
The Nikon Coolpix S640 is a very small ultra-compact camera with a stabilized wide-angle lens, offering a 4X range from 28 to 112mm, in 35mm-equivalent terms. Up to relatively recently, there was very little competition in terms of wide-angle ultra-compact digital cameras. This is no longer the case, putting the S640 face-to-face with more competitors than ever.
The Coolpix S640 turned in an average performance for a high-resolution ultra-compact. Image quality is decent with relatively low image noise up to ISO 400 but muddy details in shadow areas regardless of the ISO. As ISO is increased things get worse quickly but mid-sized prints should still be possible at ISO 800. Shot-to-shot speeds are slow but performance in other areas is snappy.
A direct and clearly superior competitor to the S640 is the Fuji Finepix F100fd. It features a wide-angle lens starting at 28mm too but that reaches out to 140mm, plus a 12 megapixels sensor which delivers very clean high-ISO images. Another interesting contender is the extremely durable and even waterproof Olympus Stylus 1030SW. This one lags behind the Nikon S640 in terms of image quality, but it is the toughest digital camera to date.
See our full-length review for an in-depth look and images samples at all ISO sensitivities.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Very fast autofocus lock | Frequent autofocus miss |
| Image noise under control up to ISO 800 | Useless ISO 3200 and 6400 sensitivities |
| Consistent exposure | High purple fringing |
| Natural image colors | Slow shot to shot speed |
| Very good white balance | Pathetic continuous drive |
| Very responsive except during image storing | Severe loss of contrast starting at ISO 800 |
| Excellent LCD visibility | Redeye problems |
| Great LCD contrast and refresh rate | Battery charges in camera |
| Good build quality, with reservations (see review) | Poor tripod mount placement |
|
| Sister Models | |
|---|---|
| Nikon Coolpix S570 |
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| Nikon Coolpix S630 |
|
| Previous Models | |
| Nikon Coolpix S620 - 4X Optical zoom | |
| Nikon Coolpix S610 - 10 Megapixels, 4X Wide optical zoom, 3" LCD, ISO 3200 Max | |
| Nikon Coolpix S600 - 10 Megapixels, 4X Wide optical zoom, ISO 3200 Max |
| Reviews | |
|---|---|
| Neocamera | Test Freaks |
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