Nikon Coolpix S5100 Summary

The Nikon Coolpix S5100 is a very small ultra-compact camera with a stabilized wide-angle lens, offering a 5X range from 28 to 140mm, 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 S5100 face-to-face with more competitors than ever.

The Coolpix S5100 turned in an good performance for a high-resolution ultra-compact. Image quality is decent with relatively low image noise up to ISO 400. As ISO is increased details get los quickly but mid-sized prints should still be possible at ISO 800. This ultra-compact is a rather speedy one, other than for shot-to-shot speeds that is. Focusing and shutter-lag are among the fastest in its class, something which greatly helps ultra-compact digital cameras be more usable. What is nice about the S5100's performance is that it was very consistent, focus and white-balance were particularly reliable.

See our full-length review for an in-depth look and images samples at all ISO sensitivities.

Neocamera detailed review