Nikon Coolpix S10 Review
Review Date: February 26th 2007
Author: Gavin Stoker
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Image Quality
All of the sample images in this Review were captured using
the 6M High (2816 x 2112) JPEG image size option producing
a file that is between 1.5-2.5Mb.
Noise
The Nikon Coolpix S10 has 5 ISO settings. Noise creeps in
visibly from ISO 400, and at top ISO 800 it's noticeably grainy,
but I'd argue, not unusable if you're pushed. Still, a 'could
do better'. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise
levels for each ISO setting.
Sharpening
Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality
50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening
applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images at the
default setting are just a little on the soft side and benefit
from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop.
Alternatively you can change the in-camera sharpening level
if you don't like the default results.
Chromatic Aberrations
On close inspection there is some purple fringing visible
between areas of high contrast, though the Nikon Coolpix S10
handles this perennial problem better than some competing
compacts. Here is a 100% crop which shows the typical chromatic
aberrations that you can expect:
Macro
The Nikon Coolpix S10 offers a Macro setting that allows
you to focus on a subject that is 4cms away from the camera.
The first image shows how close you can get to the subject
in Macro mode (in this case a compact flash card). The second
image is a 100% crop.
Flash
The flash settings on the Nikon Coolpix S10 areAuto, Auto
with Red-Eye Reduction (In-Camera Red-Eye Fix), Anytime Flash,
Flash Cancel, and Slow sync. These shots of a white coloured
wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.
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Auto Flash - Telephoto (380mm) |
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And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, both the
Flash On setting and the Red-Eye Reduction option caused a
small amount of red-eye.
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Flash On (100% Crop) |
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Flash - Red-Eye Reduction (100%
Crop) |
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Night Shot
The Nikon Coolpix S10 maximum shutter speed is 2 seconds
in Long Shutter Mode, which is not very good news if you're
interested in night photography. The shot below was taken
using a shutter speed of 1 second, aperture of f/3.5 at ISO
800. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the
quality is like.
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Night Shot (100% Crop) |
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Overall Image Quality
Like other current Nikon compacts, the Coolpix S10 has trouble
getting sharp images in less than perfect light, though with
VR on constant activation, the S10, for me, delivered much
better results than the (VR lacking) S9 under similar conditions.
However, if in doubt, the Nikon S10 is over keen to fire the
flash to compensate, which is thermonuclear in its intensity.
Even when the built-in flash is used, the S10 doesn't always
get it right when pre-focusing the shot, and I found it trickier
than it should be to achieve a sharply focused image under
artificial light. That's slightly frustrating as the Nikon
Coolpix S10 would be great for using at pop concerts, shooting
over the heads of the throng (doubtless much to your neighbours'
annoyance) or from the press photographers pit. Almost one
out of every two images was blurred even when flash was used,
and it's also well worth using the red eye reduction setting
on the flash, seeing as the bulb is situated slap bang alongside
the lens. If you turn off the flash indoors and utilise a
mixture of filtered daylight and ISO, the performance isn't
too bad. Noise creeps in visibly from ISO 400, and at top
ISO 800 it's noticeably grainy, but I'd argue, not unusable
if you're pushed. Still, a 'could do better'. The Nikon S10
undoubtedly functions better outdoors, choosing to underexpose
to preserve detail if it's bright. On close inspection there
is some purple fringing visible between areas of high contrast,
though the S10 handles this perennial problem better than
some competing compacts. At maximum wideangle verticals do
begin to lean and bend, but again this is no worse than illustrated
by rivals. Colours were a bit cool for my liking left on standard
setting, with the vivid option lending some much needed pep
on a dull day, though of course these could always be boosted
in Photoshop. Overall, although sharp, crisp images are achievable
on brighter days, the overriding impression is that you have
to work harder to get images you'd want to keep out of the
Nikon Coolpix S10 than you should have to – given its point-and-shoot
status.
 PhotographyBLOG
is a member of the DIWA
organisation. Our test results for the Nikon Coolpix S10 have
been submitted to DIWA
for comparison with test results for different samples of
the same camera model supplied by other DIWA
member sites.
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