Roundup: Compact Digital Cameras : Nikon Coolpix S610c
19. Nikon Coolpix S610c
New: WiFi
Any Nikon Coolpix camera whose model number ends in "c" includes a WiFi chip. Unfortunately, you can't use it to copy files onto your computer, but instead to upload them directly to Nikon's myPicturetown site, where they offer 2 GB of storage for free.
One new feature is the inclusion of support for the new Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) standard. This avoids the need to provide a key on compatible routes, and also gives a year of unlimited access at certain wireless hotspots to access the service described above.
The benefit of being able to use WiFi just to upload your photos to Nikon's online service--rather than connecting directly to your computer--is somewhat dubious. It's even less convincing when you try it out: signing up takes a long time, and requires checking every single piece of data you provide. The site itself if much to slow to be useful, too.
This S610c from Nikon is nothing more than than the Coolpix S610 with WiFi included. Naturally enough, the rest of its technical specification is identical: a 10 Megapixel sensor, 4x zoom, wide angle and optical stabilization. But does the image quality remain the same?
Handling
- Coolpix S610c Black...
Nikon hasn't updated the design of its "S" series. The S610c is still a very compact little camera, both sleek and refined and finished to a very high standard. It has a large, 2.7-inch LCD screen with a 230,000 pixel resolution providing a very fluid preview of your shots. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to get such a large screen covered in greasy fingerprints--it also means that the small controls are squeezed off to one side and difficult to use.
The scroll wheel is a quick and accurate way to choose the options you want, but the rest of the menus are navigated using the traditional Menu and Mode keys. One disappointment is that you can't jump out of the menus by releasing the shutter, which quickly gets annoying if you want to take a photo quickly.
Image Quality
All in all, the the S610c takes photos that are sharp and neat at the center of the frame, but which are less accurate around the edges. Things get more complicated when it comes to white balancing, which is far too yellow inside, but performs better outside. Some photos suffered from purple fringing in high contrast zones.
The video is perfectly acceptable (640 x 480 pixels) and films clips that are just about usable. Still, it's nice to be able to use the zoom and autofocus while shooting video.
The optical stabilization is also pretty powerful, and we managed to take this sharp snap of Barbie in just 1/3 second. Such good results mean you can avoid cranking up the ISO settings too quickly.
Finally, there's one fatal flaw on the S610c. The S600 disappointed us when it came to looking at ISO test cards, and was a long way behind thecompetition. Fortunately, the electronic noise handling is a little better here, but graininess is visible even at 400 ISO. It becomes problematic from 800 ISO, and which point images are too blurry to make decent prints form.
| Nikon Coolpix S610c | |
|---|---|
| Pluses | Minuses |
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| Even if the S610c had improved the quality of electronic noise handling, there would still be a lot of work to do, especially on evening out the less than perfect white balancing. |  |
should have classified the cameras to at least price and/or final rating. i got discouraged to read.
should have classified the cameras to at least price and/or final rating. i got discouraged to read.
When you say classified, what do you mean? Do you mean the pages should go in order of price, or in order of rating? Such as the cheap ones at the beginning and the expensive ones at the end OR the best cameras at the top and the worst cameras at the bottom?
i meant group them by chosen price ranges/brackets or any feature you think is relevant since comparison between cameras is just difficult with the present format wherein it is only possible to compare models of a certain brand.
It would have been nice if all the cameras were given scores (yes I know this is very subjective, but so are all the comments and pro/con sections). Idealy they would be given su scores as well (i.e. a still picture score, a video score, a asthetics score, a usablity score, maybe some others) and then the cameras could be sorted by those scores with links, maybey a short blurb at each camera in the sorted list. Another thing that would be very usefull to myself and I assume other readers is a features table that allows us to compare all the cameras.