Nikon Coolpix S6000 First Look Discussion

[Andy Stanton]

We just reviewed the Coolpix S8000, but with a 7x optical zoom, HD video recording and a slim form factor like the Nikon Coolpix S6000 has, we had to get it in for review too. We're taking a first look at the little brother to the S8000 while the full review is on the way.

Read the full content of this Article: Nikon Coolpix S6000 First Look

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[photofreak8394]

The main thing that bothers me about this camera is its maximum aperture. At f/3.7, the camera is not taking in much light, which is a major disadvantage, since many of the S6000's competitors, like the Olympus FE-7040, offer a maximum aperture of f/3.0 or so. The Olympus camera also offers 2GB of internal memory for a lower price. I'd like to hear your opinion on this issue, Andy.

[Andy Stanton]

Thanks for your observations. I'll address the aperture issue in my review.

[KCook]

The exposures in your sample shots look to me to be spot on. No EV fuss with any of those? I know shoppers expect perfect AE, but in the real world, good luck!

Nikon ultracompacts have had a funky history with user control. A few, such as the S710, were quite nice. And a few don't even let you set the ISO! It would be nice to see a detail breakout of just what user exposure control the S6000 provides.

yer nag

[Andy Stanton]

No, I didn't adjust the EV with any of the photos.

It's clear to me even at this early stage that the S6000 has accurate exposure and strong but realistic color. I do have a concern with highlight clipping, which will hopefully be improved by the D-lighting feature (in playback mode).

[KCook]

No, I didn't adjust the EV with any of the photos.

It's clear to me even at this early stage that the S6000 has accurate exposure and strong but realistic color. I do have a concern with highlight clipping, which will hopefully be improved by the D-lighting feature (in playback mode).

I never take accurate AE for granted. Good to hear. Dunno if the D-lighting deal works exactly the same as Sony's DRO. But there is a trick to DRO, much more effective when the highlight and shadows are large blocks of area, not numerous small patches. Scale counts.

Kelly