Nikon Coolpix S630: Review

Posted to Digital Cameras 2009-11-27

Nikon Coolpix S630 review:

The Nikon Coolpix S630 digital camera is a new 12MP, 7X optical zoom point and shoot camera from Nikon. It features optical image stabilization, a 2.7 inch high-resolution LCD display, face priority AF and automatic red-eye correction. Other features include Nikon's Smart Portrait System, automatic best shot selection, which takes 10 quick shots and saves the sharpest image and SD/SDHC image storage.

The 7X zoom has a 35mm equivalent range of 37-260mm and a maximum aperture range of f/3.5-5.3. The LCD display has a resolution of 230,000 dots and there's a macro mode that allows focusing down to 0.8 inches. There's also 16 scene modes, digital motion detection image stabilization and an ISO range of 64 - 6400. In addition, the Coolpix S630 can capture VGA resolution videos with sound. The camera features a normal focus range of 2.0 ft. to infinity.

Rating:

4.2 out of 5

Value

The Coolpix S630 represents a very good value in its price range. The 7X zoom is longer than most of the competition at this price point, and the LCD display is a bit larger. The set of automatic features is excellent, making this a true point and shoot camera. The camera takes excellent images, even at high ISOs. There is, of course, the usual increased noise at high ISOs that goes along with the small sensor used by this compact camera.

Features

The Coolpix S630 comes with an excellent feature set for a point and shoot camera. Lack of a viewfinder is about the only thing to complain about, but to many people who have never used one this is not a big deal. Besides, a viewfinder would certainly increase the size of the camera, and this is a very compact camera for such a long zoom. The face priority AF, Smart Portrait system and best shot selector help make the Nikon Coolpix S630 ideal for those who don't want to fiddle with any manual settings - the camera takes excellent images with everything on auto.

Summary

Nikon has done a good job in making the Coolpix S630 a true point and shoot camera. At most, you might need to select one of the 16 scene modes to get the best image, but on full auto the camera will even do this for you. The slightly larger display and well-placed controls make this an easy camera to use, and image quality is excellent for a small sensor camera. All in all a very good offering from Nikon.

Pros

12 megapixel resolution
7X optical zoom
2.7 inch high-resolution LCD display
16 scene modes

Cons

No viewfinder