Sleek...slick
...and slightly sluggish
A mixed bag of a digital camera, if there was ever such a thing. The Coolpix S50's specs yield an impressive feature list – starting with its svelte metal body, 3-inch LCD, and image stabilization. Nikon has also equipped the S50 with a ‘one touch portrait button', which optimizes settings and activates the face-detection feature that comes in handy when shooting photos of people.
Despite its diminutive size, the S50 is quite comfortable to hold. Logical button placement, a brilliant LCD and a jog-dial makes navigating the snapper's menu (which includes 16 scene modes, plus exposure, white balance, and ISO settings) a walk in the park. Not that you would need to fiddle with these settings much. Nikon's image-processing technology helps ensure consistent output when on Auto mode. A no-brainer of a digicam (with some smart technology to back it up), if you've ever seen one.
One of these tech add-ons is the aforementioned ‘one touch portrait button'. You'd expect it to make short work of barkada shots or family photos. However, it seemed to take a while–up to ten seconds, in fact–to detect subject's faces. Nothing can be more irritating than holding a smile for that long. Unless of course, you're the one doing the shooting, and would have to endure your friends' ugly mugs staring at you from the huge LCD. The S50 also seems a bit slow to lock its focus, especially in dynamic scenes like outdoors, or when your subject's on the move.
Despite it's sometimes-sedentary operation, the S50's image quality, ease of use, and tempting price point still make it worth considering when shopping around for an ultra compact point and shoot. If speedy operation, and near-instantaneous response are what you require though, you may be better off spending your bag of coins on something else. Migs Gerardo
NIKON COOLPIX S50 | P18,800
www.nikondigital.com
TECH 7.2-megapixel CCD. 3x optical zoom. 4x digital zoom. 3-inch LCD. VGA-quality MPEG. Lens-shift vibration reduction. 13MB onboard memory. SD/MMC memory expansion. 92.5x59x21mm. 125g.
LOVE Nice price. Impressive photo output, even in macro mode. Vibration reduction.
HATE Slow start-up and operation. Poor lens placement.
WE SAY An affordable ultracompact that produces quality snaps, if you can bear the wait.
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T3 Magazine Philippines - November 2007 Issue
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 NIKON COOLPIX S50
Fast fact
Unlike CCD-shift image stabilization sensors, the S50's vibration reduction technology moves the camera's lens elements. This implementation works just as well, whether you're suffering from espresso-induced shakes or giddily framing your crush.
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