Nikon Coolpix S2600 Digital Camera Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification


The Nikon Coolpix S2600 was released in February 2012 and is designed to be an easy to use digital compact camera that's exclusively available from Argos for £69.99 in purple, pink, silver and black.

Nikon Coolpix S2600 Features

The S2600 has a 14 megapixel CCD sensor and 5x optical zoom lens, a 35mm equivalent of 26-130mm. To help keep blur to a minimum there is e-VR (Vibration Reduction) to reduce the effect of camera shake, with ISO available up to 3200.

To make picture taking as easy as possible there is Scene Auto Selector which chooses the correct camera settings for the scene. You can also choose from 18 scene modes. There is also the smart portrait system with smile timer, blink proof alert, skin softening and red-eye fix. For capturing moving objects there is Subject Tracking AF. When you've finished taking your pictures you can enhance them further using the retouch menu, which includes selective colour and cross screen.

Videos can be recorded at 720p HD.

Key Features

• 14 megapixel CCD sensor
• 5x optical zoom lens (35mm equiv: 26-130mm)
• e-VR (Vibration Reduction)
• 2.7 inch LCD screen
• Scene Auto Selector
• 720p HD video recording
• ISO 80-3200
• 10cm minimum focusing distance
• Slim 19.5mm body
• Smart portrait system
• Retouch Menu
• 18 scene modes
• Subject Tracking AF
• Available in purple, pink, silver and black

Nikon Coolpix S2600 Handling

The S2600 has an extremely compact, metal body, easily small and light enough for you to carry in your pocket when out with friends. It doesn't offer much in the way of a grip, although there is a dotted area for your right thumb. Although small, the 2.7 inch is bright and clear to see in varying lighting conditions. The buttons are typical for a compact camera, with a dedicated video record button featuring on the rear of the camera. The menu system on the S2600 is easy to understand and navigate.

The battery has a CIPA rating of 220 shots, we managed just over 350 during testing. We tested the camera's performance at focusing, shutter response, shot-to-shot time, continuous shooting etc. and have posted the results below. To test this we took 6 or more shots and calculated the average.

Shutter Response		0.2 seconds
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response		0.4 seconds
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response		0.6 seconds
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo		2.3 seconds
Shot to Shot (without flash)		3.3 seconds
Shot to Shot with Flash		6.2 seconds
Continuous shooting		0.95 fps

Continuous shooting records at full 14 megapixel resolution.

Nikon Coolpix S2600 Performance

Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review and product ratings.

Nikon Coolpix S2600 Sample Photos

Portrait | 1/60 sec | f/5.3 | 11.8 mm | ISO 200 High-Res	Landscape | 1/640 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80 High-Res
Drive | 1/250 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Pet | 1/250 sec | f/5.5 | 17.6 mm | ISO 250 High-Res

Sample Photos - The S2600 produces well exposed images with good colour reproduction. Portraits have pleasant skin tones and are free of red-eye when shooting with the flash.

Nikon Coolpix S2600 Lens test images

Wide Angle | 1/1000 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Full Optical Zoom | 1/500 sec | f/6.5 | 23.0 mm | ISO 80 High-Res
Digital Zoom | 1/320 sec | f/6.5 | 92.0 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Macro | 1/13 sec | f/3.4 | 5.3 mm | ISO 80 High-Res

Lens Performance - Detail is decent when shooting at both ends of the lens, with purple fringing evident in contrasting areas of the image. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 10cm, this makes it difficult to take a detailed macro shot.

Nikon Coolpix S2600 ISO test images

ISO80 | 0.3 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	ISO100 | 1/5 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	ISO200 | 1/10 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 200 High-Res	ISO400 | 1/20 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 400 High-Res
ISO800 | 1/40 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 800 High-Res	ISO1600 | 1/80 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 1600 High-Res	ISO3200 | 1/160 sec | f/5.8 | 13.5 mm | ISO 3200 High-Res

ISO Noise Performance - Noise is low at ISO 80 and 100 but there is some evident at ISO 200. Noise causes images to become soft at ISO 400, with black dots reducing image quality at ISO 800. At ISO 1600 the black dots increase, with areas of the image looking like white noise. Images are ISO 3200 are clearly very noisy, but the size is restricted to 2 megapixels when using this setting.

Nikon Coolpix S2600 White-balance test images

AWB preset - incandescent lighting | 1/10 sec | f/4.2 | 7.9 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Incandescent preset - incandescent lighting | 1/10 sec | f/4.2 | 7.9 mm | ISO 100 High-Res
AWB preset - fluorescent lighting | 0.5 sec | f/4.2 | 7.9 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Fluorescent preset - fluorescent lighting | 0.5 sec | f/4.2 | 7.9 mm | ISO 100 High-Res

White Balance Performance - Under the incandescent lights the AWB preset has an orange cast, with the incandescent preset taking the better picture. When using the fluorescent lights, the AWB preset performs well, with a magenta cast appearing when using the fluorescent preset.

Nikon Coolpix S2600 Other sample images

Trees | 1/40 sec | f/3.2 | 4.6 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Black And White Copy | 1/40 sec | f/5.3 | 11.8 mm | ISO 800 High-Res

Nikon Coolpix S2600 Low light images

Low Light AWB preset - incandescent lighting | 1/4 sec | f/4.2 | 7.9 mm | ISO 400 High-Res	Low Light incandescent preset - incandescent lighting | 0.3 sec | f/4.2 | 7.9 mm | ISO 400 High-Res

Nikon Coolpix S2600 Digital filters

Colour Options Black And White | 0.5 sec | f/6.0 | 20.1 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Colour Options Cyanotype | 0.5 sec | f/6.0 | 20.1 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Colour Options Sepia | 0.5 sec | f/6.0 | 20.1 mm | ISO 80 High-Res
Colour Options Standard | 0.5 sec | f/6.0 | 20.1 mm | ISO 80 High-Res	Colour Options Vivid | 0.5 sec | f/6.0 | 20.1 mm | ISO 80 High-Res

Digital Filters - The S2600 has a number of colour options to add creativity to your images, with examples of each above.

Video - The Nikon Coolpix S2600 records videos at 720p, although you can't use the optical zoom.

Value For Money

At just £69.99, the Nikon Coolpix S2600 is one of the cheapest compact cameras we have reviewed. Others to consider are the Samsung PL210 at £79.00, Olympus VG-170 at £79.95, Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 at £84.00, Canon PowerShot A1300 at £89.95, Nikon Coolpix S3300 at £94.95, Canon PowerShot A3200 IS at £99.00 and Olympus VR-340 at 99.00.

You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.

Nikon Coolpix S2600 Verdict

With a price tag at less than £70, the S2600 is an ideal camera if you are looking to buy your first digital camera or looking to purchase it as a gift for a child. Images have good colour reproduction, so will look great when uploaded to Facebook. It is also available in a range of colours and has a solid metal body.

Nikon Coolpix S2600 Pros

Great value for money
Available in a range of colours
Compact, metal body
Images have good colour reproduction

Nikon Coolpix S2600 Cons

Available in limited number of places
Images are noisy from ISO 400 upwards

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Nikon Coolpix S2600 Specifications

Manufacturer	Nikon
Lens
	Max Aperture	f/3.2 - f/6.5
	35mm equivalent	26mm - 130mm
	Optical Zoom	5x
Image Sensor
	CCD pixels	14Mp (Megapixels)
	Pixels (W)	4320
	Pixels (H)	3240
	Sensor Type	CCD
	Sensor Size	1/2.3
	Sensor Size (width)	No Data
	Sensor Size (height)	No Data
	Aspect Ratio	4:3 16:9
LCD Monitor
	LCD Monitor	2.7in
	Screen resolution	230,000
	Touch Screen	No
Focusing
	Min Focus	10cm
	Focusing modes	Autofocus Face Detection AF Tracking Centre
Exposure Control
	Shutter speeds shortest	1/2000sec
	Shutter speeds longest	4sec
	Exp modes	Program Scene modes
	Metering	Centre-weighted - Average Multi Pattern Spot
	ISO sensitivity	80 - 3200
	White balance	Auto Manual Outdoors/Daylight Cloudy Incandescent Fluorescent Flash
	Exposure Comp	+/-2
Shooting Options
	Continuous shooting	0.9fps
Video
	Movie mode	Yes
	Video Resolution	1280x720 720p 640x480 VGA 320x240 QVGA
	Video FPS	30
	Stereo Sound	No
	Optical Zoom with Video	No
Other Features
	Image Stabilisation	Yes
Interface
	HDMI	No
	USB	USB 2
	Wi-Fi	No
Storage
	Card Type	SD SDHC SDXC
	File Type	JPG
Power Source
	Battery Type	EN-EL19
	CIPA Rating	220
Box Contents
	Box Contents	Camera Strap, Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL19 (with battery case), Charging AC Adapter EH-69P, USB Cable UC-E6, Audio Video Cable EG-CP14, ViewNX 2 Installer CD, Reference Manual CD
Dimensions
	Weight	121g
	Width	93.8mm
	Height	58.4mm
	Depth	19.5mm

View Full Product Details