Introduction

Ease of Use

Let's start this off by saying that the Nikon Coolpix S6500 is a good looking camera. So it's no surprise that it fits in to the Style range of their models. It's a flat edged rectangle of a camera with slightly curved edges to soften it up a bit. All sides apart from the back are covered in a gloss plastic finish that's aesthetically pleasing. There's nothing about the layout that sets the camera apart, though. Everything is where it is (and some would say where it should be).

The 12x optical zoom bulges out slightly from the body, but that's to be expected unless they use a physically smaller lens element to allow for more telescopic barrels. The lens starts at 25mm at the widest setting. This means it can then zoom out to a belly busting 300mm.

Of course if it can zoom out that far, then that could cause complications with the amount of light able to fall on the sensor, due to the restricted field of view. One attempt that Nikon have made to combat this issue is to fit the S6500 with a back-illuminated sensor. If you're unfamiliar with what these are, they're not actually what the name suggests. If anything the term “back-illuminated” is a nick-name because the back of them isn't actually illuminated.

Front	Rear

A traditional sensor is designed with all the pixels on the front of the sensor. Each pixel is surrounded by the circuitry needed to send the information from the sensor to the processor which converts the information into a photograph. The downside is that the micro-circuitry blocks some of the light that could pass onto the pixel. A back-illuminated sensor has the circuitry placed on the back of the sensor which then allows more light to fall on each pixel and make it more responsive to light. If you were to compare a traditional sensor next to a back-illuminated sensor, it would look like it was mounted back to front, so all the light would be illuminating the back; hence the name. 

If anything it should be called a “Rear Mounted Circuit” sensor, or something else equally as boring. The fact is that this way, it sounds funnier and we get to use terms such as “it's lit up from the back-side”. It also means you get a camera that can cope better when it gets dark and retain lower ISO settings to get cleaner images than comparable traditional sensors. The full ISO test will confirm whether it's the case or not.

Front	Top

There's references all over the S6500 page on the Nikon website as well as the manuals about an AutoHDR mode. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. It expands what the camera can “see” by taking multiple exposures and combining them together to create one shot. The result is a shot that uses an over exposed image to bring out detail in dark areas, a perfectly exposed image for the mid-tones and an underexposed image to prevent bleaching on light areas, such as the sky. The S6500 only does this on the Backlighting scene mode and it also only uses two pictures. It takes one picture to compensate for the bright background (the subject would normally be silhouetted) and one to illuminate the subject (which would burn out the background). It then combines the best bits of both to get the best results.

One of the little used features on a digital compact camera is the subject tracking AF. To start it up, you have to select it in the Main menu under AF area mode. You then find the subject and place them in the AF square. Press ok on the back of the camera and the focus system will lock on the subject regardless of whether you move the camera or whether it moves. Press ok again and it releases the lock. This is great for moving subjects such as wildlife, kids or transport photography. However, we're unsure on using the ok button to lock it. A simpler system for the end user would be to use the focus lock on the shutter release as the subject lock. The camera then tracks as long as the subject is in the frame. You take a picture as normal and if you give up, just point the camera away from the subject to release the lock. Still, it works well enough and seems to keep up with all but the fastest movement.

Memory Card Slot	Battery Compartment

Speaking of speed, the Nikon Coolpix S6500 starts up and takes a picture in around 2.5sec which is about standard for a digital compact camera. There are two continuous burst modes (High and Low) as well as a few alternatives such as pre-shoot cache, Best Shot Selector, Multi-shot 16 and two ultra high speed continuous modes which record at 120fps or 60fps (frames per second). These latter two options will drop the resolution severely, so keep an eye on that.  Now Nikon say that the camera records at a rate of 10fps. This is where it gets a little confusing. You see only seven images will be recorded. But they're recorded at a speed of 10fps. Only getting seven pictures can make you think it's working slower, but it records them in 0.7sec. If it continued to the tenth frame, it would do it in one second and that's the important part to keep in mind.

Playing back the pictures can be done regardless of whether the Nikon Coolpix S6500 is on or not. Press the blue arrow and the pictures you've taken will come up on the screen. You can zoom into them using the zoom switch or zoom out and view them as thumbnails. Press the menu button and the Playback menu pops up on screen. You can perform some simple editing such as adding D-Lighting, perform and Quick retouch, start a slide-show or Glamour retouch if it's a portrait. If you've set up the Quick effects in the Main menu, pressing ok will take you into the editing screen. The picture will be displayed multiple times with various effects and all you have to do is select your favourite. The system is non-destructive, so will save an extra copy as well as the original.

In the box, you get a Basic start guide, software CD with View NX2 and the full manual on it. IN the main compartment with the camera is a lithium ion battery, USB cable and charging unit for the camera. You also get a small wrist strap to keep it safe while not in use or if the kids are using it.

Image Quality

Unless otherwise stated, all pictures were taken at full resolution at the highest compression rating, which is indicated by the star next to the resolution in the Main menu. A fine setting picture records between 7.3Mb and 7.7Mb. Knock it down to the normal recording setting and that will roughly halve.

Noise

After we tested and posted the Nikon Coolpix S6400 in May 2013, we expected the noise pictures on the S6500 to be about the same. We were looking for low ISO to be ok and high ISO to be awful. What we got was this: Low ISO shots on the S6500 are, in fact, excellent. There's absolutely no noise whatsoever and edge sharpness is exquisite. The results stay pretty much the same through ISO 200 with only a slight increase in noise reduction at ISO 400. On our test shots, the texture of the bellows on the old camera starts to get smoothed out and there's a very mild hint of salt and pepper noise.

Colour noise doesn't really start to come into the shots until around ISO 800 and then it's tolerable. This is all when viewed at full magnification. If it's viewed at a normal viewing distance, these changes aren't noticeable. Interestingly, we noted that the S6400 was “like using a different camera” at ISO 800 because the noise was so bad compared to ISO 400. There's no such problem here and these results are arguably better than what should be expected from a small sensor.

At ISO 1600, the edges are starting to deteriorate and details are all but gone from the image thanks to noise reduction. Red and green blobs are covering the darker areas, but the camera is managing to prevent it from leaking onto the mid-tones. It can't help the picture at ISO 3200, though and noise has started to cover the picture in the lighter areas too. Still it's a lot better than what we expected.

ISO 125 (100% Crop)	ISO 200 (100% Crop)
ISO 400 (100% Crop)	ISO 800 (100% Crop)
ISO 1600 (100% Crop)	ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

Focal Range

The Nikon Coolpix S6500 has a cool 12x optical zoom built in. That's equivalent to a 25-300mm zoom lens in 35mm terms.

25mm	300mm

File Quality

The Nikon Coolpix S6500 has 2 different image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

Fine (7.69Mb) (100% Crop)	Normal (3.68Mb) (100% Crop)

Sharpening

The improvements on the noise performance means that should you want to add a little sharpening to the pictures in an editing suite such as Adobe Photoshop, it won't ruin the picture. Previous models have simply had the noise exacerbated by the sharpen tool, so it's refreshing to see them actually improve.

Original (100% Crop)	Sharpened (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations

We struggled to find chromatic aberration in the Nikon Coolpix S6500's pictures. Instances we found it were faint lines on high contrast edges and at the extreme edges of the frame.

Chromatic Aberrations 1 (100% Crop)	Chromatic Aberrations 2 (100% Crop)
Chromatic Aberrations 3 (100% Crop)

Macro

The close focusing facility of the Nikon Coolpix S6500 is only 8cm. That's pretty far away by today's standards. Saying that, there isn't really a “good” and “bad” macro distance. We've all simply grown to expect to have the glass of the lens touching the subject. Sometimes it's simply not viable. It will let you zoom in a little and still focus close, but it's not a lot. Image quality deteriorates towards the edges of the frame. The bonus is that barrel distortion is less likely as you get further away from the subject.

Macro	Macro (100% Crop)

Flash

There's a little vignetting at wide-angle which isn't removed by using the flash. Zooming in also still has a little vignette at the extreme corners, and the flash simply makes it easier to see it. The flash is pretty intelligent though, because it simply stabilises the light and makes it look natural which is what you need, not someone with a bleached out face.

Forced Off - Wide Angle (25mm)	Forced On - Wide Angle (25mm)
Forced Off - Telephoto (300mm)	Forced On - Telephoto (300mm)

We didn't get any red-eye from the Nikon Coolpix S6500, even when it was turned off. It's funny because the flash is situated quite close to the lens and red-eye is caused by flash light bouncing off the back of the retina and reflecting back into the lens.

On	On (100% Crop)
Auto/Red-eye Reduction	Auto/Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The night scene and auto modes both gave the exact same results in the night time test shot. The aperture, shutter speed and ISO were all identical. The added advantage of shooting in Auto is that if you desire, you can adjust the white-balance. WE did this by using the Manual set and it came out off kilter. It tried to balance the deep yellow of the street lights and came out a pale yellow. This is turn sent the blue dusk sky an even deeper blue.

If you shoot using the Night scene mode, you can choose between hand-held or tripod. The hand-held option will use a higher ISO and faster shutter speed to compensate you not stabilising the camera. The tripod mode will slow everything down to get a smoother shot.

Night Auto	Night Auto (100% Crop)
Night Scene	Night Scene (100% Crop)

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Nikon Coolpix S6500 camera, which were all taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample Movie & Video

Product Images

Front of the Nikon Coolpix S6500

Front of the Nikon Coolpix S6500 / Lens Extended

Side of the Nikon Coolpix S6500

Side of the Nikon Coolpix S6500

Rear of the Nikon Coolpix S6500 / Image Displayed

Rear of the Nikon Coolpix S6500 / Turned On

Rear of the Nikon Coolpix S6500 / Shooting Mode Menu

Rear of the Nikon Coolpix S6500 / Shooting Menu

Top of the Nikon Coolpix S6500

Bottom of the Nikon Coolpix S6500

Side of the Nikon Coolpix S6500

Side of the Nikon Coolpix S6500

Front of the Nikon Coolpix S6500

Front of the Nikon Coolpix S6500

Memory Card Slot

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

When reviewing a new camera, we like to keep in mind the previous model (if applicable), what we expect from the technology it's using, and above all, the cost. The Nikon Coolpix S6500 is priced around £200 and we think that's an ok price for the features on the camera.

It's a lovely little camera to hold and use. The modes are clear and it has a functional user interface that new users will be able to use as well as seasoned photographers. The Nikon Coolpix S6500 is thin and nice to look at, but also has a few decent features to help you along the way such as the 12x optical zoom, FullHD video and wi-fi transfer.

The screen is so much better than the previous model and shows the pictures brilliantly. It's bright and sharp. We did find that, although we're fantastic at photography, the pictures didn't always come out as brilliantly as the screen suggested. This shouldn't be a problem unless you're somewhere that you'll never go again. You think you've got the shot then find out later you haven't.

The biggest surprise comes from the Nikon Coolpix S6500's image quality. We didn't expect anything as good as what we managed to get. It seems as though Nikon have been working tirelessly to improve the digital compact section of their range. Low to mid-range ISO results are great and, while they have their flaws, high ISO looks good too.

The Nikon Coolpix S6500 would be great for someone that wants an attractive camera with point and shoot simplicity, but a few nice bits of tech to get their teeth into. The built-in wi-fi system will allow you to transfer your pictures to the internet or to a computer while the 12x optical lens and improved image quality will make sure you get pictures worth transferring. Behind the scenes, the EXPEED C2 processor speeds up reaction times such as focusing which also benefits from a Subject AF track system.

There's enough on the camera to help you out in almost any situation with some other stuff to help improve the quality or look of the pictures after you've taken the shot. The Nikon Coolpix S6500 is a much improved camera and one that you should really take a look at.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4
Features	4
Ease-of-use	4
Image quality	4
Value for money	4.5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Nikon Coolpix S6500.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Nikon Coolpix S6500 from around the web.

Specifications

Your Comments