16. In Practice

The S4 powers up very quickly (1.6 seconds), partly because the lens doesn't need to be deployed. In practice, its reactivity is on a par with its competitors, but naturally you'll need to take care when using the longest focal lengths; focusing requires a little more attention if you want to avoid blurred photos. And don't forget that this very powerful zoom is not stabilized! You can do a lot with it, but you have to be careful if you want to avoid blurring due to shaking the camera. In general, the automatic features - this model's stock in trade - work very well and can produce some fine images.

Basic information - including a blur warning - is shown on the viewfinder screen.

With the S4, you'll probably use the scene modes much of the time.

The images we got from the S4 were good, with satisfactory definition regardless of the aperture - which is good, since you can't really control it. On the other hand, using ISO 400 sensitivity produced significantly noisier results, as with most small sensors.

The S4 is capable of producing good images, even at wide apertures in gloomy weather, as seen here.

The 10x zoom showed no major faults, and will produce sharp images provided you watch out for motion blurring.

At ISO 400 the images were noisy, but still usable for moderate-sized enlargements.

We must admit that we were a little disappointed in the Coolpix S4, since Nikon has made some debatable choices in returning to swivel-lens design. However, while it will leave the many fans of the early Nikon swivel-lens models wanting more, it may be a good choice for travelers who want very long focal lengths on a very compact body.