Nikon Coolpix S3

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Features
The Nikon Coolpix S3 packs a 6-megapixel CCD together with a 35mm-to-105mm 3x optical lens that's hidden very well under the slim camera body. At 110k pixels, the S3 does not have the highest LCD resolution compared with its rivals: The Cyber-shot N1 boasts 230k pixels, while the Minolta X1 and FinePix Z1 average close to 117k pixels.

The Coolpix S3 comes with 16 scene modes and Face-priority AF which is useful for shooting portraits. In addition, a built-in flash with Auto, Fill, Slow-sync and Red-eye reduction settings forms part of the S3's stable of features. Both the AF and red-eye reduction functions are easy to use and performed fairly well.

There ie a wide variety of shooting modes on the S3: Single, continuous, multishot 16 and time-lapse. In my opinion, that's a decent enough range for the normal camera user.

The S3 further comes with a customizable GUI. It provides an option for users to select functions by either names or icons. Navigation using names proved to be a walk in the park. However, the same cannot be said about the icons as we found them rather confusing.

The Coolstation is sleek and light, just like the S3. However, the camera is reliant on the docking station for downloading of images and there's a need to bring the extra accessory around. This can get frustrating at times.

Performance
The Coolpix S3 isn't the fastest digicam we've seen so far. The image-processing time averaged 3 seconds without flash and a staggering 5 seconds with flash. It's not all gloom, though. Powering up the unit took approximately 1.5 seconds and another second more for time to first shot. Autofocusing was reasonable between 1.5 and 2 seconds.

The time taken to switch from record to playback was nearly instantaneous. However, it took a much longer time to view images right after a shot--a hefty 3 seconds. We were pleased though that the 10x magnification could be easily achieved without any lagging or other problems during playback.

Video capture on the S3 was generally satisfactory. On an added note, we could zoom in optically while recording, which was good news.

Image Quality
Image quality from the Coolpix S3 was average. We noticed most of our images had a slight yellow cast and were a bit soft.

The anti-blur function offered as much help as notifying us that the resulting picture could be blurry. We had to use a tripod or place the S3 on a stable surface to minimize camera shake.

During our video tests, the shooter managed to record relatively clear footages with sound. Noise was evident, sadly, but it's nothing to worry about as it's typical for most cameras of this class. Expect more noise in your still images especially at high ISO settings.

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