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Nikon Coolpix S31 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £95
inc VAT

Basic image quality and even more basic features, but the rugged design and low price are perfect for children

Specifications

1/2.9in 10.0-megapixel sensor, 3.0x zoom (29-87mm equivalent), 185g

http://www.amazon.co.uk

Nikon’s website describes the S31 as a camera for all the family. We’d say it’s more accurately described as a camera for children. Its toy-like appearance isn’t likely to appeal to mums and dads, but the sub-£100 price will.

So too will the waterproof, dustproof and shockproof design. The plastic body doesn’t inspire as much confidence as the metal-clad Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5; and sure enough, the relatively modest 5m underwater depth can’t match the FT5’s 13 metre rating. While the S31 might not be our first choice for snorkelling or mountain climbing, it should be able to withstand the abuse that comes with youthful exuberance – more than other £100 cameras, at least.

Nikon Coolpix S31

The controls are well conceived for children, with a slightly recessed power button and big buttons for photo and video capture. The 3x optical zoom control is harder to locate – it’s accessed by pressing up and down on the navigation pad. There’s a playback button just below, and everything else is controlled via four buttons along the left edge of the screen, which align with on-screen icons.

Nikon Coolpix S31

There’s very little on offer, though. There are a few scene presets, creative filters and decorative frames, but traditional photographic controls are limited to flash, self-timer and resolution. Exposure compensation is nestled in among the scene preset options, but it’s crude, moving in whole exposure stops, and the obscure location means it’s unlikely to see much use.

We recognise that ISO speed and white balance controls on compact cameras are seldom used, but we like to have them included anyway for the small percentage who want them. In this instance, though, omitting these features makes sense. It’s not always obvious what a particular setting does, and here there’s little chance of leaving the camera on unsuitable settings.

There are other issues we’re less pleased about. It’s slow to switch on, taking 5.2 seconds to the first photo in our tests. There’s an orientation sensor to rotate portrait-shaped photos automatically, but it worked for less than half of our portrait-shaped test shots. There’s no HDMI output – we didn’t miss it but others will. The video mode is pretty basic, with a 720p resolution and fixed zoom and autofocus while recording. Soundtracks were tinny but picture quality was decent enough.

Nikon Coolpix S31

No optical stabilisation makes it hard to avoid blur indoors. Children often struggle to hold a camera steadily, so this seems like an odd omission. We also found that the autofocus was quite slow, typically taking between one and two seconds between pressing the shutter button and capturing a photo. We’d normally consider that a big drawback, but camera shake is often caused by the act of pressing the shutter button. As such, the slow autofocus might just help to avoid camera shake.

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Basic Specifications

Rating ****
CCD effective megapixels 10.0 megapixels
CCD size 1/2.9in
Viewfinder none
Viewfinder magnification, coverage N/A
LCD screen size 2.7in
LCD screen resolution 230,000 pixels
Articulated screen No
Live view Yes
Optical zoom 3.0x
Zoom 35mm equivalent 29-87mm
Image stabilisation none
Maximum image resolution 3,648×2,736
File formats JPEG; QuickTime (AVC)

Physical

Memory slot SDXC
Mermory supplied 26MB internal
Battery type Li-ion
Battery Life (tested) 260 shots
Connectivity USB
Body material plastic
Lens mount N/A
Focal length multiplier N/A
Kit lens model name N/A
Accessories USB cable
Weight 185g
Size 65x106x42mm

Buying Information

Warranty one year RTB
Price £95
Supplier http://www.amazon.co.uk
Details www.nikon.co.uk

Camera Controls

Exposure modes auto
Shutter speed auto
Aperture range f/3.3 (wide), f/5.9 (tele)
ISO range (at full resolution) auto
Exposure compensation +/-2 EV
White balance N/A
Additional image controls saturation
Manual focus No
Closest macro focus 5cm
Auto-focus modes multi, face detect
Metering modes multi, face detect
Flash auto, forced, suppressed
Drive modes single, self-timer