Nikon COOLPIX S220

Is this the budget point and shoot compact that the world has been waiting for?

The Nikon COOLPIX S220 is stylish, well built, easy to use, and retails for under £150. For a model of this price and looking at its impressive specs there is very little wrong with it. In these current times of financial crisis this camera could prove to be very popular in the compact market. 

Unlike most compacts from the Nikon L series the S series models have always been produced to a much higher standard and the S220 is no exception The body feels strong and is light to handle at only 100g, however it is worth putting the wrist strap on as the slippery slim body shape can quite easily slip through the fingers. All the controls are straightforward to use and unlike the Nikon COOLPIX S230 the S220 does not come the touch screen. This is really to the S220’s advantage as we found the touch screen to be a pain to control and it is worth noting that the S220 retails £40 cheaper. There is not much to differentiate between these two models and so choosing the S220 will save you money and it means you wont have lots of fiddly controls.

Image quality is hard to judge on a model of this level as obviously for £150 the results are going to be debatable. In reflection of its price the quality is very reasonable however the main problems were overexposing and highlight blowouts. The colour balance is reasonably strong across the spectrum apart from the greens that are very dull, which was especially emphasised in lowlight conditions. Noise became a problem at high ISO speeds however this is not unexpected, as most compacts seem to struggle in the same conditions and for a camera of this calibre this can be forgiven.

In reflection of its image performance the COOLPIX S220 was only producing correctly exposed images around 60% of the time. It is worth noting that the images produced accurately were very good, however to make the S220 the ultimate budget compact, higher consistency would have been a bonus. This statistic does not sound that impressive but you will struggle to find another compact that will produce images to the same level for £150.

For the type of consumer the Nikon COOLPIX S220 is aimed at the camera needs to have a photographic brain so it can do the hard work. On the automatic scene mode the Nikon COOLPIX S220 was quick to respond and most of the time selected the appropriate shooting mode. The S220 also has a complex face detection setting that was useful for large groups shots as it meant most of the people ended up with nice soft skin tones. With this type of technology don’t expect miracles from it and still be prepared to actually take the photograph yourself!  Nikon have included an electronic VR (vibration reduction) image stabilisation compensation for the effects of camera shake. This feature was not obviously working 100% of the time however in some tricky shooting scenarios it did appear to help.

Like most compact cameras these days the Nikon COOLPIX S220 has an in camera editing suite and the main feature is its quick retouch mode. This enables images to be rescued if they have been underexposed however considering that the S220 seems to overexpose more than it does under, this function seemed a little pointless. It would have been more practical for Nikon to put in manual exposure adjustments giving the user greater control over the final image outcome.

The COOLPIX S220 is slow to record images and this is frustrating. Even on its continuous shot mode the camera felt sluggish and the S220 will never capture that fast action shot unless you have luck on your side. This is one of the sacrifices the consumer has to make for having a budget camera and although there are issues in this area this problem is not major.

Don’t expect miracles from the Nikon COOLPIX S220 as at the end of the day it is what it is! In terms of looking at this camera as a budget, beginner compact than you will struggle to find anything better for the value for money so you need not look any further.

Final Verdict In this financial climate this compact could do extremely well and for the amateur photographer the S220 really offers good value for money. OVERALL

Claire started studying photography over six years ago where she was intrigued by the act of image making. Claire has a great passion for traditional photographic methods however she’s found the change to the digital medium to be a fascinating advancement.