S$699
Product Summary
7.2
out of 10View score
The bad: Annoying top buttons; no proxy Wi-Fi access other than T-Mobile.
The bottom line: Nikon adds T-Mobile hot-spot access to its slim Wi-Fi camera and continues to deliver the image quality we enjoyed in the S6.
Read full review of the Nikon Coolpix S7c »
Average User Rating
from 2 users
4
out of 10CNET Asia Review
Nikon introduced Wi-Fi to its S series of slim cameras earlier this year with the Coolpix S6. While we liked the camera overall, we questioned the value of the Wi-Fi, since it let you upload only to your computer or print to a printer that was connected either to your computer or your wireless LAN. Now, Nikon has introduced the Coolpix S7c, which includes built-in support for T-Mobile Wi-Fi access points, so you can email photos directly from the camera while you sit at Starbucks and support your caffeine addiction.
| Editors' note:
This is a US-based review and the mobile carrier mentioned is not applicable to Asia-Pacific users.
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Design
The S7c's design is very similar to the S6's: Slim, with a slight wave to the front of the camera, a very useful click wheel to navigate an intuitive menu system, and a few buttons on top that are all so recessed that they can be difficult to press. It's such a slick design, that a friend of mine didn't believe the shutter button was actually the shutter button. Also, the tiny zoom rocker, to the right of the shutter, was easy to accidentally nudge while preparing to shoot. It would be better placed to the left of the shutter button or redesigned completely.
Features
The stylish new camera also includes a 7.1-megapixel sensor; a 3-inch LCD screen; sensitivity up to ISO 1,600; a 3x optical, 35mm-to-105mm (35mm equivalent) F2.8-to-F5 zoom lens; and electronic vibration reduction.
This last feature is something new for Nikon. In its newest group of cameras, and presumably going forward, Nikon has applied the VR label, which stands for vibration reduction, to three different forms of image stabilization: Optical, also known as lens-shift; mechanical, a.k.a. sensor-shift; and electronic, which uses in-camera processing, combined with data gathered by in-camera gyros at the time of capture, to try to remove blur from photos after they've been shot. The company makes no distinction on the box, so if you don't read a review like this, it's difficult to tell what's in the camera, and I doubt any of the sales staff at a big box retailer would know either.
Features, other than those mentioned above, are the same as in its predecessor. As such, the camera relies on its 15 scene modes and exposure compensation instead of manual exposure controls. This isn't a big surprise, as Nikon clearly made this to be a snapshooter's camera, but advanced shooters looking for aperture or shutter priority should look elsewhere.
Emailing photos over a personal network, or a T-Mobile hot spot, was fairly simple. As with any wireless communication, you'll likely run into a few snags or dropped connections, but the S7c connected as well as most Wi-Fi devices I've used. There's even a screen that lets you enter a WEP key if the network is protected. However, the S7c won't work with a proxy network or networks such as the ones found in hotels, which display a splash page and require a login. So, while the addition of T-Mobile support was a great step forward, there's still more that Nikon can do to make its Wi-Fi cameras more useful.
Rate It Now
User Reviews
very bad camera , White Spots Blobs & Circles Ruin 75% of Photos
Mar 20, 2007Rating: 1 out of 10 (Abysmal)
Pros: looks
Cons: 75% of images taken by this camera are ruined by white blobs, white halos, white circles
Opinion:
75% of images taken by this camera are ruined by white blobs, white halos, white circles, white comets, or other white artifacts that cover portions of the image. They show up randomly, with little rhyme or reason. Appears to be some sort of camera design flaw that allows flash light to bounce around inside the lens system. The artifacts move around in location from photo to photo, and are not the sort of thing you can fix easily in a photo editing program, so it's a deadly flaw, particularly when they pock-mark your subject's face. When this problem was brought to notice of Mr David Dentry, General Manager, Technical Support , Nikon Inc, he wrote "Our engineers have studied the problem at length and it only happens when there is particulate in the air. Smoke, water vapor, dust, etc. I am not implying that your area is dusty because a single piece of dust in the air can cause this. ... Read more
Excellent
Dec 19, 2006Rating: 7 out of 10 (Very good)
Pros: Looks nice
Cons: Amazing
Opinion:
This is great product
