Nikon Coolpix S4000 review – Decent Screen, But Poor Performance
Thumbs Up:
The Nikon Coolpix S4000 gets a receptive 3 inch touchscreen display and has an ultracompact design.
Thumbs Down:
The Nikon Coolpix S4000 suffers form conflicting autofocus and delivers poor overall performance and low-light photos.
The Whiz Kid Speaks:
Manufacturer: Nikon
Part Number: 26203
Price: $176.95 – $199.99
Product Type: Compact Digital Camera
Weight: 4.6 oz
Dimensions (W x D x H) in inches: 3.7 x 0.8 x 2.2 inches
Optical Sensor Type: CCD
White balance: Presets & Automatic
White Balance Presets: Automatic, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Flash and Cloudy
Software: Drivers & Utilities
Cables Included: USB cable and A/V cable
Connector Type: 1 x Composite audio/video output and 1 x USB
Supported Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7, Apple Mac OS X 10.6.x, Microsoft Windows Vista, Apple Mac OS X 10.5.8, Microsoft Windows XP SP3, Apple Mac OS X 10.4.11
Additional Features: Audio recording , USB charging , D-Lighting technology , Touch-screen control , 720p HD movie recording , In-camera red-eye fix , Face-priority AF function , Best Shot Selector (BSS) , Intelligent Scene Selector , Blink Detection technology , Digital image stabilization , Smile Detection technology and Motion Detection Technology
Peripheral Devices: CD-ROM drive and USB port
Shooting Programs: Smile shutter, Soft skin, Blink proof and Blink warning
Focus Adjustment: Automatic
Flash Modes: Fill-in mode, Auto mode, Flash OFF mode, and slow synchro and Red-eye reduction
Included Accessories: Carrying strap
Camera Flash: Built-in flash
Special Effects: Vivid, Sepia, Cyanotype, Normal and Black & White
Supported Battery: Nikon EN-EL10
Battery Type: 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery (Included)
Razzle Dazzle:
Considering the price of the camera the Nikon Coolpix S4000 is decently designed and dressed. The ultracompact camera comes with a high-quality feels and could be brought in five colors – silver, red, black, plum and pink. Positioned in front of the camera is its wide-angle lens having a 4x zoom, while the rear end of the camera hosts a 3-inch touch-screen LCD having comparatively higher resolution than what you’d typically find in its class? The camera has a slim body, but still is immensely comfortable to use and hold, though there isn’t much to hold on to and hence you might need the wrist strap.
Inside Dope:
In general when you hear a performance complaint about a camera you expect it to be regarding the receptiveness of the camera, but that’s not the case with Nikon Coolpix S4000. The touch controls for the camera responds decently to you touches, with finger and with stylus. Nikon not only has relegated the screen to functions which would be better for physical buttons, but at the same time has also made the screen useful. The performance problem we talked about here is related to the autofocus system of the camera. The autofocus system of the camera is inconsistent at best and at normal shooting speeds.
The photo quality of the camera is also average, especially in dim lighting conditions and indoors. The camera here is capable of capturing decent snapshots under right circumstances, with results perfectly suited for web sharing and for small prints. As a matter of fact, if you are looking for an affordable touchscreen camera that can get you well-lit portraits of still subjects, then the S4000 is a feasible option.
As most of the operation of the camera is done by its touchscreen, there are very few physical functions available here. The top floor of the camera houses a shutter release and power button for the camera along with a zoom ring. Positioned at the lower right side of the camera is a play button for editing and reviewing the photo and shooting-mode button, but that’s it. Luckily, the touchscreen of the camera is responsive and the shooting options and menus for the camera open with very little to no lag.
The entire screen of the camera is used when shooting the camera at full 12-megapixel resolution; the icons are just layered on top. Placed down at the left side of the screen are the icons for changing flash, macro, display functions and timer. The lower right side of the camera has icons for accessing the main menu for setup settings and shooting and touch-based shooting options. The touch settings for the camera include a Touch Shutter to focus and shoot the subject with one tap. Nikon offers a small stylus with the camera to keep the screen fingerprint free and to use it in a slightly better way.
Now, just as all the other touchscreen cameras in the market the S4000 also suffers fro mediocre battery life, and the camera comes with CIPA-rated battery life of way less than 200 shots per charge. Though, the good news here is that the battery pack charges rather quickly in about 2 hours. The camera comes with a single output port in the form of a Micro-USB/AV port, which too positioned on the bottom of the camera and just next to the memory card and battery compartment.
The shooting performance of the camera is a tad better than most of the camera phones, but is still sluggish for its price. The camera takes around 3 seconds for its very first scam from a completely off state. The shot-to-shot timing for the camera is around 2.5 seconds, without flash, while using flash increases that time to 4.1 seconds. Lastly, the camera does face problem in focusing. As far as the quality of the photos from the camera are concerned, they are just OK; good for Web use and small prints, but is doubtful for anything else.
Nitty Gritty:
The budget friendly Nikon Coolpix S4000 comes with a huge receptive touchscreen, but the performance of the camera will definitely test your patience.
