaller Size 160, or Time-Lapse Movie (see the Ergonomics section of the review for more details).
• Auto Focus Mode: Single (S-AF) or continuous (C-AF).

• Setup: as with the capture menu, this first option provides an access to the basic camera configuration menu. (See the Interface and Software section of the review for more details).
• Print Set: serves to select photos for printing on PictBridge compatible or DPOF compatible devices.

• Slide Show: presents images in sequence, each staying on screen for 3 seconds. The slide show can be looped if desired, and will play for a maximum of 30 minutes.
• Delete: to erase one or all images in memory or those previously tagged for erasure.
• Protect: to prevent images from being accidentally deleted.
• Transfer Marking: to mark photos for automatic transfer when the camera is connected to a computer running Nikon's software.

• Small Pic: to create a small size copy of an image in any of three sizes 640 x 480, 320 x 240, or 160 x 120 pixels.
• Copy: to copy all, or selected images from the internal memory to a memory card, or vice versa.

As with the D-Lighting function, which is accessible with the OK button when the camera is in playback (See the Ergonomics section of the review), two other functions are associated with the shutter release when the camera is in Playback. First, a 20-second voice annotation can be recorded and associated with an image that is displayed on the monitor. Second, when a portion of an image is magnified on the screen, pressing the shutter release will capture the magnified section — effectively cropping the photo — and allow saving it as a new image.

The Coolpix S1 is equipped with 12 MB of internal memory, and the camera tested here is retailed without a memory card. Nevertheless, the Coolpix S1 is compatible with SD (Secure Digital) memory cards, and a slot for an SD card is located on the camera's right side and covered by a small solid plastic door. The card is ejected by pressing on its edge.

The limited capacity of the internal memory should make the acquisition of a memory card a priority when the Coolpix S1 is purchased.

The chart below provides the approximate number of of photos that can be recorded using the internal memory, and an optional 1 GB SD card:

The Coolpix S1 is powered by a rechargeable Lithium ion battery (EN-EL8), which is housed in a compartment beneath the camera, on its right side. The battery is maintained in place with a small orange spring loaded clip.

The only external connection of the Coolpix S1 is also beneath the camera, and near the battery compartment. It is designed to connect the camera to its docking station (Cool Station), included with the camera. The dock allows the camera's battery to be recharged using the supplied AC adapter (EH-63), and be connected (Compatible USB 2.0) to one of the computer's USB ports.

The USB connection of the camera can be configured in the Setup menu to work either as Mass Storage, or for direct printing, using PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol).

Likewise, the AV out signal available on the Cool Station can be set to either NTSC or PAL in the Setup menu. Finally, all necessary cables are supplied with the camera.