Nikon Coolpix S220: Simple, but Effective for Most Uses

Author's Rating:

Pros: Good features; Inexpensive; Long battery life; 10 MP

Cons: Some features unreliable; Easy to misplace

The Bottom Line: 
This camera has some shortfalls and isn't adequate for experts, but beginners will find it just right. 

Author's Review
Digital cameras each have their own unique qualities. Some offer large LCD viewing screens. Some offer a superior zoom lens that helps take pictures from a great distance. Others offer advanced technology that takes pictures quickly and with sharp detail. Then, there are cameras that are distinguished by size and one of them is the Nikon Coolpix S220 Digital Camera, a compact digital camera.

Basic Camera Facts:

First, let's look at the facts. The Nikon Coolpix S220 Digital Camera offers 10 megapixels and 3x zoom, which translates into 6.3 to 18.9 mm. A built- in flash helps better ensure quality pictures in low- lighting, a CCD sensor helps produce more precise photos, and four- way image stabilization prevents blurring caused by movements.

Looking at the back of the Nikon Coolpix S220 Digital Camera, one will notice a 2.5 inch LCD screen and four small buttons (menu, video/scene, forward, and picture library) surrounding one large button that has the letters "OK" in the center and four tabs that activate different features. These features include Exposure compensation, Macro Mode, settings for flash, and a self- timer. If you press the menu button you will find an image mode, white balance, continuous control, ISO sensitivity, color options, AF area mode, and Distortion control. Within each of these menus are other submenus with more features.

The Nikon Coolpix S220 Digital Camera is small in size, with dimensions of 3.5 inches in width, 2.2 inches in height, and 0.7 inches in thickness. Video resolution is 320 x 240, 640x 480 (VGA). A rechargeable lithium- ion battery powers the camera and the camera has a total weight of only about 3.5 ounces.

Final Thoughts:
 
Nikon Coolpix S220 Digital Camera is a compact digital camera that makes a good camera choice for the first- time digitial camera owner who wants something compact yet full of enough features to take good pictures with little effort or technology savvy experience. It is one of the smaller cameras available and it is offered at a price in the low $100's, making it ideal for the budget- minded consumer.  
 
Digital cameras are offered in many sizes and with many features and I have owned and/or operated many since my first digital camera purchase from many years ago. Nikon Coolpix S220 Digital Camera is easily the smallest digital camera I have ever used. There are some cameras that are even smaller, but this size is probably the smallest that I would consider acceptable. Among other reasons, I insist on having an LCD viewing screen that is at least 2.5 inches in size. This camera offers an LCD screen that is exactly 2.5 inches and it is large enough to easily see what you need to see so that picture taking is optimized. There are smaller cameras on the market, but they usually have very small LCD screens. The one offered here is sufficient enough in size that it doesn't hinder the taking of quality pictures.
 
Speaking of quality pictures, Nikon Coolpix S220 Digital Camera  includes features that help take better photographs. The image stablization system does produce better pictures. It senses movements and adjusts the shutter speed accordingly. I also like the color options. Standard color is the option most photopgraphers will use, but there is also a setting called Vivid Color. This option brightens the colors and in many ways, it reminds me of the colors common to a videotaped television program, like the nightly news. As everyone knows, these videotaped shows depict colors in a much brighter, light- enhanced way. This is a nice feature for a camera, but I have found that it sometimes distorts the colors in certain situations. For example, based on my experience, outdoor pictures should not be taken using the Vivid Color option because it can result in a level of color that is a little unrealistic. I ruined a few pictures this way, but once I learned my lesson, I was sure to stick with the standard color option for outdoor pictures.

To help take better portraits, the Nikon Coolpix S220 Digital Camera  offers what it calls the Smart Portrait system. This includes the usual red- eye reduction common to most digital cameras, but there is much more. A built in Smile Mode automatically snaps the picture when the subject is smiling. Built- in blink proofing snaps two pictures and deletes one of them if eyes are blinking. Face- Priority technology focuses quickly on faces and adjusts brightness so that faces look more natural. D- Lighting helps emphasis dark or backlit objects by making them appear brighter. These features are nice, but not always reliable. For example, I have noticed some pictures of individuals with their eyes shut. Granted, I can easily delete the picture and try again- as with any digital camera- but it would be nice if this technology was more predictable. Still, it works most of the time so it is a nice addition to the package.

The memory on the Nikon Coolpix S220 Digital Camera is limited. Only 18 pictures can be taken and stored in memory. Thus, it is important to purchase a memory card. This has become the norm for digital cameras nowadays and since memory cards are inexpensive (4 GB should be enough for this camera), it isn't really a problem. Also, I should mention that the battery holds its charge for a few hours, which is longer than other, larger digital cameras I have owned/used. This was a pleasant surprise when I started to use this camera for the first time. I assumed that, since it was small, it would probably be very average in most areas. But the battery life is one area where the Nikon Coolpix S220 Digital Camera performs better than most, holding its charge through dozens and dozens of pictures. In fact, I have never faced a situation where the battery lost its charge. It has proven to be very reliable in this regard.

The Nikon Coolpix S220 Digital Camera is a small digital camera, and this makes it capable if fitting into small spaces. For the most part, this is an advantage but it can also prove to be a problem. The reason I say this is because a camera this small can easily become misplaced and take time to locate. This problem has occurred more than once as I have looked around for the camera and been unable to track it down, only to find it resting in the small compartment in my car that is normally used to store a few CD's or at the bottom of the wife's purse. A camera this small and thin can fit into many places where other cameras will not fit, so you need to be careful where you leave it. 

Overall, the Nikon Coolpix S220 Digital Camera is a good point and shoot digital camera. It doesn't take incredible pictures like some of the other digital cameras I have used over the years, but its small size and 10 megapixels make it a good starting camera for someone new to the world of digital who wants an easy to use camera with just enough extra features to make it desireable.