I found the last generation of coolpix cameras to be disappointing at best. This one however has received some massive improvements.
1. It's very very fast
It is speedy in all ways possible. The shutter response time in almost instantaneous. As soon as you click the button the photo takes... give 1 additional second in poor lighting at worst. Best of all is the photo navigation. Remember those old coolpix commercials where Ashton Kutcher would flick his finger and all the photos would scroll by fast? That never worked before, but it actually does on this one. There is no lag whatsoever on photo viewing or changing settings.
2. Excellent photo quality
I was playing with this in best buy and it took very noticeably clearer photos than the other camera in the same price range... including the Canon powershots. Its actually what made me decide to buy one before I learned all the other good stuff.
3. Functionality
It doesn't allow manual exposure and aperture controls because of its size. However they give you a ton of different scene modes to play around with. Some are a little too niche to matter, but all the main ones are there. Also you can do lots of adjustments to a photo that has already been taken. These are made even easier by using the little included stylus which hangs off your camera strap. The camera has a very good feature which allows you to choose the focus of your picture simply by tapping it on the screen. Finally a purpose to using a touch screen besides flashiness.
4. Looks
Its slim and the screen is large and clear. It's very minimalistic with only 2 buttons on the back. The camera looks very traditional and minimalistic, like most of the coolpix range. It doesn't look or feel cheap by all means, but you're not gonna turn heads when you use it... unless of course you're caught scrolling your library (which does feel pretty cool).
The Bad Parts
This camera only has a couple of negative issues. First off, the lens does not retract into the body when you're viewing photos. It means you can switch to shooting really fast, but it also burdens the way in which you can hold your camera. I would have liked to have been able to hold it flat in my palm while looking at my photos. Another problem is that it doesn't use a battery charger, it charges with a usb cable that plugs directly into the camera. It comes with an AC power adapter that you can plug the cable into if you want... kind of like what an ipod uses. I guess it makes everything simpler and you can carry less stuff when you travel, but I like to charge extra batteries while I'm using my camera.
The touchscreen has a slightly matte surface. Which means it gets very dirty very fast. I put a surface shield on this immediately and it has eliminated that problem completely... but it also makes the touch controls slightly less responsive. If you do this, you can still control the camera well with your finger, but it's faster and easier to navigate photos with the stylus.
I HIGHLY recommend this camera to anyone needing a good point and shoot, especially if speed is important to you. Nikon Coolpix S4000 12 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3.0-Inch Touch-Panel LCD (Silver)
Summary: A great everyday camera. Very good quality pictures, simple to use and very stylish. Small enough that can easily fit in a shirt or pant pocket. Gives you more options in terms of color and exposure manipulations than similarly priced cameras. You can even do basic photo editing using the included stylus. It also has the cool factor of having a touch screen for all controls.
Hi-def video:
720p, 24 frames per second. Does not include an HDMI port, so movies have to be downloaded into a computer to be seen.
Picture sharing:
You get 2GB free online storage to share pictures on the web.
Hardware:
Touch screen: this is the camera's main control mechanism, and it delivers. Bright screen that can easily be seen in bright light. Large virtual buttons that make navigating the options quite easy. Ok responsiveness, not the fastest, but certainly adequate.
Flash: It is tiny. Adequate only for filling in shadows, but in a dimly lit, indoor setting you get some noise on the pictures (as the camera automatically adjusts the ISO). Indoor images tended to be well focused despite the small flash.
Battery: I took 425 pictures (no flash) without needing to recharge.
Ease of use: Once you get used to the idea that there are no buttons readily available (all buttons and commands go through the touch screen on the back) it is quite easy to use. There are some settings (such as BBS) which require a quick review of the manual to know what they are for.
Burst mode: Contrary to other cameras in this group (i.e. Canon A3100) this one includes a burst mode which allows to take up to 16 images in rapid succession.
Pre-set scene mode: Gives you the common ones (portrait, landscape, children running, etc.) and some new ones, such as fireworks and dawn. There are 16 different scenes to choose from there are as many options as higher end models. - Shoot Digital Cameras - Digital Camera - Point - Photography'
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