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Nikon Coolpix S600 Review Summary

10 Megapixels10 MegapixelsHigh ISO: ISO 1600 or more is available at full-resolution.High ISO: ISO 1600 or more is available at full-resolution.Stabilization: Compensates for tiny involuntary movements of the camera.Stabilization: Compensates for tiny involuntary movements of the camera.High-Quality Video: over 320x240 resolution but less than HD.High-Quality Video: over 320x240 resolution but less than HD.Custom White-Balance: Specifies exactly what should be white to the camera.Custom White-Balance: Specifies exactly what should be white to the camera.Action Photography: Shutter speeds of 1/1500 or more.Action Photography: Shutter speeds of 1/1500 or more.Spot MeteringSpot MeteringAccepts Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) and SD memory.Accepts Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) and SD memory.Neocamera detailed reviewNeocamera detailed review

Nikon Coolpix S600 Assessment

The Nikon Coolpix S600 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 last year, there was very little competition in terms of wide-angle ultra-compact digital cameras. Now, there is much more competition which the S600 has to face.

The Coolpix S600 turns out to be a camera with slightly above average image quality but slow performance in critical areas like shot-to-shot speeds and focusing. The user-interface and menu system are easy to navigate but strangely organized and require more button-presses than usual. Despite having a tiny battery, battery-life was good for a modern ultra-compact.

A direct and clearly superior competitor to the S600 is the recently-reviewed Fuji Finepix F100fd. It also features a wide-angle lens starting at 28mm plus a 12 megapixels sensor which delivers clean high-ISO images. Another recently reviewed contender is the extremely durable and even waterproof Olympus Stylus 1030SW. This one lags behind the Nikon S600 in terms of image quality but its the toughest digital camera to date.

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PROS CONS
Wide-angle lens in a very small ultra-compact Fine details destroyed by noise reduction
Fine noise pattern Noise visible at all ISO
Good exposure overall, highly center-weighed White-balance struggles in artificial light
Good lens sharpness with low optical distortion Color over-saturation, particularly greens
Fast startup and shutdown Frequent chromatic aberrations
Durable build quality Slow shot-to-shot speed
Above average battery-life Below average focusing speeds
Good macro focus Inefficient user interface
Difficult to hold securely
Poor LCD visibility in bright light
No optical viewfinder
AverageAverage Average
Pentax K-7
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Related Information

Nikon S600 Facts

Ultra-Compact digital camera
10 Megapixels Ultra CompactISO 100-3200
4X Wide Optical ZoomShutter 1/1500-4s
Built-in StabilizationCustom white-balance
1.1 FPS Drive, 10 ImagesSpot-Metering
640x480 @ 30 FPS Video RecordingLithium-Ion
2.7" LCD 230K PixelsSecure Digital High Capacity
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