Nikon's Coolpix S4 6.0 megapixel camera
By Ryan Block 
posted September 1st 2005 8:55AM
posted September 1st 2005 8:55AM
Nikon, you're killing us here. Their latest Coolpix camera (this morning, anyway) gets around that pesky 3x zoom limitation by using a swiveling optical section—and achieves a normally prosumer level 10x zoom. The 6.0 megapixel shooter's also got in-camera red-eye removal, and all the rest we've come to expect as the usual, including a 2.5-inch LCD, SD slot, USB 2.0, and AA battery terminals. It should be out this month (it's September, remember?) for $430.
does that lens just stick out? how depth of that lens section? i don't get it, i need more pics!
this looks ingenious, though i'm left with a bunch of questions:
a) where does your right thumb go?
b) where does your left thumb go?
i'll hold off on my next eight questions...
Good point about the thumb, but I guess that's what you get with LCD mania. I'd love to give one of these a try. The 4500 was great on its own, but every time I pulled it out I cursed that I couldn't put it in my pocket. Now I can.
Yet another 10x zoom without vibration reduction / image stabilization. Really, for everyday usage, this puts the 200mm+ range out of use. How does one expect not to get blurry results? Also, this is a fully automatic camera... even better when you have that super zoom.
The swivel coolpix is back. Yeeeahy!!!
I've shot over 30,000 pictures over the years with three Coolpix 950s. It was a nice sturdy camera. The swivel body design is the great liberator from the tyranny of eye level photography. It easily allows to shoot from high above your head and low below your knees even with one hand. The drawback of the 900 series was that they were too slow for people photography. The big showstopper for the S4 is the lack of wide angle. Why 38-380 and not 24-240 ??? . Do they think we'll spend another $100 to lug around the wide angle adapter ? We did that back then but now it's 2005, there are other options around.
The dimples in the upper right hand corner say your thumb goes there.
Your left thumb and index will probably be the bottom and top of the barrel, respectively.
This does not answer the question: but is that comfortable?
@4
"To help ensure a balanced exposure and sharpness, Nikon's exclusive D-
Lighting function automatically compensates for insufficient flash or
excessive back lighting in order to obtain balanced exposure throughout the
frame. Blur Warning, another feature unique to Nikon alerts the user when a
shot is compromised by camera or hand shake, allowing another shot to be taken
before leaving the scene."
Lot of hype on this model. Though I love the swivel body, my concerns are as follows:
1) low light - though the digital compensation fro picture correction is nice, how bad is the image? I am particular about this since I like twilight scenic shots where a flash is impractical.
2) Vibration reduction - (as mentioned above) this feature is almost mandatory in today's market. But especially in the compact cameras that are more prone to be used while on-the-go without the usual assortment of additional gear.
Overall, it is too early to tell if these issues are addressed since we are only reading the preliminary press releases. However these issues will be the finial deciding factor as to if I buy the S4.
That said, the swivel is always a tempting option and with usb, sd memory, and standard AA battery power... I have almost pre-ordered twice now. Hopefully I can hold-off until I get answered to these concerns.
Lot of hype on this model. Though I love the swivel body, my concerns are as follows:
1) low light - though the digital compensation fro picture correction is nice, how bad is the image? I am particular about this since I like twilight scenic shots where a flash is impractical.
2) Vibration reduction - (as mentioned above) this feature is almost mandatory in today's market. But especially in the compact cameras that are more prone to be used while on-the-go without the usual assortment of additional gear.
Overall, it is too early to tell if these issues are addressed since we are only reading the preliminary press releases. However these issues will be the finial deciding factor as to if I buy the S4.
That said, the swivel is always a tempting option and with usb, sd memory, and standard AA battery power... I have almost pre-ordered twice now. Hopefully I can hold-off until I get answered to these concerns.
If its really compact and the styling is as nice as it looks here then VR or image stabiliser won't be a big issue, not for me anyway. I think having the D- Lighting feature is more useful. I can't wait to try this.
Well, I will let you know. Preordered via Amazon yesterday :)
how much did you pay for it at amazon?
Concerns:
Lack of manual focus.
Lack of manual control/shutter priority/aperature priority.
Light sensitivity looks to be the same as my CoolPix 990 (400ASA max)
Tripod mount - I don't see one or any mention of one.
Lack of Stabilization for long telephoto shots.
No threading on the lense ring - what about UV filters, grey filters, etc?
I like the 10x zoom but am holding out for the new imaging chips.
Has the shutter delay experienced with The Coolpix 4800 been overcome?
On the web site, Nikon says the 5 aperture steps are available for the entire zoom range. Do they actually mean this thing can do f3.5 at the 380mm end of the zoom? Tech support lady said yes, but I'm not absolutely sure she understands the question. At f3.5, you almost don,t need image stabilizer, it seems to me. Is this really f3.5 through the whole range? Mind-boggling. Most small Cameras run 2.8 to about f5 at 3X.
The only thing that keeps me from ordering one right now is this: the lens appears to be a jewel, but there is no aperture priority mode. A great lens maybe, but you can't really take advantage of it. I don't understand their thinking at Nikon.
All the features are great...but no mention of the one most important thing to me as a photographer is a camera with no delay when you click the shutter...the specs don't mention this, so I suppose it doesn't have this important asset. Nothing is more frustrating taking you picture when the shutter is delayed and you miss the image one hoped to get. Bob W.
Does the nikon coolpix s4 have an optical view finder? Not clear to me from the pictures
Does the nikon coolpix s4 have an optical view finder? Not clear to me from the pictures
I just handled it at the local camera shop and am still debating whether or not to buy it. In answer to the previous question: it does NOT have an optical view finder. I'm not sure if it has a tripod mount but it didn't seem to me to be an issue. Because of the swivel, I placed it on the counter and aimed it in various ways, all of which seemed quite stable. And it does have a timer, so you would be able to place it on a relatively flat rock, etc., set the timer, and let it go.
I'm most concerned about a review I read elsewhere about camera shake (again, no vibration control/image stabilizer that I'm aware of) and purple fringing at the extreme end of the telephoto range. Other Coolpix seem to get poor reviews for low-light focus. Any thoughts from you all?
Is nikon is planing to lounch Nikon coolpix S5 with manual contraols and with image stabilization and other features which S4 dont have. with same 6Mp or higher with 10X or higher optical zoom in compat camera ....
any compact model with 10X zoom ....??
Is nikon is planing to lounch Nikon coolpix S5 with manual contraols and with image stabilization and other features which S4 dont have. with same 6Mp or higher with 10X or higher optical zoom in compat camera ....
any compact model with 10X zoom ....??