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Nikon Coolpix S5 Super Slim Wifi Digital CameraNikon CoolPix S5 digital camera review
Nikon S5 Camera Review If it’s size and impact that get you going when picking a camera, the Nikon CoolPix S5 digital camera has a winning combination. Not only does it come stuffed with good functions but it looks the business, doesn’t take up any room and will give you great pictures at the end of your shoot. With its new functions it will revolutionise your photo taking experience and best of all comes with Wi-Fi built in to make transferring your photos really easy. Design | The first thing you’ll notice about this baby is how small it is. Next you’ll marvel at its beautiful design. The Nikon CoolPix S5 is only 25mm thin, 93 mm wide and 59mm high, which makes it very slightly fatter than a credit card. So even in today’s fashionable skin tight jeans there won’t be any unseemly bulges. And at a weight of 135g you’re not going to notice it in the slightest. It comes in a gorgeous chrome finish with the words Nikon in grey lettering at the front. They’ve moved away from the rectangular design by putting slight covers to the edges of this camera giving it a more sophisticated appeal. And if chrome isn’t the finish for you, there’s a luscious red or blue alternative. At the front of the camera you’ll find the lens and a slender flash. And at the back there’s a bright 2.5 inch LCD with an easy to use menu button and an iPod style scrolling wheel. And at the top of this slim device sit the on/off button as well as the zoom and portrait button. And again like the iPod the Nikon comes with a cradle to charge it up so you don’t have to mess around with cables and plugs.
| | Setup/Installation | | We always recommend reading the instructions but there's very little to work out about this camera. The wheel at the back helps you navigate around the camera and the rest of it is just common sense. | | Features | | The decently sized 2.5 inch LCD screen has 230,000 dots making it much easier for you to view your subject and makes composing images much easier. The screen also rotates 170 degrees making viewing from most angles easier. The menu is accessed using the easy-to-use scroll bar which leads you to large icons that you can whip through easily without even looking at the guide (although we always recommend having a quick read before using your new toy). It has the ability to take 6 megapixels images and has a 3x zoom which works pretty well and the fact it’s not massive means you don’t have to worry about camera shake, that is unless you had a particularly heavy night the day before. This is more of a camera for the amateur rather than the more experienced photographer, but if you’re just happy to aim and snap the S5 has everything you could want from a camera. Sometimes when you’re waiting to view your images it takes such a long time you lose the will to live, but with the rotary multi selector and improved GUI it makes scanning through your pictures much faster and the wheel allows you to scroll at up to 10 frames a second. What we loved about this camera is the built-in Wi-Fi. It provides 802.11b/g support so you can wirelessly transfer your images to your computer. The one touch portrait button (at the top of the camera) allows you to access the face-priority AF automatically, focus on people and switch on the in-camera red-eye. There’s 20MB of internal memory but also a SD card slot if you run out of space. The Best Shot selector function automatically selects and saves the sharpest shot automatically for you. The menu comes in 20 languages making it ideal for anyone to use andnd the noise reduction means better results during low light conditions. There is voice recording available too for up to five hours. | | Performance | | It takes two seconds for this camera to power on and start taking photos. Even when you use the flash the photos can be taken one after the other in quick concession. The menu function on the S5 is very easy to use with user-friendly icons helping you navigate around the site. The functions that are on this camera, and there are a fair few, all work really well – the autofocus is quick and good, the shutter-leg performance is outstanding for a tiny camera like this and the 15 different mode selection it comes with work brilliantly. The cradle provided makes charging the Li-ion batteries which can take around 200 shots on one charge. | | What's In The Box? | | Nikon CoolPix S5 Digital Camera, strap, USB cable, audio video cable, rechargeable Li-ion batteries, charger. | | Overall Opinion | | The Nikon Coolpix S5 digital camera is a very good performer for the price tag it carries. The Wi-Fi capability is a huge bonus and with great features and a great LCD resolution you are sure to have some fun with this little beauty. |
By Babita Wakelin | 
Super Slim Design
High resolution 2.5” LCD Screen
6.0 megapixel resolution & 3x Optical Zoom
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Pros
+ Wi-Fi enabled, cradle for charger, lots of functions, easy to use, Well designed
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Cons
- Simple functions, not good for professionals.
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Picture Quality 9/10
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Battery Life 9/10
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Setup Simplicity 10/10
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Build Quality 9/10
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Ease of Use 9/10
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Overall Rating
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By Babita Wakelin
17/7/2006
at 11:19:37am
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