Nikon Coolpix S200

Reviewed April 2007

Introduction

The Coolpix S200 is the most compact camera currently in Nikon's line-up. When it is off and the lens is retracted, the camera is only 19 mm (0.76 inch) thick.

This very compact size still allows for a conventional 3X optical zoom — unlike the periscope-like zooms of earlier Coolpix S series cameras — and a 7.1 megapixel resolution along with a 2.5-inch LCD display.

The top right side of the camera supports the On/Off switch and its LED, and a 2-stage shutter release. The LED lights up green when the camera is on, and blinks slowly when it enters sleep mode.

The zoom control is immediately behind the shutter release, on the upper back of the camera. When the camera is in playback mode, pressing the control on the wide angle [W] side displays images as an index placing 4, 9 or 16 images per screen successively, and allows zooming into an image up to 10X, when pressed on the [T] telephoto side.

Moreover, as has been the case with all recent Nikon cameras, pressing the zoom control on the T side while a menu is on screen displays a Help screen [].

A second small LED, to the left of the zoom control, lights red when the flash is charged and ready.

The other external controls of the S200 are grouped below the zoom control, in the space to the right of the 2.5-inch (6.3 cm) monitor composed of 153,000 pixels.

Two rectangular buttons are positioned directly above the 4-direction control. On the right, the button starts the Playback mode. The button can also be used to start the camera directly in the playback mode if it is held pressed for more than 3 seconds, in which case the lens is not deployed.

And on the left the MODE button serves to select the capture mode from the Shooting Mode Selection Menu:

	Voice Recording turns the camera into a digital voice recorder. Recordings can be as long as 5 hours with a memory card, or up to 47 minutes when the internal memory is used.
	The Movie Mode allows recording in a variety of formats: TV Movie 640*: 640 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per second with sound. Small Size 320*: 320 x 240 pixels at 30 frames per second with sound. Small Size 320: 320 x 240 pixels at 15 frames per second with sound. Smaller Size 160: 160 x 120 pixels at 15 frames per second with sound. Time-Lapse Movie*: allows the camera to capture up to 1800 images (233 using the internal memory) with a frame size of the 640 x 480 pixels at a selected interval (30 seconds, 1, 5, 10, 30 or 60 minutes) which are then assembled by the camera into a silent movie at 30 frames per second. Stop-Motion Movie: allows the camera to capture up to 1800 images (233 using the internal memory) with a frame size of the 640 x 480 pixels so as to create an accelerated silent movie. The frame rate can be selected, 5, 10 or 15 frames per second. The maximum file size for any movie is 2 GB. The autofocus can be set to be single (AF-S) or Full-time (AS-F) and with or without electronic image stabilization (e-VR). The optical zoom is locked at its position at the first frame during the recording, but a 2X digital zoom can be used. Exposure and White balance are adjusted as the recording progresses.
	The last option of the menu is the access to the Setup options of the Coolpix S200, detailed in the Interface and Software section of the review.

With the Coolpix S200 in Playback mode pressing the mode button offers the following options:

• Playback mode: places the camera into the standard playback mode, presenting the last captured image full-screen, while navigation through the captured photos uses the 4-direction control.

• Calendar Mode: displays a calendar on the right side of the monitor with the dates on which images were captured underlined. The left side of the screen displays a thumbnail of the first image captured on an underlined date.
• List by Date Mode: this option presents capture dates as a column on the monitor, with a thumbnail of the first image captured on that date on the left side of the monitor.

• Audio Playback Mode: serves to listen to audio recordings.
• Setup: as with the capture mode, this option provides an access to the Setup menu.

The 4-direction control below the Mode and Playback buttons serves to scroll through the menus and review images.

The button at the centre of the control that is marked OK serves to confirm selections made in the menus. It also supports two other functions, indicated by icons on the left side of the 4-direction control:

When the camera is connected to a computer via USB, pressing the button starts the automatic transfer of images to the computer.

And when the camera is set to a capture mode, the button activates the Anti-Shake Mode. The mode enables Electronic Vibration Reduction (e-VR) and the BSS mode which captures up to 10 shots and then selects the sharpest one to save. In this mode the camera automatically increases sensitivity — up to a maximum of 1000 ISO — to obtain as high a shutter speed as possible.

Similarly, each of the four directions of the 4-direction control offers an additional function, whose settings are presented superimposed on the monitor's image as a short menu:

The up direction controls the Flash modes: Auto, Auto with Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, Forced On, or Slow Synch.

The last two external controls of the Coolpix S200 are two rectangular buttons below the 4-direction control. On the left, the MENU button displays the menu that corresponds to the current camera mode, capture or playback. The contents of the menus are detailed in the Characteristics section of the review.

On the right, the button serves to delete an unwanted image while it is displayed on the monitor.

Although very compact, the Coolpix S200 has a very good ergonomic design. Its external controls are easily identifiable, and quickly remembered, making the camera fast to use. The 2.5-inch monitor is sufficiently detailed and remains legible under most lighting conditions unless, of course, the sun is shinning directly on it.