Nikon Coolpix S210

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By Lori Grunin, CNET.com
Jun 18, 2008

It's a dilemma when you have to choose between style and functionality. In the world of imaging, you get to choose only one, as with Nikon's Coolpix S210. A sleek fashion statement this may be, but as with its slightly more expensive and marginally slimmer-than-thou competitor, the Casio Exilim EX-S880, the performance and photo quality tradeoffs you get for high style and a low price may not be quite worth it.

Editors' note:

This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia.

Design

This slim shooter can fit into most pockets without creating a bulge.
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With its supermodel-slim body and classy chassis--clad in jewel tones of brushed metallic blue, plum, bronze or basic black--the Nikon Coolpix S210 will certainly make a style statement when you whip it out of whatever tiny pocket you've slipped it into.

The S210 uses the typical Nikon menu scheme, though better implemented than in the annoying Coolpix S600. A Mode button pops you into selecting among Auto, Hi ISO (auto ISO up to 1,600, compared with ISO 800 for normal auto ISO), Scene, Voice Recording, Movie, and Setup modes. Menu calls up frequently accessed shooting options: Image resolution, white balance, ISO sensitivity (Auto, Manual--64 through 2,000), and color effects.

The typical Nikon menu scheme allows you to access commonly used functions and features.
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Features

You'll also find the AF area mode options in the Menu, which include Center, Manual Spot, Auto, and Face Priority, as well as the various drive mode options: Single, continuous, Best Shot Selector (BSS), Multi-shot 16 (16 successive shots in a single frame), Interval Timer, and Time Lapse in movie-capture mode. The BSS can be quite useful--it shoots up to 10 photos as you hold the shutter down, then saves the sharpest of the bunch.

But you really don't want to shoot at higher than ISO 400 with this camera, so forget the Hi ISO mode. As with the S600, the face-priority AF is too slow as well as too erratic to take seriously and, as with most snapshot models, the auto area AF invariably picks the wrong subject. We recommend that you eschew all the fancy AF modes and instead use center AF, focus, and recompose. For selecting the appropriate subject, you're still faster than the camera.

It looks like there's a relatively sharp zone in the middle, but surrounding details are a blurry, smeary mess, with frequent fringing on high-contrast edges.
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There's also D-Lighting which can apply tonal corrections in-camera for those inevitably underexposed shots, but this feature works best on models that have better high ISO performance; it unavoidably exacerbates noise. The camera lacks optical image stabilization; electronic stabilizers are generally poor substitutes.

The LCD fares pretty well. At 2.5 inches, it's a bit tiny for a fashionista camera and a bit smaller than the EX-S880, but about as big as you could fit on this model, and typical for the price. If you boost the brightness, it's adequately viewable in direct sunlight, though that will eat into the camera's 220-shot Lithium-ion battery life (CIPA rating). But it's has a nice, wide viewing angle that delivers good overhead shooting and group viewing experience.

Performance »