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Nikon Coolpix S8000 review

Nikon Coolpix S8000
Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £219
inc VAT

Keenly priced for a stylish camera with a fantastic LCD screen, but photographic options are limited and image quality is below average

Specifications

1/2.3in 14.0-megapixel sensor, 10.0x zoom (30-300mm equivalent), 183g

http://www.amazon.co.uk

Nikon has taken a four-year hiatus from the compact ultra-zoom market, but it has returned with the S8000. The 10x zoom is less ambitious than some of its rivals, but the camera itself is also a little slimmer and lighter.

It looks extremely smart with its curved metal body, and the 3in screen has a 921,000-dot resolution, giving an incredibly sharp picture and crisp menus. The navigation pad doubles as a wheel, making it quick to browse and adjust menu options. There are no manual exposure or focus controls, though, and the available options are standard fare for a point-and-shoot camera.

Performance was mostly excellent, taking just 1.3 seconds to switch on and shoot, and 1.6 seconds between shots. Continuous mode was nothing special at 0.9fps, but a Sport Continuous option captured 3-megapixel frames at 3.5fps, using a fast shutter speed to eliminate motion blur. Flash photography was slow, though, with gaps of up to 12 seconds between shots.

With its 14-megapixel resolution, one might hope for some impressively detailed photos, but it failed to live up to the specifications. The main problem was noise: even at ISO 100, fine details were suppressed in an attempt to clean up images, and high contrast-lines looked untidy too.

Image quality dropped further as the ISO speed increased, and only the boldest shapes survived intact at ISO 400. No compact ultra-zoom camera excels at high ISO speeds but this is particularly bad. Purple fringing added to the S8000’s woes, adding halos of purple around high-contrast edges towards the edges of frames.

It wasn’t all bad, though. 720p videos looked and sounded great, despite the lack of access to the optical zoom. Automatic exposures were well judged and colours were rich and lifelike. When viewed on the camera’s screen or when resized to fit a PC monitor, photos looked superb. However, cameras that cost just a little more offer better image quality and controls. The S8000’s screen and smart design aren’t enough to compensate.

Basic Specifications

Rating ***
CCD effective megapixels 14.0 megapixels
CCD size 1/2.3in
Viewfinder none
Viewfinder magnification, coverage N/A
LCD screen size 3.0in
LCD screen resolution 921,000 pixels
Articulated screen No
Live view Yes
Optical zoom 10.0x
Zoom 35mm equivalent 30-300mm
Image stabilisation optical, sensor shift
Maximum image resolution 4,320×3,240
Maximum movie resolution 1280×720
Movie frame rate at max quality 30fps
File formats JPEG; QuickTime (AVC)

Physical

Memory slot SDHC
Mermory supplied 32MB internal
Battery type Li-ion
Battery Life (tested) 210 shots
Connectivity USB, AV, mini HDMI
HDMI output resolution 1080i, 720p, 480p
Body material aluminium
Lens mount N/A
Focal length multiplier N/A
Kit lens model name N/A
Accessories USB and AV cables
Weight 183g
Size 57x103x27mm

Buying Information

Warranty two-year RTB
Price £219
Supplier http://www.amazon.co.uk
Details www.nikon.co.uk

Camera Controls

Exposure modes auto
Shutter speed auto
Aperture range f/3.5 (wide), f/5.6 (tele)
ISO range (at full resolution) 100 to 3200
Exposure compensation +/-2 EV
White balance auto, 5 presets, manual
Additional image controls none
Manual focus No
Closest macro focus 1cm
Auto-focus modes multi, centre, spot, face detect
Metering modes multi, centre-weighted, face detect
Flash auto, forced, suppressed, slow synchro, red-eye reduction
Drive modes single, continuous, self-timer