Nikon Coolpix S8000

Starting back in 2006 with Panasonic's TZ-series, compact long-zoom cameras have become a staple for almost every imaging brand. While Nikon broke into this field only last year with the Coolpix S630 (which has 7x optical zoom, which barely categorizes it as a long-zoom camera), the new S8000 ups the ante by delivering some noteworthy upgrades. First, the inclusion of an HD video-recording function puts the shooter on par with competitors from Canon, Panasonic and Fujifilm. The stereo audio recording sweetens the deal. Image resolution is also increased from 12 to the now standard 14.2 megapixels for premium point-and-shoots. We find out how this compact fares against other similar offerings.

Design

At just 27.3mm thick, Nikon claims the S8000 to be the slimmest 10x optical zoom point-and-shoot on the market today. Bringing this compact out on a day's shoot is certainly quite fuss-free. Its petite form factor slips easily in a case. We like the styling of the Nikon, too. The unit we had was clad in a black color chassis and that complemented the minimalist design.


The S8000 is available in black, silver, red or gold (shown here). The flash pops up when activated.
The button layout on the rear is straightforward with each key properly labeled. We also like the scroll wheel which doubles as a four-way navigation pad. Unlike Canon's scroll wheel on some of its point-and-shoots, which spins too freely, the implementation on the S8000 has a tad more resistance which gives feedback of light clicks as you turn the wheel. The top of the shooter houses the power button, shutter button with zoom lever around it, stereo microphones and a popup flash.

The menu interface is simple to navigate and relatively intuitive, especially if you've used a Nikon compact before. A new feature is the option to adjust the vividness and hue of the picture. This function is located together with the exposure compensation, and you can simply turn the scroll wheel to change the look of the photo.

Given that the S8000 has a 10x optical zoom lens, we're pleasantly surprised the glass doesn't extend very far from the shooter when we max out the zoom. There were several occasions when our finger was placed on top of the flash, preventing it from activating in low-light situations, so that's something users may want to take note of. But overall, the S8000's design is quite stylish and the operation was intuitive.

Features

The S8000's main highlights are its 10x optical zoom lens and HD-quality video recording. But in these aspects, it meets with tough competition from other brand offerings. Here's a comparison table between the Nikon, the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS and the Fujifilm FinePix F80EXR.

Specifications/model	Nikon Coolpix S8000	Canon PowerShot SX210 IS	Fujifilm FinePix F80EXR
Image resolution	14 megapixels	14 megapixels	12 megapixels
Zoom range	10x optical (30-300mm)	14x optical (24-336mm)	10x optical (27-270mm)
LCD size	3 inches	3 inches	3 inches
Max video resolution	1,280 x 720 pixels	1,280 x 720 pixels	1,280 x 720 pixels
Audio	Stereo	Stereo	Mono
Shooting modes	Auto, scene modes	Program, shutter/aperture priority, manual, auto, scene modes	Program, manual, auto and scene modes
Dimension/weight	103 x 57 x 27.3mm/ 183g	105.8 x 59.3 x 31.9 mm/ 245g	99.3 x 58.9 x 28.4mm/ 183g
Related links		Review	More specifications

Unlike its rivals that boast manual (or semi-manual) exposure functions, the S8000 has only automatic options which don't let you adjust the shutter speed or aperture. While this may not attract advanced users, the Nikon's simplicity of use will probably be more suitable for beginners who want a camera with a longer zoom lens.

The 3-inch, 921k-dot LCD is one of the best we've seen on a point-and-shoot. The view is sharp and the refresh rate is above average. The color reproduction from the screen is accurate and this makes it easy to frame pictures.

Performance

The S8000 took about 1 second to initiate from power off, and that's quite speedy for a compact long-zoom shooter. However, time-to-first-shot clocked around 5 seconds, which was a tad disappointing as since there is a chance users may miss a shot because of that. Shutter lag with and without prefocusing was about 0.2 second and 0.4 second, respectively.

With regard to focusing, the Nikon was fast to lock onto our subject. There is also a Subject-Tracking option where the shooter will fix the lens on a subject and follow it as it moves within the frame. But if you're taking pictures of people, we suggest you use the Smart Portrait feature instead. This function can track profiles and helps to optimize the exposure for them. It can also detect when your subjects smile and activate the shutter automatically to capture the shot.

We're also impressed with the Vibration Reduction (VR) feature which is Nikon's version of an optical image stabilizer. It was really effective in countering blur caused by shaky hands, and also when we were shooting at the long end of the lens.

Image Quality

ISO comparison table for the S8000.
Nikon's Coolpix shooters are not traditionally known for their image quality, and the S8000 is no exception. The snapper has an ISO range of 100 to 3,200, but we found that the best shots were the ones taken at ISO 100. At ISO 200, we noticed the noise level increased dramatically and smeared away fine details. At ISO 400, the edges of the subjects appeared jagged, although the noise-suppressing algorithm did a good job of removing colored digital artifacts. We recommend that most users use ISO 800 and above only if they are going to print 4R-size or smaller photos because the aggressive noise-reduction system gives the pictures a mottled look.

The S8000 has a Fixed Range Auto function in the menu which users restricts the camera to use only ISO 100 to 400 settings, and that is what we would recommend.


Colors look natural and there's almost no chromatic aberration in this shot.
Color-wise, the Nikon was quite capable of delivering tone-accurate shots and the automatic white balance did a good job in balancing fluorescent and tungsten lighting in our tests.

Nikon is renowned for its optics technology and this is evident in the S8000's lenses, which show almost no trace of chromatic aberration.

Conclusion

The Coolpix S8000 has a good design and its speedy performance impressed us. However, its no-frills features and average picture quality put it at a disadvantage against its rivals. Also, the S$549 price is almost similar to its better-equipped competitors', and that gives them more edge over the Nikon. That said, we're sure there will be users who want a simple point-and-shoot which is easy to operate and delivers good performance, such as the S8000.